Get excited Muppets fans, because The Muppet Show is finally coming to Disney Plus next month. The announcement comes in a Facebook post from Kermit the Frog himself, and he also adds a "statement" reported by Variety that reads, "It’s going to be great to welcome back longtime fans, and to give a new generation of fans a chance to see how we got our start, how Miss Piggy became a star and so much more... Today, I’m proud to say: ‘It’s time to play the music, light the lights and meet the Muppets on Disney Plus tonight!"
Disney Plus will be home to all five seasons of the show, which originally ran from 1976-1981 on CBS. This also marks the first time seasons four and five have been available on a streaming service. The variety show was extremely popular and well known for its array of celebrity guests, including mega stars Elton John, Julie Andrews, and Alice Cooper.
Since then, there have been six Muppets television shows, not including the countless TV specials, as well as eight feature-length films. Most recently, Disney released a Disney Plus original series called Muppets Now.
The Muppets were acquired by Disney in 2004, after fourteen years of negotiations with creator Jim Henson's estate. Under Disney, the 2011 film The Muppets was released and served as a Muppets reboot after a dip in popularity in the 2000s. The Muppets was a huge success both critically and commercially, even earning an Academy Award for Best Original Song. In March of 2012, The Muppets received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, cementing their place as iconic forever.
Since the success of The Muppets, Disney has attempted to keep the Muppet hype going with a 2014 sequel titled Muppets Most Wanted as well as multiple attempts at TV shows. However, none of them have achieved the same success. It looks like they're going back to basics and will surely please longtime Muppets fans with the addition of their first TV show to Disney Plus, but it's hard to know if younger fans of the modern Muppets will connect with the late-70's era of the show if they haven't been exposed to it before.
All five seasons of The Muppet Show, including the rare last two seasons, will be available to stream on Disney Plus on February 19, 2021.
Source: Variety