The Muppet Show revival brings nostalgia and naughtiness, critics say

It's time to play the music, as the infectious theme tune goes - The Muppet Show is back on the small screen, for the first time in four decades.

Miss Piggy, her paramour Kermit the Frog, Gonzo, and Fozzie have reunited for the one-off show to mark its 50th birthday, after their beloved film outings such as Muppet Christmas Carol.

Pop star Sabrina Carpenter, comedian Maya Rudolph and actor Seth Rogen - who is behind the 30-minute special - star in the show, released on Wednesday.

Critics have said the chaotic puppet stage show is "silly" and "joyous" - but there are concerns too about Kermit's new voice and how the special will translate for a new generation of viewers.

While it's been brought up to date for 2026, veteran performers also take part - including Dave Goelz, the original actor portraying Gonzo and Dr Bunsen Honeydew.

Ben Dowell, writing in The Times, says the revival "clearly has an eye on us oldies introducing our young charges to the magic".

He praises the "deft deployment of slightly risque jokes" as well as a Bridgerton spoof starring Miss Piggy, saying it's a "return to basics, and all the more joyous for it".

There is a running joke where Manchild singer Carpenter has stolen Miss Piggy's look and is facing legal action - with the two wearing near-identical outfits during the skits.

Carpenter is "gamely playing along", says Dowell, who gives the show four stars.

The Telegraph's Anita Singh notes "the fidelity to the original is practically unheard of in the world of TV", leading to feelings of "joy and a fuzzy nostalgia".

Her four-star review says Rogen has "lovingly recreated" his childhood favourite, created of course by Jim Henson - adding that her 10-year-old son enjoyed the show but found it "a bit random".

She ponders whether its home on Disney+ will mean it gets a big audience, adding: "But let's just wallow in nostalgia."

In the Guardian, Lucy Mangan is more measured in her three-star review, saying: "They've tried. You can feel it. They want to make it good for us... But, as Thomas Wolfe so rightly said, you can't go home again."

She says "it's fine" and "probably even good" if you aren't familiar with the original, but parts are drab and Kermit - now played by Matt Vogel - sounds "jarringly different".

"It puts the magic even further out of reach," says Mangan.

Her Guardian colleague Rhik Samadder enjoys the "subversive" nature of The Muppets however, and the show-within-a-show.

"In 30 minutes, I laughed more than I can count," he adds.

Writing in the Financial Times, Rebecca Nicholson says the show "takes a slightly different tack" from the original, "roughing up some of the cuteness with even more chaos and a carefully measured pinch of naughtiness".

There is a "knowing enough wink" to make sure it's suitable for all ages, however, says Nicholson. Some of her favourite moments include Beaker losing his eyeballs in a science experiment and Gonzo wearing flaming roller skates - to give a flavour of the chaos.

It's a "treat", she concludes, giving it four stars.

In the US press, the Hollywood Reporter's Daniel Fienberg writes it's "not The Muppet Show at its best, but it's a return to what the Muppets do best".

Meanwhile in the New York Times, James Poniewozik says "these are, in fact, your grandparents' Muppets, and your parents'. And yet they're exactly the Muppets you need right now".

And John Nugent, from Empire, says previous reboots have veered into the realms of parody but this revival "goes back to basics".

He gives it five stars for its "array of increasingly bonkers skits", saying that watching it "gives the sense of being wrapped in a warm, felt-based comfort blanket".

The show appears to be dipping a toe in the water to see if there would be interest in a full-blown series, which would be the first since 1981.

"Maybe we're a little rusty," Kermit muses at one point.

But if these reviews are anything to go by, we could be seeing more Muppets fun before too long.