The Muppet Show returns, and Kermit (Matt Vogel) is forced to keep everything running on time, dealing both with guest stars such as Sabrina Carpenter and giant egos like Miss Piggy (Eric Jacobson).
In 2026, it’s time, once again, to play the music and light the lights. Every generation gets its own Muppets revival, it seems, and this half-hour TV special is the latest effort to breathe new life into the beloved puppet pals born of the Jim Henson Creature Shop. While previous reboots have tried to be post-modern (2015’s The Office riff The Muppets), attempt improv sketch comedy (2020’s Muppets Now), or even parody VH1 Behind The Music documentaries (2023’s The Muppets Mayhem), this take — spearheaded by executive producer Seth Rogen, who also cameos — seems to get back to basics. “If it ain’t broke…” begins Muppet misanthrope Statler. “No, they are broke, that’s why they’re doing it!” corrects Waldorf, before they both chortle.
Rogen and the producers here understand that the original Jim Henson-led Muppet Show, which ran from 1976 to 1981, remains perhaps the best format for these gumdrop-coloured goofballs: an old school vaudeville variety show, packed with silly sketches and madcap musical numbers interspersed with backstage shenanigans, and all overseen with increasing stress by amphibian emcee Kermit (now voiced and puppeteered by Matt Vogel, the third iteration).
A pleasingly old-school affair which harks back to Jim Henson’s best work.
Aside from a couple of cheeky innuendos (a wink-and-nod to BDSM and an allusion to Kermit’s froghood are thrillingly daring), it is that classic template which is adhered to faithfully and reverently here. (Even veteran puppeteers like Dave Goelz, who originated Muppets like Gonzo, have been coaxed back.) In true variety show style, less than five minutes into the runtime we get a musical performance from guest star Sabrina Carpenter — a canny choice, her vaudevillian on-stage schtick gelling nicely with her new felt friends. More pop music should have dancing chickens accompanying it.
We are then treated to an array of increasingly bonkers skits — from Rizzo the Rat (still the only Muppet to earn an “as himself” credit) delivering a hectic performance of The Weeknd’s ‘Blinded By The Lights’; to Dr Honeydew and Beaker embarking on another scientific experiment untroubled by health-and-safety regulations (“Don’t worry, this won’t hurt me at all,” assures the good doctor); to Miss Piggy, still asserting her status as queen, and throwing shade at anyone who dares enter her orbit (“Apparently the dress code was optional!” she scoffs at one point).
Like the original run of the show, the loose story running underneath it all is whether Kermit can keep the ship afloat, and it’s no spoiler to say he basically does, in a charmingly chaotic way. Watching all of this gives the sense of being wrapped in a warm, felt-based comfort blanket, a pleasingly old-school affair (unlike the sometimes hyper-polished Muppet films, there’s no attempt made to hide the puppeteer’s sticks here) which harks back to Jim Henson’s best work. This special is acting as a kind of pilot which may lead to a series order, and on the strength of this one-off, we would heartily encourage more of the same. Or, as Beaker might put it: “Mee mee mee mee mee.”
Hardly reinventing the wheel, but Seth Rogen clearly understands that the Muppet wheel doesn’t need reinventing. This is a smart, silly revival of our favourite fuzzy heroes, executed with craft and care. More, please!