The Muppets triumphantly return to television

ABC

The last time The Muppets had a regular TV series was in 1996 with the two season run of Muppets Tonight which was more in the style of the classic The Muppet Show, with the variety aspect and backstage antics with the Muppets and their guest stars. But ABC has decided to give Kermit and company another shot with a new series that is sure to ruffle some feathers (in fact, One Million Moms is already setting their collective hair on fire). Why, you ask, would The Muppets upset viewers?

Well, this is a decidedly more adult take on The Muppets. More Modern Family than The Muppet Show although there are still elements of that TV classic. In the new series, Miss Piggy is the host of a late night talk show and Kermit is her put-upon producer. And, as we already know, the two are no longer a couple so working together is a bit difficult, especially with Kermit’s new girlfriend in the picture. Fozzie Bear is the warm-up guy/announcer, and all of the Muppets we’ve come to know and love work behind the scenes (Sam the Eagle is appropriately cast as the network’s Standards guy, absurdly warning Kermit they can’t use the words “crotchety” and “gesticulate”).

ABC

In a subplot, Fozzie has a new girlfriend (played by Riki Lindholm of Garfunkel and Oates) and he’s trying to impress her parents who are none-too-pleased that their daughter is dating a bear. But the fact that he works for Miss Piggy leaves the mom a little starstruck, so Fozzie hopes that arranging a meeting with Piggy and the parents will score him some points.

But, Piggy is impossible to work with so that may not end well for Fozzie. Piggy also has an issue with Elizabeth Banks, whom she orders to never be booked for the show. Guess who her guest is on this episode.

The Muppets borrows heavily from the docuseries genre pioneered by The Office and copied with great success by Parks and Recreation and Modern Family. The Muppets is a show within a show and it all works very well as we get the “uncensored” behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to produce the talk show and please Miss Piggy, as well as get up close and personal with the Muppets outside of their work environment.

ABC

It’s these parts of the show that parents may object to as we see the Muppets almost as real people with real lives and real problems. The infamous break-up between Kermit and Piggy is addressed, and when we learn what the reason for the split was, and how Elizabeth Banks plays into it, it’s actually a bit heartbreaking because of who is at fault. The subplot with Fozzie and his girlfriend Becky also goes a little more into adult territory than many families will be comfortable with. Kermit even says that working with Piggy makes his life a living hell, at which point Sam scolds him for using that word.

The Muppets is a brilliantly meta re-imagining of the classic Muppet Show, and ABC/Disney and the Jim Henson Company are taking a huge chance by skewing the show to older audiences. There is certainly enough there for the kids (who wouldn’t enjoy seeing Fozzie driving a car?!), but parents may be worried about having to explain some of the more grown-up parts of the show. It really is treading a thin line with appealing to a generation who may have already grown up with The Muppets and will enjoy seeing them grow as well, but those same people may also have children who only know these characters from the recent movies and may be uncomfortable with this new direction. It’s a gutsy move that pays off creatively, but if I were the network honchos I’d be biting my nails waiting to see how audiences react by the time the credits roll after the premiere. For this viewer who grew up watching The Muppet Show, it’s a total win.