ABC's "the muppets." isn't The Muppet Show...but that's okay.

It did not take me long to really start to enjoy ABC's "the muppets."  Although it is NOW one of my favorite shows, this was not the case, at first.  And it is because there is one obvious flaw.  ABC's "the muppets." is not for kids.  At all.  Well, mostly. (It gets much better in that regard as the season progressed due to some interesting story developments...more on that later.)

Jim Henson's The Muppet Show back in the '70s was aimed 50% at kids and 50% at adults. But ABC's The Muppets, I'd say, it starts more like 10/90 or 5/95 in favor of adults.   There are very few jokes that don't work other than their subtle meaning.  The visuals have a bit of whimsy.   There is music, which is wonderful...but it's brief.  Maybe one or two songs per show.

This is not the advertising you use when you are trying to court children for your audience:

This, in itself, would be annoying, if you are watching it with the assumption that it SHOULD be a kids show.  The first description I heard of this version of "the muppets" was that it was just like the old show, except everyone is an asshole.

And if this show was for kids, that'd be true.  But it's not.  It's just for adults.  And...once you realize that it's meant to be FOR adults who USED TO BE kids and who REMEMBER being a kid, the show really starts to work.

It is a show about ourselves.  It is a show about characters with the same flaws that we have.  The same hopes and dreams that we have.  It is a show by adults who have lived hard lives meant to be viewed by adults who have lived hard lives.  But, at the same time, those same adults must also still have hope that, together, we will get through it all.

The very fact that Kermit and Piggy start the show "broken up" is a mature, natural progression of their relationship.  And their interaction since their break-up is really, really moving and complex.  The exploration of their incompatibility due to Piggy's self-centeredness and Kermit's self-doubt is really interesting.   His new girlfriend, Denise, (a younger pig) seemed like a cheap gag, but they used it to take the story and characters in interesting places.  Kermit and Piggy's cautious reunion throughout the season has followed mature themes such as trust, desire, fear of rejection and fear of aging.  These two have been through the wringer.  They have had ups and downs.  Each has pushed the other to their limits.  This is a relationship that rings true.  Warts and all.  (See what I did there?  I made a pun about frogs.  Sorry....couldn't be helped.)   And with a bond that deep, it resolves itself into one question.  The question that has plagued them since "the muppets" re-entered our lives.  Team Friendship.  Or Team Love.

The rest of the cast is presented with just as much care.  Kermit and Fozzie's endearing friendship is absolutely charming.  As the season proceeded, they fleshed out Gonzo the Whatever-He-Is, Rizzo the Rat and Pepe the Prawn, who have a  great camaraderie.  Scooter is very interesting, too.  (Although I am bummed that they didn't bring back his sister Skeeter...hopefully next season, she'll return for a visit from traveling the world.  Maybe she's out there somewhere with Uncle Travelling Matt).  The band is HILARIOUS!   Chip, the IT guy (an old previously nameless character) is a real stand-out.  The introduction of Yolanda the Rat has been a wonderful addition to the cast, too.  Bobo the Bear is charming.  Everyone is charming!  And Uncle Deadly really shines.  His supportive, tender friendship with Piggy gave more depth to Piggy's narcissistic characterization than anything that has come before.

Basically, ABC's The Muppets is a slowly developed, complex modern sit-com.   The show's got lots of gags, but also underlying subplots and storyarcs that really pack some punch in mature, intelligent ways.  The episode where Gonzo wants to re-live his glory days as a stuntman which leads to Kermit's complete support and encouragement to not give up on his dream is really surprising and charming.

In the middle of the season, a trendy outside consultant comes in to try and improve Miss Piggy's struggling show-within-a-show.  What Kermit eventually realizes is that Miss Piggy's show is missing is The Muppets.  He realizes that the spark that has been missing is that The Muppets belong on scene performing, delighting and amazing, not as somber drones worried only about work.  And with that revelation, so too, does the tone of ABC's the muppets.  The complex foundation that was developed in the first half of the season pays off as it is decorated with the wit, whimsy and charm that we come to expect from Jim Henson's legacy.

Even the opening credits with the Muppets all starting their day leaving Kermit in a swirl of chaos and mayhem at the craft services table evolved into something moving and charming.  The first half of the season ended this madcap opening with Kermit demoralized as he started each day already defeated and alone.  But as Kermit and Piggy's relationship rekindled, Piggy's selfless act of bringing a Starbucks coffee to her mon cheri transformed the chaos into a scene where Kermit clearly was portrayed as feeling like he could take on the world knowing that he was not all by himself.  Piggy, his one true love, his very best friend, would always be there right by his side.  The repeated opening line "Time to get things started" took on a whole knew meaning as this context shifted.

Bill Prady and Bob Kushell should be commended for what a wonderful job they have done of actualizing these characters with charm, care and realism.  It's not the same show that we grew up with.  but that's okay.  Because we grew up.  And "the muppets" grew up with us.

Personally, I think Henson would have liked what this show evolved into.  Why do I think that?  Because...love.