Concern for the Future of the Muppets

[datman24]

Nothing's going to happen to the Muppets. Disney may not prioritize them like Star Wars or Marvel, but even they know that there are people like us who still care about them and want them to continue as long as possible.

 

[MWoO]

The reality is that the Muppets were huge because they were a product of their time and this is no longer their time.

Jim Henson cared more about funding his projects than he did about making money. He started merchandising The Muppets in order to create more art. The JHC wasn't a publically traded company, so profits were not Jim's main focus. Conversely, Disney is publically owned and if an IP doesn't make billions it isn't on their radar. They have no interest in sinking money into a project that won't boost their stock prices. They also don't want to take the profits from merch and put them into projects. They want to keep the merch profits and have projects make additional profits. Why invest in pushing a seemingly dieing brand like The Muppets when they can just ride the popularity of existing brands like STar Wars and Marvel?

They did something similar with Power Rangers back in the day. The bought Power Rangers thinking it would be a cash cow and didn't realize how thin profit margins actually were. They almost killed the brand until they sold it off.

 

[LittleJerry92]

“Muppets Tonight” honestly had more potential to grow as a series for me, the fact that it even got two seasons at all I consider a blessing. But alas…. It was an early start of a TV series getting the short end of the stick, so….

 

[Muppet Master]

Yeah, I really enjoyed "Muppets Tonight" and it lasted longer than the other short-lived Muppet shows. Considering ABC pulled it from the schedule after 6 episodes and dumped its remaining order in the summer, it's a miracle it even got a second season. I just wish they could have gone on for another season or two, especially since the general consensus seems to be that the show was starting to find its footing towards the very end when they had episodes that took place outside the studio.

 

[DMHFan]

The year is 2024, and it's now been 20 years since Disney bought The Muppets (and Bear in the Big Blue House).

As of now, it seems like any new Muppet production typically goes straight to Disney+. I could be wrong though.

 

[LittleJerry92]

It does, and it immediately gets the axe after one season if it’s a TV series.

 

[GuySmileyfan]

I hope Disney is developing another project for the Muppets like maybe the upcoming 50th Anniversary of The Muppet Show. I'm sorry, but I'm still concern with the Muppets, but that's just me I guess.

 

[Muppets02]

To be honest, there not a lot of Muppet productions that were interesting to me that came after the 1990s. I have not been pleased at all with the way Disney has been treating the Muppets, and I tend to agree with Frank Oz, Steve Whitmire, and others on how they do not understand how to use or write them properly.
At this point, I have no desire to keep with the franchise at this point, especially after the failure of the 2015 ABC series, and the firing of Steve Whitmire. Overall, while the Muppets have been struggling to stay viable in recent years, it remains to be seen what will happen next.