ABC
The Muppets returns from its winter hiatus in style in tonight’s episode titled “Swine Song.” It seems everyone enjoyed their holidays, especially Miss Piggy, who took a soul-searching trip to Argentina and returned with an adopted penguin and a new cause to support. Named Gloria Estefan because that was the only Spanish-sounding name she could think of on the spot, there is nothing cuter than a penguin Muppet! You’re seriously going to want one. I know I do!
ABC
Much to the anxiety of everyone involved with “Up Late with Miss Piggy,” the network has decided the show’s format is “too talky” (um, it’s a late-night talk show!) so they’ve brought in a branding guru (The Mindy Project’s Utkarsh Ambudkar) to help reinvent the show and make it more relevant for the highly coveted young adult demographic. Among his brilliant ideas are to have the show filmed live so everyone can Tweet about it to make it trend on social media. The bigwigs also decide they want the show less heavily centered on Miss Piggy, which is hard for the egotistical swine to conceive at first.
ABC
A distraught Kermit and Miss Piggy seek advice from guest stars Key & Peele (Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele) about how to best handle the network’s branding guru since they’ve encountered him before. What they tell them makes it seem almost like a hopeless cause – their show was ultimately cancelled and they are now forced to sell oven mitts over the Internet to make financial ends meet. However, the Muppets are not to be easily discouraged. (That’s what I secretly love about them – their seemingly endless optimism!)
ABC
They all rally together to brainstorm ways to become more relevant so the show isn’t put out to pasture. When you put a bunch of Muppets together in a think tank, they do what they do best: they make beautiful music together. This inspires Kermit to add “more joy” to the show, which comes across as showcasing the talents of various Muppets during mini-segments on the program, including “Pepe the Uber Driver” and Bobo the Bear channeling his best inner Nick Offerman to do dramatic readings from The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Needless to say, the network loves the new format and the branding guru takes all the credit.
ABC
It’s been rumored the past few months that the ABC network was going to be revamping The Muppets after its winter hiatus with a new showrunner and direction, so this episode felt like art slyly imitating – and mocking – real life. I didn’t detect any noticeable changes to the show yet, other than they’re still paving the way for Miss Piggy and Kermit to ultimately get back together. This is probably one of the biggest things they can do to make people love the two main characters again. It’s been very unsettling not seeing them together. They go together like thunder and lightning … you know Miss Piggy’s thunderous, demanding personality and Kermit’s lightning bolts of inspiration on how to pacify her and/or make her shine in the spotlight. Denise is an unnecessary distraction – and it’s about time even her character “gets it.” And don’t let that door hit you on the way out, Denise.
I love this show, but even I’m getting slightly bored with their repetitive antics and sometimes tired punchlines. I’m looking forward to seeing what the “fresh format” brings the rest of the season. I’d like to see a focus on a different member of the ensemble cast each week – it’s successfully worked for The Simpsons all these years. They started to do that during the first half of the season, with a Gonzo-centric episode and a focus on Fozzie Bear’s relationship.
ABC
Can we have an episode focused solely on Sweetums or the Swedish Chef, please? What’s a dastardly day in the life of Uncle Deadly like away from Miss Piggy? Can we get more from Rowlf other than the occasional words of wisdom from behind the bar? Why did Bunsen and Beaker wake up in each other’s clothes after that night of karaoke? Maybe the Electric Mayhem can go on a concert tour with all kinds of rock stars. It’s honestly the “secondary” Muppets that keep me entertained. They need to be utilized more … keep those side stories coming!
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