Professional Moldy Fig/Curmudgeon
The original Muppet Show came out in the 70s, when the variety show was having its last breath on TV.
"They say I'm old fashioned, and live in the past, but sometimes I think progress progresses too fast."
Raven Wilder
It premiered the same year as Saturday Night Live, which was extra variety-ish in it's early seasons.
"It takes an idiot to do cool things, that's why it's cool" - Haruhara Haruko
Jim Henson even contributed a bit to the first season of SNL, It was apparently a bad fit, though, as he didn't like being there and they didn't much like having him there.
I've always loved the idea of the Muppets keeping the essential idea but changing formats as the years went on: first a Vaudeville-esque variety show, then a Tonight Show-esque variety show, then a Mock Reality Show / 30 Rock-esque sitcom, etc.
I guess the next step, especially if it's going to be a streamed series, is a parody of a stream/internet-based network. The downside is that that format doesn't lend itself much to the behind the scenes humor that the Muppets is built upon.
edited 24th Feb '18 8:13:41 PM by KnownUnknown
"The difference between reality and fiction is that fiction has to make sense." - Tom Clancy, paraphrasing Mark Twain.
I love and hate this. One one hand, they're continuing this troubled romance between Kermit and Piggy from the show, which seems a lot more realistic than anyone was hoping. But on the other hand, that show is considerred a failure, and I was hoping they wouldn't consider it canon.
The Muppets are taking London now.
So, first Hollywood, now London...guessing the next one will be New York.
We don't have a thread for the Muppet Babies revival, but it appears to be donig very well, and from what I seen of the show, it's got a tad more clever humor than I realized.
Muppets Now, a series of shorts will be on Disney+ in 2020.
The Disney+ miniseries, Muppets Live Another Day, from Josh Gad and the showrunners of Once Upon A Time, just got canned due to creative differences between the three guys and David Lightbody. 
We're still getting Muppets Now, so silver linings.
Not a cat
Hey question, was a replacement performer for Rizzo ever announced?
If I had a nickel for every film where Emma Stone falls off a balcony... I'd only have two nickels, but weird that there's two of them.
I don't believe so. I hope he shows up again at some point...
So you guys wondering why The Muppet Show isn't on Disney+ by now? Or why we barely get new Muppet stuff at all?
Apparently, it's due to a lack of interest from Bob Iger...
Here's hoping the new CEO will have more of an interest for the guys...
Mighty No. 51345
Muppets was brilliant and everyone still rags on it.
Mega Man fanatic extraordinaire
Both recent movies were equally really good in different ways, imo.
I guess this is good news? Here's hoping the new CEO cares for them more.
I've been constantly disgusted with the way Disney treats the Muppets and Jim Henson's legacy in general, so this isn't a surprise.
"The difference between reality and fiction is that fiction has to make sense." - Tom Clancy, paraphrasing Mark Twain.
The Muppets YouTube channel just posted a video of Kermit performing "Rainbow Connection."
Oh, boy. Never heard that one before.
"The difference between reality and fiction is that fiction has to make sense." - Tom Clancy, paraphrasing Mark Twain.
Not a cat
Matt Vogel is improving.
If I had a nickel for every film where Emma Stone falls off a balcony... I'd only have two nickels, but weird that there's two of them.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAaYh0-ng9X/?igshid=1x5uo96cgsbog
Muppets Now is coming to Disney+ on July 31.
Here's the trailer for Muppets Now.
I really, really wish they'd made Joe from Legal a mouse and not an otter.
"The difference between reality and fiction is that fiction has to make sense." - Tom Clancy, paraphrasing Mark Twain.
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Making him a mouse would probably be a little too on the nose.
Besides, he's not an otter. He's a weasel. And an attorney. Which is the same thing.
HA HA HA HA! HA HA HA HA HA! HA HA HA HA HA HA!
(*ahem*)
If he were a mouse, it would be a nice nod to Peter Linz' role as Tutter , but with a very different personality.
The variety-stage show was long dead when they did the original Muppet Show.