“The Muppet Show” has returned in faithful — yet flawed — fashion.
“The Muppet Show” has returned in faithful — yet flawed — fashion.
It’s time to play the music and light the lights once again.
After 45 years, the eclectic troupe of felt performers known as The Muppets are returning to their theater for a potential reboot of “The Muppet Show.”
“The Muppet Show” ran for five seasons, totaling 120 episodes between 1967 and 1981. The series was built around recurring sketches and musical performances interspersed with ongoing backstage storylines.
The like-named reboot follows suit.
Released Feb. 4, “The Muppet Show” can be best likened to an absurdist take on the “Saturday Night Live” dramatization “Saturday Night,” released August 2024. The film centers on novice producer Lorne Michaels in the chaotic evening that preceded the first episode of “Saturday Night Live.”
Following The Muppets’ first show back, Kermit the Frog attempts to run the reboot as smoothly as possible, even as his risible ensemble predictably runs wild.
From a rodent-laden take on The Weeknd’s 2020 hit “Blinding Lights” to Miss Piggy’s high-class affair with Pepe the King Prawn, it’s refreshingly unclear where “The Muppet Show” will take viewers next — a freedom of form Disney seemingly forgot.
After 2014’s “Muppets Most Wanted” film failed to capture the attention of its 2011 predecessor, “The Muppets,” Disney relegated the franchise to a series of short-lived, half-baked Disney+ projects.
Those efforts faltered because the Muppets were forced into rigid narrative structures when they’ve always thrived on unpredictability.
Despite being a faithful return to form, the Muppets still have a few growing pains to overcome if the backdoor pilot is to develop into a full season.
While guest host Sabrina Carpenter has undeniable chemistry with leading Muppets like Kermit and Miss Piggy, she rarely interacts with the broader ensemble — largely because iconic mainstays like Fozzie Bear and the Swedish Chef are given nothing to do but fumble around backstage.
Characters who do receive dedicated segments are often siloed from the main cast, such as Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker in their standalone Muppets Lab bits.
When the Muppets aren’t the focus of a sketch, Carpenter usually takes center stage, whether performing her 2025 single “Manchild” in a gremlin-filled dive bar or duetting with Kermit on a bayou cruise.
It’d be nice to see future hosts step outside their comfort zone and partake in a sketch or two.
That same cautious hand is felt elsewhere in the pilot’s construction.
For no clear reason, “The Muppet Show” relies on a laugh track and other canned reactions to cue viewer response.
Part of the Muppets’ enduring charm is that they’re treated as real actors within the narrative — and, by extension, that their show is real too. The laugh track undercuts the illusion, making “The Muppet Show” feel less like a live performance and more like a conventional sitcom.
Potentially the biggest detriment to the Muppets’ longevity ironically stems from their ringleader, Kermit.
Originally voiced by his creator Jim Henson, Kermit’s nasally, slightly raspy voice would define the character for decades. In 1982, Loyola University Chicago gifted Henson the Sword of Loyola, the university’s highest honor.
Steve Whitmire voiced the iconic frog following Henson’s death in 1990, but after repeated issues with professional conduct, he was replaced by Matt Vogel in 2017.
Vogel — best known for voicing Big Bird and The Count on “Sesame Street” — struggles to capture the nuance of Henson’s Kermit, instead delivering a voice that sounds noticeably post-pubescent.
Despite its faults, “The Muppet Show” is a long overdue step in the right direction.
Debuting with a 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, the success of “The Muppet Show” should be the wake up call Disney needs to get a full season “Movin’ Right Along.”
“The Muppet Show” is now streaming on Disney+.
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