Article originally published as THE MUPPETS Review on Seat42F.
THE
MUPPETS are back! The franchise that has spawned more than half a dozen
feature films and a number of television specials and TV shows in the
past are once again on the small screen on a weekly basis. From Bill
Prady (The Big Bang Theory) and Bob Kushell (Anger Management) comes a
contemporary look at everyone’s favorite felt characters.
The premise for the new show is simple
enough. Miss Piggy (herself; just kidding, though the show would like
you to think so) has become the first female late night host on Up Late
With Miss Piggy. Kermit, now her ex-boyfriend, is the producer, Fozzie
serves as the sidekick, and The Electric Mayhem provide the house band.
The rest of the Muppets work on the show, including Kermit’s new
girlfriend, Denise (who is also a pig, by the way). So the group has a
natural reason to come together, and the late night show is a good way
to bring on lots of celebrity guest stars easily.
The format is a bit different from past
efforts in that it’s basically The Office. It’s a documentary-style
piece, and the politics behind-the-scenes call to mind a certain paper
company, though with the Muppets’ trademark humor. Basically, it is made
to feel like many other sitcoms currently on the air, which is where
its ‘modern’ sensibility claim comes in.
Earlier this summer, I had the
opportunity to preview the ten minute presentation that sold this show
to ABC. In that version, the Muppets come back together to remake The
Muppet Show, and Miss Piggy, who was starring in films, has to be coaxed
to join in. I am disappointed at the changes made in the official first
episode because it makes the story more pedestrian to remove the crazy
antics of The Muppet Show from the set up. However, it does make more
sense for Piggy to have success and it’s nice she isn’t coming back to
work over a man. The new pilot emphasizes her independent spirit, a key
component of the character that can’t be overlooked in this age. Plus, a
lot of the good jokes from that presentation are retained.
Overall, I like, don’t love, THE MUPPETS
(though I loved the ten minute video). So far, that is. The first
episode focuses on Piggy’s feud with Elizabeth Banks (herself) and
Fozzie trying to impress his girlfriend’s (Riki Linhome) father (Jere
Burns), while the second sees Kermit trying to help Piggy find love with
Josh Groban (himself). The second is superior because of funnier bits,
but both point to where the show might go.
Both of these stories are relatively tame and typical of modern sitcoms, and can be found on any other show. That’s OK; The Muppets
have never been entirely original in their plots. However, what makes
them so special is the personalities of the individual characters, and
when the story mostly focuses on Kermit and Piggy trying to work
together after a break up, it drags things down. If future installments
instead commit to playing up the zany aspects of all of the other
characters, which the second episode does better, it will improve and
get back to what fans of the franchise want.
We also want Kermit and Piggy together,
of course. It’s fine to keep them apart from a time to force drama and
forward momentum, but this can’t be a series-long arc. They both clearly
still care deeply for one another, and Kermit replacing Piggy with a
skinner pig (never mind that she’s nicer) won’t sit well with many.
Hopefully, this story gets gone through quickly and THE MUPPETS gets
back to the essential heart of The Muppets.
THE MUPPETS premieres Tuesday, September 22nd at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
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