With the Muppet Show returning in 2026 for its 50th Muppetversary, die-hard fans are going to be particular if “The Mouse” and Seth Rogen have the chops to bring back a beloved franchise that hasn’t seen the light of day since the last episode in 1980!
It’s Time to Get Things Started
Reopening the theatre with Beraguard still maintaining the building was a great start, but with Pops still manning the door, he instantly informed me, the aforementioned die-hard fan, that if we are going to make this deep a cut right from the start, this is going to be a celebrational show!
Scored with a somber version of the Rainbow Connection instantly drew us back to that childlike innocence. But Muppets being Muppets, a quick snap back to reality, and Scooter calling the curtain up, we are back to THE MUPPET SHOW!
It ain’t broke, so don’t fix it!
Sticking to the format, Scooter calls the guest star, and we get the standard dressing-room scene. With another Disney alum, Sabrina Carpenter, bantering with Miss Piggy over copyright infringement because you can’t beat ’em, copy ’em!
The dressing room is still festooned with the same bric-a-brac from the 70’s, never updated but appreciated!!
The opening Number was nearly shot-for-shot to the original opening. But now the audience is filled with Muppets and actual people! I was jealous that no one invited me to the show!
Kermit goes into his usual opening monologue, and we cut to our first opening number.
Fun With Frackles
Sam Eagle is the proprietor of a bar that is overrun by a rowdy bunch of Frackles (NOT FRAGGLES), which sets the perfect backdrop for Sabrina Carpenter’s song Manchild. But staying true to the old SEX AND VIOLENCE, Sabrina quickly dispatches the malcontent monsters.
In true Muppet Show fashion, a scene can’t go perfectly, and this one falls off the rails because Crazy Harry cranks up the wind machine to the point that the chickens in the scene become a flurry of feathers!
“At the Dance” meets THE TON
To stay relevant with the times, this play on Bridgerton on a backdrop that would feel like the Lawrence Welk-ian ballroom scene is fantastic! We get to see a bunch of amazing callback pig-style Muppets used for the scene, even the infamous Denise and Ms Poogy, keen eyeed viewers will see a redone version of Season 1 Miss Piggy
But the one small role that stole the scene goes, of course, to Pepe the King Prawn,ummkay, with the perfect machismo that the clueless crustacean can bring to the party.
Light in the Gutter
In the dark, rough city streets, the anthem of The Weeknd, Blinding Lights, performed by none other than Rizzo the Rat and company. Even Yolanda, Bubba, and the Plaguemans are dancing backup for Rizzo. With Beauregard serving as the foil to this bit, literally messing with THE LIGHTS!
Backstage Antics
You would think after all this time, Scooter would pick up on Kermits management style. But then again, Scooter was a nepotism hire (because his uncle owns the theatre), so Kermit has to cut acts throughout, including Miss Piggy’s second number! How does the diva pig handle it? With a karate chop and taking over the Kermit and Sabrina duet of Islands in the Stream.
How to bookend a show that runs too long?
When the time comes for Kermit to announce the final act, he freezes and can’t; instead, he starts singing accapella version of Queen’s DON’T STOP ME NOW. In typical fashion, the rest of the Muppets gradually join in and finish strong, which is a bit of a callback to the 2011 film The Muppets.
The Muppet Show 2026 is an 8 out of 10
The Callbacks
As I mentioned, this show was full of characters that, if you were an early Muppet Show fan, you would recognize Lou, Mildred, Bobo, Hilda, Bean Bunny, Uncle Deadly, Pops, even Gaffer the Cat, and most importantly, Robin the Frog, all hanging out backstage! The amount of detail that was left in the Muppet Theater or this new interpretation of the Muppet Theater really gave it a sense of nostalgia that felt like a warm hug.
Am I the only person who thinks Seth Rogen’s outfit was a callback to Nigel? IYKYK!
Missed Opportunities: Cause Thier a Little Rusty
First, at least to my keen ping-pong eyes. I saw NO REFERENCE TO JIM HENSON!! This is an atrocity, simply because THIS is the holdover until the Electric Mayhem takes over Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Also, the fact that Jim Henson’s last project was MuppetVision 3D no longer exists; they could have done a simple homage.
The Muppet Labs sequence felt forced and wasn’t that funny. Especially when Maya Rudolph’s strange, to say the least, cameo turned Muppet News Flash was due to Dr. Buson Honeydew’s experiment, it was as completely flat as Beaker’s head.
Even The Great Gonzo was just a campy plot device that wasn’t so great!
How I FELT
Watching the world-famous Muppets in 4K takes a bit of getting used to, now being able to see all the fine felt details, so kudos to the team making these amazing… puppets. YEP I SAID IT!
On top of that, there are some odd camera choices, like seeing Kermit standing in front of the entire audience. Or Statler and Waldorf looking straight down the camera during the opening number.
There is ample room for improvement, and thats not a bad thing. The bar is set at an attainable spot to take it to the next level. The modern Muppets need to be coddled by one set of hands, and with the constant shifting of things at the House of Mouse, there isn’t a consistent voice or direction. I’m not taking away from giving this 8 out of 10, but between some odd voice choices, it astonishes me as the Mouse side is all about Character Integrity; there are some Muppets that don’t fully hit the mark.
So let’s keep looking for the next Rainbow Connection together!
Did you enjoy the romp down Muppet Memory Lane? Did you see your favorite Muppet? Let us know in the comments below.
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