Muppet Show Reboot: Hit or Miss?

EmilyMiller

Vindicated Vixen
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Pluses: General muppetness, Sabrina was perfect (needed a third number), Muppet Labs, Miss Piggy was awesome and her and Sabrina was hilarious, Waldorf and Statdler being themselves

Minuses: Pigs in Wigs 🤔, Maya Rudolph was in this because? I know it’s Rogen’s baby, but did he have to be in the show? The rats 😱, not enough Swedish Chef
 
I haven't seen it yet. It's coming on here in a bit. As far as I'm concerned any Muppet beats hell out of any other star. And I loved the rats in the original show. There is an advantage to being older than dirt 'cause I got to watch every episode of the original run. Telling anyone else about it, I tell 'em I was forced to watch it 'cause my kids would throw a fit if we didn't.

One of my favorite episodes, Linda and the Muppets:



Comshaw
 
I can't get over the voices not being the same as the ones I grew up with.
 
Hit different, didn't work for me, but it is only 1 so I'll give it a chance
 
I thought it was cute, Sabrina and Miss Piggy was consistently funny, and I love that they actually did new muppety recordings of the songs and didn't just lip sync to the original tracks or something!

I think squeezing four songs into 30 minutes was too much and made every bit feel too rushed and cramped, if they end up making a full season I hope they slow down the pace a little bit.
 
I think squeezing four songs into 30 minutes was too much and made every bit feel too rushed and cramped, if they end up making a full season I hope they slow down the pace a little bit.
Peak Muppets is - IMO - Elton John in season two (yes we have been binging them in the lead up 🙄). Elton totally embraces the vibe, does four songs and we still get Swedish Chef, Pigs in Space (and a PiS / SC cross over that is truly hilarious) and Vetenarian’s Hospital (plus a London East End sing a long that they introduced as the UK had less and shorter commercial breaks).
 
After watching the show, I'm a bit disappointed. There seemed to be something off about it. Maybe it's because I'm unconsciously comparing it to the original. Or maybe I got use to the flavor Henson and Oz infused into it and it needs some time for me to adjust to the flover infused by the new producer/director. I'm willing to give it a chance though. And I think (or hope really) the now generation will enjoy it much as I did the original way back when. Only time will tell.

I had to add, I've never listened to any of Sabrina's songs, but the ones I heard on the Muppet Show, her voice had echoes of Dolly in it. Anyone else hear that or am I hallucinating?
Comshaw
 
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Sabrina was great. Islands in the Stream was my favorite piece, and she did channel Dolly a bit. Excellent harmony with both Kermit and Miss Piggy.

Pacing of the entire show was very rushed, and most of the comedy(?) fell flat, and I didn’t get the rats number at all.
I agree with others that the new voices were off-putting, but I got used to Michael Gambon when he took on Dumbledore, so...

It’s the first one. Just on history and hope, I’ll give it a shot.
 
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Just read that Gonzo and Dr Bunsen Honeydew are both still voiced by the original actor. They did sound the same.
 
Returns to the Muppets are usually fun. They're charming and silly and carry no small amount of nostalgia, even as they've changed through the years.

They lost something essential when Jim Henson died, though. Far beyond some of the voice work. I think the man was a singular genius, and he brought something magical to the Muppets. They were funny and charming, the musical numbers were at once hilarious, amazingly creative, and pretty solid musically. The Muppets themselves were so ridiculously full of personality that some of the best parts of the original show were the brief moments backstage with Kermit trying to manage all their collective weirdness.

They can still be some of those things. Just... less so. I feel like the voice of Kermit is a decent encapsulation of it: it's close. It's almost Kermit. But it's just not quite right.

Still, I'm usually in when they do these little comebacks. They're good for a few laughs, at least.
 
Returns to the Muppets are usually fun. They're charming and silly and carry no small amount of nostalgia, even as they've changed through the years.

They lost something essential when Jim Henson died, though. Far beyond some of the voice work. I think the man was a singular genius, and he brought something magical to the Muppets. They were funny and charming, the musical numbers were at once hilarious, amazingly creative, and pretty solid musically. The Muppets themselves were so ridiculously full of personality that some of the best parts of the original show were the brief moments backstage with Kermit trying to manage all their collective weirdness.

They can still be some of those things. Just... less so. I feel like the voice of Kermit is a decent encapsulation of it: it's close. It's almost Kermit. But it's just not quite right.

Still, I'm usually in when they do these little comebacks. They're good for a few laughs, at least.
We watched an old one after the new pilot. The subtlety in Henson’s handwork in creating Kermit’s expressions was amazing. Hard to recreate genius.
 
Haven't watched it yet but will, anything with the Muppets is good. Three's a great thread that goes around social media once in a while about which movie would be great remade with an all muppets cast and just keep one human actor. Full of hilarious ideas. The Matrix, keep Hugo Weaving. John Wick, keep Keanu Reeves. Die Hard, keep Alan Rickman. It goes on.
 
Haven't watched it yet but will, anything with the Muppets is good. Three's a great thread that goes around social media once in a while about which movie would be great remade with an all muppets cast and just keep one human actor. Full of hilarious ideas. The Matrix, keep Hugo Weaving. John Wick, keep Keanu Reeves. Die Hard, keep Alan Rickman. It goes on.
Was talking about just that the other day with my tow sons, specifically LOTR and only keep Andy Serkis as Gollum.
 
Jim Henson has been mentioned several times here. There is no denying he was the main driving force behind the Muppets. But credit needs to be given to someone who was almost as important to the show, Frank Oz, the voice and hands behind Miss Piggy, Fozzy Bear, Rolf and Sam Eagle, to name the more famous ones he did.

After thinking on it, I believe part of my uncomfortableness in watching the new Muppet Show was Miss Piggy. I don't think whoever they have doing her captured the subtlety that Frank brought to her back in the day. Or maybe it's just me pining for things the way they were.

Comshaw
 
Watched it again this evening. Overall excellent. Less rats and Maya, more Sabrina, and could have been wonderful.
 
Watched it again this evening. Overall excellent. Less rats and Maya, more Sabrina, and could have been wonderful.
One of my friends thought the rats song was the best part; sounds like they had something for everyone.

I thought it was great. Very entertaining, which is what it's all about.
 
Just finished.

LOVED IT.

Look, i know its impossible to completely recreate something as iconic and nostalgic as The Muppet Show. But they did a damn good job trying.

The new Kermit didn't bother me. Nor any of the other new voices. I was just happy to see them back, corny jokes and all.
 
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