New Muppet Pilot in Development by Randall Einhorn (The Office, Modern Family) for ABC

[D'Snowth]

Didn't stop LTS from airing on it.

Was that on NBC? I didn't remember.

 

[DARTH MUPPET]

To be honest, I'd be happier with Netflix, but ABC could work too. Problem is the stakes are higher on network TV. Everybody cross your fingers that this gets picked up and is put on a Sunday evening timeslot, ideal for families. The ratings NEED to be good or it's a death sentence to the characters.

Sunday Night Is not good for me I have The Simpsons, Bobs Burger, and The Family Guy, Therefore I would have to watch the Muppets ON-DEMAND....

 

[charlietheowl]

Wow, this news keeps getting better! It seems like the show would be a mix of the variety and sitcom format, which is ideal, plus it's about time Fozzie found a girlfriend, lol.

 

[LaRanaRene]

Wow, this news keeps getting better! It seems like the show would be a mix of the variety and sitcom format, which is ideal, plus it's about time Fozzie found a girlfriend, lol.

It would be funny if Fozzie's girlfriend and parents, since it said they may be celebrity cameos, is Dakota Johnson and her parents.

 

[SpookyMania]

This is such exciting news! This is exactly what we need!

 

[Dominicboo1]

To be honest, I'd be happier with Netflix, but ABC could work too. Problem is the stakes are higher on network TV. Everybody cross your fingers that this gets picked up and is put on a Sunday evening timeslot, ideal for families. The ratings NEED to be good or it's a death sentence to the characters.

But not everyone has Netflix. Pretty much all TV sets get ABC

 

[Muppet Master]

Fozzie's girlfriend, boy he sure has changed from the shy guy he was in MTM, I am glad if this gets picked up it will be on ABC, because I watch most of my shows on ABC, and if this was on maybe NBC or CBS on a Wednesday, then I would have to give up one of my favorite shows on the ABC sitcom block, one article says whether it gets picked up or not could be announced as early as next month, which is something neat.

 

[jvcarroll]

Streaming sites have come to the rescue for shows that networks refuse to touch. Inspector Gadget's new cartoon finds a home there, rather than no export to us like the last show. I'd say Nick and CN screwed Dreamworks out of their animated movie based programming (MVA was abruptly canned after one season, Riders of Berk just disappeared), but their Netflix deal seems to have them thriving (though I think they're only one season deals. Kinda disappointed that Turbo needs a few more episodes because of what they set up). And let's not forget Yahoo stream giving Community a new lease on life when NBC just hated Dan Harmon so much, they put "The Slap" on and thought people would watch that instead.

But it's still a massive tangle of sweetheart deals that see shows and movies disappearing all the time, some moving to other paysites because of better offers. It's very much unreliable. And if you want to watch everything, you're going to have to pay for each site. Granted, at least it's a better set up than refuses to go ala carte cable (No, I don't want the 5 religious channels and countless home shopping networks, I just want freaking XD... can't do that), but it's still going to cost you to see everything.



ABC found itself with it's Wednesday Night sitcoms and Thursday Night dramas. They still have embarrassingly stale reality shows (really?!?! the Bachelor is still on?), and Friday Night awful Tim Allen shows. But I don't see them giving any Muppet vehicle a chance. There's no where to put it. Fridays or Sundays. Not really good time slots that MT once had. I don't think they'd get anything prime or competitive. ABC Family swears people are watching Mellisa and Joey... I don't see Muppets thriving on any of their other cable channels, either.




Both HTTYD2 and Penguins were poorly timed. I'd say HTTYD 2 felt the same movie goer family burnout that Peabody and Sherman and MMW suffered. Penguins got it worse. That Thanksgiving Weekend isn't half as successful as they think it is. At least not any more. Dreamworks films released before that weekend of that Month tend to do much better. Penguins also faced TOUGH competition from Big Hero 6, so there's that too. And frankly, Dreamworks had a feeling POM wasn't going to make the insane amount of money Madagascar 3 did. I don't think they even had much faith in it since they randomly dumped it on that weekend because they didn't want Home to get a all or nothing weekend. And it WORKED! Home opened the strongest since The Croods. But the Penguins? Even the Happy Meal toys were recycled (from the TV show promotion 4 years ago). I've never seen them do that before ever. Something tells me not a single flipper was given.

I just don't know. I'm kind of hoping for Sunday, but it would be very interesting if they placed it mid-week.

2014 was all bad timing that had to do with a lack of desire from auds and little to do with content. It wasn't just one slot, it was pretty much the whole year with a few blockbuster exceptions. Some years are just bad for films. 2014 was one of them. But it seems like a trend. If it's not a superhero franchise or a young adult novel it's gonna have a tough time.

 

[zns]

I feel like singing"Together Again". This is such exciting news. I for one plan to be optimistic about this as do most of you.

 

[cjd874]

Best news I've heard all day. I'm really hoping that this can develop from the script and pilot and become a full-fledged reality. Plus, I'm a huge fan of Bill Prady's work on the Big Bang Theory. However, I still have some doubts about the show's format and audience.

First, will the variety-thing work at all? This isn't 1980, or even 1996 for that matter. The last time the Muppets tried a reboot of the variety-show format, which we all know as Muppets Tonight, it didn't go past two seasons.

Second, what type of audience do ABC, Disney, and the Muppets have in mind? Audiences are even more polarized now than ever before, and for the most part, children and adults watch completely different programs. There aren't many shows out there that have appeal to both adults and kids, except for, interestingly enough, Sesame Street.

It's not that I'm pessimistic about this project. I'm hoping that this won't be a complete bust like previous ABC TV shows have been ("Selfie," anybody?). Maybe my expectations are too high. In any case, I'm happy about this news and for everyone involved in making the Muppets---dare I say it---mainstream again.