The Muppets (TV series) (Johnsonverse)

The Muppets is an American comedy variety/talk show based on the Muppets franchise. Created by Muppets creator Jim Henson and Tim Johnson and produced by Jim Henson Productions with Henson's children Brian and Lisa, and Muppets performer Bill Barretta as executive producers alongside Henson and Johnson themselves, the series aired on WBC from September 22, 2015 to March 22, 2022. The series, like the "MuppeTelevision" segment of The Jim Henson Hour and Muppets Tonight, is a modernized version of The Muppet Show that takes place in a television studio rather than a theater. Many episodes also feature multiple guest stars; there is usually one principal guest, though other celebrities would make cameo appearances.
The series received widespread acclaim from critics and audiences throughout its run. On December 10, 2020, it was announced that The Muppets would end after seven seasons. The final episode aired on March 22, 2022.
== Premise==
Kermit the Frog hosts and runs a variety/talk show in a television studio. The show sticks closely to the Muppet Show format of various skits (mostly featuring the human guest star) interspersed with some sort of crisis happening backstage or outside the studio (with more focus on what happens behind the scenes than prior series).
==Production==
===Conception===
In 2014, Tim Johnson, looking to bring the Muppets back to primetime, greenlit a new Muppet series with himself, Muppets creator Jim Henson, and Henson's children Brian and Lisa as executive producers and showrunners, with the goal of making a series similar to The Muppet Show, but with a modern twist. WBC ordered a pilot script and a 10-minute proof of concept filmed presentation, which was filmed at the Johnson Studios lot in May and delivered just in time for WBC schedule consideration. The pitch presentation, which was first screened to the public on July 11, 2015, at Comic-Con to an overwhelmingly positive response, was released online on July 21, 2015. The pitch presentation's release became a top-trender on social media.
===Development===
Among the writers included Johnson himself, Muppet veterans Jerry Juhl, Bill Prady and Kirk Thatcher, performer David Rudman, and Sesame Street performer and writer Joey Mazzarino. Thatcher and David Gumpel also serve as directors for the series. Muppet performer Frank Oz acts as a creative consultant. 
Sets must be raised four and a half feet so that the Muppet performers will have room to operate the characters, and all sets have platforms which can be moved. Almost all Muppets also reverted to being built by Jim Henson's Creature Shop in New York, though Puppet Heap still designs and builds certain characters; many puppet designs such as Gonzo and Fozzie reverted to how they appeared from the 1980s to early 2000s, while imperfections such as arm rods, seams and asymmetrical features were retained. Music for the series is composed by Richard Gibbs, who previously composed the music for Muppets Tonight.
==Cast==
*Steve Whitmire as: 
**Kermit the Frog - The host and showrunner
** Rizzo the Rat - Gonzo's best friend and one of his two assistants
** Bean Bunny
**The Newsman - The beleaguered news reporter
**Captain Link Hogthrob - Captain of the USS Swinetrek
**Lips - The trumpeter of the Electric Mayhem
**Andy Pig
**Captain Pighead
**Foo-Foo - Miss Piggy's dog
**Waldo C. Graphic
** Ernie - Bert's fun-loving best friend and roommate who appears in one episode with the rest of the Sesame Street cast.
**Guy Smiley - The resident game show host from Sesame Street who also appears with other Sesame Street characters.
**Weldon the I.T. Guy - An internet troll who lives underground; Weldon is from a Steve Whitmire-created webseries of the same name.
