# The Muppets! New show on ABC **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 22, 2015, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muppets-new-show-on-abc/732209 "2015-09-22T14:43:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muppets-new-show-on-abc/732209/61 "2015-09-30T16:17:06Z")
I liked both episodes but I thought the second episode was funnier than the first. I like how the newscaster character randomly is part of a storyline. They are doing some weird stuff with Fozzie! ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muppets-new-show-on-abc/732209/62 "2015-09-30T16:53:07Z")
My new favorite Muppet is Bobo the Bear. I would gladly buy cookies from this bear. I kept hoping there would be a cameo by Cookie Monster, but cross-network crossovers are very rare. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muppets-new-show-on-abc/732209/63 "2015-09-30T17:25:47Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > There were a couple of good throw away lines that shows the premise has promise. “But, they’re called the _Electric_ Mayhem…” Piggy: What was that song called, Dr. Teeth? Dr. Teeth: “Dead Inside.” We wrote it today. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muppets-new-show-on-abc/732209/64 "2015-09-30T17:40:43Z")
My take on it so far is that they meshed Greg The Bunny with the Muppets. I’ve pretty much gotten over the weird voices (Old enough to have watched the first series) and I do think the premise has promise but the emphasis on the adult humour at the expense of kid friendly is hurting it IMO. The best cartoons and shows manage to entertain on multiple levels and that isn’t happening here. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muppets-new-show-on-abc/732209/65 "2015-09-30T17:55:48Z")
> [@pinkfreud](#): > > My new favorite Muppet is Bobo the Bear. I would gladly buy cookies from this bear. I kept hoping there would be a cameo by Cookie Monster, but cross-network crossovers are very rare. I think Kermit still makes the occasional cameo on _Sesame Street_. I saw him in an “Elmo’s World” segment once. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muppets-new-show-on-abc/732209/66 "2015-09-30T17:56:58Z")
> [@Uniqueorn](#): > > The second episode was funnier than the first, but the whole Fozzy storyline was horrible and mean spirited. I loved it. I liked how Jay Leno lost his shit on Fozzie for stealing the candy dish that Leno stole from George Carlin. And I liked the reference to the scam about getting a message from a family member overseas who ran out of money. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2015, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muppets-new-show-on-abc/732209/67 "2015-09-30T18:51:43Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > And I liked the reference to the scam about getting a message from a family member overseas who ran out of money. They’re very good at keeping up with running gags! Lost? Have you tried the Hare Krishnas? ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2015, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muppets-new-show-on-abc/732209/68 "2015-10-01T07:05:06Z")
I’ve got one minor gripe that probably demonstrates more about me than the muppets. In the original Electric Mayhem, Janice was left handed and Floyd was right handed. In the new Electric Mayhem, they’re both left handed. That’s just wrong! ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2015, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muppets-new-show-on-abc/732209/69 "2015-10-01T08:32:44Z")
I watched it, but was underwhelmed. I don’t recall that much about the old Muppets. The adult bits felt weird, like they don’t know who the audience is. If it’s for kids, then they’ve got to walk a line of being adult but masking enough for the kids not to get it. Like being a bear online (which was humorous). But if the audience is adults, why are they on at 7 pm? Whatever, there’s too much on at that time slot, so I’ll probably give it a pass. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2015, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muppets-new-show-on-abc/732209/70 "2015-10-01T09:28:39Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > I liked it but there was an undercurrent of meanness and cynicism that didn’t feel very Muppets. This is my problem. Either this series is meta, and it’s supposed to be the Muppets we all know playing same-named characters or they’ve completely wiped out forty years of character continuity to try to be contemporary and adult. Kermit the Frog has a personality that’s been consistent since The Muppet Show, through all of the films including the horrible last two, and Muppets Tonight. (And his appearances on Sesame Street too, actually.) His personality is not only not in evidence in the new show, I don’t think Bill Prady even understands it. And that’s true of every single main muppet character. This to me feels like JJ Abrams Star Trek. The reins of a long-standing property with a central ethos have been handed over to someone who doesn’t understand it and doesn’t care about it and is going to do whatever he pleases. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2015, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muppets-new-show-on-abc/732209/71 "2015-10-01T14:26:30Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > This to me feels like JJ Abrams Star Trek. The reins of a long-standing property with a central ethos have been handed over to someone who doesn’t understand it and doesn’t care about it and is going to do whatever he pleases. It may feel that way to you, but the show is being dong by Bill Prady: > [@](#): > > He began his writing career at Jim Henson’s Muppets. > > Joining Jim Henson Productions (then Henson Associates) as a production assistant on a TV special about the world of technology, Prady stayed and worked in the merchandising department. With the encouragement of Jim Henson, Prady began writing working on projects from the 3-D movie to The Jim Henson Hour.[3] > > During his tenure at The Muppets, he was visually caricatured as the puppet “Chip” (The Jim Henson Hour). In 1991, Prady was nominated for an Emmy award for co-writing the posthumous tribute to Jim Henson entitled “The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson”. > > He wrote the Disney theme park attractions Muppet\*Vision 3D and Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. So it’s not just some guy who doesn’t give a fuck. It’s actually someone who worked for Henson himself and has worked on the Muppet franchise for the past 25 years. ---
