Disclosure: Mama Smith was provided with an all expenses paid trip to cover this event. All opinions expressed are 100% her own.
My husband and I are both huge fans of The Muppets – I mean, who isn’t? We have all of the movies and our girls have been watching them since they were born. When we heard the news that a NEW Muppets show was coming to ABC, we both may have freaked out a little bit. My freak out definitely involved dancing around the living room. Then, when I went to the D23 Expo last month, I was lucky enough to attend The Muppets panel. It was the first panel the weekend and really set the bar high. It was hilarious! I was so excited to see all the familiar voices up there on stage – and to have some of my favorite Muppets make an appearance was an experience that I will never forget.
Not only did we hear more about Fozzie Bear’s new girlfriend, what type of species Gonzo is attracted to (spoiler alert, it is pretty much any species), and Kermit & Miss Piggy’s breakup – we also got to see the voices of the Muppets spend some quality time with their fans. Several lucky fans were able to come up on stage and try their hand at muppeteering. They danced to songs like Single Ladies and got tips from the best in the business. I laughed, I cried, and I got goosebumps. It was one of the best panels of the weekend in my opinion – and made me so much more excited for the TV Show than I already was, which I did not think was possible.
I have been blessed this week with the chance to watch not only the first episode of The Muppets, but also the second. This was some of the best “research” I have ever had to do. I have already watched the episodes through twice. They are funnier than I could have even imagined. Usually pilots are “ehhh” and then they get better – but this pilot is great! In this series you go behind the scenes of a new show Up Late with Miss Piggy, which Kermit produces. If you saw the press release, then you know Miss Piggy and Kermit have split, which makes this work environment…difficult. Fozzie is the on-air sidekick and Gonzo and Rizzo are a couple of the writers – and we all know who is in charge of craft services, why Swedish Chef of course! This show is kind of like the original Muppets Show meets The Office. They still have the back stage stuff that we all love and of course our favorite characters all make an appearance. The characters are interviewed on camera for behind the scenes stuff often which is why it reminds me of The Office. There are celebrity guest stars – Elizabeth Banks, Tom Bergeron, (& more) in the first episode and Josh Grobin (& more) in the second. And just wait until you meet Kermit’s new girl! Even if you did not love the original Muppets (shame on you) or *gasp* don’t know much about them – you should tune in tonight. You will not be disappointed!
Be sure to tune in to ABC tonight – September 22 – at 8pm to see this show for yourself!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfJkusicBa4
“The Muppets” is co-created and executive-produced by Bill Prady (“The Big Bang Theory”) and Bob Kushell (“3rd Rock From the Sun”). Randall Einhorn (“The Office”), Bill Barretta (“Muppets Most Wanted”), Debbie McClellan (The Muppets Studio) and Kyle Laughlin (The Muppets Studio) are also executive producers. “The Muppets” is produced by ABC Studios and The Muppets Studio.
Connect with The Muppets on Social Media:
Website: http://abc.go.com/shows/the-muppets/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMuppetsABC
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheMuppetsABC
Instagram: https://instagram.com/themuppetsabc
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/themuppetsabc/
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/109481408710240260011/about
tumblr: http://themuppetsabc.tumblr.com/
Vine: https://vine.co/u/1208181525854687232
Follow the cast to live tweet and more:
Kermit the Frog: @KermitTheFrog
Miss Piggy: @MissPiggy
Fozzie Bear: @FozzieBear
Gonzo: @GonzotheGreat
Rizzo: @Rizzo
Electric Mayhem: @ElectricMayhem
Pepe the King Prawn: @SpicyPrawn
Bill Prady: @billprady
Bob Kushell: @bobkushell
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.