The Muppet Show Special Review

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. 

Canceled But Not Forgotten: Forever, The Muppets, and More One-And-Done ABC Shows That Are Popular Today

 

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ABC: The Winners and Losers

Welcome to the first edition of "The Winners and Losers", where I take a look back at ABC's 2015-16 television season and access which shows were the biggest winners and which shows could have done better.

WINNERS

Grey's Anatomy
After years of trouble in the Thursday at 8pm time slot, ABC saw its second straight season of success there with Grey's Anatomy. It's currently ABC's #2 scripted show, averaging a 2.23 A18-49 rating, and is down just over 6% year-to-year--less than almost every other show on broadcast. It's skewing slightly older this season, as shown by the fact that it's lost less than 2% of its total viewers. It's been clear for a while that when this ends, it'll be a Shonda decision and not a Mouse decision.

The Bachelor
The Bachelor is perhaps the show on broadcast television people most love-to-hate, because for all the people who complain about the show, it's still UP (0.31%) year-to-year, which is something no other ABC show can say. It averaged a 2.36, making it ABC's #2 show and #1 non-scripted show. Not bad for a bridge series airing its 19th cycle.

The Little Comedies That Could
Rounding out the winners list for ABC are "the little comedies that could". I'm referring to The Middle, The Goldbergs, and Last Man Standing, all of which were by and large marginal renewals that some questioned when they made it into a second season. The Middle and The Goldbergs have blossomed into hits, with both doing better in ratings relative to other shows than ever before. The Goldbergs is currently averaging a 2.03, down less than 7% year-to-year and remaining ABC's #2 comedy and #4 scripted show. The Middle is just a tad behind it at a 1.91, down a little over 4%. It's ABC's #3 comedy and #5 scripted show overall, showing how strong ABC's comedy department is compared to dramas this season. In fact, in recent days The Goldbergs and The Middle have been ABC's #3 and #4 shows due to Scandal's recent ratings collapse.

Meanwhile, Last Man Standing is still chugging along on Fridays with a 1.21 A18-49 average, a rating that neither of the Tuesday comedies can say. Down less than 5% year-to-year, this show would be an obvious renewal if it wasn't for Tim Allen's contract. Most expect a renewal like always though. Last Man Standing has the 2nd-healthiest year-to-year trend in ABC's scripted department, behind only The Middle.

LOSERS

Bridge Season
Bridge season for ABC is still more of an experiment that is a great idea that hasn't been executed properly--kind of like The Muppets. American Crime was ABC's highest-rated bridge show this season--and oh yeah, it's #20 in the scripted department of 25. At least it gets critical attention, something Marvel's Agent Carter (0.79, down 47%), Galavant (0.63, down 52%), and My Diet is Better Than Yours (0.65) can't say.

The Muppets
It's a bit deceiving that The Muppets is currently ranked #11 on ABC's scripted ratings chart. It had everything going for it: a well-received pilot presentation, promos that got everyone excited, a new girlfriend for Kermit, bringing a Disney brand to ABC, finding a way to bring new life into Tuesday, guest stars, and the list goes on. It premiered to a 2.9 A18-49 demo. The problem was that not many people were particularly compelled by the pilot episode. Because that 2.9 turned into a 2.0 for the second episode, and by the time they hit the fourth episode it was at a paltry 1.3 rating. Not exactly the rating anyone was expecting, leaving Fresh Off The Boat to fend for itself and spend a second straight season making do with a not-so-ideal situation. Since this show was really supposed to succeed and ABC spent so much money promoting it, they decided to switch show runners and retool it, and even slightly upgraded it to the 8:30 time slot, which only sent it into fractional territory for its final six episodes. There has been talk that it will return for a second season, possibly in a Galavant-like role, but don't be fooled if it does; this was a giant ratings loss for ABC and if it returns will be because they're The Muppets, and are owned by Disney.

