It's Time to Fix The Muppets

I posted this in response to Alan Sepinwall's review of the revamped "The Muppets." TV series.

I think they need to scrap what they have and go back to what works. Their brand has some cachet with the network and viewers, which is why they got on the schedule so fast after the pitch reel and why they haven't been cancelled. But this format isn't working. It's like taking the cast/characters from Friends and sticking them in other roles on another show. It looks odd and out of place. Not saying the Muppets characters are typecast in their roles, but they don't work playing something else. They've proven that on a weekly basis since September.

The ideal show would have been the old Muppet Show, but with this new twist of being more adult and showing more behind the scenes.

They might still be able to get there, but time is running out (and how many more times will The Muppets get a new TV show). I say, scrap the current format, and transition to a new show by pulling the same trick that Bob Newhart's second show did in its final scene - hit Kermit in the head with a golf ball (or in true Muppet style, Lew Zeland's boomerang fish or Gonzo juggling bowling pins or something like that) so he gets knocked out, and he wakes up in his backstage spot in the old Muppet Show theater with Miss Piggy and nephew Robin the Frog by his side telling about this awful dream while Scooter is coming out and saying "15 seconds to curtain, Kermit". The camera pans out to show Walter, Gonzo & Camilla, Fozzie, Rowlf, Piggy & Robin, Pepe & Rizzo and the old gang standing over looking concerned.

It's time to fix the Muppets.
It's time to get things right.
It's time to bring them back to the Muppet Show tonight!

Fixing The Muppets

I've been thinking about what's been wrong or missing with ABC's "The Muppets.".

Miss Piggy - I know her persona has taken on a life of its own over the past 40 years, but I really don't remember a setting in which Miss Piggy lived on another stratosphere from the other characters, like what's been built up for here in this series. Knowing the characters, it almost makes it unbelievable. In the first episode, Fozzie calls her, and she asks "Is this the guy in the hat?". And it was a big part of the episode where she got invited to join the gang after work.

Kermit and Piggy - I don't think it was necessary to break them up. There was enough tension between them for all these years to continue through this series. There was a lot of internet buzz, but it didn't seem to help the series, and I wonder if it actually hurt the series. It makes another element that's just not believable. And how many episodes was it even a factor? Two? And so much was made of Kermit's new girlfriend and she only appeared in episode 1. This whole plot line could have been lost without damaging the franchise. While I'm here, what happened to Gonzo and Camilla?

Celebrities - It's overdone. At least that's my opinion. If you rely on celebrity guests, unless you are an actual talk show, it just shows that what you have isn't strong enough on its own to sustain what it needs to be. I get that on a talk show-within-a-show, it's bound to happen, but they really need to lose the ones that don't stem from that setting (Laurence Fishburne; Ed Helms; who else?).

The show within the show - Taking these characters, who we've basically known to be performers (when they're not telling another story in movies such as "Muppet Treasure Island") and now performing every day jobs around the office. It also seems unnatural. There's been a place for almost everyone (where's Walter?), some very natural and some not. But I think this could have been handled a different way.

Look at the 2 recent movies. They put on a Muppet Show telethon and then a world tour of the Muppet Show. Fans probably wanted this to be just a new season of the old "Muppet Show". THAT should have been the show within the show. Take the old show, but instead of showing backstage hi-jinks with "real" performances, turn it into behind the scenes of the old show. Kermit as Executive Producer and host and everyone contributing as a writer and performer, and maybe a celebrity guest host. Then you can explore their lives outside of that show.

Having gone with this wouldn't be as much of a shock to the system, and I think would have helped this show in critical reviews and ratings.

The New Muppets

ABC's The Muppets. debuted this week. I am sharing some thoughts from my second (and online/onDemand) watching of the show.

