I’ve been looking forward to this revival of The Muppet Show since it was announced in September in honor of the 50th year since the original show. I love the muppets to an almost unhealthy degree because I grew up watching them. I have seen The Great Muppet Caper so many times that I have many of the lines memorized and the songs from the various movies are featured on multiple playlists of mine. So, when this special premiered on February 4th, I was sat. Here is my review of the one-night revived Muppet Show! (Spoilers ahead)
Of course, I have to start by acknowledging Kermit’s voice, which has received a lot of debate and criticism online. Matt Vogel, the puppeteer behind the frog, has a much deeper and less-traditional voice for Kermit. I have to admit, I’m not the biggest fan of his rendition (perhaps I’m a muppet traditionalist). However, he does have the mannerisms of Kermit down to a tee, both vocal and physical, which makes up for it.
The guest star for this episode was Sabrina Carpenter, with a brief appearance of Seth Rogen (the executive producer of the show) and Maya Rudolph. Sabrina was amazing; her vocals were great, and her rendition of “Manchild” that she sang while beating up and tossing around various muppets was very entertaining. I also really enjoyed the duet she had with Kermit, and later Miss Piggy, singing the Dolly Parton song Islands in the Stream. Additionally, Sabrina’s claim about modeling Miss Piggy’s look and style being met with a threat of a lawsuit by Miss Piggy was my favorite recurring bit from the episode.
The show had both some high points and low points for me. First, I was absolutely thrilled to see the return of Rizzo. For people who don’t know, the beloved character Rizzo the Rat has not been seen in the Muppets franchise for nearly a decade because Steve Whitmire, the performer of Rizzo, was fired. His puppeteer finally got replaced and seeing Rizzo on the big screen was definitely a highlight of the show for long-term Muppet fans like myself. However, I do have to admit that his cover of Blinding Lights by the Weekend wasn’t my favorite.
Another low point of the night was the Great Gonzo reoccurrence. While he is a fan favorite, his act feels a bit dull and redundant after all this time. Besides that, I do think the rest of the show was a success! As a STEM girl, the Muppet Labs sketch always tends to be my favorite, and Beaker has always been one of my favorite muppets (I dressed up as him for halloween one year). The “Breaking News” bit also made me audibly laugh. The abrupt death and then revival of Maya Rudolph was entertaining, but I think it’s because I tend to like more dry, literal humor than a lot of the prop comedy the Muppets tend to lean towards. I also loved the very fitting finale where the muppets, and Sabrina Carpenter, all sang “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen.
Overall, this special revival tunes into the chaos, friendship, and comedy of the original series; my only main complaint is that I wished this episode was longer. I want to see more coming from The Muppets this year so I can keep living in the nostalgia it brings. So, let’s all hope the 50th birthday celebration stays alive and allow a new generation of Muppet-lovers to form!