Os Muppets

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.

"The Muppets" is a new show, presented in the style of "30 Rock" or other behind-the-scenes mockumentaries. It features Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy and all the other Muppets creations we have come to love. But this show is aimed at an older audience.

As always, much of the humor comes from the timeless characterizations (forms and personalities). How could you not love an imperious pig or an everyman frog? Not to mention the rest of the puppet cast, from a bear to a beaker.

We have enjoyed these creatures for so long that it is easy to take them for granted. The puppeteering and voice artistry are first rate. And I love the various ways they create the illusion that the Muppets are independent beings operating under their own power.

The writing is standard Muppets fare--clever and topical. You can practically hear the rimshots after some lines.

As in other Muppets shows, they interact with guest artists (Laurence Fishburne, Lea Thompson, Josh Groban and Jay Leno were in one episode). You can tell they are having a blast. So did I.

If you enjoy the muppets as I do, you will enjoy this show. Nothing ground breaking but a pretty fun mockumentary.

I don't usually review TV series because if the show is still running I can't judge it in its' complete form and if it has ended there will already be many reviews which reflect my opinion. This is a special case because the Muppets have a significant place in my heart and because I find all the sanctimonious outrage surrounding this latest series of the show absolutely terrifying, here's why. Crazies from the far left ("progressives" is their ill-informed banner of choice) and far right maniacs ("conservatives" . . . slightly less ill-informed yet no less crazy) have managed to join forces with a large segment of the unwashed masses who've somehow managed to keep their heads submerged in quicksand underneath the most immotile of boulders, even in the year 2015.

The gist of what people are complaining about - "Kermit is a misogynist with mental health issues, poor Ms Piggy the strong independent woman has been besmirched by drug addled white cis male writers intent on curbing diversity and perpetuating harmful gender stereotypes AND the entire cast would make participants in a Roman orgy blush . . . wont somebody think of the CHILDREN!" etc.

What planet are these people living on? Are you so old that you don't remember being a child? Don't you let them go outside, attend school, interact with social media or the internet, TV, films, literature . . . anything? Have you managed to successfully wrap them in sound and light proofed bubble wrap since birth and are so far off the grid that child services hasn't intervened? If so, well done and I'm sorry your assumptions of what is currently deemed suitable for general audiences was misinformed, you should crawl back to your vault under a mountain now and never return for your own sake and those of us unfortunate enough to live on the surface who must deal with reality.

If not then you are either the biggest hypocrite to ever steal oxygen to complain about this topical yet mild and inoffensive comedy show which is suitable for all ages whilst buying your 6 year old daughter apparel which would be too flamboyant for Miley Cyrus for their beauty pageants and a smartphone to take their sluttish selfies with and plaster all over social media before acting shocked that pedophiles exist and have invited her to their home to catch up on keeping up with the Kardashians, or, purchasing hundreds of dollars worth of tech and a copy of GTA V (an adults only game, what? Adults play games? yes parents they do and if you spent as much time researching what you purchase for your kids as you did complaining about this show, even if that research consisted of looking at the packaging for 5 seconds, you'd know this) for your 9 year old son in the hopes it'll keep him off porn hub or breaking into your gun cabinet to make a splash at show and tell in school for the next month or two.

Or (and what terrifies me is that this might not be the majority of the whiners) you are so ignorant of what your children are aware of that you actually think this show is somehow harmful to them. Even if you are an extremely conservative type of parent who only allows your child to attend a school and none of the other examples and their like, understand that children who are like this are who your children are spending more time with and are more impressed by than you. So please, for the love of your children, roll the boulder away and wash the sand out of your head holes for just long enough to figure out something about the world you are attempting to guide them through and where The Muppets sits on the potential harm scale before jumping on the outrage bandwagon because you might just be shouting to the world exactly why you should not have authority over them and making yourself look a fool more harmful to their development than any TV show could ever be. The world is more openly morally corrupt than ever yet parents are more overly protective than ever . . . exactly how is this going to help them? At best you are proving to them how out of touch with reality you are as they learn about the world which will breed contempt and disrespect and at worst you are setting them up for failure and victimization.

As for you far left/righters . . . just keep doing what you're doing, there's no point trying to reason with you. Pawns of the powers that be you just keep dividing humanity, sucking up the vulnerable from the center, keeping everyone and yourselves distracted from the real issues that need solving whilst feeling proud of yourselves.

As for the show, yeah it's pretty entertaining. Chances are if you're in your early teens to middle age there will be something to enjoy here. If you're older or younger you may (MAY) have difficulty understanding the humour. Of course, there will be some people who won't like the slight voice and character changes or simply don't appreciate the humour and I don't begrudge those people their opinions. For me, I love it despite the small changes from previous Muppets incarnations. The tone is more modern, as every Muppets has been in their day. There hasn't been as much slapstick yet as there used to be but it's still early in the series. Miss (or should I say ms) Piggy hasn't karate chopped anyone yet. There have been some very (VERY) mild drug references and sexual innuendos which are pretty amusing and will go over the heads of anyone who doesn't understand. I can't say much more without entering spoiler territory except I chuckled quite a bit and laughed out loud a few times in the span of 2 episodes, recommended.

The background shenanigans of Miss Piggy's show that's produced by Kermit.

Packed with gags and celebs, the personalities and voices are thankfully on point. The backstage set up works perfectly and the Muppets are always centre stage, where they should be.

Each episode gets better and better the Christmas one is particularly notable -every fun episode is sharp, witty and visually interesting.

All the main character's return, including Scooter and Rolf (the late Jim Henson usually voiced/puppeteered) and they have been omitted or reduced to appearing briefly in the past, it nice to see the characters back in full swing

Highly recommend.