For years, studios have attempted to revive old shows and create legacy sequels to movies that always just have something missing in the attempt to modernize and update everything. Now, Disney has done the unthinkable and finally given the world a Muppet show that lives up to the chaotic characters of Jim Henson – by bringing back The Muppet Show for a 50th anniversary celebration that could well see Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, Piggy and the rest of the gang get their old series back on TV once again. While Disney has floundered in recent years to work out what to do with The Muppets, it seems that all it needed was to put them back exactly where they really started – in an old theater with some bad gags, big guest stars, and plenty of heart. Critical reviews on Rotten Tomatoes have matched the perfect 100% score of the original run of The Muppet Show, but what is more impressive is that audiences have rated it higher; 97% against 91%. The Muppet Show ran in its original form between 1976 and 1981, comprising five seasons and 120 episodes. The show was unlike anything that had been seen on television at the time, as Henson and his team of the likes of Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, and Dave Goelz delivered a vaudeville revival with puppets that did things puppets hadn’t really done before. Now, 45 years after that iteration of the series ended, Seth Rogen has brought back the show he grew up watching, exactly as it used to be, and it has massively paid off, as many reviews have confirmed.
What Are People Saying About ‘The Muppet Show’?

In many cases, the idea of something old being revived as something new leads to many complaints. As Christian Zilko of IndieWire says in his review of the new revamp of The Muppet Show, “The first priority is not to screw anything up.” He, like many others, goes on to confirm that Rogen doesn’t do this, but instead proves that sometimes things don’t need to be fixed or changed – they just need some time away for people to appreciate them again. Audiences, who are notoriously hard to please when it comes to reboots of beloved shows, and who have been critical of many of Disney’s choices for The Muppets in recent years, have been equally happy with the return of the old show, in the old format. “Oh, it was excessive! Now I must go and watch the ’70s originals again,” said one viewer, with another adding, “Such a great escape for 30 minutes – exactly what the original show did.” A third simply said, “People need The Muppets right now.”

Although this one-off anniversary special of The Muppet Show was made for a celebratory purpose, it has been no secret that if everything goes to plan, and it is a hit, then a full series revival could be on the cards. The hard part has been done, now it is all down to those pesky viewership volumes to do the rest.

Release Date

February 4, 2026

Director

Alex Timbers

Writers

Albertina Rizzo, Kelly Younger, Jim Henson