my thoughts on the new character
I have mixed feelings about the new characters. I liked the new characters, but thoguth that there were too many new characters on Muppets Tonight, and not enough old characters. When I first heard about the show, I was hoping and expecting to see many of my favorite characters, and wasn't even thinking about seeing newly-created characters.
When the first episode aired, I was happy to see so many classic characters at the beginning, but then was worried about seeing them all leave so soon. I liked seeing such minor characters as Pops and Louis kazagger in the background, but was still worried. Bunsen and Beaker did appear in one sketch, but that sketch was a flashback, and not actually in the present. I was also concerned about Fozzie, Rowlf, Scooter, and others not being in the first episode.
I was happy to see Fozzie in the Billy Crystal epsiode, and was actually surprised to see Sam in that episode, as he was one character I hadn't exected to see in that episode. I was releived to see Bunsen and Beaker have such a big part in the Tony Bennet episode, and then have a big part throughout the rest of the series, and I was relieved to see Lew Zeland and Beauregard make cameos in that same episode.
I feel like many of the new characters were replacements for old characters, and too similar replacements at that, too. David Hogsohog (and in a way, Captain Pighead) were really similar replacements for Link Hogthrob, Nigel the Director looked too similar to Droop (and had the same name as another classic character, Nigel the conductor), Spamela Hamderson seemed like a replacement for Annie Sue Pig, Bobo seemed like a replacement for Fozzie Bear and seemed very simialr to Rowlf in both look and voice (I've read that Bill Barretta based the characters voice on Rowlf's voice), Dr. Phil van Neuter seemed very similar to Bunsen (and looked like a cross between Bunsen and Beaker), Mulch (who actually did appear on The Muppet Show) seemed similar to Beaker (there should have been the occassional encounter between these scientists but there weren't any), and the Muppets Tonight band was an unneccessary replacement for The Electric Mayhem (The new band didn't really do anything different from what the electric mayhem did after Jim Henson's death). Recently, I've been thinking that Floyd could have easily had Zippety Zap's scenes.
Dave Goelz performed on this show, so Digit and beauregard could have had semi-big parts, Steve Whitmire was around so Bean should have had a bigger part (and Lips should have been used as well), Leon should have been there (so that Kevin Clash could have had another character), and Jerry Nelson was a major performer, but hardly had any regular characters besides Statler and The Bird Announcer. Lew Zeland, Floyd, Dr. Strangepork, and Robin should have all been somewhat major, at least.
I do like a lot of the newer characters. I really like Seymour, Pepe, Zippety Zap, Bill the Bubble Guy, Nigel the Director, and Dr. Phil van Neuter. I sort of like Bobo, Clifford, Mulch, Craniac, Johnny Fiama, Sal, Andy, Randy, Spamela Hamderson, and The Bird Announcer. I don't care much for David Hogsohog, captain pighead, Snorty, or Mr. Poodlepants.