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This Ain’t Your Parent’s Muppets: Behind The Scenes With Kermit And Miss Piggy

By Coburn Palmer
Published on: 10:07 PST, Aug 5, 2015

“It’s time to play the music. It’s time to light the lights. It’s time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet Show tonight.”

But wait! All is not well in the Muppet world and it’s not business as usual this time around.

Kermit and Miss Piggy have called it quits mere weeks before their new Muppets mock-u-drama is scheduled to air, and it’s anyone’s guess as to what that means for the famous couple.

Scheduled to air September 22 at 8 p.m., Muppets: Up Late With Miss Piggy will feature Fozzie as Piggy’s on-air sidekick while Kermit will serve as executive producer and Gonzo, Pepe, and Rizzo will round out the writing staff.

The Muppet’s first musical guests will be Imagine Dragons, and Reese Witherspoon has already agreed to appear on the show.

Designed as a mock-u-drama, the new show will feature behind-the-scenes access to the Muppets’ lives off-stage and after hours away from the cameras. The Muppet characters will carry handheld cameras and offer direct-to-camera testimonials.

“A show like that, like ‘The Office,’ it’s not real, you see, because Steve Carell is an actor. And you’re not following Steve Carell. You’re following a character that he plays, you see? In my case, you’re actually following the real me.”

Bobo will act as stage manager while Sam Eagle will liaison with the network and Scooter will head up the talent department. Also appearing are the Swedish Chef and bar owner Rowlf who plays piano across the street at the Muppet’s new watering hole.

Of course, the Muppets will have some help from their human friends as well with all-star executive producers Bill Prady (The Big Bang Theory), Bob Kushell (3rd Rock From The Sun), Randall Einhorn (Wilfred) and Bill Barretta (voice of Swedish Chef, Pepe, and Rowlf).

Prady has some Muppet experience behind him already, having worked directly with Jim Henson until he died. His team sold ABC on the new Muppets television show with a ten-minute presentation and went on to receive a standing ovation from fans at Comic-Con.

This year is Kermit’s 60th television anniversary; he first appeared on a children’s show called Sam and Friends in 1955. Created by Jim Henson, the Muppet franchise has spawned 12 movies, eight TV series and 27 television specials.

Muppet star Miss Piggy last made headlines in July when she covered Rihanna’s “B**** Better Have My Money” in a video created by Vulture and Adam Schleichkorn (Mylo the Cat).

Muppet fans wondering about the famous duo’s romantic status may be disappointed as both Kermit and Miss Piggy seem to be eyeing other suitors. Kermit said he’s already started dating another pig named Denise.

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images

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