Jim Henson’s The Muppets have always been at their best when they’re treating showbiz like a playground and not a blockbuster obligation. Disney learned that the hard way after buying the brand in 2004 for $75 million and then spending the next two decades toggling between theatrical swings and TV-safe chaos. The big-screen returns — “The Muppets” and “Muppets Most Wanted” — were charming, but they never really became the kind of mega-franchise tentpoles Disney tends to demand.
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But on television, the gang has remained remarkably durable, popping up in a steady stream of series and specials, from “Muppets Now” to “The Muppets Mayhem,” even as the platform era has treated many of those experiments like disposable content (blink, and it’s gone). In other words, when Kermit and company are allowed to be sketch-comedy anarchists again, they tend to land closer to the original spirit.
Which brings us to the latest one-off, “The Muppet Show!,” a new special executive-produced by Seth Rogen — a funny little full-circle moment, considering his old “Freaks & Geeks”/Apatow-world compatriot Jason Segel was a key spark plug behind the 2011 film revival. This time, the premise is pleasingly simple and extremely on-brand: the Muppets get back on the stage of the original Muppet Theatre, crank up the music and mayhem, and invite mega pop star Sabrina Carpenter as their very special guest.
Disney’s teaser sell is basically a promise of the classic formula — music, comedy, backstage chaos — with modern pop-star energy as the accelerant. And honestly, that’s the sweet spot: let the Muppets do what they do best, let the guest star play along, and don’t overthink it.
“The Muppet Show!” premieres February 4 on Disney+ and ABC. Watch the teaser below.
