New Muppet Show In The Works

In an article by The Hollywood Reporter yesterday, it was revealed that a pilot for a new Muppet variety show is currently being written. The bad news: the script is being written by the co-creator of Big Bang Theory, and is being picked up by ABC. Although his handling of comedy hasn’t been my favorite, The Muppets seem to be somewhat of a passion for writer-producer Bill Prady. Before The Big Bang Theory was a thing, Prady presented some test footage for an attempted reboot to Disney, who turned down the idea at the time. Personally, I have my fingers crossed that we’ll see a repeat performance.

The plot of the presentation that’s in the works would center around our favorite characters meeting with the studio to give them another shot at stardom (wait…wasn’t there a movie about that)? Cameos are already planned for characters including Fozzie Bear’s parents, a coworker of Miss Piggy’s.

As a kid, a majority of my time spent in front of the television was spent watching old copies of The Muppet Show and its follow-up, Muppets Tonight. If successful, this would be the third iteration of the show. I realize that we’re in the day and age of retro-revival, and network television is grasping at straws to stay afloat. A new version of the Muppets isn’t the worst idea, but please, for the love of everything sacred, don’t screw this one up. The Muppets are more than silly felt things — they’re characters that generations have treasured. They’ve been around since 1955; their 60th anniversary shouldn’t be spent crashing and burning. I’m waiting on the edge of my seat for more information; we’ll be sure to post more in the coming days.