The following article was contributed by the talented artist and longtime ToughPigs friend Mike Boon! You can find Mike’s previous art spotlights on ToughPigs here and here, and you should follow him on Instagram @MikeBaboon. Thanks Mike for this terrific article!
As anyone who visits ToughPigs should know by now, 2026 is the 50th anniversary of The Muppet Show. I wanted to celebrate with some artwork on Instagram that captures half a century of Muppets, but there was one problem: while I’ve been a Muppets fan my entire life, there are a few projects I’ve either missed along the way or completely forgotten. And others that I watched upon first release, but never fully revisited except in clips here and there.
This inspired me to watch, in order, every English Muppet movie, special and TV episode specific to the cast of the Muppet Show over the last 50 years. There were only two exceptions – I didn’t watch every episode of Muppet Babies and Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora is no longer available. It turns out that this adds up to over 150 hours of the Muppets, something I didn’t really consider when I first tackled this project. It’s quite the “Kermitment” (and, seriously, major kudos to the Kermitment team for tackling a similar project in podcast form over 200+ episodes and counting – give ‘em a listen!).
So, what have I learned? Glad you asked…
1976-1979 – Rainbow connection
Nothing in the history of the Muppets comes close to the one-two punch of The Muppet Show (one of the greatest TV shows ever made) and The Muppet Movie (one of the greatest movies ever made). Sure, not every episode of The Muppet Show is a homerun (and there are some particularly cringe-worthy stereotypes) but sitting down to watch either of them is like being wrapped in a blanket of joy, as they enchant just as much now as they did back then. If anything, The Muppet Movie is even better than I remember – heartfelt, hilarious and inspired. And adding the sublime Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas to the mix (as I did, since Kermit introduces the film and makes a cameo at the end) just makes everything that much sweeter.
Watch all three of these efforts back-to-back and it is obvious why Jim Henson and company found such incredible success. The characters are unparalleled; the ingenuity never fades and the practical work in both Movie and Emmet Otter never cease to amaze. Even the little details in Emmet, for example – like how Wendell leans on a fence or the various containers for Catfish – only add to the charm of it all.
John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together isn’t nearly on par with the above, but it is a lovely TV special that is sincere in its message and presentation. And then there is The Muppets Go Hollywood, an extended promo for The Muppet Movie. It is a bit disconcerting to see Miss Piggy snuggling up to Doc Hopper, but you really don’t see enough celebrity conga lines these days.
Most Valuable Muppet: You really could make the case for many of the core Muppets here, particularly on The Muppet Show. But you’ve got to give it to the green guy that holds them all together. Chaos would reign without Kermit and he’s also the soul of The Muppet Movie.
Best song: Even if you exclude the breadth of the music in The Muppet Show, you could make the case here for most of the tender songs from Emmet Otter or any of the high energy tunes in The Muppet Movie (or even A Christmas Together’s unbeatable “Twelve Days of Christmas”). But my heart says, “Rainbow Connection.” Yes, it is overplayed at this point, but I still get goosebumps when it plays in The Muppet Movie and it remains my favorite song of all time.
Best non-Muppet / cameo: There are so many guest stars on The Muppet Show, all of whom seem to be having a blast, with favorites both obvious (Steve Martin, Alice Cooper, Harry Belafonte, Julie Andrews, Elton John, Rita Moreno, Vincent Price, Gilda Radner, Peter Sellers, Carol Burnett, the cast of Star Wars…) and less so (Glenda Jackson, Roger Miller, Mac Davis, Peter Ustinov, Ben Vereen, Bruce Forsyth, Lesley Ann Warren…). The Muppet Movie is similarly stacked with celebrities, so let’s go with the cameo that makes me laugh every single time: “Myth” Carol Kane.
1980-1984 – Here come the puppets
When Disney first acquired the Muppets, the studio went out of its way to pretend that the Muppets were real. This approach shifted a while back, but it is interesting when you consider that even when the Muppets were at the peak of their fame, Jim Henson was never concerned about exposing a bit of the magic behind his creations.
