Fred White Once again, I look forward to a new show only to be disappointed by someone's new take of a classic (my last disappointment was Hawaii Five-O). I don't mind things being updated, but when writers screw with things that worked well like the most recent Muppet films, it's hard to take notice how bad it is.First, The Muppets had a clean humor that appealed to every range. The humor in this show appeals more to the 18-34 crowd only.Second, they are not mimicking a style that fresh. It's a style that has been done for about 10 years or so and it's even old now. If they wanted to do something that fit The Muppets more, they should have looked at the movies and then Glee, rather than Modern Family.Third, they use guest stars poorly. They most always play themselves. You should have a big name play some whacky character that you would not expect him/her play.That pretty much covers it. It's seems like a show with no identity or originality.

Wizard-8 Several weeks back, I caught the first episode of this new series. I was pretty let down by the results. But I decided to stick with it for a little while, seeing that sometimes it takes a few episodes for a show to find its groove, and because my love for the Muppets goes way back to when I was a child.I've now seen several more episodes, and to be quite frank, the show doesn't seem to have improved. One of the big problems with the show is that the Muppets on this show don't seem like the Muppets that we once knew. Kermit is now a spineless wimp. Miss Piggy is very mean- spirited and without a vulnerable side. Fozzie Bear now has a human girlfriend, and it's hinted he has sex with her.That last observation about Fozzie Bear brings up another problem with the show - trying to have an adult "edge". I can't speak for everyone, but I think the show's attempts at adult innuendo is, well, both wrong and weird. References to drugs, sex, alcohol, and other such topics seem out of place for these characters. I can understand wanting to appeal to adults, but the ironic thing is that the original Muppet show back in the 1970s appealed to both kids AND adults even though it was squeaky clean. Actually, I might have accepted the more adult tone and the changed characters had the show been funny, but it isn't. While I have occasionally laughed at one of this show's gags, most of the attempts at humor have been lame and obvious. One reason for this may be that the show is more cynical in nature and seems reluctant to have the joy and innocence the original show had. The downbeat nature makes it hard for the writers (or audience) to have any fun.Worst of all, my favorite Muppet, Rowlf, has been demoted to a bit part! Anyway, as I said in my summary line, this show is a real disappointment. I won't be surprised if it's cancelled at the end of the season.

Rob_Taylor The four episodes I've seen so far are as close to torture as I'm ever likely to come and I have no desire for more.See, I haven't watched the Muppet Show for many, many years, so I reasoned that, with this new show, I would have no real nostalgic bias against it. Boy was I wrong! The Muppets utterly misses the point of what made the Muppet Show good. In an effort to try and make the show more adult-themed, it forgot that the adults that would be watching it are likely all fans of the Muppet Show from years ago. Those fans would have certain expectations. Expectations that, as it turns out, are completely ignored.Now, I like Bill Prady's work, so I think the intent was a good one. But he has clearly missed the mark. As I watched the pseudo-reality show take on the Muppets, all I felt was sadness and depression. The new show, with its Muppets updated and more adult-oriented, is just direly boring to watch. All of the fun has been sucked out of them and what is left are cynical shells of the original characters.Still, I persevered through the first three episodes, struggling to find a root cause for lack of enjoyment. It wasn't until the fourth show, however, that I understood what it was that was so wrong with the new version.See, in episode four, the Muppets goes to a bar and there is a karaoke night going on. The Muppets join in and.......suddenly they were fun again. The simple addition of music and singing totally transformed the dreary behind-the-scenes reality nature of the cast and made them fun once more. Of course, the karaoke was short lived, and likewise so was the fun. Soon enough it was back to the tedium.Intrigued, I got hold of some of the original show episodes and watched one at random. As well as being immediately familiar to my old memories, it was indeed the music that made the show. Very little of the original series was without music of some sort and each episode had several music and dance numbers. Seeing Sylvester Stallone sing and dance "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" with a giant Muppet lion is not to be missed! That, then, is what the new show lacks. Fun. Sure, there are jokes, some adult humour and the occasional smile to be raised. But there is no actual fun in the series.So, apart from missing the point completely, is there anything good about The Muppets? Well, I can honestly see what they thought they were doing. This isn't a remake of the Muppet Show. It's a reboot. Same characters, different script and a totally different feel. However, without the fun element, which was what the Muppets were all about, it is a hollow effort.If you then add in the slightly-off voice work (still very good) and the reality, shaky cam shots, this is like watching a Bluray extra on the making of the Muppets.All they need to do is stop trying so hard. The Muppets could be good, if they add in some more music routines, stop making Kermit such a depressive sad case and remember that fun doesn't have to be edgy.SUMMARY: Totally misses the point of the Muppets. Little singing, little dancing, depressive reality-based nature. No damn fun! Not a good direction to take the Muppets in. Jim Henson is probably spinning in his grave.

John Tester I watched the first three episodes and got nothing but disappointment, one after another. The creators of this series managed to take one of the best shows ever and make something not worth watching. This has absolutely nothing to do with the original series. It has no true sense of humor in it. It is just full of sexual innuendos. And that even is not anywhere close to being funny. Certainly not fit for kids under 15. The muppets voices are mediocre, the scenario and direction all fall short compared to the original show. If you want your kids to watch something really good, just let them watch the original show or the movies. There is simply no comparison.