The Muppet Show Review – We All Deserve a Little Happiness Now | TV and radio

TThe Muppet Show celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Or so he claims. Obviously that can’t be true, because it means that everyone who remembers gathering around the TV for the week’s most exciting, inspiring, celebratory, theatrical half-hour must also be… well, anyway. Let us not dwell.

Let us remember instead the magic that ensued as Jim Henson’s creativity unfolded before us, when the Anarchist Puppet Troupe presented its traditional stage show. The regular cast included the inimitable Miss Piggy (“I don’t care what you think of me. Unless you think I’m great, in which case you’re right”), Gonzo, the Swedish chef, the morose patriot Sam Eagle (“Freakos 1, Civilization Zero”), assorted pigs (mostly in space), scientist Dr. Bunsen Honeydo and his hapless assistant Baker (the latter giving some of us our first stirrings of true empathy), and lots and lots of chickens. There was also a guest appearance in each episode by a famous human comedian, actor, or musician. It could be anyone from Julie Andrews to Dudley Moore, as long as they can be trusted to play things right and trust their co-stars. It’s all held together, if only just, by the earnest, weary host and stage manager Kermit the Frog and his assistant Scooter, despite constant heckling from the wonderfully feisty Statler and Waldorf as they look on at the show, quite literally, from their seats in the box.

He – she He was magic. Really, it was.

To celebrate the anniversary, Disney (which acquired the rights to the Muppetational from the Jim Henson Company in 2004) is bringing the old gang back together and adding guest appearances from Sabrina Carpenter, Seth Rogen (also an executive producer) and Maya Rudolph for a one-off, half-hour special.

God bless everyone involved – they tried. You can feel it. They want to make it good for us. They know we deserve it. They know the dolls are worth it. They know that right now everyone is desperate for a short, bright moment to come out of the darkness. But, as Thomas Wolfe rightly said, you can’t go home again.

Look, it’s okay. If you’ve never seen the original, it’s probably good. If so, there are still moments that arouse taste and memory, such as the entrance of Miss Piggy. “Wouldn’t it be great to be back on stage, giving the people what they want?” Kermit sighs in relief. “MoiOr Miss Piggy’s first meeting with Sabrina C, who tells the singer that she based her entire look on Miss Piggy. “My lawyers and I noticed,” her idol says sweetly. We’ll be in touch.” Miss Piggy responded to Sabrina, telling her how much she loved her: “I grew up with you! My father grew up with you! Their parents grew up with…” “Well,” Miss Piggy interrupts in her unmistakable alternate voice.

The Bridgerton impersonation captures something of the spirit of the old puppets too, as a pig wearing a Regency wig admits he’s fallen in love with someone else “I’m torn between them”. So does Honeydew’s experiment on Beaker (“This won’t hurt me a bit!”), causing his eyes to fall out.

But all the bits in between? They’re monotonous. The script — including Statler and Waldorf’s heckles — begs for polish (and a few jokes, like the one between Kermit and Carpenter about the knot). Is this a quick mission, despite the notice they received half a century ago? Or has it simply run out of showtime and no one can take the extreme silliness anymore? Should we abandon frivolity in these decidedly non-frivolous times? Or double try? If this single film leads to a series, I’ll still be hopeful. There’s enough to build on here.

There’s still the annoying problem of Kermit’s voice, which is perhaps one of the most recognizable in history. Henson himself played the character until his death in 1990. Veteran actor Steve Whitmire inherited the role and played it until he was fired by Disney for what they called “unacceptable commercial conduct”, amid a torrent of both supportive and contradictory claims by those involved with the show. Matt Vogel now plays the character, and although he does it quite well, our dear frog looks very different from anyone born before Vogel’s time. It puts magic out of reach. But maybe just for us. And we took our time.

If nothing else, it will entertain kids for half an hour, give them the not-so-understated gift of learning about Miss Piggy, and perhaps more valuablely alert their parents to the fact that all five original series are available on the streaming platform. Let it comfort you as we all hunker down and pray for a return to simpler, happier times.