Here Come the Puppets!, filmed at the 1980 International Puppet Festival, opens with Fozzie talking about the man below him (a joke that would later be repeated in The Jim Henson Hour and The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson) and doesn’t hesitate to reveal Kermit and Oscar the Grouch as puppets. Neither do the documentaries Of Muppets & Men, which offers invaluable behind-the-scenes footage of The Muppet Show, and Henson’s Place, which is where we see a contemplative Henson appreciating his success but also looking forward.
This period also saw the solo feature directorial debuts of both Henson (The Great Muppet Caper) and Frank Oz (The Muppets Take Manhattan). Caper is the funniest of the Muppet movies, with a wonderfully zany spirit, dazzling puppetry and delightfully inventive comedy (love the identical twins). Manhattan is the more subdued effort, but it shows impressive emotional range, from the heartbreak of “Saying Goodbye” to the spirit of the Manhattan Melodies numbers.
Of the TV specials released during this time (The Muppets Go to the Movies, The Fantastic Miss Piggy Show and Rocky Mountain Holiday), I particularly enjoyed the relaxed, easy-going vibe of Rocky Mountain Holiday. The big comedy moments take a backseat to Rowlf floating down a river, Robin in a tiny sleeping bag and the whole gang just sitting around the campfire singing and telling stories.
Most Valuable Muppet: Lew Zealand, because he brought the paper towels. Actually, you must hand it to Miss Piggy. She was the bright light in the disappointing Fantastic Miss Piggy Show and she absolutely sparkled during her big dance number in Caper.
Best song: So many classics here – “Together Again”, “Hey a Movie!,” “The First Time It Happens,” “Couldn’t We Ride,” “I’m Gonna Always Love You” and more. The energy and humor of “Happiness Hotel” take it to the top.
Best non-Muppet / cameo: John Cleese is hilarious in Caper, as are Joan Rivers and Dabney Coleman in Manhattan. But Caper needed a terrific bad guy, and Charles Grodin was perfect.
1984-1988 – Muppet babies
Muppet Babies was a massive success on Saturday mornings – winning awards and audiences – and it is still quite endearing, as the fun songs and worthwhile parodies triumph over the crude animation that marks the earlier seasons in particular. But this success also came to define the Muppets for a few years, as most new efforts were targeted at younger children and often seemed to struggle in the process.
Little Muppet Monsters only lasted for three episodes and it’s kind of easy to see why it didn’t connect – the premise doesn’t hold up despite the peppy puppets (are they making TV or watching it?) and the animated sequences are particularly charmless. That said, Tug, Molly and Boo had potential, and it would have been great to see them used for comedic effect in something like the Play-Along videos or later Sing Alongs series. Of the three Play-Along videos that use Muppet Show characters, only Sing-Along, Dance-Along, Do-Along is worth a watch, mostly because Rowlf hosts and he stays true to his character. Hey, You’re as Funny as Fozzie Bear oddly treats Fozzie as though he’s the most successful comedian of all time (diminishing his vulnerable charm) and Wow! You’re a Cartoonist! is irritatingly repetitive.
The Play-Along videos are definitely a product of their VHS-era time, along with the charming Muppet Babies Video Storybooks (in which Kermit narrates a variety of Muppet Babies books) and the various Playhouse Video compilations from 1985. The Playhouse videos are just repackaged clips from The Muppet Show, with some minor new interstitials thrown in. Most of this material is rather awkward, but the unexpected pairing of Dr. Teeth and Beaker works in Rock Music with the Muppets and you learn in Muppet Weird Stuff that Gonzo and Camilla’s song is “Hugga Wugga.” Two of the most dated productions are the View-Master Interactive videos You’re the Director and Muppet Madness. They are really more video games than specials and aimed at a young audience, but both are interesting in their own bizarre way (bonus: The Swedish Chef as Julius Caesar).
