ABC’s “The Muppets” comes to us from the writer-producer Bill Prady (“The Big Bang Theory”).
The new sitcom focuses on the loveable marionette/puppet hybrids as they navigate their personal lives in Los Angeles.
In this version of the Muppet Universe, Miss Piggy hosts a late-night talk show titled “Up Late.” Fozzie serves as her announcer. Sam The Eagle is the network censor. Kermit is the show’s executive producer, supervising a backstage staff that includes any number of familiar felt faces.
The idea is that a documentary crew is letting us see the real Muppets for the first time; in the movies and TV shows we’ve just been seeing them play versions of themselves, the way Larry David plays a fictional version of Larry David on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” for example.
… The tone never feels right, as if we're watching a dark parody of the Muppets — say, "Greg the Bunny" — that for some reason is starring the genuine article. The Kermit/Piggy break-up is an enormous problem, not because their relationship is sacred Henson canon and should never be messed with, but because the separation makes both characters meaner. Piggy's always been abrasive and even cruel, but her feelings for Kermit softened her just enough to make the diva behavior amusing; when she's nice to no one, she's just intolerable. … I'm not reluctant to show this to my kids because of some of the double-entendres, but because I don't want them to see a version of the Muppets that, for now, is so utterly lacking in joy. …
... it was difficult not to feel a sense of deflation that strayed into disappointment. It became more and more clear over the course of those episodes that “The Muppets” had been jammed into a format that doesn’t quite suit them. … Even if the mockumentary format was working -- and who knows, it might seem like a better fit later in the season -- the conception of the core characters leaves a lot to be desired. … I’ll be hoping “The Muppets” figures out how to dial back on the angst, the cynicism and the stabs at psychological complexity, which are in bountiful supply elsewhere in the TV realm. Sure, it's not easy being green -- or an ambitious pig -- but the Muppets work best when the comedy and the emotional layers are manipulated with a light hand.
... The problem, it pains me to say, is largely Kermit. … On “The Muppet Show,” he was bothered by nitwits but wryly in control. Here, he’s beaten down. In the movies, he could be wistful, but here he’s borderline depressing. … If the first two episodes are disappointing, they’re not hopeless. … This reinvention just feels a little overthought. “The Muppets” does not need to be snarky to be smart, and there’s nothing antiquated about joy. …
... often witty … The Muppets have had up-and-down luck with reboots. As you may have expected, this one is somewhat leaden with too many celebrity cameos (Elizabeth Banks, Josh Groban, Tom Bergeron, Jay Leno and author Reza Aslan in just the first two episodes), even considering that celebrity cameos have always been a Muppets stand-by. …
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
... The dialogue is funny, but the longer-range question is whether it’s funny enough to keep viewers coming back week after week. …
... The problem for ABC's The Muppets (**1/2 stars out of four) is that, in these days of ever-expanding options, there are much better things to do. … What matters, for the moment, is that the show is relying too heavily on our built-in affection for those characters and expecting us to do too much of the heavy lifting. For now, odds are that affection will tide viewers over when the jokes fall flat or the plots go south. (Fozzie dating is amusing; Fozzie getting star struck, not so much.) But this is a series with a lot of promotional push and expectations. And shows like that generally can't make do on "pleasant" or "mildly amusing" for long. …
... The result is pleasant enough, but something of a mixed bag. … the main challenge facing “The Muppets” is finding that sweet spot between injecting such irreverence into this venerable franchise and pushing too far or besmirching it in the eyes of more traditional fans. …
... the first two episodes are typical of most comedy pilots: more potential than achievement. … There are complications that come from a premise designed to show "different" sides of characters whom several generations have been raised on. The Muppets never have lacked for emotional nuance, but in exploring the reality of their lives, a demystifying occurs that isn't always for the best when it comes to the Muppet legacy in your mind. … So far, there's some laughter in the early episodes of The Muppets and a ton of built-in affection, but the wait for a great show continues.
8 p.m. Tuesday. ABC.
