Just like Star Trek, Jim Henson’s Muppets belong on television. It’s been well over a 15 years since Kermit and company were on the small screen, but that could finally change thanks to Bill Prady, the co-creator of The Big Bang Theory.
Prady, along with Rob Kushell (Anger Management), is writing a pilot presentation reel. Randall Einhorn (Wilfred) will also executive produce and direct the presentation. Should the series actually happen, Kushell would act as showrunner.
Sources for The Hollywood Reporter say that the potential series is being planned as a variety show, just like the iconic The Muppet Show. The presentation reel, which could be shown at ABC’s upfront presentation for advertisers next month, will include Henson’s famous characters having a meeting with ABC Studios about a new Muppet Show. However, Miss Piggy is a bit apprehensive to sign on and ABC won’t greenlight it until she does.
Deadline also reported that the project is in the works.
Prady is actually a member of the Muppets’ extended family. He worked with Henson in the ‘80s on The Jim Henson Hour and even earned an Emmy nomination for writing the 1991 Henson tribute The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson. He would be able to stay on as an executive producer on Big Bang should the Muppets project get picked up.
The Muppets started on television, but haven’t been featured in a series since Muppets Tonight, which ended in 1998. Disney has outright owned The Muppets since 2004 and released the international hit film The Muppets in 2011. Last year’s Muppets Most Wanted was also a hit, but didn’t earn nearly the same acclaim as the 2011 movie.
Hopefully, this works out. Henson created The Muppets as characters that could bring adults and children together and nothing would help revive that idea more than a new TV series.