When the Muppets Met Sabrina Carpenter: A hopeful revival
Image IGN
Written by Cameron Cade; edited by Charlotte Lewis
A familiar format returns and shows that straightforward is, sometimes, better
For a medium that is built on suspension of disbelief, puppetry has always felt incredibly earnest. There's something very simple and engaging about getting a felt creature attached to you by the buttocks to say something silly or raunchy.
Jim Henson's Muppets were the pinnacle of this medium and the testament to the “reality” of these creatures. You can barely throw an anthropomorphic rock without hearing stories about acclaimed actors forgetting that the Muppets were actually controlled by a bunch of hippie puppeteers and were not, in fact, other actors.
Cut to the modern day, where The Muppets have been sitting in a Disney warehouse somewhere being forgotten while having 1 or 2 characters dragged out for the occasional Game Awards segment. Until now…
Image - Rolling Stone
The Muppet Show’s triumphant, almost-pilot, comeback show starring Pop Star Sabrina Carpenter, the show’s Executive Producer, Seth Rogen, and a cameo appearance from Maya Rudolph, was a surprise in how risky it was. Following the exact format as the original show, with The Muppets hosting a classic variety show (how many kids will know what one of those is?) with a loose A and B plot occurring as context.
In fact, I was a little worried at the start because of this. In my head, the idea that Disney executives allowed a new Muppet Show that replicated the old format, as opposed to one of their attempts to parody modern television (like ABC’s The Muppets), there was no way that there wasn’t executive meddling somewhere in this. The all-too familiar Disney Channel TV canned laughter was much more discomforting than the more natural canned laughter from the original run to the point I’m surprised they didn’t just scrap the laughter altogether. Things were not looking good.
Then, Sabrina Carpenter’s first segment begins and suddenly that all slips away. Performing a rendition of her country-inspired “Manchild” in a dive bar in which she assaults a group of rowdy bar patrons. Suddenly all those initial concerns disappear. Something about the flailing arms of a Muppet as it is chucked across a room or has a bottle broken across is reassuring to the Muppet-loving child in my heart.
Image Disney Plus
It's hard to overstate how important Sabrina Carpenter’s presence is to this revival. Her lighthearted persona and playful stage presence mixes perfectly with the chaos of The Muppets. In each of her scenes. I struggle to think of another celebrity who could’ve been a better choice, she fits so naturally and even the fact that she was considered as the first guest is a great sign that the showrunners, if they are given the chance to take this to series, know exactly what made The Muppet Show so timeless.
The comeback show unfortunately struggles at points. Some jokes fight for their life to land and overstay their welcome, one-liners become multi-liners as the Muppets forcefully explain jokes. The canned laughter only makes this worse and makes me feel like I’m watching one of the poorer quality Disney Channel shows.
It never feels like it’s struggling for too long. More like the show is finding its feet again after so many years. It’s a good sign really. At its core, The Muppet Show premise still works, now might be time to find where it fits in the modern day. If it gets given the chance…