The Muppets most definitely work well as short-form content (just see everything from The Muppet Show to YouTube for proof), but by limiting the length, we’re just getting further from The Muppet Show‘s format and further into uncharted territory.
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Y’know, that Jim Henson guy really knew what he was doing. Back in the mid-1970s, he realized that the extremely popular variety show format would fit perfectly with these weird puppets he’d developed. There was no requirement for a big attention span, lots of opportunities for multiple characters and scenarios, and endless potential for comedy and entertainment.So why has it been so difficult for Disney to find their way back to The Muppet Show?In 2015, when The Muppets sitcom was ever-so-briefly on the air, I was among those saying that it was a good thing that the Muppets weren’t just rehashing the old (and, frankly, outdated) variety show format, and that a workplace sitcom might be a good home for them for a while. I didn’t think looking backwards was such a hot idea, and I was excited for something new and fresh. With the benefit of hindsight, I now see how wrong I was.
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I did enjoy their sitcom (mostly), but all the best parts came from The Muppet Show. The celebrity encounters, the musical moments, the utterly bizarre.Since The Muppets‘ cancellation, we’ve been waiting patiently to hear news about where Kermit and his pals will end up next. With Disney’s upcoming streaming service, rumors and reports have been spilling out here and there regarding the Muppets’ next venture into television. And the results are fine.First we heard about the awkwardly-titled “Muppets Live Another Day” – a vehicle starring Josh Gad that follows the Muppets’ search for the missing Rowlf the Dog.
Was odd – with references to a 1980s setting and a serialized storyline – that I just couldn’t wrap my brain around what it was supposed to be. But the biggest sin was that the Muppets seemed to be playing second banana to Josh Gad, when The Muppet Show taught us that it should certainly be the other way around.Now we’re hearing news about another Disney+ rumor:. In what seems like the complete opposite of the previous idea, these episodes would be 10 minutes or less, and would be rooted in familiar setups like a game show or a cooking show or a talk show. Once again, I’m having a little trouble envisioning what this is supposed to be. The “episodes” are so short, they may be individual sketches released as episodes. So rather than 22 minutes of a variety of different types of sketches, you’d just see one. And if you like it, maybe you’ll watch another.
The Muppets most definitely work well as short-form content (just see everything from The Muppet Show to YouTube for proof), but by limiting the length, we’re just getting further from The Muppet Show‘s format and further into uncharted territory.But here’s the thing: The Muppets have never and likely will never get any better than they were on The Muppet Show. But that doesn’t mean the format should be abandoned. In fact, it should be brought back, repurposed, and used for experimentation. The more I think about it, the more I recognize that there’s no other option for a Muppet resurgence.I understand that with no Jim Henson or Frank Oz behind the scenes, we’ll never again get the same exact kind of magic seen every week from 1976 to 1981. But we have the next best thing: Muppet performers who have lived and breathed these characters for years. All of the current Muppet performers (with the exception of Dave Goelz) grew up on The Muppet Show, and would likely credit the show with their own drive to make a career out of puppetry and performance. They know the best method for moving the characters forward, and that’s to look backward.
Not to repeat themselves or to seem dated, but to take inspiration for what made the Muppets what they are today and remind audiences why we fell for them in the first place.If the rumors are true, Disney+ is getting pretty close with their “short form” series idea. It just needs to be a little less short. Yes, those types of things are a perfect spotlight for the Muppets on YouTube, but those videos only acted as a tease for the Muppets’ true potential. Give the people what they want!
More Muppets, more sketches, more songs, more comedy, more heart, more more more.It’s easy. Just close your eyes and picture the Muppets in their natural habitat. (No, not a Studebaker.) Where are they? They’re likely on the stage of the Muppet Theater, right where they belong. Let the Muppets be the Muppets, and bring them home again. It’s time for The Muppet Show on Disney+.Click to light the lights on the ToughPigs forum!by Joe Hennes – [email protected].
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