How about starting the new year on a bright note with a sneak peek at the new Muppet Show special, which is arriving on ABC and Disney+ on Feb 4. Timed to coincided with the 50th anniversary of the original series, the special will also serve a backdoor pilot for a new Muppet Show series. So, if you’re a fan, tell all your friends to watch to increase the chance of the beloved show returning for a new season on the air.
“It’s the return of The Muppet Show back on the very stage where it all started, and then ended, and is maybe starting again, depending on how the night goes,” says the show’s beloved host Kermit the Frog in the new teaser that dropped today.
The pilot, which stars Muppets superfan Sabrina Carpenter, also features exec producer Seth Rogen, who tells Fozzie Bear, “It’s always been a dream of mine to be here.”
Veteran Muppet performers Bill Barretta, Dave Goelz, Eric Jacobson, Peter Linz, David Rudman and Matt Vogel are the key Muppet characters in the special. Goelz has performed with The Muppets for over 50 years and was one of the performers on the original show. He also originated the characters Gonzo and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, among many others.
Produced by 20th TV, Disney Branded Television, The Muppets Studio and Point Grey Pictures, the special is directed by Emmy-nominee Alex Timbers (Mozart in the Jungle, Alex Edelman: Just for Us, John Mulaney: Baby J.) . Exec producers are Timbers, Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Alex McAtee; David Lightbody, Leigh Slaughter, Michael Steinbach, Carpenter, Albertina Rizzo, Matt Vogel and Eric Jacobson.
The original Muppet Show was created by Jim Henson, ran from 1976-81 and aired on ITV (UK) and in syndication in the U.S. and over 100 countries around the world. Kermit the Frog was the showrunner and host of the show which featured the chaotic Muppets and a rotating slate of A-list guest stars, including Elton John, Johnny Cash, Diana Ross, Debbie Harry, Gladys Knight, Liza Minelli, Paul Simon and many others. The show was nominated for 21 Primetime Emmys, winning four, including the 1978 award for Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music Series. It also won a Peabody Award the same year.
In 2015, ABC ran the mockumentary series The Muppets, which was canceled after one season due to declining ratings and creative differences over its more mature tone. Disney also Muppets Now on Disney+ in 2020 and Muppets Mayhem (2023), but both also ended after one season. The Muppets have also eight major theatrical films, starting with The Muppet Movie (1979) and including The Muppets (2011) and Muppets Most Wanted (2014) and several TV specials
All five seasons of the original Muppet Show series are currently available to stream on Disney+.
Watch the teaser below:
Source: Deadline.com
