THE STORY – Kermit, Miss Piggy, and the rest of the gang revive the original “Muppet Show” for a 50th anniversary with a special starring Sabrina Carpenter.
THE CAST – Seth Rogen, Sabrina Carpenter, Maya Rudolph, Matt Vogel, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, Michelan Sisti, Eric Jacobson, Peter Linz & David Rudman
THE TEAM – Jim Henson (Creator), Alex Timbers (Director), Seth Rogen (Executive Producer), Gabe Liedman, Nedaa Sweiss, Kelly Younger & Andrew Williams (Writers)
Since the Muppets first made their small screen debut in 1976, Jim Henson’s felted troupe of troublemakers have starred in countless TV shows, theatrical films, and streaming specials – they’ve got rides in theme parks, they’re presenting at awards shows – they’re everywhere. But before the Muppets became nearly omnipresent in modern American pop culture, they were just a scrappy band of misfit comics and other oddballs trying to put on a variety show – “The Muppet Show.”
But despite the countless ways the Muppets have been reworked, revitalized, and reimagined for the 21st century (including a sitcom on ABC and a short-lived road trip comedy series following The Electric Mayhem), to varying degrees of success, there’s one way the Muppets *haven’t* tried to make their return: in a true revival of the original “Muppet Show.”
It’s certainly understandable why Disney and the Muppets Studio would be reluctant to reboot “The Muppet Show”: the original 5 season run is near front-to-back perfection, and attempting to replicate the singular tone and wit the Muppets had under Henson’s direction without their original creator present is a daunting prospect for even the most ambitious creatives.
Thank goodness, then, that Seth Rogen, Alex Timbers, and the rest of the team behind this new special took the plunge and attempted to stage a true revival of “The Muppet Show,” because the result is an effervescent offering clearly crafted with love and reverence for the 1976 show. Though there are a few slight tweaks and growing pains as “The Muppet Show” makes the 50-year jump to 2026, this new special is a welcome return to form, bolstered by the perfect choice of a first guest star: Sabrina Carpenter.
Directed by Timbers and executive produced by Rogen (who also appears briefly as a hopeful guest star who gets his act cut for time) “The Muppet Show” 2026 TV special follows the perpetually beleaguered Kermit the Frog (Matt Vogel) as he and the rest of the gang return to the original Muppet Theater to celebrate 50 years of their classic variety show and attempt to stage yet another return to cultural relevancy.
Structurally and visually, the 2026 “Muppet Show” special (penned by Gabe Liedman, Nedaa Sweiss, Kelly Younger, and Andrew Williams, and with production design by Denise Pizzini) is a near carbon-copy of the original show – a variety sketch comedy in the vein of “Saturday Night Live.” From the choreography of the show’s opening number to the set decoration in the guest star’s dressing room, “The Muppet Show” has been recreated in painstaking detail, and by a crew that thoroughly understands and celebrates the original’s offbeat charm, sharp sense of humor, and eagerness to poke fun at Hollywood’s many idiosyncrasies.
Familiar backstage dynamics and running gags return: Dr. Bunsen Honeydew showing off the latest technological innovations from Muppet Labs (often at the expense of his trusty lab assistant Beaker), Gonzo the Great wreaks havoc backstage after his stunt goes wrong (he also still botches the final note of the opening number), there’s even a Muppet News Flash from the hard-hitting journalists at Muppet News Central.
Rogen, Timbers, and the writers also revive classic “Muppet Show” sketch formats to varying degrees of success: the Bovine acting ensemble returns to parody popular TV shows (this time, it’s pigs in wigs poking fun at “Bridgerton”) while Rizzo the Rat performs a spirited cover of The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” the latter of which might’ve been better off scrapped in favor of a performance from the conspicuously absent Dr. Teeth and the Elecetric Mayhem.
Undeniably, though, all of the best sketches in the new “Muppet Show” special have one thing in common: Sabrina Carpenter. With her country twang-tinged vocals, theatrical persona, and coy, pinup-esque vintage charm (reminiscent of frequent Muppets collaborator Dolly Parton), Sabrina makes for a delightful guest star, and her comedic instincts (leftover from her time acting on the Disney Channel) allow her to slot seamlessly into scenes alongside Kermit, Piggy, and the others.
Whether she’s punching out unruly Muppet bar patrons while performing “Manchild” (with a chorus of chickens as her backup dancers) or singing “Islands in the Stream” in a rowboat with Kermit as Miss Piggy tries to butt in, Carpenter oozes charm, hitting every comedic beat with pitch-perfect accuracy. Her clashes with Miss Piggy, of course, are a particular highlight, but it’s difficult to overstate how seemingly effortlessly Carpenter anchors the special as a guest star.
Carpenter isn’t the only human guest star, though – Maya Rudolph has a recurring bit as an ill-fated audience member, and (as expected) she commits thoroughly and wholeheartedly to the screwball physicality the occasion calls for, and Rogen’s aforementioned cameo has one of the strongest jokes of the episode. Strangely, there are other human extras mixed in among the muppets in the audience, which is a trivial but jarring choice, and one of the noticeable differences in this new revival.
The other major difference in “The Muppet Show,” funnily enough, is Kermit himself – Matt Vogel’s voice is, unfortunately, not *quite* right, and the felt frog lacks some of the cynicism and dry humor that made him such an effective straight man during the show’s original run. Still, even if Kermit sounds slightly strange, the Muppets are very much an ensemble, and almost everyone else sounds identical to (or at least passable as) their original voices.
Eric Jacobson makes for a boisterous Miss Piggy. He shines as Fozzy Bear/Animal/Sam Eagle, while any Muppet brought to life by David Ruman is a welcome sight, especially Beaker and Janice (though the Electric Mayhem are frustratingly scarce). The true highlight among the Muppet performances, though, is Dave Goelz, who reprises a number of his roles from the original run of “The Muppet Show,” including Gonzo, Dr. Honeydew, and Waldorf.
Silly, spirited, and self-aware, the 2026 revival of “The Muppet Show” is as brilliant and ridiculous as its predecessor, and the prospect of a new generation of audiences being able to experience the magic of The Muppets in their full glory is genuinely exciting. With Rogen and Timbers at the wheel and an inspired first choice of a guest star in Sabrina Carpenter, “The Muppet Show” picks up where Henson’s beloved classic left off without skipping a beat.
THE GOOD – A smart, self-aware revival that’s clearly crafted with a reverence for and understanding of the original show and what made it successful. Sabrina Carpenter is the perfect choice for a first guest star.
THE BAD – Kermit doesn’t sound *quite* right, it’s disorienting seeing human extras in the audience, and some sketches are stronger than others.
THE EMMY PROSPECTS – Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
THE FINAL SCORE – 9/10
