Within the yr of our Lord 2026, all the things previous is new once more, however typically that’s not really all that a lot of an issue. Living proof, Disney’s forthcoming revival of The Muppet Present, which is arriving at exactly the second all of us actually, really want it to. It’s precisely a secret that the world isn’t doing all that nice in the mean time, and what higher antidote for our collective anxiousness might there be than the return of the well-known Jim Henson characters who’ve held our fingers by means of uncomfortable moments earlier than. (No, I don’t have “The Rainbow Connection” taking part in within the background proper now, why do you ask?)
The unique The Muppet Present technically solely ran between 1976 and 1981, nevertheless it’s a sequence that also casts an extended shadow, with its well-known visitors, mystical numbers, puppet-based stunts, and behind-the-scenes antics. Henson’s well-known felt creatures have gone on to star in all the things from tv one-offs and specials to characteristic movies (The Nice Muppet Caper is untouchable, and I can’t be taking questions presently). Disney’s been attempting to convey the franchise again into the mainstream pop cultural zeitgeist for a number of years now, with various levels of success. The 2011 movie The Muppets (a.ok.a. The One with Jason Segel) was cute sufficient, however The Workplace-style mockumentary sequence Muppets Now largely felt tonally unsuitable for the franchise all of us liked and fingers up should you even do not forget that
Fortunately, Disney’s taking issues again to fundamentals with this pilot, which seems like nothing a lot as a slicker, costlier (and expansive) model of the unique all of us liked. This pseudo pilot episode, clearly a take a look at run to see if the format can nonetheless appeal to viewers, will characteristic visitor appearances by Sabrina Carpenter, Maya Rudolph, Seth Rogen, and just about each Muppet you possibly can consider.
The tone is ideal, the clip stuffed with backstage commentary and acquainted Muppet-based antics, like Gonzo’s death-defying stunts and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew’s disastrous experiments. However the trailer additionally signifies a sly self-awareness about who’s most certainly to be watching the present, together with some up to date humor proper alongside its silliest and most old-school antics. We see Carpenter, Kermit, and Pepe the King Prawn share an arch alternate that references the singer’s barely racy stage reveals, signaling that everybody concerned is aware of the viewers is filled with grown-ups who aren’t solely all in on the joke, however typically unbothered by a touch of grownup humor.
