The Muppets (2015) One Year Later

[Muppet Master]

March 1, 2016 marked the end of the 16-episode run of The Muppets. Many hated it, many loved it, but the question is what do you think of it now? Have your opinions changed?

I for one still think it was unfairly written off by the masses after a not-so-great pilot.

 

[muppetlover123]

I would have to watch the season again cause it has been at least 5-6 months since I've seen any episode from the series but I would still have to agree with you.

 

[jobi71]

It was a mixed bag. I think if it had a second season (even an abridged 12 episode order) there would have been a vast improvement.

I've read several places that after the positive response to the pitch video the show was rushed into production. I think the ambitious nature of the show combined with the short schedule resulted in a shaky start. Plus they wanted to present the Muppets with a different tone. Which leads to...

Most of the Muppets seemed not to like their jobs. From what I know about the Muppets if they were working on a piece of entertainment with their friends they would overall be happy. Kermit was depressed and insecure in the Peter Ustinov episode. Kermit, Fozzie and Piggy were insecure in the Steve Martin episode. Kermit once fired Miss Piggy. Piggy once locked Kermit in a trunk full of mold because she was jealous of Linda Ronstadt. I know they wanted the new show to be a more serialized, so story lines would run week to week, so maybe Kermit doesn't get over his depression at the end of 30 minutes, but some of the early episodes of the new show I marvel that some of the characters were able to get out of bed.

In contrast the characters who seemed to like their job had more success. Uncle Deadly, Yolanda, Carl and Bobo were funny, well written and interesting. And speaking of jobs there were many Muppets who had little or no involvement in Up Late... They said Bunsen and Beaker were the props department. Did we ever see them making props? Were there ever any props used in the show? The reason why the character of Creed from The Office was funny was because there was only one Creed. The Muppets had a good 7-10 of them.

As the season progressed I think the creators became aware of the problems and started to address them. Flashes of fun emerged: Gonzo's cannon stunt, the gang jumping in so Mindy Kaling would not be embarrassed with her singing, Piggy advising Kermit on a gift for Denise was great character work for both of them, more music was appearing and in the finale a solid dose of Muppet chaos with some fan favorite characters making cameos.

I think if they were renewed the summer hiatus and the time to develop scripts and to adjust the tone would have resulted in much stronger episodes. Season 2 of the classic Muppet Show is a vast improvement from season 1 because Henson, Juhl et. al figured out what worked and what was extraneous.

I know TV today is all about the ratings. If you're not getting them you'll be cancelled. Some shows only have one episode air before they get the axe, so I am happy we got the amount of shows we did. But I would bet cash money that if this version of the Muppet show premiered back in the 70's or even the 80's they would have had a second season.

 

[Old Thunder]

I actually watched the first two episodes for the first time a couple days ago. (I'm so late. ) I enjoyed it. It... feels like a the kind of show that could never live up to the original yet is still hilarious and a great watch. I'm definitely gonna watch more of it.

 

[Pig'sSaysAdios]

Well, i've given my opinion of the show and each episode already, and my opinions on them haven't changed much after rewatching a few months ago.
But I will say that, while I didn't hate the first few episodes, there was certainly a lot lacking. Mostly, as Jobi said, there was a lack of joy. In all the other productions, the characters loved what they did, they weren't always very good at it, but they enjoyed it. They were doing what they loved and they knew they were making other people happy while they were doing it. The Muppet Movie highlights this perfectly.
I think that it, like any other show, just needed to find it's footing, which I think it started to during the second half of the season. It's a real shame that modern audiences, and especially networks are so fickle and impatient these days. There are plenty of shows that were almost cancelled after their first season due to low ratings or a lukewarm reception, but ended up churning out a huge profit in the long run like Seinfeld, Family Matters, The Simpsons, and Full House just to name a few. I really liked the last few episodes and have no doubt that the second season would've been something amazing if they had just given it another chance, and a better time slot.

On the bright side, at least it gave us Gloria Estefan and more developed versions of Chip, Yolanda and Uncle Deadly. I really hope they plan on using them in future productions, along with Walter.

 

[gravy]

They said Bunsen and Beaker were the props department. Did we ever see them making props? Were there ever any props used in the show?

*ehm* giant moon, mindy kaling *ehm*

But you're right, they should have had a chance to be on the show. It would have definitely progressed more during the second season, and I think some of the gifs that Kermit and The Muppets post on Twitter and such are from unaired episodes that were prerecorded.

 

[Pig'sSaysAdios]

I think some of the gifs that Kermit and The Muppets post on Twitter and such are from unaired episodes that were prerecorded.

Well, I highly doubt they filmed any additional episodes, after all, you can't make more episodes than the network gives you a budget for. Those gifs are more than likely just deleted scenes, if they were intended for the show at all.

 

[GuySmileyfan]

Last year's announcement of the cancellation of The Muppets is a very tragic moment for me. I blame it on one million moms. They ruined it. First, Muppets Most Wanted failed and now The Muppets tv show failed. And the people are very stupid not supporting the Muppets. I don't think people care about the Muppets anymore, which is probably nonsensical. Yes, they have an upcoming event at the Hollywood Bowl later this year and they appear on youtube from time and time, but I don't know if Disney will give the Muppets a chance to shine like giving them another movie or tv show. I would love to see Kermit revisit Happy Feet, but that's just me. When I've heard that the Muppets is not renewed for second season, I've got so mad, I've even said that Disney should give the Muppets back to the Jim Henson Company for all I care. I would love to obsess that Disney should give Muppets another tv series, but it's probably not worth it. Man, life is not fair.

 

[rexcrk]

I actually just watched through the series again (bought them digitally on Amazon since I'm not expecting a Blu-ray anytime soon) and this show was brilliant. I can't believe that it wasn't more popular (I'm guessing a lot of it had to do with bad press from those ****ing cows running "One Million Moms").

I get why it was canceled though. I'm sure it wasn't cheap to make.

And I feel like I'm in the minority here, but I liked the show more before they did the "retooling", didn't need that at all. Every episode was great though.

 

[mr3urious]

I agree with just about everything everyone has said. the muppets. got off to a rough start with the large amount of plot threads, risqué jokes, excessive reliance of Miss Piggy being a bee-yotch, etc. But a couple of episodes in, it began to get into the groove with a good blend of Muppet-style humor and original elements to avoid it being too much of a retread of TMS. I also loved how we got to see obscure and ill-defined characters such as Yolanda and Chip get more fleshed out.

If only ABC gave it at least a pity 2nd season so we could really see it reach its potential, like with TMS and Muppets Tonight before it. That and the so-called mainstream "fans" who refuse to support something like this even when they clamor for something different in entertainment.