SitcomsOnline.com News Blog

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! Fall is here, and so is the fall season, with many shows having already started this week and even more to come next week. But here, we've got all of your news and updates, including news of The Goldbergs on Hulu, a reboot of The A-Team, and more. Let's get going!

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HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

• Warner Archive is pushing Growing Pains one step closer to completion with a release of Growing Pains - The Complete Sixth Season. It will be reportedly be released on November 3, and will leave only the final season unreleased.

Who to Follow: Josh Peck (Twitter)

Claim to Fame: Remember the Nickelodeon show Drake & Josh? Josh played Josh (of course), although he got his start a few years earlier on The Amanda Show. But now, he is making it to network television, with his role in the upcoming Fox series, Grandfathered, where he will star along with John Stamos.

Lifetime's hit series Devious Maids (#DeviousMaids, #DeviousArmy) will return for a devilish fourth season next year. The network has ordered 10 episodes of the ABC Studios-produced program, which is executive produced by Marc Cherry, Eva Longoria, Sabrina Wind and Brian Tanen, and stars Ana Ortiz, Dania Ramírez, Roselyn Sánchez, Judy Reyes and Susan Lucci. Last season, Devious Maids drove Lifetime to rank as the number two cable network with scripted programming in the Monday 9-10pm time period among Women 25-54 and Women 18-49, while its August 24 season finale reached season highs among Total Viewers, Adults 25-54 and Women 25-54. In addition, the program's stars Ortiz, Ramírez, Sánchez and Reyes each received an Imagen Award nomination for Best Actress – Television.

Devious Maids is set in a world where murder and mayhem collide in the mansions of Beverly Hills' wealthiest and most powerful families. Class warfare has never been as fun and dirty as it is in the tony enclave where the staff is as clever, witty and downright as devilish as their employers. The series centers on a close-knit group of maids, Marisol (Ortiz), Rosie (Ramírez), Carmen (Sánchez) and Zoila (Reyes), who are bonded together by their jobs, life struggles and the melodramatic universe that engulfs their employers. Devious Maids also stars Grant Show, Rebecca Wisocky and Tom Irwin. Brianna Brown and Brett Cullen made a return to the series this past season, joining other cast members Edy Ganem, Naya Rivera, Gilles Marini, Cristián de la Fuente, John O'Hurley, Justina Machado, Nathan Owens and Julie Claire.


It's Friday, so it is time for "Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows" for the coming week. This is where we list what sitcom stars are appearing on talk shows for the coming week, the stars are both current and past sitcom stars, so this is for all sitcom fans of all eras!
For the week of September 28-October 2, 2015, we have many current sitcom stars and past sitcom stars on TV talk shows! All times listed are Eastern. So get your DVRs (or whatever you use) ready! Ready? Here is all what you need to know for the coming week!


Sunday, September 27, 2015

• Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother/Stark Raving Mad/Doogie Howser, M.D.) and Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Neil and Whitney are guests on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.

Monday, September 28, 2015

• Rob Lowe (The Grinder/Parks and Recreation) - Watch Rob on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC. He also talks about The Grinder on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am, on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael (check your listings), on the AOL Build Show at 12pm and on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.
• Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs (2 Broke Girls) - Kat and Beth are guests on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
• Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project/The Office) - Mindy appears on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
• Fred Savage (The Grinder/Working/The Wonder Years) - Fred stops by The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
• Marcia Gay Harden (Trophy Wife) - Marcia visits The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
• Josh Peck (Grandfathered/Drake & Josh) - Josh is a guest on Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
• Kevin Hart (The Big House/Undeclared) - Kevin appears on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Trevor Noah at 11pm.
• Rob Riggle (Golan the Insatiable/Gary Unmarried), Matt Walsh (Veep) and Jack McBrayer (30 Rock) - Rob, Matt and Jack are guests on @midnight on Comedy Central at midnight.
• Terry Crews (Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Are We There Yet?/Everybody Hates Chris) - Terry drops by Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Heather Dubrow (Stark Raving Mad) - Heather is a guest on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
• Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother/Stark Raving Mad/Doogie Howser, M.D.) - Neil talks about Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris on The Meredith Vieira Show, so check your local listings.
• John Stamos (Grandfathered/Jake in Progress/Full House) - John talks about Grandfathered and Fuller House on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am, in the 9am and in the 10am hour. He also chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Judith Light (Transparent/Who's the Boss?) - Judith is a guest on HuffPost Live at 3:40pm and on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET.
• Reba McEntire (Reba/Malibu Country) - Reba guest co-hosts The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

• Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Truth Be Told/Saved by the Bell) - Catch Mark-Paul on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
• Kenan Thompson (Kenan & Kel/Committed) - Kenan visits Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
• Maura Tierney (NewsRadio/The Van Dyke Show) - Maura stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
• Zachary Levi (Less Than Perfect) - Zachary appears on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS. He also talks about Heroes Reborn on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.
• Meagan Good (Mr. Robinson/Cousin Skeeter) - Meagan is a guest on Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt (3rd Rock from the Sun) - Joseph drops by Conan at 11pm on TBS. He also previews the film The Walk on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Ike Barinholtz (The Mindy Project/Eastbound & Down) - Ike visits Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Mike Epps (Survivor's Remorse) - Mike is a guest on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
• David Krumholtz (Partners/The Trouble with Normal/Chicago Sons) and Lauren Lapkus (Are You There, Chelsea?/Clipped) - David and Lauren are guests on @midnight on Comedy Central at midnight.
• Sophia Bush (Partners) - Sophia talks about Chicago P.D. on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am, on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael (check your listings), on the AOL Build Show at 4pm and on The Wendy Williams Show at 12am on BET or on your local stations.
• John O'Hurley (Seinfeld/The Mullets) - John gives a special musical performance on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• Rob Lowe (The Grinder/Parks and Recreation) - Rob will be on Good Day New York on WNYW-Fox5 in New York sometime between 7-10am.
• Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother/Stark Raving Mad/Doogie Howser, M.D.) - Neil talks about Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris on NBC's Today sometime between 7-9am.
• Judy Greer (Married/Mad Love/Miss Guided) - Judy is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 8:50am and on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET.
• Richard Kind (Spin City/Mad About You) - Richard is tentatively scheduled to appear New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET.
• Luis Guzman (Luis/How to Make It in America) - Luis appears on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Marcia Gay Harden (Trophy Wife) - Marcia visits The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Bonnie Somerville (Kitchen Confidential/In-Laws) - Bonnie will be on The Talk on CBS at 2pm ET/1pm CT-PT.
• Queen Latifah (Living Single) - Queen Latifah is a guest on HuffPost Live.
• Heather Dubrow (Stark Raving Mad) - Heather appears on People Now.
• Debra Messing (Will & Grace) - Debra is a guest on People Now.
• Keke Palmer (Scream Queens/True Jackson, VP) - Keke will be on People Now.

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

• Don Rickles (C.P.O. Sharkey/Daddy Dearest) - Watch Mr. Warmth on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Ken Jeong (Dr. Ken/Community) - Ken appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
• Judy Greer (Married/Mad Love/Miss Guided) - Judy stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. She also chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
• Tom Lennon (The Odd Couple/Sean Saves the World/Reno 911!) and Rhys Darby (Flight of the Conchords/How to Be a Gentleman) - Tom and Rhys are guests on @midnight on Comedy Central at midnight.
• Kunal Nayyar (The Big Bang Theory) - Kunal appears on Conan at 11pm on TBS.
• Ariana Grande (Sam & Cat) - Ariana talks about her new perfume Ari by Ariana Grande on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Tracee Ellis Ross (black-ish/Girlfriends) - Tracee visits The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• Barry Williams (The Brady Bunch) - Barry talks about Worst Cooks in America: Celeb Edition on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
• Whitney Cummings (Whitney) - Whitney will be on NBC's Today in the 10am hour.
• Ravi Patel (Grandfathered) - Ravi shares details about his delicious, all-natural, non-GMO snack bars on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• Sophia Bush (Partners) - Sophia dishes on the new season of Chicago P.D. on Rachael Ray, so check your local listings.
• Mayim Bialik (The Big Bang Theory/Blossom) - Mayim talks about The Big Bang Theory on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.
• Jeff Garlin (The Goldbergs/Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Wendi McLendon-Covey (The Goldbergs/Rules of Engagement/Reno 911!) - Jeff and Wendi discuss the new season of The Goldbergs on Access Hollywood Live, so check your local listings.
• Tim Daly (Wings) - Tim talks about the new season of Madam Secretary on HuffPost Live at 2:40pm. He will also be on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 8:50am and on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET.
• Margaret Cho (All-American Girl) - Margaret appears on The Real, so check your local listings.
• Nat Wolff (The Naked Brothers Band) - Nat is a guest on People Now.
• Mike O'Malley (Yes, Dear/Welcome to the Family) - Mike will be on Morning Joe on MSNBC sometime between 6-9am.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

• Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) - Catch Miley on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:34pm on NBC.
• Ken Jeong (Dr. Ken/Community) - Ken stops by Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC. He will also be on the AOL Build Show at 4pm and on HuffPost Live at 5pm.
• Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation) - Ben appears on The Late Late Show with James Corden at 12:37am on CBS.
• John Stamos (Grandfathered/Jake in Progress/Full House) - John is a guest on Watch What Happens: Live at 11pm on Bravo.
• Jason Segel (How I Met Your Mother) - Jason visits The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• Emily Mortimer (Doll & Em) - Emily appears on The Meredith Vieira Show, so check your local listings.
• Albert Tsai (Dr. Ken/Trophy Wife) - Albert talks about his new show Dr. Ken on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• Matt Walsh (Veep) - Matt talks about Veep on NBC's Today in the 9am hour.
• Zachary Levi (Less Than Perfect) - Zachary will be on Morning Joe on MSNBC sometime between 6-9am.