**Author:** ![stanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@stanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stanger)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2015, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muppets-new-show-on-abc/732209/72 "2015-10-01T15:47:19Z")
Okay … I didn’t watch a lot of the original Sesame Street, nor did I watch a bunch of the older Muppet show, but I really don’t see the “problems” people are talking about as being a big deal. Yes, the voices are not identical. I can barely tell the difference, and after watching a few minutes I get lost in the story, but I can’t find fault with a lot of the people working the characters have left or passed on, and the newer people aren’t perfect clones. I didn’t think the new show was intended to be the old show done in HD, so I don’t understand why there is a problem with the show having a slightly different perspective and dialogue. People get older and change, so I guess Muppets can too. I always thought the success of the Muppets was that the whole family could enjoy it, especially together. Not that it was a funny kids show that adults would like, but that there was often some line or piece that was not there to be picked up by the kids, but the older ones and adults would catch it and enjoy it. And I didn’t think that there was all that much “adult” humor in the show. Sure, there were a few lines that a little kid wouldn’t understand, but to lump them all in as “adult” just makes it sound like there is a lot of dirty talk when a lot of it is just geared to an older audience who is familiar with other aspects of grown up life other than sex. I liked the first two episodes. I guess I am lucky enough to know something of the original shows without being so enamored with the slightly different voices and characterizations that it takes me out of the story every few minutes. I enjoy the more grown-up orientated references and the plain goofy humor modeled after the original premise. I remember watching Rolf on the old Jimmy Dean Show back in the early to mid-1960s, and in black-and-white, and am glad that Henson progressed from there and built a legacy and enterprise that is still better than a bunch of the crap that has graced the TV screen. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2015, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muppets-new-show-on-abc/732209/73 "2015-10-01T16:05:25Z")
I watched the second episode last night (missed the first) and enjoyed it. My favorite line: “I woke up this morning to my alarm, not the sounds of my own screams.” ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2015, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muppets-new-show-on-abc/732209/74 "2015-10-01T21:10:06Z")
“I take messages. I DON’T JUDGE TONE!” ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2015, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muppets-new-show-on-abc/732209/75 "2015-10-01T21:15:32Z")
Didn’t like it. All the optimism is gone. ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2015, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muppets-new-show-on-abc/732209/76 "2015-10-01T21:39:02Z")
I am watching NCIS when this come on , I was going to watch it but I like NCIS better . ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2015, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muppets-new-show-on-abc/732209/77 "2015-10-01T21:40:47Z")
> [@pinkfreud](#): > > My new favorite Muppet is Bobo the Bear. I would gladly buy cookies from this bear. I kept hoping there would be a cameo by Cookie Monster, but cross-network crossovers are very rare. I came in here specifically to bash Bobo. A completely undeveloped character. And they already have tagged bears to be of the Fozzie genera. It’s a very unexpressive Muppet in terms of face, movement and voice. Note that Kermit crosses over between Muppet shows/movies and\* Sesame Street\*. Anyway, another horribly disappointing show. They could have done so much with Josh Groban as the guest but instead used him too little and in the wrong way. Not even a proper goofy musical number. The Leno/Fozzie bit was so far beyond trite it was ridiculous. So much unoriginal material. And what happened to Kermit’s new girlfriend??? Re: Handedness. Most Muppets are left handed most of the time since the puppeteers are mostly right handed. But there are switches (once in a while Kermit plays the banjo right handed). And if a left handed performer replaces a right handed one, the character switches hands in reverse. ---
**Author:** ![SuperNelson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@SuperNelson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNelson)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2015, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muppets-new-show-on-abc/732209/78 "2015-10-01T23:48:00Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Didn’t like it. > > All the optimism is gone. This. I don’t mind the new format, and the slightly more adult skew to the humor. But I just can’t find any joy in watching it. It’s like the writers are taking our love of the characters for granted. Even in The Office, we fundamentally liked even Michal and Dwight, regardless of their fundamental incompetence. This feels more like Seinfeld, where at the end of the day, we won’t have any sympathy left for any of them. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muppets-new-show-on-abc/732209/79 "2015-10-03T08:56:54Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > It may feel that way to you, but the show is being dong by Bill Prady: > > So it’s not just some guy who doesn’t give a fuck. It’s actually someone who worked for Henson himself and has worked on the Muppet franchise for the past 25 years. That actually makes it even worse. He should definitely know better, then, and yet he’s still given us this garbage. Way to shit all over a legacy that was given to you, Prady! ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muppets-new-show-on-abc/732209/80 "2015-10-03T12:34:44Z")
I liked the second episode as much as the first, though we didn’t get to see all of it because we had a satellite issue. The show works for me. I used to watch the original Muppet Show with my dad and he would probably not be amused, but I am. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muppets-new-show-on-abc/732209.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-muppets-new-show-on-abc/732209.md?page=5)