TV News: It's time to play the music. It's time to light the lights...

Fade2Black

It's time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet Show tonight. (Again!)

http://comicbook.com/2015/04/03/abc-looking-to-bring-back-the-muppet-show/

David_D

Here's hoping it works out.

I love several of the Muppet films. Well, at least three of the old ones. But I've always felt that television, even more than the films, and the sensibilities of a vaudeville kind of show, is where Henson and his collaborators really soared. It would be cool to see a new generation of Muppet performers and writers succeed at it.

electric_mayhem

Yes!

Fade2Black

The first official photo has been released.


Full story here:
http://time.com/3851511/muppets-reboot-abc/

Fade2Black

And here's the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40JjSRZLjHM

luckymustard

That is wonderful!

Brack

Brave of them to go in a joke-free direction with this one.

playdohsrepublic

Killing me, yet another subject I'm not allowed to talk about for a couple of months.

But I have nothing bad to say about it.

bralinator

I remember really enjoying the old variety show style. Not sure that this particular take will be as evergreen as that feels, but worth checking out.

nweathington

It's The Office with Muppets. I'm totally in.

playdohsrepublic

bralinator said:

I remember really enjoying the old variety show style. Not sure that this particular take will be as evergreen as that feels, but worth checking out.

I think it's funny you consider "old variety show style" evergreen but can't help but call it "old". I love The Muppet Show but that format already was dated when they tried it with "Muppets Tonight" 20 years ago.

bralinator

Hey now, Jack Kirby's work seems evergreen to me, but that doesn't mean it isn't old.

Fade2Black

playdohsrepublic said:

bralinator said:

I remember really enjoying the old variety show style. Not sure that this particular take will be as evergreen as that feels, but worth checking out.

I think it's funny you consider "old variety show style" evergreen but can't help but call it "old". I love The Muppet Show but that format already was dated when they tried it with "Muppets Tonight" 20 years ago.

I was thinking the same thing.

playdohsrepublic

bralinator said:

Hey now, Jack Kirby's work seems evergreen to me, but that doesn't mean it isn't old.

That's because it still works. If Jack Kirby came on the scene today his art would still play. I don't think you can really say the same thing about the prime time variety show.

bralinator

I respectfully disagree with that presumption. Not everyone thinks Jack's art is good. Just like not everyone thinks a variety show is no longer any good.

nweathington

I think if you simply go by the definition of the term “evergreen,” Kirby’s art is evergreen because it is still an influence on new artists, and we see it filtered through their work in new ways. The variety show, on the other hand, is dead. Dead, dead, dead. That doesn't mean that there aren't people who would like to see the format return, just that it has no presence today.

Looking back at the original Muppet Show, while much of the humor is timeless, there are a lot of dated aspects. You've got a riff on the original Star Trek, a riff on General Hospital, etc., but done in the context of a popular format of the time (the variety show). This new show looks to be a riff on the pseudo-documentary/reality shows. They're just doing what they've always done.

bralinator

Meh, I've grown tired of The Office, Parks & Rec, pseudo doc format I guess. Been working in broadcast too long. Just feeling nostalgic for the earlier format I guess.

playdohsrepublic

bralinator said:

Meh, I've grown tired of The Office, Parks & Rec, pseudo doc format I guess. Been working in broadcast too long. Just feeling nostalgic for the earlier format I guess.

That I can understand.

I wouldn't mind seeing them take on different show formats in other episodes, though. Like a procedural episode followed by a three camera sitcom followed by a Mad Men style contemplative episode. Not a parody, a pastiche that still moves the narrative along, kind of like Community, only with Muppets (which I think they could, probably more convincingly, get away with).

bralinator

Agreed. I could get with the Community style for sure.

Chuck_Melville

Personally, I much prefer the Variety Show format... but I'd still give it a chance.

Sadly, the show is opposite Flash, so I won't be catching it, except, perhaps, by streaming a week or so later.

luckymustard

The Muppets (new TV series) aren't copying The Office... The Office copied The Muppet Show.

nweathington

It's not copying, it's pastiche bordering on satire. I love the Sesame Street bits where they riff on movies and TV shows. “Game of Chairs” was hilarious.

And for me, The Muppets > Flash until proven otherwise.

jaydee74

I'm really intrigued by this. I can't wait for it.

bralinator

nweathington said:

And for me, The Muppets > Flash until proven otherwise.

I have to disagree here.

If I'm not allowed to critique something based on just the trailer until I see the whole movie, you shouldn't be allowed to gush over something until the actual product is released...

LOL

nweathington

bralinator said:

nweathington said:

And for me, The Muppets > Flash until proven otherwise.

I have to disagree here.

If I'm not allowed to critique something based on just the trailer until I see the whole movie, you shouldn't be allowed to gush over something until the actual product is released...

LOL

I'm not gushing over anything yet. I was just responding to Chuck’s post where he said he'd be watching Flash instead of Muppets during their head-to-head time slot. I'm going to be watching Muppets instead of Flash for at least the first couple of weeks of the season. If the show turns out to be disappointing, I'll go back to watching the occasional episode of Flash instead.

luckymustard

I already have Flash being DVR'ed, so I'll watch Muppets live, and then Flash immediately after.

bralinator

nweathington said:

bralinator said:

nweathington said:

And for me, The Muppets > Flash until proven otherwise.

I have to disagree here.

If I'm not allowed to critique something based on just the trailer until I see the whole movie, you shouldn't be allowed to gush over something until the actual product is released...

LOL

I'm not gushing over anything yet. I was just responding to Chuck’s post where he said he'd be watching Flash instead of Muppets during their head-to-head time slot. I'm going to be watching Muppets instead of Flash for at least the first couple of weeks of the season. If the show turns out to be disappointing, I'll go back to watching the occasional episode of Flash instead.

No DVR Eric?

nweathington

bralinator said:

nweathington said:

bralinator said:

nweathington said:

And for me, The Muppets > Flash until proven otherwise.

I have to disagree here.

If I'm not allowed to critique something based on just the trailer until I see the whole movie, you shouldn't be allowed to gush over something until the actual product is released...

LOL

I'm not gushing over anything yet. I was just responding to Chuck’s post where he said he'd be watching Flash instead of Muppets during their head-to-head time slot. I'm going to be watching Muppets instead of Flash for at least the first couple of weeks of the season. If the show turns out to be disappointing, I'll go back to watching the occasional episode of Flash instead.

No DVR Eric?

I have one, but since I do my freelance work at night, I rarely spend time watching TV. If I have the TV on while I work, it's usually for background noise—a soccer game or a baseball game works well for that. I find that the stuff I DVR tends to pile up and I hardly ever get around to watching it.

And I think part of it comes from the fact that I worked nights for nearly twelve years when I was at the newspaper, so I got out of the habit of following shows. That's partly why I enjoyed Agent Carter so much, I think, because it was a relatively small commitment of time, and even with that there were a couple of nights I forgot to tune in and had to watch them online the next day.

jaydee74

I'll be DVRing everything.

playdohsrepublic

I've seen more than the trailer and it will be preempting the Flash, which was my favorite new show if this season, for at least the first couple of weeks. I can't really talk about my impressions of it, but the trailer is a pretty good representation of what you'll see.

playdohsrepublic

playdohsrepublic said:

bralinator said:

Hey now, Jack Kirby's work seems evergreen to me, but that doesn't mean it isn't old.

That's because it still works. If Jack Kirby came on the scene today his art would still play. I don't think you can really say the same thing about the prime time variety show.

This is me serving up my words in case I have to eat them later when this is a huge success.

Neil Patrick Harris Variety Show "Best Time Ever"