What If TV Networks Could Trade Shows?
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Showing posts with label abc. Show all posts
The Muppet Show Special Review
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| Photo Credit: ABC |
Few would have a bad word to say about The Muppet Show, a comedy-variety series that brought the stars of the day to the stage and made stars out of the felt creations that stood alongside them. But after the series signed off in 1981, successfully bringing the Muppets back to the small screen became an unprecedented struggle. First came The Jim Henson Hour, a 1989 NBC effort that was pulled after a handful of episodes. Then came Muppets Tonight, a hip ABC reimagining that lasted just two short seasons in the late '90s, the second of which was tossed on the Disney Channel. The franchise returned to ABC in 2015 with The Muppets, a mockumentary sitcom that started strong but lost viewers rapidly. Soon after, Kermit and the gang entered the streaming age, leading to the emergence of Muppets Now and The Muppets Mayhem on Disney Plus, but neither lasted more than a season. And now comes The Muppet Show...again, a return to the format that captivated viewers in the first place. As a whole, this half-hour showcase is well aware of what made the original series a pop-culture staple, and it sticks to the basics in an endearing way.
The Muppets have long been governed by the principle of "affectionate anarchy", a phrase often used by legendary puppeteer and film director Frank Oz. Finding the proper balance between the heart-warming and the heart-pounding is key to the development of a solid production. That balance is generally respected during this half-hour. Anarchy is on display throughout as Crazy Harry threatens to ruin Sabrina Carpenter's performance of "Manchild", and resident janitor Beauregard causes trouble during Rizzo's rendition of The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights". But then affection shines through when Kermit allows as many Muppets as possible to have a moment in the spotlight, leading to a grand performance of Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now". This serves as a tremendous ending to an episode rife with backstage drama over who gets to perform for the first show back, an apt storyline given the circumstances.
The special also excels by introducing new elements. One area where this is evident is with the expansion of the audience's role. Outside of Statler and Waldorf's quips from the balcony, the spectators in the original Muppet Show rarely had a prominent function. Here, they get a chance to interact with the stage show in front of them, with guest star Maya Rudolph and the relatively obscure Beautiful Day Monster emerging as a unique comedic duo from the crowd. Rudolph's brush with death, as a result of a Muppet Labs skit gone wrong, is an entertaining bit that occurs only because new avenues have been opened up.
The return of The Muppet Show will not delight all. Many iconic recurring sketches are absent, and viewers may have trouble adjusting to Kermit the Frog's new voice. But when a franchise has provided so many different movies, shows, and specials over the years, there is no possible way to cater to everyone. One Muppet enthusiast is not going to want the same final product as another, and it is a difficult task to match the magic of the puppeteers who are no longer with us. And yet, the cast and crew still come close to replicating the charm of The Muppet Show. Even the little things, like Gonzo losing control of his skates or Zoot finding one of Beaker's eyeballs in his saxophone, reveal that the writers understand how to form sight gags true to the spirit of the source material. And while this special provides longtime fans with a trip down memory lane, it also gives newcomers a sample of the infectious joy that these characters have supplied for so long. That is about all one could ask of a Muppet production in 2026.
Grade: A-
What did you think of The Muppet Show? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
Home Economics Canceled After Three Seasons, High Potential Pushed To Next Season
ABC is foreclosing on Home Economics, canceling the series after three seasons. The series saw a small ratings bump this season, rising a single percent to a 0.35 18-49 average, but that rise was not enough considering its strong lead-in, ABC's buzzy new hit Abbott Elementary. Its streaming performance was also among the weakest of any ABC series this season. The third season ran for only thirteen episodes, leaving the schedule midseason to make room for Not Dead Yet. Also working as a potential roadblock was the fact that ABC doesn't fully own the series, only co-producing it alongside Lionsgate. Topher Grace, Caitlin McGee, Jimmy Tatro, Karla Souza and Sasheer Zamata star in the series, which aired its series finale on January 18th after a 42-episode run. This is a correct prediction for The TV Ratings Guide.
Additionally, upcoming new drama High Potential has been delayed to fall 2024 due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. It was originally ordered to air in the 2023-24 TV season.
Farewell AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE
Back in 2016, The Hollywood Reporter's review of AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE's pilot was devastating. They wrote "how do you make a television series in 2016 that is as poorly conceived and executed as American Housewife?"
It's true that the premise of the show was oddly specific - the adventures of an overweight mom (the show's original title was "The Second Fattest Housewife in Westport") trying to raise her three kids in a pretentious, uptight WASPy town.
What I thought gave the show its charm was a genuinely funny cast with Katy Mixon as the tough-love mom, the always funny Diedrich Bader as the nutty professor dad, Meg Donnelly growing into her Disney Channel stardom, Daniel DiMaggio cast in the Alex P. Keaton mold, and in sitcom tradition, Julia Butters as the weird kid (think Brick from THE MIDDLE, Luke Dunphy from MODERN FAMILY). Add to that, comic powerhouse Wendie Malick as Katie's mom. This cast lifted the show from average to funny, giving audiences that happy half hour break with a family you may not have grown to love, but at least liked a lot.
The cast's charms must have worked because this critically unloved show lasted five seasons with solid ratings and ended up as one of ABC's longest running sitcoms for a time being. Last Friday, ABC announced that the show would not be renewed for a sixth season. The fans are outraged, the casts have begun to tweet their thanks and farewells.
Season five hit fans badly. COVID hampered production. ABC ominously cut the season down. And a series of unfortunate events clearly served to justify ABC's decision to cancel the show. Early on, Carly Hughes departed the show citing "a toxic work environment." Fan favorite, Ali Wong, also exited. In a tone deaf move, the show runners replaced their Asian and black cast with another pair of Asian and black actors, as if Diversity in casting meant cast was as interchangeable as Lego blocks. Similarly, when Julia Butters left the show to pursue her film career, she was replaced with Giselle Eisenberg who faced a tweetstorm of criticism. At one point, Eisenberg fired back at unhappy fans on Twitter that she knew she was being blamed for all the show's problems.
What was going on behind the scenes? The writers seemed to flounder with new storylines, ignoring the previous four seasons of established canon fans were anxiously waiting to see evolve. A longtime bromance between Oliver and bestie Cooper seemed to be going nowhere, with some fans accusing the show of queerbaiting. And the original premise of the show - how Katie dealt with those snobby moms of Westport - was upended as those moms were completely removed from season five.
As the writers crammed more and more into the show, they hit a wall in the final episode with cliffhangers galore - two marriage proposals and a pregnancy. Unless ABC decides to give AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE a farewell special (as Patricia Heaton recently tweeted support for), they have ended this lighthearted series in the most unsatisfying way. The Hollywood Reporter would sneer, how do you make a series finale that is as poorly conceived and executed as American Housewife?" We will miss the Otto's.
Harrison Cheung is the author of the award-winning biography of Christian Bale (BenBella Books) and a contributor to Brave New Hollywood and The TV Ratings Guide.
@harrisonic (Twitter)
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