"Edgy" New Muppet Show: What happened?

[beaker]

Seriously, this is the one project in like a decade I was super excited about. I truly thought by now I would be getting my weekly Fox prime time Muppet fix in, and all of us would be on MC nonstop with giddy glee. Ha.

In the spring of 2002, I could not have been more jubilated about the news of this Fox show thing...Fall 2003 right?

So what happened? Luke? Secret Squirrel? There was rumors even a pilot was taped, that it was to be some sort of homage to the theatre, a mix of edgy and classic, etc. Was this ever close to actually being made, or is this pretty much a 'I wonder what would have happened if this had been made?' type of disucssion we'll always have?

So no 'edgy' Fox Muppet Show, but we get Muppet Oz.(and not the prison tv show) Does anyone see the irony here?

 

[Luke]

It's just rumor, but I read elsewhere that the word from 'secret squirrel' type sources was that the show was taking so much time to arrange with all the sale problems that Fox lost interest, and at the time were reluctant to pay Henson when they had no idea who would own the company down the line or what direction they would take - especially as they could have come out of the Henson sale as the winner and then have ended up paying for their own show. Whether that's true or not is anybodys guess.

Not sure where that leaves them now - The only thing I personally know for sure is that licensee's (like Palisades, Sideshow etc) were definitely told in December 2002 the show had been green-lighted for 13 episodes. Seems like it went downhill shortly after that.

 

[Drtooth]

Of course Fox would pull out, since the Muppets don't fit into the bird crap like programming that they are famous for.

Seriosuly, I never was holding out for a Fox show at all, mainly because Fox isn't such a great network period. I mean, we have Joe Millionaire/ Temptation Island/ American Idol/ God please shoot me type shows, plus sitcoms that never last more than 5 episodes. We were putting our faith in a network that cancelled Futurama because they couln't find a spot for it (dispite all the openings after 90% of their programming failed) and also canned Ally McBeal because of a slight ratings drop, then replaced it with a similar show that bombed horribly. I mean, would anyone really care if those reality TV show sequals went away? How about the overly melodramatic Boston Public? And don't forget the lame drama/action shows (besides 24! that's a good show, but I don't watch it!)

Of course a JHH type show would be great, and they really should focus on that instead of this Book movie they've already satirized 3 times already.

Would you believe this is the 5th time I posted this? The computer kept crashing and kicking me off every time!

 

[beaker]

Not sure where that leaves them now - The only thing I personally know for sure is that licensee's (like Palisades, Sideshow etc) were definitely told in December 2002 the show had been green-lighted for 13 episodes. Seems like it went downhill shortly after that.

Well as modern era Muppet fans we've gotten used to letdowns and hopes being squished.

Of course a JHH type show would be great, and they really should focus on that instead of this Book movie they've already satirized 3 times already.

Would you believe this is the 5th time I posted this? The computer kept crashing and kicking me off every time!

Isnt it funny how JHH was this amazing, ahead of it's time thing...just sheer brilliance and imagination...yet noone watched it and it got dropped.
But then 7 years later abc picks up a Sesame Street ish Muppet show called Muppets Tonight!...of course noone watched this either. So yeah, just bummed about the Fox thing as there were so many possibilities for it. I myself have ideas I know people would be thrilled about(one of em made it to air, the Kermit on the street segment from Kimmel)

As for your computer crashing, I cant even figure out how to move the blue taskbar...Im such a computer noob, heh.

 

[jediX]

The toolbar in XP?

You bring up a very good point. JHH and MT were both very good series' and look at the garbage people watch instead; infinite runs of moronic dating shows, people doing stupid stunts for cash, and vain makeover-related stuff. Do good shows even have a chance anymore?

Btw, Beaker, who did you contact when you suggested that idea?

 

[beaker]

Btw, Beaker, who did you contact when you suggested that idea?

I'm thinking of sending my treatment to the guy himself, Mr. Kirk Thatcher. I've put a lot of time into this, culling from the flow and chemistry of past projects, putting my mindframe into how they write or set things up. But pretty much I have come up with a very doable, hip and fun Muppet film idea that would really get people excited again. I mean what are the Muppets, if they are not hip and relevent? Oz? I dunno about that.