Tuesday at 10
What ABC has aired Tuesday at 10pm this season and two seasons ago make last season's Forever actually look good. A total of five weeks have been devoted to scripted programming in the time slot before they got replaced by equally low rated, yet cheaper, reality filler. I don't think anything has ever gotten a rating that wasn't fractional there this season. Even Beyond the Tank, which was holding almost all of Shark Tank in its three-week event last May was hitting consistent 0.5s in the time slot. The sad part is that the competition isn't overly intimidating; Chicago Fire does well for a 10pm show but Limitless shouldn't be something that you're afraid to counter-program against.

Paul Lee
Paul Lee's time at ABC had its ups and downs. They had a great season last year, but there has been some slippage this season. Reportedly his vision for the network wasn't in line with Ben Sherwood's, who wants more procedurals to Lee's serials. Time will tell if bridge season is kept, but Paul Lee's term came to an abrupt end in the eyes of the public a couple months ago. I do think that his bridge season idea was a great idea and hope to see it continue in some capacity.

ABC Renew/Cancel Watch: Mass Renewals Still Leave Questions Unanswered

Why is Dr Ken No Longer "Certain to be Renewed"?

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Last edition, I had 10 shows in the Certain to be Renewed category; now, there are zero shows there. 9 of them have been renewed, leaving me less certain that the 10th, Dr Ken, will be renewed. Based on ratings alone Dr Ken should get by with a renewal, as ABC has finally found a solid companion for Last Man Standing. The fact that Dr Ken didn't get included in the mass renewal though tells me that its fate may be dependent on that of Last Man Standing's. Some have suggested that ABC wants
tonight's (Friday March 4) data point without an all-new Last Man to make a decision, but if that was the case then why couldn't ABC wait a few more days to announce their renewals? We need to keep in mind that Dr Ken is co-produced by ABC Studios and Sony, which has a history of going through extensive measures to make its shows survive the cut. But it is entirely possible that ABC will only renew Dr Ken if they can renew Last Man Standing, or possibly even get rid of the multi-cam block entirely. They are under new management, after all, and if they did a year-round Shark Tank/Beyond the Tank lineup they could probably make a solid profit and at a cheaper production cost.

Why is Nothing "Certain to be Cancelled"?
I made a promise that I would not put an ABC bridge series as a certain cancellation after what happened last season. Under new management though, I think it's safe to say that Agent Carter and Galavant are most likely done. In fact, an interview with TV Series Finale saw an Agent Carter EP say that they thought chances of renewal were, in their own words, bad. Finally, I think it's safe to say The Muppets won't be coming back either. ABC was willing to give renewals to mediocrely-rated Quantico and ok-but-out-of-house-production Fresh Off The Boat renewals, but not The Muppets, which is fully owned and has corporate synergy with Disney. Considering Miss Piggy isn't a real person (shocking, right?), I think it's safe to say that contractual negotiations aren't holding back a decision. Speaking of which...

The Castle and Nashville Update
I'm not sure what to think about the lack of Castle in the announcements. I think if they were to bring it back for a final season definitively, they would have done so in the mass renewal announcement. Instead, nothing. Per Deadline they may still be in talks to figure out contracts, but with such low ratings does ABC even think it is worth it? Also, the lack of Nashville is starting to remind of Revenge last season. I think Nashville can still get a renewal if it returns to the 1s AND all the midseason dramas flop AND they can't get Castle negotiations figured out. It's to ABC what I consider Grandfathered to be to FOX; it's not out yet, but a lot has to go wrong in order to give it a spot on the schedule.

Fresh Off The Boat and The Muppets Switch Time Slots

I've been told that according to a new promo, The Muppets has changed time slots. Though it doesn't mention the new time slot specifically, it can be inferred that these two shows are switching based on the fact that Fresh Off The Boat is already listed for airing at 8 and The Muppets at 8:30 on their website.

What do you think of the time slot switch? Let us know in the comment section!