A few notes. I've tried to avoid reviews and most previews of the show until I could write down my own thoughts. The Muppets. is done in the format of shows such as The Office, which is a mockumentary. I have never watched The Office nor have I watched most shows of that style. So I am not familiar with the style that the Muppets are taking on here. I am not fond of single camera comedies (basically, no studio audience) in general, though there are some that I like. I think comedies should be performed in front of a live studio audience. I know that any real TV show involving the Muppets cannot be done that way because of the limitations with what the puppets can actually do and the involvement of the performers (though they have done occasional live shows). The original Muppet Show had a laugh track and a staged studio audience (involving more Muppets).

I am going to try to use time codes within the playing of the show. These time codes are based on the viewing of the show on the Watch ABC app.

00:20 Nice to include the old Muppet Show theme in the new show's intro.
01:10 Some jokes recycled from the 10 minute pitch. That just seems weird.
01:45 The Zoot AA joke was good. I've heard it's that type of humor.
02:45 Not a fan of the Muppets being in on the behind the scenes documentary. Or Gonzo's joke about it.
04:00 Miss Piggy is a bitch. I think this is an over-the-top version of herself for the show. It might be too much.
n/a In some ways, this feels like a modern-day version of the old Muppet Show.
05:13 that cue card joke is funny, but makes Fozzie look stupid for not knowing what he's supposed to say every night on Up Late With Miss Piggy.
05:55 the "bacon-wrapped hell on Earth" joke was kind of funny and kind of weird to hear from Kermit The Frog in the 10 minute pitch pilot, but played out better here with Sam Eagle saying "you can't say hell".
06:35 The Tom Bergeron line with Kermit yelling to Scooter is funny.
06:52 Fozzie driving a car!!!
07:10 Fozzie at dinner with his girlfriend's parents is kind of awkward for this being a pilot episode. I just think they should be introducing the characters a little more. It seems like this is just a joke setup.
08:10 I'm mixed on "Dancing with the Czars". But it's classic Gonzo.
08:45 I don't like the Denise character. Very bad first introduction.
08:47 Kermit said "God" (in "God knows"). Weird.
09:25 a full-sized Fozzie puppet is still weird to see. Acceptable, but weird.
10:07 Miss Piggy working out. She doesn't seem like the person to do that.
10:22 "Is this the guy in the hat" doesn't land for me unless you saw the 10 minute pilot.
11:38 I really don't like Denise. Sexy southern accent. I never believed Kermit and Piggy as a real couple, so their breakup crossed into new territory for me. And so does Denise being "with" Kermit.
11:55 More Rizzo! He's under-used.
12:15 Kermit making an executive decision seems a bit assertive for his character. I don't think he ever put his foot down like that on the original show. It was usually more chaos, which was always better comedy.
13:06 Scooter's joke about the "subtle look" was awful.
13:40 Great camera work on the golf cart scene. Also with Scooter being thrown from it.
14:54 Animal's subtle joke about being a woman's man seems out of place but funny.
15:03 Nothing against Imagine Dragons, or Elizabeth Banks for that matter, but I'm not a fan of random celebrity guest stars on TV shows. Yes, the original Muppet Show and even Muppets Tonight in the same format had a guest host, but that's different. I mean stars showing up on the show because they're stars. I've heard this new show will have that every week. The basic premise that Miss Piggy hosts a talk show is just a convenience mechanism for the guest stars. In a lot of cases, I don't see what it adds to the show and to the comedy. Even worse would be most of these celebrity hits and talk show appearances being sneaky promos for other ABC shows. In this one, Elizabeth Banks at least adds a little bit to the story line, but I don't see what Imagine Dragons brings to the show.
15:12 Finally some real chaos. There's comedy in that, right?
15:38 Fozzie seems a bit desperate to impress his girlfriend's parents. His desperation should only be in his comedy.
16:19 Uncle Deadly cameo appearance brushing down Kermit ("skin! skin!") might have been the first time I laughed out loud in my second viewing of the show. But I also don't remember that joke the first time.
16:40 This Kermit-Piggy fight seems so wrong. So does their breakup. There was already great tension in their 40 year relationship.
17:15 I still don't understand why it's Kermit's fault that he didn't know about the tension between Miss Piggy and Elizabeth Banks from the breakup scene.
18:43 The camera work in this scene with Kermit and Piggy in her dressing room makes me a bit queasy.
19:30 The joke about Kermit's stomach seems unnatural for The Muppets.
19:54 Miss Piggy as a talk show host (on the air) makes me think of the late Joan Rivers. I hope that's intentional, especially given their "history".
20:00 Having Imagine Dragons playing somewhat justifies having them on the show, and it shows off some puppetry and camera work, but it takes time away from the clever writing I was promised.
21:00 Okay, Animal going missing in the drum is sort of that joke.

