Review: The Muppets on ABC

The Muppets premiered tonight on ABC in the style of a mockumentary and revealing the Muppets to be more than 2D children's characters.

Many have commented that 'originalists', like me, would be put off by the more 'adult' stance this show has taken compared to most of the Muppet movies. However, the so-called adult changes are really just the realistic inclusion of relationships, job stress, and a larger variety of emotions. Kermit is in a new relationship with Denise from marketing, but both he and Miss Piggy are still sore from their break-up, resulting in layered emotions and binge-eating. Fozzie is trying to make an interspecies relationship work despite his girlfriend's difficult parents, and Gonzo is working closely with Rizzo and Pepe the King Prawn as Miss Piggy's head writer.

The writing has lost little of its charm, and the same can be said for many of the Muppet characters themselves. Miss Piggy is as difficult as ever, maybe even more so, and Kermit is very much the stressed frog we knew in the original Muppet Show, although his attitude will seem different from many of the Muppet movies. Fozzie's jokes are still stale but crack a smile, and Statler and Waldorf are somehow alive and just as punny.

The only drawback of the somewhat underwhelming premiere was the seeming lack of any tangible ending. It seemed there was more to be seen, as the show went to commercial, but the return featured end credits and confused disappointment. The show ended abruptly and I immediately felt that the show should have been longer, but perhaps the next episode will be more satisfying.

Regardless of minor issues, I'm looking forward to the next episode and hoping the show will reach a more Muppet-level of crazy as the season continues.

Stay tuned for more reviews, animation fangirling, and being proud of it! Coming up soon: animated Halloween films and an adventure to Sony Animation's Hotel Transylvania 2!