The Muppet Show debuts on Disney+ on February 4.
This year marks 50 years since The Muppet Show debuted in syndication on US television, making a frog, a pig, a bear, a Gonzo, and the rest of the show’s felt menagerie into global superstars. In the most full circle of full circle examples, ABC and Disney+ have put the band back together in a special test pilot for a Seth Rogen revival of The Muppet Show.
A lot of the words in that last sentence are whiplash inducing, but the thing to cling onto is that it’s a revival of The Muppet Show. Fans of Jim Henson’s puppet creations have long been begging someone in the entertainment industry who loves the Muppets to just make a new Muppet Show; bless Rogen for heeding the call and ending our decade’s-long whining.
If you’re not familiar with the recent history of The Muppets: In 1990, Jim Henson tragically passed away from toxic shock syndrome, and in 2004, the Muppets IP was bought by the Walt Disney Company. That’s been a disappointing baton pass, because Disney has been incredibly inconsistent in knowing what to do with Kermit and his pals, banishing them to viral shorts or trying to force them into weird high-concept ideas like 2015’s mockumentary series, The Muppets.
While trying new ideas and not getting stuck in a taciturn nostalgia loop is always encouraged, the problem with many Disney-era Muppet projects is that they often reek of an executive mandate to “update the Muppets and make them cool and hip for today.” The problem with that thinking is that it proves they’re being played with by creatives who fundamentally do not understand why the Muppets work – they’re timeless. Kermit and his family of weirdos don’t belong in any era, because their brand of silly lives eternally in the relationships between the characters and their relentless desire to make audiences happy; it’s their True North.
Thankfully, Rogen gets that with his very soul, as does director Alex Timbers. Together, they’ve resurrected the variety show format, the classic Muppet theater set, and the stock cast of classic Muppet characters to make The Muppet Show in 2026, not for 2026.
From the moment Kermit’s felt hand turns the theater’s house lights on, I defy any viewer to resist the huge smile that will spontaneously bloom. If you’re of a certain age, the opening is like a time travel machine back to your childhood, and if you’re a kid, the comedic chaos of the show is attuned to your sensibilities as well.
From the moment Kermit’s felt hand turns the theater’s house lights on, I defy any viewer to resist the huge smile that will spontaneously bloom.“
Like the original variety show, the episode has a special guest star in Sabrina Carpenter (also an executive producer), who shows up with the exact energy needed to match the insanity around her. She gets to sing in two different numbers and banter backstage with the Muppet players like she’s been doing it her whole life.
Unlike some revivals, The Muppet Show has a lived-in quality to it, likely because the primary performers are long-time Muppeteers like Bill Barretta, Dave Goelz, Eric Jacobson, Peter Linz, David Rudman, and Matt Vogel. They’ve lived their characters for at least a decade each and give pitch-perfect performances across the board…and if you don’t like the slight change in some character voices, get over it; the alternative is them getting moldy in an archive somewhere.
Kudos to pilot writers Albertina Rizzo, Kelly Younger, Gabe Liedman, and Andrew Williams for honoring the past with faithful sketch revivals and character temperaments while making this episode feel fresh and genuinely funny. Their new material, including a new Muppet, some novel camera framing, and cameo bits all add to the scale and scope of the world without trying too hard.
Hopefully, the heart and hilarity featured in The Muppet Show will be more than enough proof to give it a series order, because the world really needs Kermit and his pals more than ever.
