Is there anything of that quality and wholesomeness produced for kids today, or am I just going to have to show those old episodes to my kids when they're old enough?
For French speaking families (or Americans that want to expose their kids to French) there is an amazing show, called "C'est pas sorcier". They've produced 559 episiodes of 25 minutes since 1994. Each episode having 50% "on location" and 50% "in the class". And through jokes and play they manage to make something that is fun and (relatively) demanding, and that both my kids (5 and 8) and even myself love.
I believe pretty much everything is available on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/user/cestpassorcierftv
――――――
¹ — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magic_School_Bus_Rides_Aga...
Not exactly the same but the production value and cartoon visuals makes the complicated information easier to understand.
Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsXVk37bltHxD1rDPwtNM8Q
Crash Course World History https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBDA2E52FB1EF80C9 (check out all the Crash Course playlists, there's more than history)
SciShow https://www.youtube.com/user/scishow/videos
etc.