Apparently Disney is trying to kill the Muppets

[melana]

I loved it. But then again I remember the original show from way back. It's part of my childhood and to be honest..the newer Muppet movies were not the greatest in my opinion. Nothing like the orginal movies like The Muppets take Manhattan and the Great Muppet Caper. So I really enjoyed the show and I hope they do not cancel it.

 

[Planogirl]

I don't think that everyone who is disappointed thinks that the humor is too adult. I personally just found it flat. I'm glad to see that others liked it though. I plan to watch it next week and I hope that I like it much better.

 

[3DisneyFanz]

It was just meh for us. We laughed maybe 3 times but it didn't tie us to the room. After the first commercial break we watched it while doing other things. If we're home we'll put it on but it's not something we'd go out of the way to see.

I don't think that a modernized version of the old format wouldn't have worked. If anything with shorter attention spans it might work better. Don't like this 30 second but then wait for the next one.

 

[Ambear]

Also, as a comparison…
On Monday night at 8:30PM EDT, (nearly the same time of night as ABC ran The Muppets on Tuesday)
CBS ran a so-called "Family Comedy" named Life in Pieces.

Did anyone experience THAT show?

I really really really wish I hadn't. Talk about a show trying way too hard.

 

[BrianL]

I don't think that everyone who is disappointed thinks that the humor is too adult. I personally just found it flat. I'm glad to see that others liked it though. I plan to watch it next week and I hope that I like it much better.

Yeah, I mean, I enjoyed it, but it wasn't laugh-a-minute. It was a bit subdued. Honestly, I think I'd rather the show actually be "Up Late with Miss Piggy" in the format of a late night talk show with sketches interviews and musical acts, instead of the single-camera style and all the insight into their personal lives. I did kinda like the Fozzie subplot, though I'd rather spend time in the writer's room with Gonzo, Rizzo and Pepe! Gonzo is my favorite though!

 

[FantasiaMagic]

I wasn't a huge fan of the show, but I didn't hate it. All the characters still have their personalities we love. The show will not ruin the muppets, we still have the movies and the old TV show to look back on and enjoy. I am hoping they will make another movie. Disney can't "kill" the muppets, they have brought them a good amount of financial success with the previous movies. The Muppets have been and I think always will be "in".
But their attraction in HS...that I'm worried about, I'm really hoping that stays...it is a classic. And if they do decide to get rid of it, I hope they do something else for our beloved friends the Muppets.

 

[BrianL]

I definitely love the attraction as well, though it could stand some updates. I would hate to see it leave completely! It was one of the last things Jim Henson himself worked on.

 

[huntconn]

I didn't find anything particularly offensive about the premier last night, but I thought I would, considering all of the news articles I read about mothers groups up in arms about the show. I actually liked the show more than I was expecting to. I thought it was simply a modern take on what is currently "hot" on TV today i.e. late night talk shows, reality tv, arrested development/30 rock style direction. Sometimes I think some people use "children" as the excuse when it is their own personal sensibilities that are being offended. I watched the show with my 13 and 14 year old sons last night and wasn't offended by any of it. Last time I checked, TV remotes still have buttons that will change the channels!

 

[ttintagel]

I think the thing that weirded me out the most is the lacy of zaniness and pure joy, which was what I've always loved about the Muppets.

 

[Anesthesia Fine]

I grew up on the original show in the late 70s and laughed out loud several times last night. My teenage daughter, who mainlined the DVDs with me when they were released, also thought it was funny and that it complemented the original very well. The Muppets have always worked on a couple of different levels; the jokes my daughter and I laughed at are not the same as the ones my young sons laughed at.

There's definitely room for improvement, but last night seemed like a good start. I don't want to be That Online Nerd who screams "YOU RUINED MY CHILLLLLLLDHOOOOOOOOOOD" every time something changes, so I tried to go in with an open mind...but I didn't like Denise very much. I'm not sure why she sets my teeth on edge, but she did. We'll see what happens as the season goes on.

 

[Disneytam]

I grew up watching the original show as well and this one just had something missing. I didn't dislike it but when it ended I was kind of like meh. I think if Tom had been Miss Piggy's real guest it would have been funnier because that guy is just genius at what he does! I will keep watching for another week or two in hopes that it finds its stride but thanks to you guys on the Dis boards because now I know it wasn't just me who felt this way.

