The Muppet Show Trailer Is a Welcome Mix of Fuzzy Nostalgia and Contemporary Bite 

In the year of our Lord 2026, everything old is new again, but sometimes that’s not actually all that much of a problem. Case in point, Disney’s forthcoming revival of The Muppet Show, which is arriving at precisely the moment we all really, really need it to. It’s exactly a secret that the world isn’t doing all that great at the moment, and what better antidote for our collective anxiety could there be than the return of the famous Jim Henson characters who’ve held our hands through uncomfortable moments before. (No, I don’t have “The Rainbow Connection” playing in the background right now, why do you ask?) 

The original The Muppet Show technically only ran between 1976 and 1981, but it’s a series that still casts a long shadow, with its famous guests, mystical numbers, puppet-based stunts, and behind-the-scenes antics. Henson’s famous felt creatures have gone on to star in everything from television one-offs and specials to feature films (The Great Muppet Caper is untouchable, and I will not be taking questions at this time). Disney’s been trying to bring the franchise back into the mainstream pop cultural zeitgeist for several years now, with varying degrees of success. The 2011 film The Muppets (a.k.a. The One with Jason Segel) was cute enough, but The Office-style mockumentary series Muppets Now largely felt tonally wrong for the franchise we all loved and hands up if you even remember that 

Happily, Disney’s taking things back to basics with this pilot, which feels like nothing so much as a slicker, more expensive (and expansive) version of the original we all loved. This pseudo pilot episode, clearly a test run to see if the format can still attract viewers, will feature guest appearances by Sabrina Carpenter, Maya Rudolph, Seth Rogen, and pretty much every Muppet you can think of.

The tone is perfect, the clip full of backstage commentary and familiar Muppet-based antics, like  Gonzo’s death-defying stunts and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew’s disastrous experiments. But the trailer also indicates a sly self-awareness about who’s most likely to be watching the show, including some contemporary humor right alongside its silliest and most old-school antics. We see Carpenter, Kermit, and Pepe the King Prawn share an arch exchange that references the singer’s slightly racy stage shows, signaling that everyone involved knows the audience is full of grown-ups who are not only all in on the joke, but generally unbothered by a hint of adult humor. 

But, honestly, this whole thing could have just been several minutes of Miss Piggy swanning around backstage in a turban, and I suspect we would have all been fine with it. Play the music and light the lights, indeed. 

The Muppet Show premieres February 4, 2026, on Disney+ and ABC.