When I was a kid, I adored The Muppet Show (still do now that I’m almost 50). For 30 minutes once a week, I would be silent, sitting in front of the TV, and I soaked up all the crazy characters, madcap mayhem, and famous faces. Well, The Muppet Show is back to celebrate 50 years since the show began in 1976. I guess it’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights as I take a look at the return of one of my childhood favourite shows.

The first thing that I need to address is that this is not a new series. The Muppet Show (2026) is just a one-off special to mark the 50th anniversary of the original. However, it is hoped that if this is successful, that a new series will be made.  The Muppets have graced our TV screens a few times over the years, in one form or another. There was Muppets Tonight (1996-1998) and it was a kind of “sequel” to the original show with Kermit and the gang now running a TV studio. It was okay, but didn’t quite capture the original’s magic. The Muppets (2015) was a mocumentary-style comedy about trying to make a new The Muppets TV show. An interesting idea, but nothing like what fans loved about the characters. Then there was Muppets Now (2020) and this one was an “unscripted” and “improvised” (it wasn’t, it was fully scripted) with each episode featuring multiple segments such as Miss Piggy’s lifestyle tips, Pepe hosting a gameshow, the Swedish Chef’s cooking contests against celebrity chefs, etc.

Yep, there have been various The Muppets TV shows over the years, all with different formats and styles. Yet, The Muppet Show (2026) is a return to the original. This is the first time since 1981, when the original show ended, that The Muppet Show title and format has been used. The Muppets are back in the original theatre… well, in-universe original theatre. I’m pretty sure that it is not the same set, nor is it filmed in the same location (Elstree Studios, England) as the original. But for the characters in the show, they are back where it all began 50 years ago.

What The Muppet Show (2026) does right is, it very sensibly keeps things just as they were. There’s no updating for a “modern audience” and the format is exactly as it ever was. You get an episode-long special guest star. In this case, Sabrina Carpenter. You get backstage shenanigans, irreverent humour, music and singing, things going wrong, and Miss Piggy being a complete diva. Honestly, this feels more like a lost episode from 50 years ago than something that was filmed recently… save for the fact that Sabrina Carpenter wasn’t born until 1999.

The Muppet Show (2026) absolutely nails what it set out to do, respect the original show and respect the fans of the original show. I felt like a kid again as I sat there to watch this (three times). Everything that I adored about the original show is here. My favourite Muppets, the stupid humour, the singing, everything is here just as I remember it… and I don’t have to recall faded memories because the original The Muppet Show is on Disney+ and I’ve been rewatching episodes with my 8-year-old daughter, and she loves it just like I did.

Unlike the other attempts at bringing The Muppets back to our TV screens by updating and modernising the format and the characters over the years, The Muppet Show (2026) keeps things as close to the original as possible. Why? Because The Muppet Show (aside from the special guests) is timeless. That original series is still funny, still enjoyable, and still entertaining for kids and adults, just ask my daughter and me. You don’t need to mess with something that works and The Muppet Show works 50 years after it first aired.

That is not to say this special does not have issues, it does. The big one that a lot of people are complaining about is Kermit’s voice. It is “off” and does not sound like classic Kermit. However, I got over that after about five minutes and just enjoyed the ride. The voice is Kermit enough to make me forget about the difference. People have also been complaining that The Muppet Show (2026) has some “adult jokes”. Okay, so they’re not “adult” like a Ricky Gervais live show packed with swearing and such. They’re adult jokes that are subtle, will fly over the heads of kids and land with the grown-ups. I’m not sure why this is such an issue when the original show did exactly the same thing. Did you know that Jim Henson made two pilots to get The Muppet Show made? The first was episode was called The Muppets Valentine Show and the second was titled The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence. It was always Jim’s intention for The Muppets to had a slight adult edge to them. The Muppet Show (2026) keeps Jim’s wishes alive and maintains the “adult” edge.

On a more personal note, I don’t think that Sabrina Carpenter was the best choice for the big star guest. Sticking with the personal thing, I had no idea who she was. This is not some snobbery “she’s not famous enough” thing, I had no idea who a lot of the guests were during the original run. It’s more a case of, from my personal view, bringing back the show for a 50th anniversary should have warranted a call-back to a classic guest star, I think a giant like Elton John, Steve Martin, John Cleese, Alice Cooper, Sylvester Stallone, one of the original guests would’ve been more suited for a 50th anniversary. I do know why Sabrina was the guest, she’s an executive producer on the show.

But other personal issue. There was no updated Mahna Mahna. How can you bring The Muppets back and not have a new version of the brilliant Mahna Mahna? I did spot the characters in the background of this special, so they’re still hanging around the Muppet Theatre. Mahna Mahna was, and still is, a massive fan-favourite sketch and song. A call-back to that first proper (not a pilot) episode would’ve been the icing on the cake.

Even so, and my asinine niggles aside, The Muppet Show (2026) is utterly brilliant. A passionate love letter to fans of the original show and proof positive of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Kermit: “You know, we are so excited to be back on the very stage where it all started, and then ended, and then, is maybe starting again depending on how tonight goes.”

Oh, I hope it is starting again, Kermit. The 50th anniversary special was amazing, the acclaim and great reviews have been rolling in, and Disney would be insane not to bring The Muppet Show back as a full series.