Muppets return with televised series
by ALEXANDER MORENO
Starting off strong on its first season, the television series “The Muppets” has captured the attention of old and modern fans alike with its new twist.
As a show-within-a-show, the series is set in Los Angeles and depicts the professional and personal lives of The Muppets. They work in a production called “Up Late with Miss Piggy”; a fictional late-night talk show starring Miss Piggy (voiced by Eric Jacobson) with Kermit the Frog (voiced by Steve Whitmire) as her show’s executive producer.
The show includes a number of diverse characters whose personalities build onto each other. The newest Muppet, Denise (voiced by Julianne Buescher), plays a crucial part on the show as a dramatic foil of Piggy, whose tough attitude stimulates drama in the show.
The biggest strength that the series offers is the comedy which viewers laugh at. This provides relief when The Muppets are going through Piggy’s tantrums.
The most common criticism of “The Muppets” from fans and critics of the new show is Kermit’s rudeness. For, example, he made fat jokes about Piggy and snapped at Animal (voiced by Eric Jacobson). Despite this condemnation, one of the major points of “The Muppets” is to show viewers different personalities of the Muppets. For example, Kermit acts timid when on set of his TV show, but when the show is not filming, he is very serious.
Developed by Bill Prady and Jim Henson and directed by Randall Einhorn, “The Muppets” marks the second time that Prady has attempted to revive The Muppets since “Muppets Tonight,” which was canceled in 1998 after two seasons.
The Muppets have grown in popularity since being created by Henson in 1955. For example, Muppet-inspired puppets star in the 2004 Tony Award-winning Broadway musical “Avenue Q.” Peter Jackson’s film, “Meet the Feebles” is another parody of The Muppets and television shows such as “The Simpsons,” “Family Guy” and “Robot Chicken” have referenced The Muppets.
Developments in camera technology allow The Muppets to venture out into the world in a way that was previously impossible. According to Rollingstone.com, there is no green screen nor computer-generated imagery (CGI); what we are seeing on the screen is all in the show.
The show airs every Tuesday at 8 p.m. ABC.