The Muppets returns for new episodes on February 2nd. But, as TVLine reports, the return of the ABC comedy may feel a little different from before.
A new take on the classic Jim Henson characters, The Muppets premiered in September.
After the series premiere, both viewers and the network expressed disappointment with the new series. Now, several changes have made both behind the scenes and in front of the camera. Earlier, it was reported that a new showrunner had taken over The Muppets and the shift will also be present in the series-within-the-series, Up Late with Miss Piggy.
TVLine says the midseason return will feature a branding guru assigned to “revamp” the talk show, bringing in new, more relevant talent and segments. And Miss Piggy herself will be different. She’ll be calmer, with a “sunnier disposition,” after she takes “a restorative trip to Argentina.”
The effort to re-brand the ABC series is present in their promotion for the midseason return as well. This week, the network released a viral clip of 60 muppets singing the classic Muppet Show theme song from the ’70s.
Perhaps the change will improve the freshman series’ ratings. Season one has only averaged a viewership of 4.8 million per episode so far.
Watch the new promo below:
What do you think? Have you been watching The Muppets on ABC? Do you think the changes will improve the new series?
Before the changes, I would absolutely howl at this show. Now I’m lucky if I chuckle a couple of times. I didn’t even bother to watch it this past Tuesday. When it centered around the guest stars, it was much funnier. And yes, they do need to make it less about the sex lives. It’s not really what people watch the Muppets for. They watch it for the quirkiness and zaniness of the characters. If it’s not broken, ABC, don’t fix it.
They need to make it less about the sex lives of puppets. The old 80s version was much better and funnier.
Actually, the Muppets show came in the air in 1976 and ended in 1981…but I agree with you wholeheartedly otherwise. That show was FAR funnier–and more entertaining in general–than what ABC, Bill Prady, and Bob Kushell gave us this past fall.
Meh…I haven’t seen enough of this particular show myself to make such a comparison. I DO miss the original Muppet Show, however, as well as the Jim Henson Hour from 1989 and even Muppets Tonight from 1996-1998. Kind of a shame that we may never see that kind of entertainment ever again, though I hope I’m wrong.