Rounding out the kiddie-friendly entertainment are The Tale of the Bunny Picnic and The Christmas Toy. Bunny Picnic is the debut of Bean Bunny and it leans too heavily into the saccharine and lacks humor (it needed more Fire-Breathing Dragon Bean). The Christmas Toy undoubtedly brings Toy Story to mind both in set up (toys that come to life) and the sweet central relationship between Rugby Tiger and Mew, but some of the puppets are too creepy to warm up to.
The two exceptions to this kid-focused trend were The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years and A Muppet Family Christmas. Celebration is a bit of a rush through the usual highlights and it is bittersweet knowing that Henson wouldn’t be around for another milestone. But the crossover of Family Christmas remains an all-time classic. The various pairings work remarkably well (The Swedish Chef and Big Bird, Sprocket and Rowlf, Oscar and Rizzo…) and it is outstanding how much humor, tenderness and music fits into such a short runtime. My favorite element is the true sense of family. Second is the ice patch.
Most Valuable Muppet: You may love them or tolerate them, but there’s no denying that the Muppet Babies were a vital part of any childhood from this generation.
Best song: While I’m a sucker for the Christmas medley at the end of Family Christmas, Muppet Babies deserves credit for a lot of great music, so let’s go with the highly memorable “Good Things Happen in the Dark.”
Best non-Muppet / cameo: Seeing the Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock gangs visit the home of Fozzie’s mom in Family Christmas is pure gold.
1989-1991 – The Muppets celebrate Jim Henson
I remember originally watching The Jim Henson Hour out of duty more than anything and, sad as it is to say, that hasn’t changed much. Though not as deeply weird as the original InnerTube pilot, it is clearly an experimental series that they were working out way too late in the game. You can see sparks of what they were going for, but so much of it – the structure, the environment, the skits – is hit and miss. The reliance on bluescreen dramatically reduces the tactile appeal of many scenes, the Muppet Central control room offers no sense of space and Bootsie and Brad make me cringe every time. While later episodes seemed to be finding their footing, the only positive throughout was the daffy Digit.
Dog City is easily the best thing to come out of Henson Hour. Count every dog pun you can think of and then square it, and you still wouldn’t nearly have the number of gags that are stuffed into this sublime gangster parody. Every element here – the character names, the sets, the puppets, the atmosphere – has been meticulously crafted. Miss Piggy’s Hollywood also first aired as part of Henson Hour and it makes for an interesting time capsule, both because it does a great job of making Piggy funny and sympathetic, but also because it comes from a time when the Muppets could advertise Universal Studios. It wasn’t long before the Muppets switched teams to Disney with The Muppets at Walt Disney World and Muppet*Vision 3D. A cynic would say that World is a glorified advertisement for WDW and a potential Muppets/Disney merger. A sentimentalist would say that it gives us one last chance to appreciate Henson’s work as Kermit, Rowlf, Dr. Teeth, Waldorf, Swedish Chef and Link, as this was one of his final projects before his death. It’s both of course, but also a lively production with some inspired pairings (Piggy and Beauregard) and unexpected experiences (“Love in the Laundromat”).
The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson aired after Jim’s passing and is a triumph of resolve. Not only were the Muppet crew still processing their own grief, but they had the extra pressure of delivering something that properly encapsulated all the joy, laughter, inventiveness and compassion that Henson brought to the world. They delivered a truly special tribute to the man who was “always hanging around down there.”
Most Valuable Muppet: Jim Henson. Okay, technically not a Muppet, but every one of these projects is a tribute to the man who started it all.
Best song: No matter how many times you see it, “Just One Person” at the end of The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson still elicits tears. It’s perfect.
Best non-Muppet / cameo: No, I don’t think Disney “ruined” The Muppets. And Mickey Mouse’s appearance in World is a comforting suggestion of the possibilities that were to come.
1992-1996 – It’s not easy being green
For the most part, the transition period following Henson’s death was quite uncertain, though things started extremely promising. The Muppet Christmas Carol is one of the few holiday classics that not only hold up to annual viewings but seem to get better with time. It offers a perfect pairing of material and Muppets, enhanced with beautiful production design, faithful storytelling, and a sense of pure magic. Muppet Treasure Island isn’t quite as successful – casting a Muppet as Jim Hawkins would have made it less soggy – but it does offer a good level of merriment, some swashbuckling swordfights and a wonderfully expressive Tim Curry.
