TV Review: "The Muppets" on ABC

I have been excited about this Muppets TV show for a while now. Go re-read my post from May about it (also find a brief history of all of the Muppets previous appearances). The reviews of the pilot have been mixed, but the negative ones stick out more with critics claiming that the show is a far cry from the previous "Muppet Show" and is too crude to have puppets (*cough* One Million Moms- Here's a rebuttal to that).

Here is my take.

The Story

It's a show within a show. These are the backstage moments of the new show "Up Late with Miss Piggy". Get inside the minds' of your favorite Muppets like Kermit, Piggy, Fozie, Gonzo, Scooter, Pepe, Rizzo and many more. Kermit and Piggy are dating new people. Fozzie is dating a human. Gonzo is probably dating a chicken like usual. And they are all trying to put on the best show they can.

The Stars

So far we have seen: Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Rizzo, Pepe, Gonzo, Scooter, Electric Mayhem, Animal, Dr. Honeydew, Sam Eagle, Beaker, Denise (Kermit's girlfriend), Bobo, Rowlf, and Swedish Chef. We hope there will be even more Muppets to come.

The Message

Even puppets made of felt have feelings.

Overall

In recent Muppet installations (see my reviews of "The Muppets" and "Muppets Most Wanted"), there has been a serious lack of felt- the green fuzzy kind. In part, I believe this was done in fear that the Muppets could no longer bring out the big bucks as they had in their prime. It was feared that the Muppets would be associated with Sesame Street and children's entertainment.

This happens to be something that Jim Henson himself fought throughout his career. He was constantly trying to prove that the Muppets were not just for kids and that they could handle a whole show on their own. That is part of the reason, the show only lasted 5 years. Henson moved onto "Dark Crystal", a movie made entirely of Muppet characters and nothing that was light and cheery. (If you want to learn more about Jim Henson, watch this great documentary about his life from PBS).

The problem is that today the world only knows the Muppets through their family friendly show and appearances on Sesame Street. But I think this show is what Jim Henson would have wanted. He would have wanted his characters to be more than flat stereotypes but real living people- just made of felt.

There are moments of the pilot that my parents and I laughed out loud at, whether it was Fozzie's meeting with his human girlfriend's parents or the well-played pop culture references, I think that this new show has the potential to be something I keep on my regular TV schedule. But, I think that the show #1 needs to be longer- at least an hour. Seeing that this show is more about character development, we need more time to spend with the characters. #2 needs more songs. They don't need to be huge numbers, but since the world has grown up with singing and dancing Muppets, we will need to have that desire satisfied at least once. (Maybe a musical episode?) #3 bring in the next generation. If we want the Muppets to live on past this show, we need to relate to the younger generation (preferably the teens) by including celebs that they know. Who watches "Dancing with the Stars"?? Mostly moms. Although I love Elizabeth Banks, Jennifer Lawrence would have been a better choice for this generation.

With all of this in mind, I will continue to watch this show in hopes that they find their place in this time period and genre.

2 out of 4 Pigs (ggies)