TV review: The Muppet Show (2026)

(PG) ★★★★

Director: Alex Timbers.

Cast: Bill Barretta, Dave Goelz, Eric Jacobson, Peter Linz, David Rudman, Matt Vogel, Sabrina Carpenter, Maya Rudolph, Seth Rogen.

Spot the human.

There were three reasons Jim Henson subtitled the first episode of The Muppet Show "Sex & Violence" back in 1976.

Firstly, it got your attention. Secondly, it's a wonderfully absurd joke - a family-friendly puppet show wasn't going to feature the kind of sex and violence you think of when you hear the phrase "sex and violence".

But thirdly, the OG series (1976-1981) did actually feature sex and violence, albeit in a very Muppet kind of way. The endless slapstick of Mad Harry's explosions and Miss Piggy's karate chop is hilarious and, well, violent. And if you don't think there's any sex in the Muppets, rewatch the original series and report back.

This 50th anniversary TV special definitely nails the sex and violence - having Sabrina Carpenter sing Manchild amid a bar brawl is vintage Muppets. And that's just the opening number.

But this was the moment in the show when I knew this reboot, spearheaded by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, understood The Muppets and got the brief. The tone is spot-on, but it goes beyond imitation. It understands the mix of song and show that was the Muppets' stock in trade - that wondrous mix of absurdism and vaudevillian humour and pure performance. It's a type of program from a bygone era, and thankfully they don't try to update the formula here. They just lean into it.

And just as the original series isn't flawless, neither is this anniversary show. A segment where Rizzo and his fellow rats sing The Weeknd's Blinding Lights falls very flat, but that wasn't unusual for some of the musical numbers on the show back in the day, so I guess that's in keeping with the original tone.

The gang couldn't have asked for a better guest star than Sabrina Carpenter. Aside from being "so hot right now", her playfulness and willingness to do the silly things is endearing and fun to watch, and she seems right at home in the Muppet Theatre.

Back in the early '80s, I watched the original series religiously with my parents, every Saturday evening. Mum and Dad laughed at different jokes to the ones I laughed it, but we all loved it, evidently for different reasons. 

This time around, I watched it with my 10-year-old, and we both laughed at different jokes and we both loved it. I can't think of a more fitting way to say this is the perfect way to celebrate 50 years of The Muppets.