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)

In Review: "Muppets Most Wanted"

In Review: "Muppets Most Wanted"

The hardest part of the Muppet revival is finding the right audience. My parents' generation grew up with these guys on TV every night. I grew up with second-rate TV shows like Baby Muppets and Muppets Tonight as well as amazing movies like Muppets Christmas Carol and Muppets Treasure Island. So for us, the Muppet revival is all about nostalgae. But what about the younger kids? They are used to optical spectaculars with maximum eye and ear candy. Instant satisfaction is what this generation has been criticized for, but it's true. The variety show is not a thing anymore. And that's exactly what the original Muppet show was. How can the Muppets compete with "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs"? AND come up with something those loyal fans haven't seen before?

Plot

Hold on to your hats folks. This one's a whirlwind.

Right after the Muppets finish the first movie, they want to have another one so they call in the help of Dominic Badguy, who is really working with the evil Constantine, the world's most dangerous frog and Kermit's look-a-like, and wants to steal the crown jewels but has to get a map to get a key and a locket to get the jewels... *breath*... sooooo Constantine switches places with Kermit who gets put in a Serbian jail with Tina Fey while Constantine takes the Muppets on a world tour and steals the items he needs to get the jewels from museums and banks throughout the world.... meanwhile, Sam Eagle teams up with Ty Burrell who are trying to find out who keeps stealing this stuff.

You got that? Yeah, me neither.

Stars

This movie is packed with famous stars: Tina Fey, Ty Burrell, Rickey Gervais, Tony Bennett, Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, Sean Combs, Tom Hiddleston, Ray Liotta, Salma Hayek, Jemaine Clement, Kenneth Collard, Rob Corddry, Mackenzie Crook, Zack Galifianakis, Toby Jones, Tom Hollander, Frank Langella, Ross Lynch, James McAvoy, Chloe Grace Moretz, Usher, Danny Trejo, Stanley Tucci...the list goes on and on.

There was nothing wrong with all of these stars popping up and the main ones do a good job, but where are all my Muppets? Isn't that what the movie is called?

Message

Everyone needs family even if they are a mixture of pigs, chickens, frogs, birds, penguins, rats, scientists, and Gonzos, your family is always there for you when you need their help. Even if they mistake a world criminal for you, they do love you.

Overall

Muppets, you still need to work on establishing your audience. It was kind of funny that you made fun of your last movie and its lack of devotion to the original characters, but it's only funny once. Your next movie, if there will be one, should go back to your roots. Too bad if the little kids don't like you. That's not where your strength is any way. Play to the generations who remember you and will always love you even if you put out crappy material.

Also, the songs are not as spectacular as before. The last film harked back to the classics like "Rainbow Connection", and this film referenced "Together Again" but the rest of the songs were easily forgettable and huge time-wasters that didn't move the plot forward or let me laugh at any characters.

My rating for this film is because I can't hate the Muppets. It's just not in me, but I can shake my finger at them for a poor effort. (The first one was better)

2 out of 4 Kermits

(That does happen in this movie)