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The Muppets (2015 TV Series)


Jay

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It looks OK. But some of the voices still dont sound quite right.

I've made my peace with that. Perhaps the next generation of Muppeteers can more faithfully replicate Henson.

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That did not sound like Steve Whitmire as Kermit...really high-pitched. Actually the only voice that threw me for a loop (meaning really "off") is Rowlf.

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They struggled with Rowlf for some time, and I think he was the last Muppet to get "recast" after Henson's death. The guy who does Rowlf now is the same guy who does the voice of that big doofy bear (don't know the character's name. I think his biggest role was opposite Nathan Lane in Muppets: Letters to Santa) and it's basically the same voice.

BUT, we have been without Jim Henson almost as long as we were WITH him - maybe longer, depending on when you consider the official start of The Muppets to be. I've reconciled the fact that as Muppeteers pass away of retire, the characters aren't going to sound just like they always have - but over time, the voices become correct to the character.

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Watching the preview, I think this is something I would watch regularly. It has the spirit of the old Muppets. :)

@Mike - I seem to remember hearing they didn't recast Rowlf for a long time simply because it was Henson's favorite role, and the character was most like Henson in terms of personality. It wouldn't seem right, so he always was there, but didn't speak in the films or shows following his death. I saw that skateboard thing with Rowlf and Rizzo that was to rekindle interest in the Muppets a few years back, and that was a pretty good impersonation of Rowlf....this one just seemed to be a miss on this preview, even though I'm certain its the same guy.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

The Muppets 1x01 Pig Girls Don't Cry

Well, I liked it, but its clearly got some work to do. It was funny enough, and had great guest stars (Riki Lindhome!), and the plot was fine. But I think they haven't found the right balance yet of adult humor and kid-friendly humor. Still, there's a lot of promise here for sure!

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The Muppets 1x02 Hostile Makeover

Not bad. The show is funny, but I think its 2 biggest problems are : 1> It's wildly uneven, with many scenes within an episode, sometimes playing right next to each other, having wildly different tones to them. 2> The characters are pretty different from what we're used to. Kermit in particular is nothing like he used to be. It's kinda weird. Fozzie's story with Jay Leno this week was kinda odd (was it supposed to be a morality lesson for the kids watching?), the girl scout cookie C story was funny though. The main story was alright, Josh Groban seemed a bit wasted. He was a lot funnier on The Office.

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The Muppets 1x03 Bear Left Then Bear Write

Probably the best episode yet. Lots of laugh out loud moments. Fozzie's storyline about going to Big Bear to write a movie was so much better than the awful Jay Leno story from the week before. The stuff with Piggy and Christina Applegate was pretty good. The stuff with Gonzo, Rizzo, Pepe, and Liam Hemsworth was hilarious!! The show has a great ensemble cast.

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  • 3 weeks later...

You were expecting what has happened seemingly every time they've tried to revive The Muppets. They are iconic, but at the same time, I feel they have more of a cult following.

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  • 5 months later...

The Muppets Season 1

 

Well, I meant to write about every episode, but... I didn't!  So here we are.


I think this show is good!  It made me laugh multiple times every week which is more than most network comedies on TV these days can do.  I liked a lot that while theoretically Kermit is the main character, they truly gave the entire muppet cast a chance to shine.  This is mostly because every episode featured 4-5 simultaneous plots, each involving different characters.  Often former side characters would take the lead in one of these B, C, or D plots.  All the characters got fun moments, I especially enjoyed Pepe (a favorite of mine since he was introduced in Muppets Tonight!), Rizzo, Sam Eagle, the IT guy, Bobo, and the entire Electric Mayhem band.  

 

There was a nice sprinkling of jokes and references only adults would get, while still being family friendly the whole time.  The plots were similar to the way The Office or Parks and Recreation worked, with a blend of workplaces issues and relationship and friendship stories, though this was also peppered with the occasional musical number since the show is, afterall, the behind-the-scenes of a nightly talk show.

 

Supposedly there was a complete writing staff overall between the 10 episodes that aired in 2015 and the 6 that aired in 2016; Personally I didn't notice much of a difference other than perhaps a bigger focus on emotional issues over comedy in the latter episodes.  One change I liked the show set forth in the first episode was that Piggy and Kermit broke up and Kermit was dating someone else.  This led to a lot of interesting stories and moments, and its a shame they got them back together at the end of the season, I think.  I also really loved that they had Fozzie dating Rikki Lindhome, since I love Rikki Lindhome, but she completely disappeared midway through the season (maybe she was busy filming Another Period, I dunno).

 

Overall a solid show that I hope gets renewed for a second season!

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I thought it was really good.  A lot of people (TV reviewers and Internet people) complained about Kermit and the Kermit/Piggy storyline, that it was out of character of the Muppets, etc.  I think those people haven't seen the Muppets in a long time.  The characterization is very consistent with classic and current Muppets.  Kermit is constantly frustrated with the crazies in his life (since The Muppet Show) and he and Piggy are constantly broken up, only to come back together at the end.

 

I also didn't notice much of a change quality-wise or content-wise between the first and second portions of the season, except for maybe an accelerated reconciliation for Kermit and Piggy (although it was obviously going to happen anyway) 

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I would have liked the Kermit / Piggy breakup to span over at least 2 seasons instead of being resolved at the end of the season it started.

 

Perhaps if they had gotten to do 22 episodes instead of 16 it would have been better.

 

I hope it gets renewed!

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1 minute ago, nightscape94 said:

Wasn't it generally not well accepted?  Or at least with some indifference?

 

Correct.  I'd imagine that if it's renewed, it will be more in support of Disney's Muppets brand and less on the strength of its numbers.  At any rate it would be significantly revamped.

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1 hour ago, nightscape94 said:

Wasn't it generally not well accepted?  Or at least with some indifference?

 

What, the show?  I could honestly not care less what anyone else thinks of the shows I watch; I just watch what I like and don't watch what I don't like!

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1 hour ago, Jay said:

What, the show?  I could honestly not care less what anyone else thinks of the shows I watch; I just watch what I like and don't watch what I don't like!

 

I was just making the comment on its prospects of being renewed.  I personally don't care about general consensus on the shows I like either.

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  • 1 month later...

I think this would have done much better in syndication or on one of Disney's secondary networks (Disney Channel, Disney XD, freeform).  Prime time network TV is brutal.

 

I really liked this show, but I also probably would have just preferred a variety show format like The Muppet Show or Muppets Tonight.  They could do that and still tell stories in the "backstage" portions.

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I don't understand the difference - it still had the same combination of behind the scenes and in-show performances, and though Piggy's show was a talk show it was still full of random comedy sketches

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What does that have to do with The Muppets?

 

Anyways no, it wasn't.

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