About a "new" Muppet Show
No offense, but I don't buy the vaudeville comment. TMS was a variety show, the vaudeville nuances were just that.
None of the networks really know what shows are going to be successful. They often bring their best efforts forward, even putting hefty marketing campaigns behind them. None of it means a show will definitely take-off.
Remember, the original Star Trek was a failure. The Muppets failed on SNL too. All three networks passed on the Muppet Show originally as well.
I spoke to Jerry Juhl about recreating a new TMS a couple of months before he passed away. Basically he said, all of the pieces that made the Muppet Show magic, thus successful, were a product of the people that came together and the time. It's not likely to ever happen again.
I'd like to think he was wrong. I know there's plenty of puppeteers out there, who feel differently in their hearts... Some are doing everything they can to make it happen, despite the odds and the cost out of their pockets. Some more successfully than others.
The Henson children gave it a nearly fifteeen year run, doing both some amazing and not-so-amazing things with the Muppets. I know initally they were consulting to Disney for several years. I've lost track of what the status of that relationship is currently...
Under Disney's stewardship, it won't be a matter of money. It'll boil down to a fusion of "corporate creativity". Dynamite producing, writing and really great performers, etc. that all make magic together.
That's a lot to overcome.