Another plus is Muppet Sing Alongs: Billy Bunny’s Animal Songs, which was the first thing the Muppets team worked on after Henson’s death and, sadly, one of the last projects for puppeteer Richard Hunt. It looks like it is intended just for little kids (with Kermit acting as narrator for a nothing story), but it turns out to be somewhat of a bop. You’ve got secretive raccoons, rapping bears and – my fav – a jazzy number about the perils of bumping into a porcupine.
Otherwise, though, there seemed to be a decided lack of direction around this time. Muppet Sing Alongs: It’s Not Easy Being Green just sticks to the tried-and-true compilation format and Muppet Sing Alongs: Muppet Treasure Island is a mixed bag. The preschool-targeting Things That Fly and Muppets on Wheels feel like particularly uninteresting Sesame Street segments, padded with generic Muppets (other than Kermit) and repetitive songs that aren’t catchy enough to want to sing along to. The enchantment is also missing from Muppet Classic Theater, which has some amusing ideas – framing the Three Little pigs as a feminist allegory, Elvis elves – but generally feels thin and half realized.
The Muppet Time interstitials from Nick Jr are insignificant and mostly notable for repurposing recognizable puppets from other properties like Henson Hour, Bunny Picnic, Classic Theatre and even Little Muppet Monsters. And while the “Kokomo” music video from Muppet Beach Party is enthusiastic, Animal’s “Wipe Out” video overdoses on green screen and the “She Drives Me Crazy” video from Kermit Unpigged – featuring a parade of celebs that can’t sing – is almost unbearable. At least it isn’t as bad as the shockingly inept Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree (featuring the worst performance of Robert Downey Jr’s career).
Most Valuable Muppet: Pairing Gonzo with Rizzo in Carol was a masterstroke, one that was again repeated in Treasure Island and Classic Theatre. They are the highlights in all three projects.
Best song: It’s no contest: No holiday season is complete without the spirit of “It Feels Like Christmas” from Carol.
Best non-Muppet / cameo: It’s been said before and I’ll say it again: Michael Caine’s work in Carol is the best performance by a human in any Muppet project, ever.
1996-2003 – Muppets from space
Muppets Tonight feels like the start of a new era for the Muppets crew given the emphasis on new characters. I hadn’t watched it in full since it first aired and it is impressive how many of the newbies like Pepe, Bobo, Big Mean Carl, Johnny Fiama and Sal came out of the gate so strongly. Some season 2 episodes are rather shapeless (including a premature clip show), a little Andy and Randy go a long way and there is some tiresome objectification of Spamela and several female guest stars. But it is generally friendly, quickly paced and has a healthy dose of the original Muppets as well.
I was excited to see the Tonight Muppets mixing it up with the original crew in the opening musical scene of Muppets From Space. But once the plot kicks in, it all feels rather empty for a Muppet movie, with shallow characterizations, many wasted opportunities and some unfortunate cameos. At least Space continues to expand on Pepe and Bobo’s inclusion in the Muppet troupe and both are featured prominently as hosts of the BBC documentary I Love Muppets and in the Muppetisms and Movie Mania interstitials that aired on the Odyssey Channel (later the Hallmark Channel) in the late 1990s. Best of these are Mania’s Muppet screen tests, particularly the Swedish Chef auditioning for A Streetcar Named Desire and I Love Lucy.
The last of the pre-Disney Muppet projects suggest that there really wasn’t anywhere to go but up from here. Kermit’s Swamp Years has grating human performances, drab visuals and no real laughs (the outtakes at the end are the funniest part). It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie starts with a mopey Kermit and doesn’t get much better from there. It has a bitterness rarely associated with the Muppets.
