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The Muppet Show returned as a half-hour special on February 4, 2026, on Disney+ and ABC, bringing Kermit, Miss Piggy, and the ensemble back to the original Muppet Theatre. Reviews describe a familiar backstage variety-show plot—sketches, songs, and theatrical disorder—given contemporary staging and a more sentimental finish.
What is The Muppet Show (2026)?
Disney presented the program as a special event, not an announced season of a new series. Its official synopsis sends Kermit, Miss Piggy, and the Muppets back to their original theatre, with Sabrina Carpenter as the guest. The special was directed by Alex Timbers. Disney’s announcement also lists Seth Rogen and Maya Rudolph as guests, alongside executive producers including Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Alex McAtee, David Lightbody, Leigh Slaughter, Michael Steinbach, Carpenter, Albertina Rizzo, Matt Vogel, and Eric Jacobson.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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The Muppet Show: Season 1 | $47.58 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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The Muppet Show: Season 3 | $29.64 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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The Muppet Show: Season 2 | $49.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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The Muppet Show: Seasons 1-3 | $169.93 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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The Muppet Show: Seasons 1-3 DVD set & It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie DVD | $193.89 | Buy on Amazon |
The original Jim Henson-created series ran from 1976 to 1981 and aired in more than 100 countries, according to Disney’s announcement. Disney said all five original seasons were on Disney+ when it published that announcement; that statement does not establish current access in every territory.
Where can you watch it?
The special premiered on Disney+ and ABC in the United States on February 4, 2026, according to Disney. The cited announcement confirms those premiere platforms, but not present-day availability in every country. Check local listings and the Disney+ catalog for your region.
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What happens in the special?
The episode uses an overbooked production as its backstage through-line: familiar characters gather, acts are cut, and the show presses on through variety segments. The following recap details are reported by critics rather than presented as firsthand viewing.
Songs, sketches, and backstage chaos
In the Los Angeles Times, Robert Lloyd highlights Miss Piggy’s “Aphrodite” number, Carpenter singing “Manchild” and “Islands in the Stream,” a Muppet Labs sketch, and a Gonzo stunt. TheWrap’s Jesse Hassenger also describes Carpenter appearing in backstage material and several musical numbers. The critics frame the production numbers as a mix of elaborate puppetry and silly, vaudeville-style comedy.
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Rats, hecklers, and the finale
Lloyd notes a “Blinding Lights” number performed by Rizzo and other rats, staged with music-video effects, as well as Statler and Waldorf’s familiar heckling. He identifies Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” as the finale. Lloyd finds the ending’s sentimental Kermit speech and Queen finish less characteristic of the original show’s tone than the backstage variety structure that precedes them.
Does it feel like the original?
Broadly, yes: the theatre setting, backstage plot, sketches, musical acts, and comic disorder draw on the format that made the original recognizable. The Los Angeles Times review treats that familiar structure as successful, while TheWrap’s review calls the special promising and delightful, praising the puppetry and production numbers.
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The return is not a strict recreation. Lloyd points to a wider aspect ratio, cinematic effects, music-video styling, and a mostly human audience that includes Rudolph. Those choices update the presentation without replacing the puppet-centered acts. The ending also leans more openly sentimental than the classic backstage silliness, a contrast both reviews make in different ways.
Who gets the spotlight?
Carpenter is the central guest, participating in songs and backstage scenes rather than appearing only as a detached musical act. The veteran Muppet performers named by Disney are Bill Barretta, Dave Goelz, Eric Jacobson, Peter Linz, David Rudman, and Matt Vogel. Disney notes that Goelz performed on the original series and created Gonzo and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew.
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Hassenger says the special mainly follows Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, and Gonzo, with Pepe and Bobo also getting lines. His criticism is one of capacity: in a half-hour, there is limited room for the wider ensemble. TheWrap sees promise in pairing experienced puppeteers with new talent, segments, and characters, but this brief installment cannot give everyone equal weight.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What did viewers and critics make of it?
Disney reported that the special reached 7.58 million viewers across ABC and Disney+ during its first eight days of multiplatform viewing, describing that total as “nearly 8 million.” The company also reported more than 125 million hours of viewing for the Muppets franchise on Disney+; that is franchise-wide viewing, not hours spent watching this special. Disney reported a 98% Tomatometer score on February 13, 2026, a dated snapshot that can change. These are company-reported figures, not independently verified audience measurements in the cited material. See Disney’s announcement.
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- Own the complete Muppet show in one bundle - seasons 1-3 plus a bonus Christmas movie.
The two cited reviews support a positive but qualified reading: the format and comic rhythms are recognizable, while modern staging and an emotionally explicit ending make this a return rather than a replica. That synthesis reflects these two critics, not universal critical agreement.
Is a full revival coming?
TheWrap described the special as a one-off, with more specials or a full series possible. The cited reporting does not establish a later renewal or cancellation, so it is not accurate to call this the start of an ordered revival season.
Quick Recap
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