‘The Muppet Show’ (2026) – Review

It’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights. It’s time for the Muppets to once again enter the cultural zeitgeist.

Disney has decided to try to revive the Muppets once again. Last September, they announced that they were bringing back the classic Muppet Show for a ‘special’ to coincide with the Muppets 50th anniversary. Of course, what that means in today’s day and age is that if it goes well, the show very well may come back as a series.

I’ve been a fan of the Muppets since I was a kid, watching the original Muppet Show and loving the movies. I still remember Jim Henson’s death in 1990. (If you want a good cry, his funeral is on YouTube in several parts.) It’s unfortunate, but it’s been a struggle to recapture his magic ever since, ever trying to re-finding the groove.

Thankfully, in 2008, Jason Siegel and Nicholas Stoller pitched to Disney what would eventually become The Muppets. Both being fans of the original show and movies, they took the franchise on with kid gloves, making sure the movie was filled with love, care, and a thorough respect for the original material.

However, the last time Disney tried to do something with them, The Muppets Mayhem, it unfortunately only lasted one season despite being nominated for five Emmys, winning one.

With all that history, I took the announcement that they were bringing back the show with some hesitation. Reboots, remakes, and re-imaginings are more popular than ever now: while some have become a success, some have been… shall we say less than successful.

As someone who’s been writing reviews for a good twenty years, I’ve realized that most of these fail for one of two reasons: they have complete disregard for the original and end up creating something that is a remake in name only, or they try too hard to recreate the original and end up basically doing the same thing as the original—just with the feeling that they are trying too hard.

I had this same trepidation going into the rebooted Naked Gun. And for similar reasons: for Naked Gun, I’m not a huge fan of Seth MacFarlane, and for this, I’m not a huge fan of Seth Rogan (both executive producers of the respective material). But thankfully, this version of The Muppet Show ends up being delightfully balanced.

The same craziness of the show is there (with, of course, backstage shenanigans). There’s still a mix of skits and songs (with special guest Sabrina Carpenter). And it’s being done under the notion that this is a continuation of the original show: that Kermit and the gang decided to bring it back out of love.

While it’s not perfect (in the first song Carpenter sings, it’s a little too obvious she is lip syncing), it does have the same ‘feel’ of the original show—and definitely has the same heart. There are obvious nods to the original show, but there are also some new aspects (there is an actual audience, for example).

One of the reasons I loved the original Muppet Show is that it was a blend of classic comedy and music with modern sensibilities. They often let the guest stars do things that were NOT what they were known for (serious actors got to do comedy and singers often did songs that were nowhere near what they were known for). And the concept (that Kermit is the lone sane character surrounded by—as they define themselves—weirdos) gives a sense of fun chaos that reminds me of when I worked in community theatre.

In today’s entertainment landscape, having any kind of success is iffy at best. The streaming world has made television shows go from 5-10 seasons of 22-26 episodes made each year to three seasons (if you’re lucky) with a one-to-three-year gap between seasons. So, whether or not this grants a full season is unpredictable.

However, I thoroughly enjoyed the episode and hope that Disney does grant a… reboot? Continuation? Whatever we call it? of a full season (or more).

The Muppet Show premiered on Disney+ and ABC on February 4, 2026. It is well worth 30ish minutes of your time. For more information, go to the Disney+ official website.

Author: Angie Fiedler Sutton

Angie Fiedler Sutton is a writer, podcaster, and all-round fangirl geek. She has been published in Den of Geek, Stage Directions, LA Weekly, The Mary Sue, and others. She also produces her own podcast, Contents May Vary, where she interviews geeky people about geeky things. You can see all her work (and social media channels) at angiefsutton.com.

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