I don't get this new Muppets thing.

Why do we want to see the Muppets acting like human adults complete with sexuality (ick!), addiction references? Isn't Kermit supposed to be a sweet, optimistic dreamer? I am sort of creeped out and a bit sad. Me no likey

I haven't watched it, and clearly it's not for kids, but I have to wonder why someone bothered to do this

Yeah, I was scratching my head since I heard about and just flipped it on and it was even weirder or worse than I imagined. I don't get it.

The Muppet Show successfully parodied the making of what was then a popular TV format, the music/comedy variety show. Perhaps the idea was to do the same thing with two currently popular genres, late-night talk shows and mock-documentary workplace comedies like "The Office" and "Parks and Rec."

It seems like there are many more opportunities to showcase the Muppets' unique appeal as a variety show, even if kids today have never seen one. But maybe audiences will think of Kermit and Miss Piggy as the new Jim and Pam (or Ham).

The muppets started out being adult entertainment. Maybe they were tired of doing kids stuff.

IDK, I really liked it. The use of the mockumentary format with the Muppets was great, and Fozzie's bit about not really getting the results he wanted from online dating when he said he was a bear looking for love really cracked me up. The voices will never be quite right, but it worked for me in a way the old format just wouldn't today.

Eeewwwww

I thought it was funny The Muppet Show was meant more for older kids and adults to begin with, so I don't see the problem. Plus, those references only work if you know the coded terms. I don't think kids would understand most of it.

While I get why some might not like it, I actually enjoyed the show quite a bit. I think it's a bold move to try and do something *different* with the Muppets and to target the generation that grew up with them.

Remember Archie Comics? They're still around and have been doing something similar in terms of trying to reach today's audiences. They had a storyline where Archie was shot while saving his friend from an assassination attempt (really!) then in an alternate continuity (yay comics) they did a full-on horror drama where Riverdale was overrun by zombies. Both critically acclaimed and wildly popular series that made something old-fashioned and dated suddenly relevant again.

Back to the Muppets - there'll always be the movies and the classic show, but I appreciate the willingness to take a creative chance like this. There were surprisingly dark moments (Zoot is in AA?!?) but then balanced with the fun and familiar Muppet show elements (Statler & Waldorf complaining about Fozzie, Kermit trying to keep the show production together, and the celebrity appearances).

Who knows how long it'll last in today's media environment but I'm enjoying it for now.

Project37, that made me think of the takeoff on Jane Austen that incorporates zombies! I see the point about the parody and how well this was evidently done, but I don't feel the need to watch it. Clever idea, but oddly discomfiting. Maybe that is part of the point, though.

Oh, and no one should be thinking of this as a children's show. It is not for kids, and I'm sure kids were not the intended audience!

I haven't watched it yet, but my son commented on Facebook that he was disappointed. The old Muppet Show was family friendly with a few things that went over the kids' heads. Jim Henson must be rolling in his grave to have his creation so basterdized by the current muppeteers.

I watched it and thought some bits were funny. I had trouble understanding some of the dialogue as it was spoken so quickly. I may tune in again. The TV reviewer on NPR said it was the only new show this season worth watching. Oy.

I read somewhere that the show lost a lot of its money from PBS, and in order to still produce shows on PBS, they had to get the money from other sources. This series on ABC seems to be the bank the Muppet Show needed.

ETA: See below -- I was confusing Muppets with Sesame Street.

The sexuality and adult humor is creepy but that's not the part that bothered me most. The idea that Kermit has changed from the sweet, lovable dreamer into some disenchanted, grumpy, sort of mean middle-aged man in mid-life crisis is not something I ever needed to see. I live it every day LOL (meaning me, not my husband-he's doing much better with middle age!

I liked it, and I was completely the target audience for the Muppet Show back in the day. My husband and I were still chuckling this morning over the "what if you have kids? Where will they go to the bathroom?" question asked of Fozzie by his girlfriend's dad. ("Okay, THAT is an offensive stereotype!")

I do agree with others in that this is an adult show, rather than a kid's show with adult elements. My 7-year old would probably be alternately confused and bored by the content.

Verdict: I'll keep a TiVo season pass for The Muppets. It's worth 22 minutes out of my week.

And here we go:

http://fortune.com/2015/09/21/one-million-moms-muppets/

“ABC has ruined “The Muppets,” claim the One Million Moms. (That group was the one behind the boycott in 2012 of J.C. Penney when that retailer featured same-sex couples in its inserts.)

Well, that oughta get it a lot more attention.

What time does it air? Ah, looked it up. Yeah, that is too early for it to be a show for grown ups only, so I am puzzled about the network's intentions.

PeggyC said:
Well, that oughta get it a lot more attention. ">
What time does it air?

It was last night at 8pm, so I'll be watching it tonight.

I looked it up after I asked, and that air time almost sounds like they do expect some kids to watch , but not the demographic of the original show (little ones). Still, kinda weird.

PeggyC said:
I looked it up after I asked, and that air time almost sounds like they do expect some kids to watch , but not the demographic of the original show (little ones). Still, kinda weird.

Like many, I watched the original show when I was a tyke, along with my older family, and there were plenty of jokes and situations in those shows I didn't get but others did. It hit on a bunch of different levels. I'm not entirely sure a new Muppet Show which replicated the format of the original one would last very long. Muppets Tonight was close, I guess, and only 22 episodes were ever made of that. In the UK we only saw 13 episodes and the rest were never shown, which sucks because I loved that show, too.

There's a huge difference between adult innuendo that goes over kids' head and the kind of stuff in the new version of the show. I wasn't offended- I have no issue with dirty shows, sex in shows, language, adult themes- I just don't get why they wanted to do that with the Muppets. And I don't get why they wanted them to become flawed, cynical middle aged humans. What is the point? On top of that, it wasn't really funny at all- it was sort of stupid.

And I wonder how Disney is going to reconcile this stuff at the parks with the Muppet theming. I am surprised they went this route. They are usually ridiculously protective of their characters to the point where Mickey Mouse is never used in anything even remotely violent or off-color or even sad- they made sure to take special care of the characters an preserve their personalities when creating things like video gaming and advertising

Okay. Like I said, I haven't seen the new one yet.

mumstheword said:
I read somewhere that the show lost a lot of its money from PBS, and in order to still produce shows on PBS, they had to get the money from other sources. This series on ABC seems to be the bank the Muppet Show needed.

Perhaps you are thinking of Sesame Street?

Disney is the parent company of ABC, or the other way around, I believe.

Disney owns ABC.

I am staying out of this discussion.....

muppet said:
I am staying out of this discussion.....

Disney owns both ABC and all rights to the Muppets characters