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"The Muppets" is dead. What now for the Muppets?

To be fair, A.V. Club goes out of the way to point out the difference, because plenty of people will make that mistake.

Nonetheless, sounds like a good show for the kids. :bolian:
 
a show for teaching preschoolers about the wonders of the performing arts via a cast of original, non-Muppet puppet "children" whose dead eyes, horrific ever-raised eyebrows and soulless pep will impart the real education at hand, that God is dead, entropy foretells the eventual heat death of the nature, and everything they ever love will soon be a cold, silent speck of carbon waste, until the Elder Beings return to devour the galaxies.
I don't think it will be that good.
 
Well, that didn't take long: Julie Andrews is teaming with the Jim Henson Company and Netflix for Julie's Greenroom, a show for teaching preschoolers about the wonders of the performing arts via a cast of original, non-Muppet puppet "children" whose dead eyes, horrific ever-raised eyebrows and soulless pep will impart the real education at hand, that God is dead, entropy foretells the eventual heat death of the nature, and everything they ever love will soon be a cold, silent speck of carbon waste, until the Elder Beings return to devour the galaxies.

Early 2017!


Just a spoon full of fervor helps society go down!
 
The fundamental paradox there, though, is that Henson did all the things he did because he was an innovator. Instead of trying to emulate the past, he pushed the medium forward in new and experimental directions. He totally transformed the art of puppetry on television by making the frame itself the proscenium and giving the characters freedom to interact with the whole world. He pioneered new technologies in puppetry, video effects, and eventually creature effects and animatronics, and he was experimenting with computer animation toward the end of his life. He pushed the humor of the Muppets in a subversive and adult direction while also embracing their appeal to children and their value as an educational tool. He branched out into innovative fantasy films like The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth and shows like The Storyteller and Dinosaurs. He was one of the most forward-looking, pioneering creators in the industry.

So while it may be possible to imitate what he did in the past, it will never be possible to capture the spirit of Henson's work as long as one is looking backward and trying to emulate something that's already been done. The only real way to capture his spirit is to create something that nobody's ever seen before. Who knows if Henson himself would still be doing Muppet movies if he were alive? Hell, he probably would've beaten Pixar to their niche in the creative landscape. Or Weta. Or both.
I'm a huge fan of Jim Henson's work in general, The Dark Crystal is one of my all time favorite movies, and while it's not quite at that level for me I'm a big fan of Labyrinth. I'm much aware of how much of an innovator he was, and I think the fact that he died before we started to get really advanced small computers and things is a huge shame. I would have loved to have been able to see what kind of stuff he would do with our modern technology.

I like the idea of a Muppet Talk Show, or I was thinking even just a sketch comedy show like Saturday Night Live.
 
I like the idea of a Muppet Talk Show, or I was thinking even just a sketch comedy show like Saturday Night Live.


Well, what I was thinking of with the talk show idea was to have some Muppet regulars do sketches in-between guests, but a bit more integrated into the show as part of its flow. I liked the role of the band had in this show, so I'd keep that and add some banter between Animal, Kermit and his guests. I'd also give Kermit a roving reporter segment, sort of like how some hosts ask random questions on the streets. I'd leverage the fact that it's a talk show and lampoon certain talk show staples at the same time.
 
That's where I got the idea :)

It would be kind of going back to some of his earlier roots, and it would be a great role for him. I'd make him ask random people on the street a question, similar to what Leno had done. Others too have done it, I think. The idea of a muppet, Kermit no less, asking real people random questions strikes me as an opportunity for some hilarious answers.
 
^Go blue? You mean, do a show featuring Gonzo, Sam the Eagle, Zoot, Grover, and Cookie Monster?

No. He means upping the sexual quotient.

I know AvenueQ is fun and Brian Henson tried doing his own "adult" take on puppets, but I really don't think that's what Jim Henson had in mind when he tried to get people to respect the medium. All that does is accept the fact that people perceive puppets are for kids and to do something intentionally "wrong" with it, the same drive that fans use when they make Rule 34 art. That's why he branched out into The Dark Crystal rather than doing something like Team America World Police.

The Muppets are really meant to stay on the wholesome end of the equation, and edgy only as far as classic Looney Tunes was allowed to be edgy.
 
Go to Adult Swim with Triumph, the Insult Comic dog--and go blue.

tumblr_m1t4lhbdnS1qb3qif.jpg
 
Lots of us older fans had no idea that Kermit was green! He came out gold on our early TV sets. I think his insignia was wrong too. And another thing ... .
Sorry, sorry ... wrong topic here. :sigh:
 
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Go to Adult Swim with Triumph, the Insult Comic dog--and go blue.
I don't mind them using Henson Muppet style characters for adult comedy, but I'd rather they not take actual Muppets in that direction.
They do have Henson Alternative, a whole part of the company devoted to adult programs, like No You Shut Up, and Puppet Up.
EDIT:
Puppet Up (some NSFW language)
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No You Shut Up!
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