After their last major motion picture in 2014 and last television episode in 1981 (2015 if you count the mockumentary), it is time for the “most sensational inspirational celebrational muppetational” show to return. On Feb. 4, ABC and later Disney+ saw the premiere of the first Muppet TV special in over 30 years. With the closing of the last active Muppet project, Muppet*Vision 3D, in mid 2025, this was a big deal for fans. For the first time in my lifetime, the IP that I obsessively watched over DVD was in their element.
In classic nostalgic media fashion, the special opens on a slow reintroduction to the Muppets while a piano cover of “Rainbow Connection” plays. The bittersweet reminder that the Muppets have been gone for years is immediately cut with a snarky comment from Rowlf the Dog to bring the viewers back to that central Muppet comedy. We are thrown right back into it.
Fans of the original series have no fear, “The Muppet Show” (2026) follows a pretty familiar format. We open with Kermit the Frog introducing the show and it goes (mostly) well. Gonzo performs a death-defying stunt that goes wrong and haunts the cast throughout the special, but crucially, does not die. Miss Piggy vies for more screentime and goes ballistic when she does not get her way. Rizzo the Rat returns and sings a cover of “Blinding Lights,” which faces electrical malfunctions. The beloved “Muppet Labs” portion in which Dr. Bunsen Honeydew performs ethically questionable experiments on his partner, Beaker, has that classic slapstick comedy. Through it all, Kermit is backstage trying to keep the show together. There was even a brief “Muppet News” segment about Maya Rudolph’s death and rebirth. The special ends with a touching performance of “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen, sung by the entire cast. With the exception of a Swedish Chef segment, everything was there. It was an expression of everything the Muppets know how to do well; a love letter to fans that didn’t feel like a goodbye. It felt like a welcome back.
“The Muppet Show” is not without controversy, somehow. The main issue that fan circles, and people who grew up with the show coming out of the woodwork now, is the recasting of Kermit the Frog. Steve Whitmire, the voice of Kermit from the 1990s to 2016, resigned over issues with business conduct. The Frog was recast in 2017 as Matt Vogel, an experienced puppeteer. However, there is something about the voice that is not quite right. When Kermit is screaming or whispering, it is a near perfect match, but Vogel slightly struggles with longer stretches of dialogue. There is a difference in the voice, but it is not so glaring that it makes the special un-watchable. It is worth taking note of and hoping for improvement.
I am not dismissing any complaints about the special; it is good to love a property enough to want to protect its intricacies. It is very easy to just see The Muppets as children’s television, but it is so much more than that. The Muppets began with a special called “The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence.” It developed into an IP that could be enjoyed by families, but it did not start that way. The Muppets have always had those sly comments. It is the perfect balance of mildly raunchy comedy with mass market appeal you can watch on a Sunday morning.
This particular brand fit perfectly with the special guest of the episode, Sabrina Carpenter. There are two main camps of special guests that will do well on “The Muppet Show”: The guests either need to treat the other muppets as serious actors, like themselves, or embrace the ridiculousness and act as a muppet. Part of the draw of The Muppets is the mystique around them. There is a seriousness underneath the absurdity of felt puppets with silly voices. Carpenter successfully became a Miss Piggy derivative, and it is not subtle. She has a diva-off with Miss Piggy throughout the episode. Her brand of racy, dry comedy is perfect for the more mature side of The Muppets, but her commitment to the bit makes her fit right in with a chicken chorus. It is as if she was made in a lab to be a solid host for “The Muppet Show.”
Every piece of this special felt intentional. As a long-time fan, there were a few subtleties that jumped out. The opening with “Rainbow Connection,” followed by the appearance of Kermit’s nephew, Robin the Frog, was a pull to the heart strings. In the background, muppets with a cult following were sprinkled in. Mahna Mahna and his sidekicks can be seen in the backstage chaos. Three of the pigs from “Pigs in Space,” one of my favorite segments, can be seen for a few seconds. Pepé the King Prawn features fairly heavily, but does take second chair to the return of the real prodigal son: Rizzo the Rat.
After almost ten years, Rizzo the Rat is back. When Whitmire departed in 2016, Rizzo was also left without a voice. Since he was more of a sidekick than Kermit’s main player, Rizzo was not urgently recast and has not appeared in projects since. Pepé filled his shoes as Gonzo’s sidekick and more mature comedic relief, but it was not the same. Rizzo the Rat is more cynical and plays off the other muppets better. He is such an integral piece of the Muppet cannon that the show really hurt without him. No more! Rizzo the Rat, my favorite muppet, has returned in all his snarky, poor singing glory.
Pulling back my bias and initial excitement at seeing The Muppets return, the special did play it pretty safe. Sabrina Carpenter performed her hit single “Manchild,” accompanied by chickens of course, on a Muppet filled stage. She later does a duet with Kermit, which is ultimately thwarted by Miss Piggy’s ego. The talent exhibition is a normal part of the show, but usually the special guest will have more fun with it and do something weirder. They played the hits, the well known segments, and emphasized the heart of the Muppets, but it left you wanting more. That is likely entirely on purpose. It was a good special, it just could’ve been more. It will be more if Disney chooses to greenlight. In the words of the frog himself, “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!” Please, I am begging you, do not let The Muppets become a thing of the past.