‘The Muppets’: Crazy Comedy, Charm and A-List Celebs

Damian Holbrook September 14, 2015, 8:00 am

The Muppets – Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy — THE MUPPETS - ABC's "The Muppets" stars Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy. (ABC/Bob D'Amico)

It may be the most anticipated show of the new season and the most controversial: After nearly 20 years away from TV, Jim Henson’s felt friends are returning to the small screen, but even before filming began, off-camera drama erupted when Kermit and Miss Piggy shocked the world with their breakup. Can pop culture’s most famous interspecies exes make it work? “Oh, sure, sure,” promises Kermit, who is now seeing another pig—ABC’s head of marketing, Denise. “Listen, it can be tough, you know? But there’s [always] a lot of craziness that goes on with a Muppets production.”

He’s not pulling our normal-size legs. Borrowing the docu-comedy style of The Office and Modern Family, The Muppets is a wild behind-the-scenes look at the making of the fictional talk show Up Late With Miss Piggy, featuring LOL-worthy confessionals from the hammy star, her very green, frazzled executive producer and the show’s staff, which includes head writer Gonzo, caterer the Swedish Chef and warm-up comic Fozzie Bear.

Full of A-list guest stars (Reese Witherspoon and Imagine Dragons will pop in, among others), rapid-fire comedy and nostalgic charm, the series also places these beloved characters in more contemporary situations than ever before. “We’re set in the real world, so the characters are living in the same space that you live in,” explains executive producer and creator Bill Prady (The Big Bang Theory), a former Jim Henson protégé. “The notion that you could go to the farmer’s market and run into Floyd and Janice is the feel of the show.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfJkusicBa4

The Muppets, premieres Tuesday, Sept. 22, 8/7c, ABC