A new Muppets series from Josh Gad is reportedly coming to streaming service Disney Plus. Back in 2004, the Mouse House added Jim Henson’s beloved puppet characters to their ever-growing media empire, with the hopes of revitalizing the brand and introducing the franchise to a new generation of fans. Unfortunately, things haven’t gone as smoothly there - especially when compared to some of Disney’s other high-profile acquisitions. 2011 film The Muppets was a critical and commercial hit, but sequel Muppets Most Wanted saw diminishing returns and a TV show on ABC lasted only a single season.
After the 2016 series was canceled, the Muppets have largely been absent from the spotlight as Disney plans a course for what’s next. Given the property’s enduring popularity, it stood reason to believe the studio wouldn’t let Kermit and the gang just sit on a shelf and collect dust. Last year, word got out that Disney was interested in making a new Muppets series for their upcoming streaming platform Disney Plus. Now, some details about the show have been revealed.
According to Splash Report, the series will be titled Muppets Live Another Day and has a creative team spearheaded by Gad and Once Upon a Time’s Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz. Apparently, it’s a period piece set after the 1984 movie The Muppets Take Manhattan, following the Muppets’ quest to solve the curious disappearance of Rowlf. If all goes according to plan, Muppets Live Another Day will premiere at some point in 2020.
This has yet to be confirmed by Disney, but it’s still an encouraging development for fans hoping to see more of the Muppets. There’s no denying the ABC show was a misfire (an ill-conceived one at that, as Frank Oz will tell you), but it was by no means disastrous enough to be a franchise-killer. Due to all of the highly-successful Muppets projects over the past several decades, the brand still sports a lot of audience goodwill and appeals to multiple generations. There’s endless potential to make something exceptionally entertaining and creative in this sandbox, so hopefully Muppets Live Another Day can deliver on that promise. Based on the brief synopsis, it could be a fun spin on detective and noir stories as Kermit and crew look for clues to find their missing friend. Plus, the title has a meta angle to it, as it relates to the franchise (ideally) bouncing back after a down period.
Muppets Live Another Day sounds like a smart way for Disney to test the waters before they embark on more plans for the franchise. The ABC primetime series was almost definitely launched with the intention of it spawning multiple seasons and eventually playing its way into syndication. In contrast, Muppets Live Another Day should be a miniseries with a clear-cut beginning, middle, and end. If it performs well with fans and critics, then Disney could explore other Muppets possibilities with the confidence of knowing their approach led to a hit. But if Muppets Live Another Day doesn’t land with the intended effect, the studio can just pass it off as a one-off experiment. There’s not a whole lot of risk here.
More: Why Disney Plus May Have Problems Releasing Internationally
Source: Splash Report