Most Valuable Muppet: Bobo brings a magnificent dynamic to the Muppets and he was a bright spot in Muppets Tonight, Muppets from Space (“the GOAT?”), Muppetisms and Movie Mania.
Best song: The music video for Weezer’s “Keep Fishing” recreates the old Muppet Show set and has plenty of energetic Muppets bouncing around. The enthusiasm is infectious.
Best non-Muppet / cameo: So many guest stars are clearly enjoying themselves on Muppets Tonight, so let’s highlight some of the best: Sandra Bullock, Tony Bennett, Jason Alexander and Garth Brooks.
2004-2010 – Studio Disney
Disney took control of the Muppets in 2004, and it seems like their strategy may have been “let’s start low, so things can only get better.” Because how else can you explain Muppets’ Wizard of Oz? Ashanti’s shallow and unsympathetic lead performance is just one of the film’s many problems, including shoddy CGI, a jarring Quentin Tarantino cameo, dated pop culture references and uncomfortable sexualization. Statler and Waldorf headlined the web series From the Balcony and early episodes of this really aren’t much better. Statler and Waldorf are more unlikeable than usual, particularly when they act like horndogs, and the humor is mean-spirited, cynical and crude (Pepe calls a certain Sandra Bullock film Miss Congenitalia 2). Things eventually start to turn around when they drop the general unpleasantness and switch to sketches focused on movie cliches and parodies like Close Encounters of the Nerd Kind, but it is still decidedly minor. And then there is Studio DC Almost Live, which pairs the Muppets with various Disney Channel stars. It’s a pretty rough watch – the plotting is incoherent and the cross-promotion shameless.
In comparison to all these efforts, A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa is particularly pleasant. Sure, it is generic, bland and barely gives the core trio of Kermit, Fozzie and Gonzo any time to be funny. But at least its heart is in the right place. Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora seems to have mostly disappeared from the Internet, but from what I remember and can find, it falls in line with Letters to Santa – not unlikeable, but not particularly memorable either.
And yet, in the mix of all of this, Disney was also behind one of the most Muppety things to be released since Henson’s death. The viral “Bohemian Rhapsody” video is an exuberant cover of the original song, a celebration of the Muppets in all their felt-and-foam glory and the perfect match of lyrics to character (I will never tire of Animal’s “Mama?”). In fact, all the YouTube videos released during this time are worth revisiting more than once. Among the highlights are the chaotic escalation of Beaker’s Ballad, the masterfully choreographed Popcorn and the delightful Ode to Joy. The Disney Xtreme Digital videos from 2008 are mostly forgettable but hearing Bill Barretta laugh at himself in the bits with Topo Sticky are worth looking for.
Most Valuable Muppet: Both Beaker and the Swedish Chef are hilarious in various viral videos (often together, as in Habanera and Ringing of the Bells). Let’s give this one to Beaker for also providing the only bright spot in Studio DC – a duet with Demi Lovato on “This is Me” (“This is Meep”?)
Best song: “Bohemian Rhapsody” has never been better (and yes, I’ve seen Wayne’s World)
Best guest star/cameo: This is the first time I’ve been more inclined to talk about the worst guest stars, so let’s go with two that at least rose above the material: Uma Thurman and Nathan Lane in Letters to Santa.
2011-2014 – OK go
If Bohemian Rhapsody leaned into nostalgia, 2011’s The Muppets jumped right in and is easily the best Muppet film since Christmas Carol. Yes, you can pick it apart, but watching The Muppets turns me into a kid again. The entire thing is stuffed with throwbacks to early Muppet successes, the songs are brilliant and the performances are fantastic across the board. Muppets Most Wanted, meanwhile, is pure high-energy fun, with a ridiculous and entertaining plot, plenty of Muppet mayhem, the addition of the deliciously evil Constantine and underappreciated songs (“I’ll Get You What You Want (Cockatoo in Malibu)” is more of an earworm than I remember).