**Other Muppets
*Eric Jacobson as:
**Miss Piggy
**Fozzie Bear
**Animal
**Sam the Eagle
**George the Janitor
**Marvin Suggs
**Bert
**Grover
**Oscar the Grouch
**Other Muppets
*Dave Goelz as:
**Gonzo
**Waldorf
**Dr. Bunsen Honeydew
**Zoot
**Randy Pig
**Beauregard
**Muppy
**Chip
**Digit
**Snorty
**Kermoot
**Other Muppets
*Bill Barretta as:
**Rowlf
**Waldorf - One of the two hecklers
**Pepe the King Prawn
**The Swedish Chef (head and voice)
**Dr. Teeth
**Bobo the Bear
**Bubba the Rat
**Mahna Mahna
**Johnny Fiama
**King Rupert the Second (a.k.a. King Goshposh)
**Big Mean Carl
**Other Muppets
*Richard Hunt as:
**Scooter
**Statler - The other heckler 
**Janice
**Wayne
**Bobby Benson
**Sweetums (voice only)
**Don Music
**Other Muppets
* Donna Kimball as:
**Skeeter - Scooter's twin sister and Gonzo's other assistant
*Jerry Nelson as:
**Sgt. Floyd Pepper (seasons 1-5)
**Robin the Frog (seasons 1-5)
**Camilla (seasons 1-5)
**Pops (seasons 1-5)
**Lew Zealand (seasons 1-5)
**Crazy Harry (seasons 1-5)
**Uncle Deadly (seasons 1-5)
**Dr. Julius Strangepork (seasons 1-5)
**Announcer (seasons 1-5)
**Count von Count
**Other Muppets
*Matt Vogel as:
**Sgt. Floyd Pepper (since season 5)
**Robin the Frog (since season 5)
**Camilla (since season 5)
**Pops (since season 5)
**Lew Zealand (since season 5)
**Crazy Harry (since season 5)
**Uncle Deadly (since season 5)
**Dr. Julius Strangepork (since season 5)
**Announcer (since season 5)
**Big Bird - A six-and-a-half year old, giant yellow bird who appears in one episode with the rest of the Sesame Street cast.
**Janoose
**Roowlf
**Constantine - A frog criminal who looks identical to Kermit, with a mole, shorter collar and scowl. He appears in two episodes.
**Other Muppets
*Peter Linz as:
**Walter - Kermit's assistant.
**Nigel
**Gloria Estefan
**Joe the Legal Weasel
**Other Muppets
*Kevin Clash as:
**Clifford
**Mulch
**Craniac
**Elmo
**Other Muppets
*Brian Henson as:
**Sal Minella
**Dr. Phil Van Neuter
**Seymour
**Other Muppets
*John Henson as:
**Sweetums (suit only)
**Other Muppets
*Julianne Buescher as:
**Denise
**Wanda
**Yolanda Rat
**Beverly Plume
**Other Muppets
*Tyler Bunch as:
**Thog
**Foozie
**Other Muppets
*David Rudman as:
**Miss Poogy
**Baby Bear
**Cookie Monster
**Other Muppets
*Louise Gold as:
**Annie Sue
**Other Muppets
*Leslie Carrara-Rudolph as:
**Ashlee - The station manager.
**Dolores (Trumpet Girl)
**Hilda
**Spamela Hamderson
**Abby Cadabby
**Other Muppets
===Other performers===
*Allan Trautman as Eugene and others
*Frankie Cordero as Rudy and others
*Pam Arciero as Grundgetta and others
*Carmen Osbahr as Rosita and others
*Warrick Brownlow-Pike as Gonger and others
*Joey Mazzarino as Murray Monster and others
*Jennifer Barnhart as Zoe and others
*Martin P. Robinson as Mr. Snuffleupagus and Telly Monster
* Stephanie D'Abruzzo as Prairie Dawn
*Kathryn Mullen
* John Tartaglia
*Artie Esposito
*Ryan Dillon
* Karen Prell
*Alice Dinnean
*Tim Lagasse
*Bruce Lanoil
*Mike Quinn
*David Barclay
*Drew Massey
*Russ Walko
*Tim Blaney
*Rickey Boyd
*Grant Baciocco
==Seasons==
Season	First aired 	Last aired 	Episodes
1 	September 22, 2015	March 1, 2016 	16
2 	September 22, 2016	March 28, 2017	20
3 	September 26, 2017	March 27, 2018	20
4 	September 18, 2018	March 26, 2019	20
5 	September 17, 2019	March 24, 2020	20
6 	September 22, 2020	March 23, 2021	20
7 	September 21, 2021	March 22, 2022	20
==Episodes==
See List of The Muppets (TV series) episodes (Johnsonverse)
==Broadcast history==
===COVID-19 pandemic===
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the show was put on hiatus and briefly replaced with Disney+ original Muppets Now. The show reentered production on July 10, 2020. New social distancing measures were taken, with some celebrities appearing through Zoom. Other performers living outside of California recorded a vocal track that substitute puppeteers would perform to.
==Reception==
The series was widely acclaimed throughout its run. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has a score of 95%.
Category:Johnsonverse