I was not sure what to make of this new "The Muppets" as I never really like "Muppets Tonight," which was on ABC in the 90's was like a televised "The Muppet Show" but it was quickly cancelled. And I think the downfall of that show as that the host was not Kermit. Anyway, in this format, it is much like the single camera comedies like "The Office" which my friend Natasha calls "The Muppets meets the Office." They said it would be more 'adult' and I was weary to that comment but it somehow works. It is cute and cuddly for kids and they make jokes to fly over their heads and adults get. It has delicious innuendo. For example, Bobo the Bear says "[Muppet Mayhem] are always happy." "Yeah, legally now," Scooter responded. Another example, Zoot wakes up in a meeting. "This is meeting? Well, Hi, I'm Zoot." Floyd tells him, "Different kind of meeting."
Bascially the plot is that the Muppets run Miss Piggy's new late night talk show. Kermit is the EP, Gonzo, Rizzo and Pepe Prawn are writers, Sam Eagle is executive of standard and practices, the Muppet Mayhem are the band naturally, Fozzie is Miss Piggy's sidekick, Statler and Wordolf are hecklers in the audience, Swedish Chef is the charterer, Scooter is the Casting Agent, Uncle Deadly is in charge of wardrobe, and Rowlf runs a bar across the street. I think the comparisons to "The Office' should die down with more focus on Miss Piggy's talk show. If anything it is like "The Larry Saunders Show". Kermit has a new girlfriend that is a pig too. The whole idea of Kermit and Piggy breaking up as a PR stunt was tried back in the 90's but because of Jim Henson's death, it was forgotten. Now it is the basis of the show. Some fans think the will get back together and some fans think they won't. Executive Producer Bill Prady (Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men) used to write for the Muppets under Jim Henson and might be using some of Jim's ideas or the spirit of them, not ripping off. He even worked on a pilot for another muppets show that didn't work out...
Guest Stars have been hit and miss, some we actually see in the talk show, most of them are behind the scenes, the majority of them play themselves so far. The guest stars so far in the past five episodes are Elizabeth Banks, Tracy Anderson, Tom Bergeron, Imagine Dragons, Josh Groban, Laurence Fishburne, Jay Leno, Lea Thompson, Reza Aslan, Christina Applegate, Nick Offerman, Liam Hemsworth, Ed Helms and Reese Witherspoon. I hope it lasts many seasons. What I fear is that Kermit and Piggy will become bitter characters. Piggy is already at high diva levels.
This is how the movie was suppose to be dont get me wrong, I liked the movie. Frank Oz even said it was too sweet. I agree. I think Muppets Most Wanted failed because it was a trite plot.
Controversy