Friday, October 2, 2015

• Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) - Watch Andy on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
• Jon Heder (Pickle and Peanut/Napoleon Dynamite) - Jon appears on a repeat of Last Call with Carson Daly at 1:35am on NBC.
• Ken Jeong (Dr. Ken/Community) - Ken is a guest on ABC's Good Morning America sometime between 7-9am and on LIVE! with Kelly and Michael, so check your listings.
• Lena Dunham (Girls) - Lena appears on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so check your local listings.
• Hana Hayes (The Grinder) - Hana talks about her new show The Grinder on Home & Family on Hallmark Channel at 10am ET/PT.
• Sherri Shepherd (Less Than Perfect/Sherri) - Sherri does wig makeovers on Steve Harvey, so check your local listings.
• Sinbad (The Sinbad Show/A Different World) - Sinbad is a guest on PIX11 Morning News on WPIX in New York at 8:50am and on New York Live on WNBC in New York at 12:30pm ET.
• Heather Dubrow (Stark Raving Mad) - Heather appears on People Now.
• Judy Greer (Married/Mad Love/Miss Guided) - Judy will be on People.com Chatter.
• Malin Akerman (Sin City Saints/Trophy Wife) - Malin is a guest on The Real, so check your local listings.
• Danny Pintauro (Who's the Boss?) - Danny chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.

All listings are subject to change. Visit our blog and main site for daily updated listings. Leave us comments on our message board or Tweet/Facebook us to let us know what you think of this Friday feature! We do listen!

Long live Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll! FX Networks has ordered a second season of the FX comedy Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll created by and starring Denis Leary. The 10-episode second season of Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll will return in 2016 with stars Leary, Elizabeth Gillies, John Corbett, Elaine Hendrix, Robert Kelly and John Ales. In addition to creating Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, Leary also serves as a writer, composer and a director, as well as an Executive Producer along with Jim Serpico. Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll is produced by FX Productions and Fox 21 Television Studios. Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll centers on "Johnny Rock" (Leary), lead singer of a legendary early 90s New York band called The Heathens. Known for living up to their name, the band partied so long and so hard that even Keith Richards thought they needed to slow things down. The Heathens were on the brink of becoming famous for their kickass live shows and the release of their highly anticipated first album. Until they broke up. The same day the album dropped. Because lead guitarist Flash (Corbett) found Johnny in bed with his wife. So the band became legendary for all the wrong reasons - like self-destructing sooner than any group in rock-n-roll history. 25 years later, Johnny's massively talented daughter Gigi (Gillies) reunites Johnny, Flash, and the rest of their dysfunctional rock and roll family - Bam Bam (Kelly), Rehab (Ales) and Ava (Hendrix) - to be her new backup band, The Assassins. Together they've got another shot at rock glory.

On a Live+7 basis through the first eight episodes, the first season of Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll represents basic cable's most-watched freshman primetime scripted comedy of 2015 in both M18-49 and M25-54, and the third most-watched new primetime scripted comedy series on basic cable among Adults 18-49 and Total Viewers. In addition, on a Live+7 basis, through the first eight episodes, the first season of Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll delivered the largest Live+7 lift ever for any first year comedy series on FX in both Adults 18-49 (+81%) and Total Viewers (+83%).

Amazon announced the lineup for its fall pilot season which is scheduled to debut later this year exclusively on Amazon Video in the US, UK, Germany and Austria. Amazon customers will find a wide-range of genres in this latest slate of pilots ranging from Good Girls Revolt, a powerful story set in 1969 about a group of young women seeking to be treated fairly and ultimately sparking changes that upend marriages, careers, love and friendship; Z, a half-hour bio-series pilot of Lost Generation legend Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald and her passionate love affair with iconic author F. Scott Fitzgerald; Highston, a family comedy about invisible celebrity friendships to Edge, a western set in the post-Civil War era where one cowboy doles out his own savage brand of justice; and more. These pilots feature notable actors including Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect), Jim Belushi (According to Jim), Yvonne Strahovski (Chuck), Flea (The Big Lebowski), Ryan Kwanten (True Blood), Shaquille O'Neal (Blended), Terry O'Quinn (Lost), Kurtwood Smith (Resurrection), Chris Parnell (Saturday Night Live), Mary Lynn Rajskub (24), Christina Ricci (Monster), and David Strathairn (The Bourne Ultimatum).

