Nostalgia Never “Felt” So Good

I will be honest with you. I had no intentions of watching the new Muppet Show that aired on Disney. The reason for this was because I remember that terrible mockumentary style show that ABC aired in 2015. That was just painful to watch and many (including myself) were disappointed in how the characters were portrayed.

All I really knew about this new reboot was that Seth Rogan was the executive producer and that it was going to air as a special. When I think “special,” I think 2 hour movie type thing. I was surprised to see that it was simply a 30 minute show, just like the original. Then I began to see trailers which showed the original set. My interest was peaked, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to watch it when it first became available.

After the show aired and became available to stream, I started to see reviews and comments. The main complaint I heard was about how Kermit’s voice was different. Well, Jim Henson has been dead since 1990 and his voice (and other characters that he voiced) has been different since then. Ernie and many Sesame Street Muppets have had a different voice since 1990 and I don’t recall people ranting about that.

I digress. I began to see reviews of the show. I would say 98% of them were positive. Many raved about the show. Then a few of my friends reached out to ask if I had seen it. They were raving about it, too. So, I decided to check it out along with my son.

The show opened just like it did in the late 70’s – with Kermit saying, “It’s the Muppet Show with our very special guest …” followed by the instantly recognizable Muppet Show Theme. It is almost a shot for shot copy of the original opening. It was so close to the original that I got goosebumps. Kermit that comes out on stage and begins to talk about how it’s been awhile and how they have a great show. From there, it was standard Muppet Show. It easily could have aired along with episodes of the original run.

The show had the typical backstage chaos, Miss Piggy competing for more time than the female guest star, and of course, Statler and Waldorf shouting insults from the balcony. The show went from act to act and finished in a traditional Muppet finale. When it was over, I was wanting more. My son laughed a lot too.

The word is that this “special” was a trial run pilot. In other words, if the show does well, it might get picked up for an entire season or two. I really hope that they do make more. It was entertaining from both a child and adult standpoint – just like the original show. There are plenty of really great stars who I could see doing the show. I would imagine that they’d want to jump at a chance to be on the show. I know where I’d want to be if I was on the show…

The show did so well that it got 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. There were more positive reviews online than negative, and the negatives were nit picking at little things. Seth Rogan did the Muppets right! Jim Henson would be thrilled at the way the new show was presented. I am one of many who loved every minute of it. So all I can say is, “More Muppets, Please!!”