The Muppets' return to television has not exactly been ideal.
While the 2011 Jason Segel reboot perfectly recaptured the optimism of Jim Henson's series, this new ABC show has been met with a collective groan as the network attempts to make the characters more adult and edgy. The result? Plenty of fans tuned in for one episode and then immediately abandoned ship, unable to handle the idea of Kermit openly discussing his sex life at 8 p.m. on a Tuesday. Just look at the dismal ratings: The Muppets has lost 5 million viewers since its premiere back in September.
But those who gave up should give the show a second chance because as of the series' ninth episode, it is already beginning to right many of its own wrongs, and a truly great new Muppets program is beginning to take shape.
One issue a lot of people had with the first few episodes was that the series was just too cynical. Though Kermit has always been a highly stressed manager overwhelmed with everything happening around him, this reboot seemed to strip away any sense of fun whatsoever. Kermit went out of his way to be downright nasty to his coworkers, whereas with the old Kermit, it was always more akin to tough love. Would the real Kermit go on a diatribe against his writers for being unfunny hacks?
The optimism has slowly returned, though, as evidenced by recent episodes that radiate that old Muppets charm. In "Pig's In A Blackout," Kermit decides to take a day off work after a stressful experience, and when his brief stay at a spa goes awry, he decides he must build for himself a source of happiness. The consistently funny half-hour ends with Kermit singing "Rainbow Connection" in his backyard.
This arc about finding internal joy during the hard times is an utter delight, and it's much more appealing than the bleak outlook the pilot establish. Much like Parks and Recreation started off mocking Leslie Knope's stupidity but morphed into a genuine appreciation of her, The Muppets appears to be gradually and wisely casting away its negativity. Kermit's performance of "Rainbow Connection" is played completely straight without a hint of irony, and that's a promising sign.
Another issue with the early episodes that clearly separated it from The Muppet Show was that there just wasn't much zaniness. Aside from a brief Scooter fight sequence in the premiere, almost nothing that happened couldn't be accomplished with humans. In other words, it felt like someone just reenacted a 30 Rock script with Muppet characters. But what's the point of using puppets if they're going to behave exactly like people?
In the past few weeks, The Muppets has been stepping up the slapstick as well. This week's episode is one of the best yet, focusing all on Gonzo, with plenty of physical comedy right from the opening scene. It ends with a satisfying Gonzo moment when is shot out of a canon. That's something you could only see on a Muppets show. Going back to the positivity, finishing this storyline by having a character achieve his dream and being cheered on by his friend feels exactly right.
Since so much of the laughs in the original series came out of watching the Muppets' show fall apart in front of their eyes, that's been more of a factor in recent episodes too, as in a great plot where Scooter's adjusting of the thermostat leads to the entire studio losing power. Despite this, the gang still manages to put on Up Late with Miss Piggy. This brings in two classic Muppet elements: things going horribly wrong, and the crew pulling through anyway.
Even the adult humor has been fading. In the pilot, all of the the sexual innuendos were just downright distracting and unnecessary. Sure, The Muppet Show had plenty of humor aimed at parents, but there were usually a maximum of one or two of these gags per week. In the premiere of The Muppets, nearly every other joke had something to do with puppet sex: Kermit talking about being attracted to pigs, Fozzie using online dating websites and making a gay joke... It just went on and on and on. The pilot had plenty of elements that did work, but it's hard to blame those who ran for the hills after that.
Recently, the ratio between adult and family humor has been far more balanced, with two or three subtle gags per week that would go over kids' heads, but these no longer feel like the entire basis of the series.
The future of The Muppets is unclear. Likely due to the mixed reviews and poor ratings, ABC has already replaced the showrunner for the remainder of the season. While that would have been good news a few weeks ago, the fact that the show had already begun to improve should give fans pause. When the ship was already steering in the right direction, how off course is Disney about to take us?
While we have it though, it's important that Muppets fans support this series. It's still finding its voice, and there are undoubtedly plenty of issues remaining, but it's great that these characters are on television at all after so many years. Seeing ABC pull the plug just as things were kicking into gear is a very realistic possibility, so if you care about these felt creatures in any way, it's time to show some love.
The Muppets airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC.