It’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the light, it’s time to get unbelievably excited for The Muppets triumphant return to television!
The fall of 2015 will see the return of Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, Gonzo and the rest of the gang in a new Muppets series coming to ABC. In the trailer above – that was first shown at SDCC – has Kermit explaining the new format of the show and all that it’ll entail. It seems much like The Office, Parks and Recreation and of course, ABC’s own Modern Family, it’ll be shot in the handheld documentary style that has become so very popular in the years since The Muppets have been off the air.
Of course this isn’t the first time out favorite Jim Henson creations have returned to television. The short-lived 22 episode run of Muppets Tonight back in 1996 received mixed reviews and it may have been because it seemed like an overreach between appeasing two audiences. Trying to capture the nostalgia  crowd of the original Muppet Show while mixing in too many attempts to get the attention of younger viewers with it’s more modern format. Despite the blasé Muppets Tonight one would be hard-pressed to find someone who truly disliked the recent Muppet movies. The music in each – by Bret McKenzie (Flight of The Conchords) – is enough to redeem any downfalls the movies may have had.
As Kermit puts it, the new show will be “sort of an ‘adult’ Muppet Show” focusing more on the lives of the characters instead of it being sketch heavy and if the trailer is any indication – it seems ABC has nailed it. The trailer has quite a few familiar characters displaying their timeless shtick we grew up on mixed with the fast-paced comedic timing ABC has perfected with it’s shows like Modern Family and Black-ish. With meta, self-deprecating and slightly edgy humor (Animal willing to go “tastefully” nude) combined with what seems to be sincere care and reverence for the source material–we here at Nerdist.com have certainly got some high hopes for this new series.
But then again, maybe it’s because we’ve just got a serious soft spot for The Muppets.
What do you think of the upcoming Muppets series? Let us know in the comments below!
