Image via Disney
Published Feb 3, 2026, 9:01 AM EST
Ross Bonaime is the Senior Film Editor at Collider. He is a Virginia-based critic, writer, and editor who has written about all forms of entertainment for Paste Magazine, Brightest Young Things, Flickchart, The Free Lance-Star, and more. Ross graduated from George Mason University with a focus in communications and journalism and a minor in film and video studies.
Ross is a Tomatometer-approved critic, a member of the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association, and a member of the Critics Choice Association. He has loved movies ever since he saw Cinderella in the theater as a kid, he can quote 10 Things I Hate About You and Wet Hot American Summer from memory, and is fascinated by all things Georges Méliès and Charlie Chaplin.
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For the last few decades, The Muppets have been in a weird place. Especially since its acquisition by Disney in 2004, it seems like Disney wants to keep The Muppets in the public’s consciousness, yet doesn’t entirely know how to make them work in the modern day. After a twelve-year absence from the movies, 2011’s The Muppets brought renewed interest to the brand, but then, after 2014’s Muppets Most Wanted made less than half as much as its predecessor, the gang has been absent from the big screen. Disney has tried TV, with The Office-ified The Muppets only lasting one season, and various Disney+ projects like Muppets Now and The Muppets Mayhem ending after just a handful of episodes. Maybe the most successful of these projects was Muppets Haunted Mansion, but further plans for other Disney ride-related Muppets projects were apparently cancelled.
It looks like we might be on the verge of a Muppetssance, however, as Disney is trying all sorts of new ideas with The Muppets. After the closure of Muppet*Vision 3D at Disney’s Hollywood Studios last year, Disney World is turning Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith into a Muppets coaster (not to mention Kermit and Miss Piggy have been a huge draw for the park’s Christmas offering, Jollywood Nights). Also in development is a wild project that almost makes too much sense, as Miss Piggy is getting her own movie, written by Cole Escola, and produced by Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone. In addition to these new attempts at making The Muppets relevant for a younger audience, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of that sketch comedy series, Disney+ has made a special event episode that also acts as a potential return for The Muppet Show.
‘The Muppet Show’ Throws You Right Back Into the Muppet Theater
As one would expect and hope, The Muppet Show goes back to the good ol' Muppet Theater, and as Kermit succinctly puts it in his intro, “We are so excited to be back on the very stage where it all started, and then ended, and then… is maybe starting again, depending on how tonight goes.” Beyond that reminder that we’ve been here before, The Muppet Show immediately drops you into what feels like another classic episode of the original series, just updated slightly. Guest Sabrina Carpenter performs “Manchild” at a bar run by Sam the Eagle and with a bunch of chicken back-up singers, while Rizzo the Rat sings The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” for some reason. There’s a fun runner with Maya Rudolph, and executive producer Seth Rogen gets cut from the show, but with the exception of these cameos, this episode feels like it could’ve easily been thrown into the original '70s run without many changes.
As Statler and Waldorf say, “Well, if it ain’t broke… no, they are broke, that’s why they’re doing it!” The Muppet Show isn’t going for gimmicks, like filming in a mockumentary style or focusing on a specific character, just doing what has worked in the past, and that’s not a bad idea at all. If you imagined what The Muppet Show would be in 2026, this is pretty much exactly it, and the format still works. It’s like Saturday Night Live in a way: there’s the usual cast of players (here, they might be a Swedish chef, a talking shrimp, or…whatever Gonzo is), some decent sketches, charming cameos, and a guest host.
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'The Muppet Show' Hails From a Team That Clearly Loves These Characters
For this first excursion back into the Muppet Theater, The Muppet Show has amassed a strong lineup of people to work on this revival of sorts. The episode’s writers have a history on such shows as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Muppets Haunted Mansion, PEN15, and many others, and director Alex Timbers has filmed such stage productions as Oh, Hello on Broadway, John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City, and John Mulaney: Baby J. Carpenter is an excellent guest to play off Miss Piggy, and Rogen, who has previously played Rowlf on Saturday Night Live, also has a clear love for bringing these characters back in this format. The Muppet Show top to bottom feels like a production made by people who genuinely want to see The Muppets back on top and are doing their all to make it happen with this special.
That’s what makes The Muppet Show so delightful, and which will hopefully launch this off into its own series in the near future: it’s just people who love The Muppets and want to play in this world with them. The Muppet Show is an irony-free zone, where Carpenter and Kermit can perform a duo of “Islands in the Stream,” or an intentionally dumb sketch like “Pigs in Wigs” can go on, and it’s all part of the fun. Watching The Muppet Show is like finding out that your good friends are still around, having fun, and it’s great to peek back in and see that they’re doing okay. As Jim Henson said in the absolutely wonderful 1987 special, A Muppet Family Christmas, while watching all of his characters together at once, “I like it when they have a good time.”
For certain viewers, The Muppet Show might be a bit cheesy, and some jokes might not land as well as one would hope, but that’s part of the charm. Disney+'s special event episode captures that vibe quite wonderfully by going back to what works for these characters, instead of continuing to try to pound round pegs into a square hole. The Muppet Show is a delightful return for this gang, and if this series (hopefully) gets picked up, the reboot will only get stronger and more refined — but even if this is all we get, it’s great to see my friends having a good time once again.
The Muppet Show premieres on February 4 on Disney+.
Release Date February 4, 2026
Director Alex Timbers
Writers Albertina Rizzo, Kelly Younger, Jim Henson
Cast
Pros & Cons
- The Muppet Show goes back to what worked for The Muppets 50 years ago.
- Appearances by Sabrina Carpenter, Maya Rudolph, and Seth Rogen are a delight.
- The Muppet Show hails from people who love these characters getting to play in this world.
English (US) ·