One of the biggest streaming highlights of the week (or the year/decade/millennium thus far) for fans of any age is Disney+’s The Muppet Show special, celebrating 50+ years of Jim Henson’s timeless and fan-beloved creations. Seth Rogen is leading the charge this time around, a few years after the maddeningly short-lived Muppets Mayhem concluded, but don’t expect this special to just be a grab bag of stoner jokes and Judd Apatow-friendly snark.
Somehow going beyond my stretched-to-snapping-point expectations, The Muppet Show is the truest return to form these characters have enjoyed in….possibly ever. Rogen’s Freaks and Geeks co-star Jason Segel, Nick Stoller and James Bobin arguably came the closest with 2011’s The Muppets, but this special goes above, beyond, and through. (Possibly propelled by The Great Gonzo’s cannon.) It provides laughs, warmth, and joy, and without solely throttling nostalgia. Allow me to wax on a bit more…
This Is Classic Muppet Show Bliss, And Not A Cringe-Centered Reboot
When classic characters are announced for new projects, an innate worry tends to materialize, hooked into on the possibility that the characters’ legacies will be tainted and tarnished for one reason or another. That’s certainly the case with the Muppets, especially after ABC’s 2015 mockumentary series The Muppets lasted only a single widely panned season, despite going through a wide-ranging creative overhaul in the middle of it. The precedent for disappointment is real.
But thankfully, this isn’t Seth Rogen treading new ground and taking Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and others into previously unexplored territory. (Not that I’d skip out on that hypothetical angle.) Rather, the creatives involved were solely invested in recapturing the unbridled ebullience that made the original series a TV staple for five seasons, and they wholly understood the assignment.
Sabrina Carpenter Fits Perfectly With The Muppet Show's Celebrity Guests Of Yore
Variety shows can live and die by the quality of their guest stars, and lord knows The Muppet Show had its fair share of celebs whose icon status did not carry over from the 1970s. But for each of those, there were five times as many A-tier legends such as Cher, Elton John, Vincent Price, Rita Moreno, Christopher Reeve, Leslie Uggams and many more. For all the stellar actors, the show was one where singers and musicians really thrived.
As such, Sabrina Carpenter is among the relatively few pitch-perfect choices who could have helped front this one-off special. Going from Disney child actor to libidinous pop star helped her build a massive and loyal fanbase that spans multiple generations. Perhaps most importantly for anyone unfamiliar with her music, she’s smart, self-aware, and is naturally skilled at performing opposite felt characters, as hilariously proven by her big musical number. And who doesn't love a foil for Miss Piggy?
So. Many. Muppets.
When Seth Rogen touted the fact that the special would be bringing out all the Muppets possible, he wasn't going for Fozzie-level humor. I couldn't be more impressed with the plethora of different characters making it to the screen throughout, even outside of the opening. Having rewatched classic Muppet Show eps over the past couple of years as dinner-time viewing with my family, I thankfully still had a lot of the lesser-seen characters in mind, and if I can paraphrase Janice, "Just like, wow, you know?"
The limited runtime obviously caps just how much any. characters are able to bring to the table, so many go without lines. But who can complain when that just means we get more from the core squad? Not that there's never enough Gonzo for my personal tastes, regardless of runtime. That Bunson and Beaker get their own segment is enough to get my five-star approval. (With an extra star granted for my hopes from the teaser panning out.)
Seth Rogen & Co. Crafted The Perfect Prototype For The Muppet Show To Return In Full
The Muppet Show's anniversary special is faithful to the original almost to a fault, if there were any faults to be had here. (So it's a good thing they didn't film near...San Andreas, wocka-wock...a?) Sincerely, while most of the puppeteers' voices here are obviously different from Jim Henson, Frank Oz and others, and the showbiz spirit and the frantic rhythm are both as intact as ever. It all looks fresh and new, but beneath the sheen, these feel like the Muppets I've known all my life.
While I obviously can't speak for everyone involved with this special behind the scenes, it does feel primed to be a prototype pilot for a new era of Muppet Show excellence. In that respect, it succeeds and matches up with my wildest dreams, with the easy potential to soar beyond them if Disney has enough faith in the project to order up a full season.
Which means enough Muppet fans and outsiders need to watch it to justify that kind of a studio decision. One can only hope that the budget that went into crafting the sets and getting all of the Muppet characters restored and camera-ready would be an extra impetus to move forward to utilize all of those elements on a regular basis. For like...100 episodes or whatever. Not ALL during the 2026 TV schedule.
Check out the trailer for the upcoming special below, unless you want to jump into it with as few spoilers as possible.
While I’m still 1,010% down for Knives Out filmmaker Rian Johnson to craft a Muppet murder mystery movie at some point, that hope has easily taken a backseat to my dream for The Muppet Show to get ordered up for an entire season. Could the world maintain its sanity if Taylor Swift took Miss Piggy through the latter’s various Eras? Probably not.
The Muppet Show will be available to stream via Disney+ subscription on Wednesday, February 4, so be sure and watch it on every TV in your house, as well as all mobile devices, while making sure to spread the word to everyone. Sure it’s gonna seem weird AT FIRST when you run into a grocery store hollering about how great Fozzie is, but they’ll get it eventually.
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