I hope the writing improves once they finish establishing all of the characters in these new roles. I expect more of the "pilot" stuff in episode 2. Like where was Rowlf? Given how the Muppets as a general concept grew in the 1960s doing commercials, I would love to see them doing real or mock commercials during some of the advertising time. The video runs a total of 21 minutes, 21 seconds, in a 30 minute timeslot. I'm sure it's normal, but it seems a bit short to me.

For good measure, here are some of my original thoughts from watching (ultimately on DVR) Tuesday night after the I saw premiere for the first time. These came from my twitter feed.

okay. for me, the jury is still out on #TheMuppets. that said, it's a lot better than most other sitcoms on TV. I do want to watch it again.

— Jason Bornstein (@DyHrdMET) September 23, 2015

...there were jokes that I laughed out loud at. some thinking humor (some of which I read about and already got). it was a different show...
...I'm just not used to watching those single-camera fast-paced shows like The Office, which #TheMuppets is. so maybe that's on me.
other thoughts on #TheMuppets - I think I noticed more tonight how much of a real couple they were with their scripted breakup than ever b4.
...meaning, in all other #TheMuppets movies and shows, they never looked like a couple. maybe a bit in the 2011 movie. different tonight.
...it feels like there's still more about the show for us to learn in the coming episodes. so that will be fun. #TheMuppets
there was 1 moment early in the show where I did think Jim Henson would approve. I really hope so. that legacy feels important. #TheMuppets


I'm a little disappointed but not 100% surprised in what I saw. I was a bit underwhelmed. It's new for the Muppets to be in the real world, and I hope I can (and get the time) to adjust to it. Despite the grade of C+/B-, I'm going to continue watching the show. It's The Muppets. I would continue watching unless I was truly offended. Other shows with this grade, however, I wouldn't.

Puppet Theater

I've often wondered what innovation or creation the world never got to see because Jim Henson died so young. There were so many great ideas floating around in his head, between characters, voices, technical innovations, and whole other worlds, that I'm convinced that something he may not have even imagined yet would have come out and would have been great. But I could never imagine what it might be that we never got to see.

Saturday night I was with my family in Boston to see the Lion King at the Boston Opera House (basically, Broadway, but in Boston and in a smaller theater as part of their traveling show). I had never seen the theater version or even the movie version (I remember Elton John's hit songs from 20 years ago), so I really didn't know what to expect at all. The play starts, and as it's going on, I see different kinds of mechanics being used to bring these different animal characters to life. There's a bird that is a normal-looking puppet, but with the performer in sight. There is some animal controlled by an performer where he is the hind legs and is standing up in costume while the low body and front legs are plastic and controlled like a puppet. There was another animal later where the animal was basically pinned in front of the performer's costume and operated as a hand and mouth puppet. Other animals were performers in costume, but rather than an animal's face covering the performer's face, it was on a fixed attachment and hanging above. You get the idea. Different mechanical ways to bring different animal types to life that wasn't difficult for the performers (which is necessary because of all the speaking, singing, and moving around on stage they have to do).

