The return of The Muppet Show (2026- )!
Photo courtesy of Pattie/ Wikimedia Commons
It’s time to play the music! It’s time to light the lights! It’s time to watch the revival of The Muppet Show tonight! 40 years after the show's cancellation, The Muppet Show returned to viewers’ screens on Feb. 4. Executive producer of the show, Seth Rogen, is the man behind the revival. Hoping to get a full series reboot, this one episode revival acted as a potential backdoor pilot to a full series, based on audience reaction.
Singer/songwriter Sabrina Carpenter guest starred on last week's episode. She joined household names including Elton John, Julie Andrews, and Carol Burnett as celebrities who had guest appearances on The Muppet Show.
Some episode highlights started with Sabrina singing her hit song “Manchild” with the Muppet chickens. Rizzo the Rat then followed with his rendition of “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd. Kermit and Sabrina went on to sing a duet of Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers’ “Island In The Stream.” There were also some surprise special appearances from Seth Rogen and Maya Rudolph. The show concluded with Kermit and the gang singing “Don’t Stop Me Now,” originally performed by Queen.
The show is now available for streaming on Disney Plus. Disney originally bought The Muppets franchise back in 2004 from The Jim Henson Company, named for the man behind the creation of The Muppets. He was the original voice of Kermit the Frog and created the beloved Sesame Street characters as well.
Ever since they bought The Muppets, Disney has struggled with what to do with them. In 2011, The Muppets (2011) movie starring Amy Adams and Jason Segel included the popular “Man or Muppet” song many know and love. Then in 2014, the sequel Muppets Most Wanted (2014) hit theaters, but was considered a box office flop.
ABC, a Disney-owned broadcasting company, tried to bring The Muppets (2015) back with a mockumentary style show in 2015, only for it to get cancelled after one season. There was also a Disney Junior show called Muppet Babies (2018-2022) starring Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, and Animal in baby form. The show was intended for a much younger audience than the original The Muppet Show (1976-1981) had.
In other Muppet-related news, one of the four Walt Disney World theme parks, Hollywood Studios, recently closed the Muppet Courtyard. The Muppet Courtyard was a section of the park themed entirely to The Muppets. It was home to Muppetvision 3D, a 3D theater show that contained elements of Live Performers and was also home to the Statue of Liberty Miss Piggy Fountain. Diehard Muppet fans felt the devastation of this attraction being closed in late spring of last year. Muppetvision 3D was one of the last projects Jim Henson worked on before he passed, so to see it go was heartbreaking for many. The former Muppet Courtyard is set to be replaced by a new Monsters Inc land.
There is still hope for Muppets fans, however. The Muppets will remain in Hollywood Studios and will be taking over the Aerosmith feature in the thrilling Rockin’ Rollercoaster attraction. So despite the closure of Muppet Courtyard, the Muppets will still be represented in the Disney World park. And with the return of The Muppet Show (2026), there is hope that The Muppets will be sticking around for good.