It’s official, THE MUPPETS are coming to prime time television this fall on ABC and their panel at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con helped set the stage for what promises to be a hilarious return to the small screen!
Getting the Muppets on TV took Bill Prady (“Big Bang Theory”) ten years to achieve, but it’s well worth the wait. He was joined on the stage by Bob Kushell (“The Simpsons”), Randall Einhorn (“The Office”) as well as Muppeteers Bill Barretta (Pepe & Rowlf), Dave Goelz (Gonzo), Steve Whitmire (Kermit & Rizzo), and Eric Jacobson (Fozzy & Miss Piggy) who brought some felty friends along for the journey!
In a rare occurrence, the puppeteers sat visible with their Muppets in hand, and interacted in character with one another. The talent these men have in improvisation, comedy, puppetry, and voice acting is untouchable, which made for the most hilarious panel at Comic-Con!
Attendees were treated to the 10 minute video special was filmed to originally pitch the show to ABC (the footage can’t be legally broadcasted and the audience were the only other people in the world to see it.) The short film featured celebrity cameos from Elizabeth Banks and Topher Grace, and maintained the same satirical Muppet humor that we all know and love.
By far, one of the most memorable and hilarious panels of the entire Con!
What is the show about?
The Muppets will bring the lovable cast to the small screen like you’ve never seen them before; while appropriate for all ages, the show’s humor is geared to adults.
The focus will around Miss Piggy’s late night talk show UP LATE WITH MISS PIGGY. Each Muppet has a different job at the show (Rizzo will be a writer, Sam Eagle is head of broadcasting, Swedish Chef is craft services, etc). Since it set in the Los Angeles area, you have a chance to see them filming all over Southern California.
Panelist Randall Einhorn, who worked on The Office will be doing THE MUPPETS in the same hand-held shaky camera style, complete with confessional/aside interviews. The overall goal of the show’s producers is to make the Muppets look like they are actually seamlessly part of our real world.
What’s new with the characters?
Gonzo is going to try online dating, Rowlf owns a bar, Fozzy is dating a Cuban girl, and Kermit and Miss Piggy HAVE SPLIT UP! You can also expect to see a bunch of obscure Muppets from throughout the years with some new ones too, including Kermit’s new fling Denise.
THE MUPPETS premieres on Tuesday, September 22nd on ABC at 8pm.
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