Also worth a watch is Food Fight, an enjoyable “Muppisode” that pits the Swedish Chef and Beaker against Gordon Ramsay and Sweetums, the Just for Laughs Muppets All-Star Comedy Gala (mostly for any Canadians like myself) or Drive-On with the Muppets, a short web series that feels like a spiritual cousin to 2015’s The Muppets sitcom. It uses legendary Disney songwriter Richard Sherman very well and benefits from the eager energy of Howard… I mean, Walter.
I could give or take OK Go’s techno-spin on the Muppet Show theme, but it does have the inspired use of Marvin Suggs and the colors pop. Cee-Lo’s All I Need is Love bounces along nicely (with liberal use of “Mahna Mahna”) and Kermit and Steve Martin have a sweet reunion in Funny or Die: Dueling Banjos. Much less captivating is the misleading Lady Gaga & the Muppets’ Holiday Spectacular, which barely features the Muppets or anything to do with the holidays. Kermit doesn’t even register in his awkward Gaga duet and most of the time the Muppets are just window dressing.
Most Valuable Muppet: Both Walter and Constantine are welcome additions to the Muppet gang, with Walter taking this slot with his infectious enthusiasm and positivity.
Best song: This is a tough one, as I have a soft spot for “Pictures in My Head” and “Man or Muppet.” Ultimately though, “Life’s a Happy Song” best represents the 2011 film.
Best guest star/cameo: While there are far too many throwaway cameos in Most Wanted (and an unfortunate appearance by Diddy), everyone in The Muppets delivers their A-game. My first instinct was Chris Cooper in The Muppets, but I really would have enjoyed more Ty Burrell (and Sam the Eagle) in Most Wanted.
2015-2019 – Cool kids
It’s easy to focus on the elements of the 2015 sitcom The Muppets that didn’t work. Some of the characters feel off at times (mostly Kermit) and the fixation on romantic relationships is frustrating and uncharacteristic. Breaking up Piggy and Kermit is one thing, but the same with Gonzo and Camilla feels sacrilegious. If you can look beyond that, though, there’s a lot to like here, particularly on the sidelines. Previously minor characters like Big Mean Carl, Yolanda and Uncle Deadly are given more dimension and provide plenty of laughs. Things really pick up around episode 10 (when there were some behind-the-scenes changes), with more goofiness and more callbacks to earlier Muppet glories. I would have loved another season (or more).
I also would have savored a lot more of Muppet Guys Talking. After having just watched more than 125 hours of Muppet goodness (uh…), it just seemed that much more special. The insights into the characters and the process are priceless. I just wish it were longer. Much longer.
This is also where it gets particularly tricky to watch all the Muppet content, as the characters started taking over social media with projects like Muppet Thought of the Week, the Muppet holiday videos, Fozzie’s Bear-ly Funny Fridays (best when they pair Fozzie with another Muppet) and a couple enjoyable Pigs in Space shorts. Standing out from the crowd are Muppet Moments, which may have been made for kids but are a great testament to the improv skills of the puppeteers. The characters in the Muppet Babies reboot are less spiky than in the original, but that’s to be expected from a Disney Junior series aimed at the very young. The messaging is clear; there’s inventiveness to the storytelling and the fan service is welcome. Little Sam, Sweetums and Swedish Chef are particularly adorable and the inclusion of Jill (best known for Muppets Take Manhattan) is wonderfully unexpected.
Most Valuable Muppet: The return of Uncle Deadly in 2011’s The Muppets was a brilliant idea, and it was taken to another level in 2015’s The Muppets (this is getting confusing!). His relationship with Piggy is an absolute hoot and even a comment like “I think I’m going to need readers” just works so well with his tremendous design and deliciously theatrical attitude.
Best song: Several music videos featuring the Muppets were released in 2015, including the a cappella “Cool Kids,” the lovely “Pure Imagination,” and the funny Sam-cuts-loose “Jungle Boogie.” The highlight is the groovy “Kodachrome.”
Best guest star/cameo: This one is quite tricky, with game celebrities on The Muppets including Josh Groban, Jason Bateman, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling and Jack White. I just hope Kay & Peele got their oven mitt business off the ground.
