2026 has been a fairly tumultuous year so far, but for those of us that love Jim Henson’s iconic creations, there’s been something to look forward to. At the start of February, we were treated to a revival of The Muppet Show (1976), guest starring one of the biggest current names in music, Sabrina Carpenter!
Even if you’ve never seen any Muppets films or TV shows, you should hopefully know who they are. First appearing in a sketch show called Sam and Friends (1955) back in the 1950s, then being used in Sesame Street (1969) and various advertisements, the Muppets finally got their own series in 1976 with The Muppet Show. They blew up in popularity, attracting acclaim and attention and even appearances from the biggest stars of the time, such as Elton John, Debbie Harry, Julie Andrews, Alice Cooper, Sylvester Stallone and many others.
This new special is an absolute bundle of joy
And with this new episode of The Muppet Show, hopefully the start of a full-blown revival, we have half-an-hour of heartwarming Muppet chaos to prove that if something isn’t broken, there’s no need to fix it.
This revival of The Muppet Show does come with a degree of self-awareness - as many of the characters acknowledge, they haven’t done an episode of the show in many years and, as a result, are a little rusty. It’s unclear whether this is also an attempt to cover up that dear old Kermit doesn’t sound right. Matt Vogel voices him here and let’s just say that he’s no Jim Henson or even a Steve Whitmire.
Apart from that bit of unintentional rustiness though, this new special is an absolute bundle of joy. The formula of the show is largely unchanged, and Sabrina Carpenter looks like she’s genuinely having the time of her life getting to sing her own song Manchild (2025), as well as Islands in The Stream (1983) with both Kermit and Miss Piggy, the latter of whom she has a fun diva rivalry with throughout the episode.
The Muppets have lost none of their humour or appeal
The old gags are met with nostalgic adoration, and the new elements that the special includes (such as the off-kilter eyeball gags with Maya Rudolph) are all wonderfully weird and funny. Within seconds, you’re laughing at Kermit’s excited yells, Gonzo’s stunt going horribly wrong, or Bunsen Honeydew making Beaker’s eyes pop out. It is a little weird to see Rizzo the Rat singing The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights (2020), but I love that the Muppets are able to bring modern songs and jokes into the show without changing the formula or, more importantly, losing the essence of what makes the Muppets so special.
And as the Muppets drew the special to a close with a rambunctious singalong to Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now (1978), we can only hope that, now that The Muppet Show has started again, it doesn’t stop. Despite being in HD and featuring big stars and songs of the time, the Muppets have lost none of their humour or appeal, and the smile they put on your face is infectious.