Revivals have started heading to television left and right. This morning, we learned that ABC is hoping to bring Jim Henson’s Muppets back to television, following the success of the two Disney feature films. The script hasn’t even been written, yet, but ABC is reportedly looking to send Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and the rest of the gang straight to series. If it does move forward, it sounds like it will be similar to The Muppet Show, which originally ran from 1976-1981.
The potential project would be a variety series, following the regular cast of Muppets characters. That includes Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo and Animal, although Miss Piggy hasn’t yet signed on, thanks to her rocky relationship with Kermit. THR is reporting that Wilfred’s Randall Einhorn will direct the presentation, and Bob Kushell will co-write and serve as an executive producer. Finally, The Big Bang Theory’s Bill Prady is expected to co-write the script, which will be presented to ABC in May.
Bill Prady announced he was working on the “secret project” just before the news went wide.
If The Muppets heads to television, the revival would be more timely than some of the other shows networks are trying to bring back right now, which includes programs like Full(er) House, Coach and The X-Files. Jim Henson’s Muppets have been popular for decades, thanks to various resurgences on TV and the big screen. Recently, Disney has had good luck with big budget box office projects like The Muppets and The Muppets Most Wanted. In addition, the news comes just a couple of weeks after Disney Junior started putting together a series of video shorts of kids interacting with The Muppets called “Muppet Moments.” A family-friendly TV series could work for ABC.
Of course, it’s been a long time since variety shows have been a big staple on network TV. The Muppets isn’t the only program that could make variety shows a big deal again. Neil Patrick Harris has also signed on with NBC to star in Takeaway, a new variety series that is expected to air later in 2015. I’m not sure if this new bid for viewers will work out well for the networks, but I’m certainly not mad about the potential for the Muppets to return to TV.
We’ll let you know if The Muppets move forward.
