Skyler Orton
The Muppets are some of the most enduring pop culture icons of the 20th century. Since the original series premiered in 1976, Jim Henson’s unique style of puppetry and slapstick humor has gone through countless reboots and revivals. Before we see yet another attempt with the 2026 revival of the original Muppet Show format, let’s look back on one of the most controversial Muppets projects, the 2015 ABC show The Muppets.
The Muppets ran a single season from September 2015 to March 2016 and provided a never-before-seen twist on the beloved characters. The show took inspiration from the mockumentary format seen in shows like The Office, Modern Family, or 30 Rock translating the Muppets into a workplace comedy. Many longtime fans of the franchise criticized it for straying from the variety show formula, but in reality the show was a fresh new take on the characters that is genuinely hilarious.
The show follows a behind-the-scenes documentary of the Muppets crew working on Miss Piggy’s new talk show Up Late With Miss Piggy. The concept allows the show to have a mix of both sitcom plotlines and classic staples like celebrity stars. The sitcom aspect is by far the most successful since the genre leans into a slightly more edgy form of comedy than the Muppets are typically allowed to exercise.
The series also never felt tied down by the history of the Muppets. They were more than willing to take liberties with the source material. For example, the show got bad press for breaking up Kermit and Miss Piggy, but this decision allowed for more satisfying character arcs for the entire main cast. Some reboots like 2011’s The Muppets film feel tied down by nostalgia, but this show never truly fell into that with the exception of a handful of poignant callbacks to Muppet history. These moments never feel shoehorned into the show and are always in service of character arcs. For example, Kermit recreating his swamp from 1979’s The Muppets Movie and singing “Rainbow Connection” is expertly delivered as a part of his development towards managing work stress.
Likewise the show isn’t held down to focusing on the classic characters. In fact some of the best moments of the show come from the supporting cast of characters that are often neglected in the major projects. Formerly silent background characters like the hilarious Chip (now the crew’s I.T. guy) and more minor characters like Uncle Deadly or Bobo the Bear are given major recurring roles. They really feature the individuality of the Muppets in both design and personality.
The celebrity cameos are also expertly introduced in ways that are always a delight. Great moments like Jason Bateman extorting Kermit for help on an elementary school production of Wicked or Reese Witherspoon’s years-long rivalry with Miss Piggy fit in perfectly. The concept of the Muppets working on a talk show together make these cameos feel effortless and unobtrusive. They also keep some of the original variety show format of the franchise since episodes often end with a guest musical number or sketch of sorts. It’s a perfect mixture of the traditional Muppets formula with the edge of a 2000s workplace sitcom.
Most important though is that The Muppets is one of the most consistently funny sitcoms from the early 2010s despite only lasting a single season. A lot of this is due to the more edgyhumor such as this Fozzie Bear scene from episode one. Plenty of moments from this show live rent free in my head and I would highly encourage anyone who hasn’t seen it give it a try since it is just that funny.
If the show is good then what happened? The answer is unfortunately very complicated; the show was plagued with problems from the start. Before the show even premiered a parent group One Million Moms called for a boycott calling it perverted. Not only that, but there were also behind-the-scenes problems stemming from problematic showrunner Bob Kushell. Kushell left the series citing creative differences with the crew. Years later it came out that Kushell had also created a deeply inappropriate work environment for the cast and crew, only deepening the problems further.
It also was controversial among longtime fans for breaking up Kermit and Miss Piggy and taking a different tone than most previous Muppets projects. Even then ratings only went up as the show continued and began to find more of a unique voice. Unfortunately this wasn’t enough to save the show and it aired its last episode on March 1st 2016 with a cliffhanger that would never be followed up.
Despite the controversy, The Muppets (2015) is one of my favorite entries in the franchise’s lengthy history and is the one I mourn the most. So many sitcoms only find their footing after the first season and if given the chance I believe that it would have run a lot longer. Looking down the line the future still looks bright for the Muppets with a brand new reboot so we don’t have to wait long to see how the franchise will continue from here.