2020-2026 – Muppets now
So where do we find the Muppets now? It’s a question that wasn’t really answered with the series Muppets Now, which suffers from major pacing issues and gets repetitive very quickly. And it certainly isn’t in some odd synergy project like the fourth season of Holey Moley, where the Muppet gang made an extended appearance but were mostly pushed to the sidelines.
But look beyond that and it is clear there is currently a Muppet resurgence. This movement has been slowly gaining momentum for a few years now, starting with Muppets Haunted Mansion and the agreeable documentary Jim Henson: Idea Man. Mansion was hardwired to appeal directly to long-term Muppet and Disney fans, with the spirit of the Muppets aligning perfectly with the spirits of the Haunted Mansion ride. The call-backs are a blast, encompassing a wide range of Muppet history, and it is a worthy lead role for Gonzo, who has been a remarkably consistent presence in almost every Muppet project over the last 50 years. Gonzo’s recent “I’m Going to Go Back There Someday” video is a gorgeous tribute to the song, the weirdo and the beauty around us.
It is too overlooked outside of Muppet fan communities, but The Muppets Mayhem proved that not all Muppet projects need to focus on Kermit and Piggy for success. Everything here rests on the shoulders of the Electric Mayhem and it rocks, adding additional dimensions to the band members without diminishing what makes them so iconic in the first place. It is a breath of fresh air as a Muppet series, offering a narrative format and backstory while still feeling true to the Muppets in attitude and character.
As for the 2026 Muppet Show revival, it is a pure dose of serotonin at a time when we all could use it. In only 30 all-too-brief minutes, you’ve got everything we loved about the original Muppet Show: exquisite musical performances, huge laughs and timeless characters doing what they do best. It looks amazing and it’s a marvelous tribute to the original series, clearly made and performed by people who love the Muppets, and a potent reminder of just how much happiness these creatures can add to the world.
Most Valuable Muppet: Though any member of the Electric Mayhem could easily take this slot, Janice was euphoric in Mayhem, no matter if she was doing yoga, sharing her family history, being hospitalized over lies, performing acupuncture on Lips or inadvertently forming her own cult.
Best song: Mayhem theme song “Rock On” never gets old and many of its covers were perfect in terms of narrative and performance (particularly “Have a Little Faith in Me”). Every number in the Muppet Show special was gorgeous. That said, I’d go with Mayhem series capper “Believe in Us”.
Best guest star/cameo: The entire human cast in Muppets Mayhem is underrated, with Morgan Freeman even having the role of a lifetime as Zoot. Sabrina Carpenter takes this one though – she offers the perfect combination of talent and silly personality as the special guest on the revived Muppet Show.
Shockingly, I’m sad to see this journey come to an end for now. There have been some changes (sorry Beaker, but Gonzo is now my favorite Muppet), some surprises (I didn’t realize just how much I loved Dog City) and a much deeper appreciation of secondary Muppets like Beauregard, Link Hogthrob, Walter and the gang from Muppets Tonight. Yes, there were some valleys along with the wins, but the vulnerability in the franchise (and its ability to rise again) makes it much more sympathetic than your typical IP. No matter what is going on behind the scenes with changes in direction, puppeteers, ownership, and more, you want to see Kermit and the gang succeed. That’s what keeps us coming back for more.
TOP 15
- The Muppet Show (1976)
- Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (1977)
- The Muppet Movie (1979)
- The Great Muppet Caper (1981)
- The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
- A Muppet Family Christmas (1987)
- Dog City: The Movie (1989)
- The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson (1990)
- The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
- Muppets Bohemian Rhapsody (2009)
- The Muppets (2011)
- Muppets Most Wanted (2014)
- Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021)
- Muppets Mayhem (2023)
- The Muppet Show Special (2026)
BOTTOM 5
- She Drives Me Crazy (1994)
- Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree (1995)
- Kermit’s Swamp Years (2002)
- Muppets’ Wizard of Oz (2005)
- Studio DC (2008)
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by Mike Boon
