The Muppet Show Review

There’s something about the Muppets that can’t be quantified. For people of a certain age, they were an essential part of their childhood. Sure, Sesame Street helped raise several generations of kids (and still does today, albeit on a different platform now that PBS’s funding has been slashed). But the Muppets are a different piece of the greater zeitgeist. Slightly edgier, appealing to adults and kids alike, they’re an institution to many. And The Muppet Show, the comedy-variety series that ran from 1976-1981, was their crowning achievement.

The series would offer a selection of sketches, often including a celebrity guest, as well as a look at the hectic energy “behind the scenes” as Scooter and Kermit tried to wrangle their fellow Muppets (and Miss Piggy’s ego) to put on a show for the audience. Naturally, Statler and Waldorf were in a box, commenting on just how horrible everything was. Gonzo would do something weird. Fozzy would try to be funny. Piggy would be jealous or amorous. It was a brilliant formula. And while I’m too young to have watched the original series in its initial run, my parents were fans and made sure I experienced the Muppets in all their forms as a kid.

Which is why I was so excited when the screener for the 50^th anniversary special of The Muppet Show landed in my email. After the last (very misguided) attempt to bring the Muppets back in prime time to audiences (the much maligned The Muppets series), I’m happy to report that this special captures everything that makes the Muppets special. It’s funny. It’s silly. It’s got a bit of an edge in the best way. And the special guests – which include Sabrina Carpenter, who is absolutely in her element – are perfect. The stars, as it should be, are the Muppets. We get to see Kermit trying to calm chaos. We get to see Miss Piggy be the personification of chaos (sometimes even in the same scene). Gonzo gets to be weird. There are music numbers. There’s heckling. And there’s fun. I was smiling like a kid in a candy store watching some of my favorite Muppets shine.

This special is a throwback to what made The Muppet Show great. It’s not trying to reinvent the wheel. It’s not trying to modernize the show, the Muppets, or the structure for a new audience. It’s taking what worked all those years ago, celebrating it, and hopefully exposing a new generation of folks to just how magical and fun the Muppets can be. While still having just enough to keep the older folks around to watch a special that isn’t necessarily aimed at them (while Sabrina Carpenter absolutely has a fandom that transcends Gen Z, I know that I, an elder Millennial, wasn’t all that familiar with her repertoire even if I did know that she’s a force to be reckoned with when it comes to comedy). If you’re a fan of Carpenter or a fan of the Muppets, this one is absolutely worth a look. And if you aren’t, well, I’d still recommend it. It’s short and sweet. And you might find out that you do, in fact, like the Muppets.

The Muppet Show’s 50^th anniversary special streams on Disney+ on February 4^th.