Can We Please Stop Overthinking The Muppets?

There’s something truly special about The Muppets. Jim Henson’s creations have resonated with fans for decades, and the recent success of The Muppet Show special has shown that while The Muppets may not be at the height of their popularity, they are still popular. And yet, they apparently can't get a season of TV despite a hit show.

From the very beginning, it was made clear that The Muppet Show special, which aired on ABC and then on Disney+, was designed as a backdoor pilot, a special episode to test the waters for a potential series. Nobody hid this fact during the early promotion. Heck, Kermit the Frog even made reference to it at the beginning of the show. 

The Muppet Show special was touted as a major streaming hit on Disney+ and is now a multi-time Emmy winner. It seemed all but certain that at least one full season of the show would get the green light, and yet… nothing. And the reason is baffling.

The Reasons the Muppet Show is Stalling Make No Sense

A recent report claimed the reason for the lack of a new season wasn’t the thing that usually stops movies or TV from happening: money. It was a creative conflict. Apparently, the parties involved- Disney+, 20th Television, The Muppets Studio, and Point Grey Pictures, the production company run by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldstein- were having “difficulties cracking a premise” for an ongoing series.

Excuse me? I’m sorry, what? The premise? I thought the premise was…The Muppet Show. That’s what the successful pilot was, so that’s what the series would be, right? 

Needless to say, a lot of people on social media, and I, are awfully confused by this report. We all thought the idea was that a special was created to see if the premise of the special was viable as a series, but it seems that at least one party in these negotiations has taken the success of The Muppet Show special and decided that maybe making a Muppet Show is a good idea, but making The Muppet Show is not?

The report did not specify what the different parties were arguing. Most are pointing fingers at the Disney side of the equation as the party that must be looking for something more than just The Muppet Show as written. There’s certainly reason to believe this is the case. All indications are that Grey Point was the one who pitched the special in the first place. One assumes the production company was interested in continuing the show as pitched. 

Disney also has something of a recent track record of being unable or unwilling to greet light ideas that they can’t make sense of. If Disney executives didn’t greenlight The Hunt for Ben Solo because they “didn’t see how Ben Solo was alive,” in a franchise where the magical Force exists, then I imagine they might also be stopped cold by the question, “Ok, but why are the Muppets putting on a show?” Because it makes for good TV is somehow not a sufficient reason.

The Muppet Show Either Works Or It Doesn't

The whole thing just boggles the mind because, if somebody involved in producing the special didn’t think a traditional Muppet Show format was sufficient for an ongoing series, how did the special get made in the first place?

I can sort of understand the initial skepticism, I suppose. Back in the ‘90s, they tried to bring back The Muppet Show format with Muppets Tonight, and it wasn't successful. The last Muppets series, simply titled The Muppets, also flopped. Given the traditional shortsighted thinking of Hollywood that believes that a single movie with a female lead flopping means that nobody likes movies with female leads, I at least understand why somebody might be gun-shy about the Muppets. It's stupid, but it makes sense.

And just because The Muppet Show special worked doesn’t mean an ongoing series would. Maybe the big reason the special was so successful was because of its novelty, and people wouldn’t tune in regularly for a weekly series. This is certainly possible, but that’s the gamble that every TV series has to take, and most of them don’t have such strong evidence that this show will work just fine as it is.

And it works both ways. If people really did love The Muppet Show special for what it was, then any sort of "premise" added on top of The Muppet Show has the potential to change the show so much that the people who loved the special might not love whatever you come up with. Congratulations, you just destroyed the audience you had.

The Muppet Show Has Potential Outside Of Its Own Success

And there’s plenty of reason outside of simply making a successful TV show that Disney might want to invest in The Muppet Show. It can be a potential pathway to promoting other Disney projects. Being a guest on The Muppet Show can be a great way to sell a project. Mark Hamill’s famous appearance during the original run came alongside the release of The Empire Strikes Back. 

We know half the cast of Avengers: Doomsday will be on Jimmy Kimmel Live in the weeks leading up to the film’s release. I’m sure one of them would love to be on The Muppet Show. Don’t tell me for a second that Ryan Gosling wouldn’t sell a kidney to perform alongside Gonzo the Great when Star Wars: Starfighter comes out.

Make the Muppet Show. Just do it. The idea that The Muppet Show needs to be something more than The Muppet Show, has been disproven by the show you've already made. Accept the evidence in front of your eyes. Stop overthinking it, and start calling celebrities to guest star.