Early in the show, that's when it struck me. The idea the world lost from Jim Henson was some sort of live stage production using different types of puppetry (but not something billed as a "puppet show"). Kind of like what I saw in the Lion King, but with even more puppetry.

The Muppets Take Coney Island

Tonight the Brooklyn Cyclones had a very interesting promotion with the Muppets (yes, those Muppets).


The basic idea is that the Muppets have a recent movie that is coming out on DVD/BluRay next week, so they are promoting the film. And the Cyclones are a low level Minor League baseball team that has some promotion at every game. Lucky fans won copies of the yet-to-be-released DVD/BluRay combo pack of the Muppets Most Wanted. Some very very lucky fans got to meet the Muppets. And the scoreboard showed some very short taped sketches with the Muppets during a few of the inning breaks (baseball themed, like Kermit and Piggy introducing the kiss cam or Gonzo interviewing the star player about weird Gonzo-things). Aside from that, there was Muppet-themed scoreboard graphics and sound effects (namely Mahna Mahna playing when a fall ball went over the stands). They did play "Rainbow Connection" before the game and Sweetums threw out the first pitch.

But I left the game feeling somewhat disappointed in this event. Maybe because I spent over an hour in the car (and the balance of 2 hours with the trip home factored in) and easily $25 or $30 in tolls and parking combined just to get there (and back). The Brooklyn Cyclones ballpark is on Coney Island in Brooklyn, NY, which is not exactly around the corner from where I live in New Jersey (it measured at exactly 30 miles door-to-door). Maybe because I hear that the actual Muppets will be at the ballpark (their performers too) and I get it in my head that I need to bring something for them to sign because I get to meet the Muppets.

Let me look at it from 2 different angles.

Minor League Baseball
As a promotion for a Minor League Baseball game, having a theme and a giveaway for a well known brand is pretty cool. Heck, any giveaway that isn't a clown's nose (yes, that was a giveaway tonight too) or some Frisbee with a sponsor's logo on it is good. And having that actual brand be there, even if it was mostly hidden in taped video segments makes it that much better. It certainly brought out the die hard Muppet fans in the area (who, like me, probably had no real idea of what to expect so they all just showed up hoping for the best) that otherwise wouldn't have gone to the game. So it's a good promotion for a minor league club for sure.

The Muppets
The Muppets are a worldwide brand that has been around in this form for almost 40 years (and overall for almost 60). They have a motion picture that had a theatrical run earlier this year and the corresponding DVD/BluRay release next week. They are trying to promote it. But what does this promotion actually buy them? This is where I thought this promotion was not well put together. It's one thing to allow your brand for a theme at the ballpark (certainly no problems there) and even to give away copies of the DVD/BluRay (though I'm not real sure what it buys you). But having somewhat lame sketches (pre-recorded) and hiding the performers for a random lucky fan to meet and greet rather than letting them be out there with the crowd really wasn't what a minor league promotion should be about. And the Muppets certainly aren't minor league.

Update: I think I was working on this and falling asleep at the same time and left out a conclusion.
For a minor league baseball game, having the actual Muppets there was pretty cool, but having the actual Muppets there without really being able to see them was what left a taste of disappointment in my mouth. I wasn't one of the lucky fans to take home the DVD/BluRay disc, and that's okay. But the other stuff. The sketches were corny (they need better writers for these things) and they might as well have mailed in the effort if not for the super exclusive meet & greet they had somewhere.


Some pictures to illustrate the Muppet themes at the ballpark tonight:

The scoreboard at MCU Park with the logo for the event


Sweetums threw out the first pitch


Statler and Waldorf appeared a few times during the game doing their thing


The whole reason why we were there


Fozzie's appearance telling some bad jokes


The Muppets theme on the scoreboard graphics - used for each Brooklyn player after their first at bat


Gonzo interviewing Brooklyn's top prospect


Kermit and Piggy introducing the kiss cam


The Muppets gang thanking fans for coming out