The Muppets are back with the power of God and Sabrina Carpenter on their side. With the help of the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and Emmy-winning writer-actor Seth Rogen, the Muppets aim to return to traditional values (revive the variety show format) and escape the khia asylum (reaffirm their cultural relevance). They have one television pilot to prove themselves to the world, and a lot is riding on their potential success.
Throughout 2025, The Muppets Studio celebrated the characters’ 70th anniversary. Beloved for generations, the Muppets are a set of eccentric puppets created by Jim Henson and featured in a number of comedic movies, television shows, theme park rides (RIP Muppet*Vision 3D), and other works. In-universe, they are technically animals treated like people, who also happen to be actors fully aware they are in entertainment. In our world, however, they are simply iconic characters.
Reviving The Muppet Show in all its Glory
Jim Henson’s The Muppet Show launched in 1976. The famous variety series featured different celebrity guests each episode for a series of comedic skits and musical numbers. While their cousins on Sesame Street were classified as children’s media, The Muppet Show was aimed at families, designed to be entertaining for both kids and adults. From then, the Muppets branched into a charming collection of films and other artistic endeavors. For the last decade and a half, though, it seems like the Walt Disney Company (which officially acquired the Muppets IP from the Henson family in 2004) has been clueless about what to do with the brand.
The characters went through a revival with The Muppets (2011), a soft reboot of the franchise that modernized the classic “we have to put on one last show to save the Muppets” storyline. It was successful enough to be followed by a sequel (2014’s Muppets Most Wanted), and then by an unsuccessful mockumentary-style sitcom aimed at older audiences. Following 2015’s The Muppets on ABC, a meager but nonetheless solid project would drop every few years. From 2020’s Muppets Now to 2021’s Muppets Haunted Mansion, these were mere crumbs for their ardent supporters. Some Muppets even disappeared from the public consciousness, either because the physical puppets were put in storage or their performers left the company.
The Muppets are a cast that must be maintained, and so it’s no small feat that The Muppet Show (the 2026 special) brings the gang back together.
It’s Time to Save the Muppets (Again)
As Kermit the Frog says in the special’s opening, if all goes well, the Muppets could return full-time. Personally, I believe this is a bit of metatextual advertising, playing on both of the past plots of The Muppet Movie (1979) and The Muppets (2011). There is far too much time and care invested in this Muppet Show special to let it go to waste, to let the Muppets disappear into the background for another decade. There are characters back again that haven’t been seen for quite some time, and in a very classic format.
The variety show has since gone out of style, yet it’s not entirely dead. When the framework is still proven strong, it allows for an interesting blend of comedic material. The Muppet Show special clocks in at only 30 minutes but manages to cram in several skits in that time. Miss Piggy is the consistent show-stopper with the best punchlines out of the whole crew. Her repertoire with Sabrina Carpenter is top-notch, and she was a brilliant choice as a guest.
Carpenter is both a talented performer and a practiced actress. And what’s more, she’s funny. Her Christmas special with Netflix was effortlessly charming, and that same charm translates beautifully to The Muppet Show, where she gets to sing for the audience and have sling jokes among the backstage chaos. Numerous celebrities over the years have found it a great honor to be featured on either the Muppets or Sesame Street, and we should all feel blessed that she had the chance to go on the show where she could get away with making a kink joke.
The Frog in the Room
Let’s face it, Kermit the Frog does not sound like Kermit the Frog. This has been a pervasive criticism, and will likely continue into the special. Kermit was originally performed by Jim Henson until his tragic death, after which the role was taken over by Steve Whitmire. Whitmire performed the character for 27 years until he was fired from the company in 2016 after several years of creative differences with the direction Disney was taking the brand. The current actor for Kermit the Frog is Matt Vogel, and yes, he can’t quite do the Kermit voice at all.
That being said, as a performance, Kermit is doing well. His comedic timing is good, his energy is good, and his straight-man disposition is as it always has been. These are all factors that are more important to the show’s overall effectiveness than whether Kermit’s voice sounds the same as it did in the audience’s childhood. The rest of the cast is just as wonderful and vibrant as ever, and the Muppets’ energy has been maintained wonderfully.
While delightful in every way, the 2026 Muppet Show special is not without its bumps. There is a bit of an awkward, dark night-of-the-soul/false-betrayal that’s played completely straight near the end of the episode. The special would have been fine without it, as it doesn’t add any real dramatic stakes. This is only a small blimp, though; the Muppets have a much bigger issue on their hands.
The Uncanny Laugh Track
Whoever decided to add a laugh track to The Muppet Show special deserves to be blacklisted from Hollywood. Yes, the original series used a laugh track, but the samples from the ’70s had a gentle quality. Compared with those audios, today’s laugh tracks are significantly jarring and sound nearly identical to those used in Disney Channel productions, making the entire experience seem far more juvenile than it actually is. Each time the special uses a modern laugh track, which is fairly often, viewers feel like they are watching Dog With A Blog instead of The Muppet Show proper.
Truly, this is the special’s greatest setback, which could be easily managed by either sourcing new laugh tracks or foregoing it entirely. It would be a bit of a shame, as the show otherwise closely aligns with its original format. However, as it stands, the laugh track nearly ruins the whole thing.
Bring Them Home
The people yearn for the Muppets. They want more singing chickens, more daredevil stunts from a blue hooked-nose thing, and more karate chops from a beautiful blonde pig. Sketch comedy has been in a lull for quite some time, but the Muppets return to it with class. If you like the Muppets, you will love this special. A chaotic return to form. If you don’t know if you like the Muppets, this is a lovely introduction, just as true to their spirit as it would be to watch the original Muppet show from the ’70s.
Disney, bring back The Muppets. Bring them home. Just please get rid of that laugh track first.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
The Muppet Show special premieres on Disney+ and ABC on February 4!
