It looks like the Muppets will be back again for Christmas. The NBC television special will star Whoopi Goldberg, "The Sopranos" alums Tony Sirico and Steve Schirripa, "Harry Potter" regular Richard Griffiths and Madison Pettis as well as your favorite cast of colorful characters created by Jim Henson.I'm a huge fan of the Muppets, but the passing of Jim Henson did somehow lessen the franchise. The stuff they've produced since has been hit-and-miss. I liked Muppets Tonight and It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, but most of the other stuff (especially the theatrical films) have fallen flat.
I do hope that Jason Segal and Nicholas Stoller will be able to breathe new life into the franchise. I did enjoy Forgetting Sarah Marshall (particularly the puppet musical), but I'm not sure how well that translates to the Muppets. My fingers are crossed.
How dare Jim Henson leave us all like this! I'm sorry. I still haven't gotten over it.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-08-2008 @ 1:14PM
Mike said...
Why is this on NBC? If Disney/ABC is so into revitalizing the Muppets, the brand that they own why would they sell it to another Network?
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9-09-2008 @ 11:06AM
Franklin said...
If you're a Muppets fan like me, you'll just be glad to get some fresh Muppets entertainment, but that's a good question I'm curious about, too. I do have to agree with Brad that after Jim Henson passed, something died within the magic of Muppetland.
9-09-2008 @ 2:37AM
Joe Coughlin said...
And why won't any network just rerun "Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas" again? It's a classic that still holds up.
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9-16-2008 @ 12:38PM
Courtney said...
Sorry if this posts twice, but I fully agree with your assessment that the muppets are going downhill since Jim Henson died. Instead of clever, we're going toward more obvious less-funny humor. Kermit seems to be the new Mickey Mouse instead of his slightly sarcastic, lovably irritable self! Just look at the two newest TV movies: The Wizard of Oz and A Very Merry Muppet Christmas were TERRIBLE! Maybe they need to lean less on the guest stars...I don't know. But I just wish it'd get better!
I do have hope for Jason Segal, though.
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