 

[srauseo]

I am going to reserve my judgment for a few more episodes. It had a few good moments - I particularly liked the bit about not making jokes in the writers' room and the aforementioned "rubber gloves" bit. I would definitely like more zaniness.

 

[PsychoCelloChica]

As an 80's kid who mostly grew up in the 90's, I grew up watching the reruns of the Muppet Show on Nickelodeon and a bunh of VHS recordings of clip-show specials. Once I was an adult (and the original show started coming out on DVD), I rewatched the series and was surprised by how many of the 'adult' jokes had sailed right over my head as a child. They've always had a slightly edgier tone than true 'children's' programming, and I appreciate that.

As much as I love them, I've seen the Muppet 3D film at DHS 3 times now... and unless it's updated, I won't be back. To me, it's lacking the feel of what the Muppets are to me. Last night's show came closer to that feeling of 'almost wholesome, but a little bit naughty' that I associate with them.

 

[RogueKnits]

I liked it. It did remind me a lot of 30 Rock, but I adored that show, so that's a good comparison. Kermit's voice bugs me, but it has since Jim Henson died, alas.

 

[bpadair32]

The wife and I thought it was awesome!

 

[FargoBear]

Another thumbs up for the show. I snorted when Fozzie was mentioning his online personals. Good stuff.

 

[Sandi]

I enjoyed it and had several laugh out loud moments. The writing was fun. The scene and writing with Elizabeth Banks and Scooter were hilarious -- and I'd think any 9 year old boy would have enjoyed that. I probably won't schedule my Tuesday nights around the show, but I'll watch the on-demand or dvd later.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I liked it. It did remind me a lot of 30 Rock, but I adored that show, so that's a good comparison. Kermit's voice bugs me, but it has since Jim Henson died, alas.

It took me a while to get used to the new voice. I've seen the recent movies enough I guess lol

 

[tlmadden73]

I don't think it will kill the franchise, it may reinvigorate it and is on the same caliber as the last two movies.

It had many laugh out loud moments, but it does help if you are a Muppets fan and know the characters.

I mean the best parts of the old Muppets show were the off-stage stuff .. this is the same thing except set within late night talk show instead of a variety show. You still have the zaniness of the characters and the guest "human" star. I think it is brilliant how they've kept the same formula, but updated.

Much better than other things that call themselves "sitcoms" on network TV nowadays.

I've seen the Muppets 3-D movie at DHS a lot (and just recently a month ago). Still love it. My son loved it and wanted to watch it again.

 

[bumbershoot]

Didn't watch it, wasn't aware of it.

I watched Muppets as a kid and even my parents said I would laugh and laugh yet not really understand the jokes.
I think it was always for the 'adults'

I always viewed Muppets for the adults and Sesame Street for the kids, LOL

YES. Just because we watched it as kids in the '70s doesn't mean it was for us. Just means our parents were crazy. (like my mom was, since SNL started right around my 5th birthday and I was watching it from then b/c I was a horrible sleeper whose room was right off the living room)

We watched it with my 5 & 7 year old & they asked quite a few times "what does that mean?" especially if I laughed at something

Something I somehow failed to instill in my son, and am still trying to do so, is a sense of *when to shush*. If I'm watching something that's questionable, he needs to keep quiet about the stuff he doesn't understand, or he doesn't get to watch it anymore. If he doesn't get it, it wasn't for him. I think that's likely something many of us knew instinctively, which is why we got to watch things as kids, but somehow we didn't manage to get our kids to comprehend the value of silently watching a show and appreciating that they are being allowed to watch it.

If you ever watched NBC's "SCTV"** (a series about the strange goings-on behind the scenes at a fictitious TV network,) you'll recall that they did a LOT of simply making "promos" (commercials) for shows.
They didn't need to actually make the SHOWS, the jokes were all in the absurdity of the promos.


** Launched the careers of John Candy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Rick Moranis, Eugene Levy, Martin Short, Harold Ramis, Dave Thomas...

And hey, I'm still waiting for History of the World: Part II! (not SCTV of course, but same concept)