After years of uneven revivals and nostalgia plays that didn’t quite land, The Muppet Show just pulled off something rare: a perfect score.
Today reports that the new anniversary special featuring everyone’s favorite puppets has debuted with a 100% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, matching the acclaim of the original run. Audience reactions are nearly as strong, sitting at 97% as of this writing.
The production returns the Muppets to their familiar theater setting and lets the controlled chaos take over: corny jokes, backstage meltdowns, musical guests, and the kind of fast-talking banter that made the show a staple in the first place. The approach seems simple, but critics say that restraint is the point.
As IndieWire’s Christian Zilko put it, “The first priority is not to screw anything up.” Rather than polishing away the weirdness, the special embraces it, which keeps the flavor of the OG series for a modern audience.
The event served as a 50th-anniversary celebration of the franchise created by Jim Henson. They brought back core characters like Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, and Miss Piggy, while mixing in modern guest stars.
Sabrina Carpenter appeared as one of the featured performers, sharing screen time with Kermit during the show’s intentionally messy production buildup. Maya Rudolph also stopped by, alongside Seth Rogen, who served as both a guest and an executive producer.
Behind the scenes, longtime Muppet performers returned to voice and operate the characters, keeping continuity with the original era. The format sticks close to what longtime viewers remember: a stage show framed by sketches and musical numbers, all wrapped in that anything-can-go-wrong chaos energy.
The original The Muppet Show aired from 1976 to 1981 and spanned five seasons, and was accompanied by a series of films including The Muppet Movie, The Muppets Take Manhattan, and Muppets Most Wanted.