 

[jediX]

Exactly. Back in the days of Jim the Muppets were cutting edge and outshowed everything on the market. It seems as if they've almost given up at times by being too 'kiddish'. Indeed some of the things are intended for children but not everything should be. Gorch definately wasn't for kids, nor was some material in various shows. If it doesn't appeal to all ages, it won't draw a new fanbase. Obviously us long-term fans will follow the company through whatever they may do, but stuff like this rumored "Oz" remake sets the Muppets' reclamation of its rightful spot in the A-list back. It's not that I don't LIKE their new stuff, its just not as good as the classics -- when Muppets were huge.

 

[Krazedmuppet]

Gorch definately wasn't for kids, nor was some material in various shows. If it doesn't appeal to all ages, it won't draw a new fanbase.

Ok, lets look at the kids show they do have on now, hmm Stupid Anime, more stupid anime, and oh! even more stupid anime (I mean its not even the good stuff, the only 3 "good ones" there was was Salior Moon, Digimon, and Pokemon (no IM not a fan, and wich that show would die, its just one of the better anime) but thats all kids programing is now, you know? except if you wanna watch the Disney stuff, wich even they are not doing as good as they used to be, but still is better than stupid anime) Did you see the one show that was on called like "Food Wars" or something like that, where it was a take off of pokemon, only they were food and stuff, it was stupid (only saw 1-2 episodes, cuz thats all I could take. The only good shows on (in my opinion) are the Simpsons and Malcome in the Middle (wich malcome only comes on sundays) I mean, they even took off the Drew Cary show! Fox never used to be this bad, but they are now. I really hoped they would bring back the muppet show, I thought it a very smart move on there part, but oh well.

 

[Drtooth]

Well, most of the Bad animes are on g-list cable channels and Kid's WB now. Fox Box I felt has been alright with the exeption of that Foodmonster thing (which was cancelled last year!!! Especially with Sonic X (Though the filler episodes without Dr. Eggman are dull). But I feel Kirby and Kinnikuman 2 (not one iota as good as the original, which was far too risque to put on American TV in the 80's... even now it could only be on Adult Swim... people getting torn in half, Nazi stereotypes, gratuitous naked chicks and people crapping on buildings) are pretty much an aquired taste, if not escapist from the lam,e card monster/ spinning top/ pokedigi garbage shows that have polluted the networks all over the place. Where as the great stuff like Lupin III, Cowboy bebop, and the like are DVD or Adult Swim type stuff. Don't get me started about how cool bootleg uncensored DBZ eps are (espeicially the one where they fight Hitler!)

 

[beaker]

I have to agree, kid's anime these days sucks. When I was a kid, anime on tv kicked butt. Trnasformers, Robotech, Voltron, etc. Now days? Just a bunch of card game garbage cheaply animated. For peopel that think anime is all kiddy cheap stuff, I point em to the Animatrix, Cowboy Bebop, Akira, etc.
The only two cool anime on kid's tv these days is TMNT and Sonic X.

People on here attack me for my 1980's supremist views...
but look at kid's programming back then:
Fraggle Rock, Muppet Show, Sesame Street, Muppet Babies,
etc.

1990's thru now? Barney, Power Rangers, etc. What happened?
Kids programming used to be about imagination, wonder and quality. Now it's garbage like cheap anime and spastic ADD Hanna Barbara knockoffs.
Bear in the Big Blue House was the only exception, but even that got cancelled. Whats the only new Mupept kdis show? Animal Jam...and if anyone's seen Meet the Feebles or Death to Smoochy ya know what I think of that show.

I understand JHC was going thru a more than hard time in the 90's, so I can understand the 90's Muppet films and deicisons. But in 2004...Muppet Oz? yikes. There was hope with news of the Fox show, the ratings and content of VMC, etc...now I fear they may be headed back to the murky un inspired early thru mid 90's sludge sadly.