The Muppet Show

[Staffan]

Okay, this sounds plausible - the reason they stopped making the original was not a ratings problem. It was, iirc, the most popular show on at the time. Henson and his people wanted to leave on a high note, before they had a chance to screw it up.

So, someone at Disney or Henson could be reticent for that same reason - screwing up the Muppets would make a bunch of fans hate you.

Sure, Rogen, et al seem to know what works - but what works for a single special and for a series is not the same thing. It is a "sip test" concern. What is awesome in a small dose could, in theory, be less desireable when you have a regular diet of it - the New Coke problem.

They may be afraid of making New Coke Muppets.

I can see that line of reasoning, but I think it fails (not saying you are wrong, I'm saying that if they think like that, they are wrong).

We had an attempt at a revival some years back. 2011 saw the release of The Muppets, a movie about the Muppets returning to the old theater and putting on a new show. This was widely loved, and in 2015 they tried following it up with a TV series also named The Muppets. This series tried a new spin on things: instead of a variety show, you had a late-night TV show hosted by Miss Piggy, and the TV show itself turned into more of a The Office-style mockumentary around the production of that show. You also had some ongoing plot with Kermit and Piggy having fallen out and stuff like that. And while I enjoyed it, it wasn't exactly a big success, and was canceled after 16 episodes.

So they've tried making a "modern" version. It didn't work. And meanwhile, the biggest Muppet successes have been returning to the classic format: both the 2011 movie and the 2026 special. So just do more of that!

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

I doubt the original format would have legs. Nostalgia from us olds aside, the vaudeville variety show format hasn't been successful for a while. In it's heyday, the Muppet Show was (among other things) making fun of other variety format shows (good and bad -- remember the Star Wars Holiday Special was essentially that format)

 

[Staffan]

I doubt the original format would have legs. Nostalgia from us olds aside, the vaudeville variety show format hasn't been successful for a while. In it's heyday, the Muppet Show was (among other things) making fun of other variety format shows (good and bad -- remember the Star Wars Holiday Special was essentially that format)

People seemed to legitimately enjoy the special, and while it was tinged with a good portion of nostalgia for me I don't think that was all of it.

 

[Ryujin]

Yeah, this is about as dumb as you can get.

I am going to guess some nitwit executive has a bee in their bonnet that there needs to be something else - ongoing plot, or something.

Never mind that this format, with these characters and premise, made for one of the most popular shows ever created.

Or...

Okay, this sounds plausible - the reason they stopped making the original was not a ratings problem. It was, iirc, the most popular show on at the time. Henson and his people wanted to leave on a high note, before they had a chance to screw it up.

So, someone at Disney or Henson could be reticent for that same reason - screwing up the Muppets would make a bunch of fans hate you.

Sure, Rogen, et al seem to know what works - but what works for a single special and for a series is not the same thing. It is a "sip test" concern. What is awesome in a small dose could, in theory, be less desireable when you have a regular diet of it - the New Coke problem.

They may be afraid of making New Coke Muppets.

And, currently, The Henson Company appears to be humming along nicely without "The Muppet Show."

 

[Willie the Duck]

So they've tried making a "modern" version. It didn't work. And meanwhile, the biggest Muppet successes have been returning to the classic format: both the 2011 movie and the 2026 special. So just do more of that!

Counterpoint: it is not unusual for an IP to come back years later for one more episode or some anniversary sketches or the like. I'm thinking Britcoms like Are You Being Served, Vicar of Dibley, and Absolutely Fabulous, but also the pandemic Friends reunion (which wasn't even an episode, just the actors reuniting). These generally have been well received. Same with made-for-TV-movies (Gilligan's Island) or even movies based on the original premise.

On the other hand, reboots of series, being a continuation of the old one* have generally ranged in reception from tolerated (Will and Grace, X-files), initially viewed with mild curiosity and then audience numbers drop (Fuller House, That 90s Show), completely ignored (Frasier, Mad About You), to never getting off the ground in the first place (Bishop of Dibley). *perhaps minus some end-of-final-season material which gets ignored/explained away to make the original premise work.

It's hardly universal, but I can see the people holding the purse strings taking away the lesson that people show up for an old love to get coffee once, but not get reinvested.

Okay, this sounds plausible - the reason they stopped making the original was not a ratings problem. It was, iirc, the most popular show on at the time. Henson and his people wanted to leave on a high note, before they had a chance to screw it up.

Henson also wanted to do other things. He wanted to make The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth (and likely other things if they had performed better at the box office). He also wanted to do things unrelated to puppetry. He had massive creative interests, and -had he lived longer- I could see him having noteworthy contributions to every aspect of the performing arts.

 

[Umbran]

I can see that line of reasoning, but I think it fails (not saying you are wrong, I'm saying that if they think like that, they are wrong).

I agree with you. I just see it as a plausible scenario of their reasoning. The original show is the basis for Muppet love, so someone in there might be wary of sullying that memory. They may feel a new premise would allow them to take a new shot at it, without the close association to the original.\]\]

So they've tried making a "modern" version. It didn't work. And meanwhile, the biggest Muppet successes have been returning to the classic format: both the 2011 movie and the 2026 special. So just do more of that!

I'm aware. The major problem I saw with that iteration was that it.. made the Muppets be mean to each other. They lost the sense of family.

As to "more of that"... the problem is, as I noted, the 2011 movie and the recent special are one-offs. They don't really predict if the viewership will be there for an extended run, or that even they can keep up the quality for more than a couple of episodes.

 

[billd91]

The major problem I saw with that iteration was that it.. made the Muppets be mean to each other. They lost the sense of family.

There was a lot of jokes and comments at each other's expense in the original as well that could easily be seen as mean (I mean, there were tons from and directed at Miss Piggy alone). What I think the difference was the variety show setting was always thoroughly absurd in its premise, something quirky Muppet characters are well-suited for, while 2015's The Muppets series played on Muppets in a more normal life of holding down jobs at a talk show - a subject matter that had already been well-trod by 30 Rock to boot. It was good, there were some great moments and great humor, but I can see it not finding the same breadth of audience as the wacky variety show hijinks of the 1970s.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I doubt the original format would have legs. Nostalgia from us olds aside, the vaudeville variety show format hasn't been successful for a while. In it's heyday, the Muppet Show was (among other things) making fun of other variety format shows (good and bad -- remember the Star Wars Holiday Special was essentially that format)

There were dozens of variety shows back in the day, most of which have been memory-holed for how 1970s cringeworthy they were.

But I don't think the format needs to be popular for the Muppet Show to work. There are tons of talented entertainers out there who are happy to embrace the format and do some skits, do a song or two, and have the Muppets fill in the rest.

The news that execs can't figure out how to do the Muppet Show right in the middle of the Emmy news isn't an accident. Rogan or someone in his camp has leaked this to pressure Disney into knocking it off. I'm sure this news has been discussed by top execs, many of whom are having the same thoughts that are on this thread.

 

[The Sigil]

And I really don't understand the people who think the Muppets didn't have an adult angle back in the day.

Or consider that the pilot episode was named "The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence"

 

[trappedslider]

You know what would have been a great gag, due to Sabrina’s height a muppet version like they did back in the OG with Paul Williams.