Amazon customers will once again be invited to watch and provide feedback on the shows they want to see turned into full series for Prime members. All pilots will be available via the Amazon Video app for TVs, connected devices and mobile devices, or online at Amazon.com/amazonvideo.

After just celebrating its 50th anniversary, I Dream of Jeannie is returning to TV Land. The sitcom will air weekdays from 9-10am beginning Monday, October 5, 2015. With the addition of Jeannie, the morning sitcoms shift timeslots a bit, with Gilligan's Island now 10am-11:30am and Three's Company from 11:30am-1pm. TV Land will be removing Gunsmoke from the line-up, so it is all Bonanza during TV Land Goes West from 1pm-5pm leading into Gilligan (5-6pm) and Facts of Life (6-8pm). Gunsmoke will be actually off the line-up as of October 1, as its contract has expired. I Dream of Jeannie has also aired on Viacom-owned Logo. The series of course stars Barbara Eden as a 2,000-year-old genie and Larry Hagman as an astronaut who becomes her master, with whom she falls in love and whom she eventually marries. Stay with us for continued updates.

Starz announced the series development of Trapped in association with Mila Kunis' Orchard Farm Productions with Kunis (Black Swan, Ted, Family Guy, Jupiter Ascending) serving as Executive Producer alongside Rob Zombie (House of 1,000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects, Halloween) who will also direct. Created and written by Joey Slamon (Arrested Development) and produced in association with Orchard Farm Productions, the half-hour horror comedy series takes places over a single night in the home of a wealthy family under attack by a murderous cult. Susan Curtis, Cami Curtis and Lisa Sterbakov of Orchard Farm Productions will also executive produce. Back to Mila, sitcom fans of course remember has as Jackie Burkhart on the television series That '70s Show. Keep it right here should this series get a series order.

Heroes & Icons (H&I), Weigel Broadcasting Co.'s network featuring iconic stars in compelling action, adventure and sci-fi dramas announced a major affiliation agreement with the Fox Television Stations. H&I will launch in the following Fox Television markets this fourth quarter: New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Phoenix, Detroit, Tampa, Orlando and Charlotte. Among the programming highlights H&I will bring to its affiliates in 2016 is the presentation of all five Star Trek franchises. For the first time, all five series will be seen on one network simultaneously. It's a terrific way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the original series. Other programs featured on H&I include the groundbreaking Steven Bochco series Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue. The Stephen J. Cannell series Hunter, The Commish, Wiseguy, 21 Jump Street and others are also part of the schedule which focuses on strong, heroic characters in iconic roles.

TV Land's Younger, the "irresistible" (US Weekly) and "charming" (Vulture) critically-acclaimed hit series full of "feistiness" (EW.com), began production on its second season yesterday. The single camera comedy from Sex and the City creator Darren Star has moved to Silvercup Studios in Long Island City for season two, the home to some of the biggest pop culture TV hits. Series stars Sutton Foster, Hilary Duff, Debi Mazar, Miriam Shor and Nico Tortorella are back, as are Molly Bernard as Lauren and Peter Hermann as Charles - both of whom are now series regulars. Dan Amboyer and Tessa Albertson also co-star as Thad and Caitlin, respectively. Younger season two will debut on TV Land in January 2016. As the season unfolds, there is even more excitement and romance, and the stakes are higher than ever as one more person knows Liza's secret. Liza (Foster) and Josh (Tortorella) will continue to evaluate their relationship now that he knows the truth, while Kelsey (Duff), still in the dark, takes command at work. Maggie (Mazar) begins a surprising new relationship and Diana (Shor) finally tries to make things happen with Charles, but her timing is terrible. Younger follows Liza, a 40-year old woman who pretends to be 26 in order to get a job in the highly competitive world of publishing - and succeeds. Now working under the prickly Diana, Liza has to figure out how to balance her real life with bestie Maggie, and her "pretend" life with new friend and coworker Kelsey. When Liza lets her secret slip, she must try to salvage her relationship with sexy young tattoo artist Josh, all while navigating a confusing chemistry with her boss Charles, and dealing with her daughter's return from studying abroad.

The Muppets - Tuesdays at 8:00PM ET/PT on ABC
Premieres Tuesday, September 22, 2015 at 8:00PM ET/PT

by Vincent

The Muppets return to primetime with a contemporary, documentary-style show. For the first time ever, a series will explore the Muppets' personal lives and relationships, both at home and at work, as well as romances, breakups, achievements, disappointments, wants and desires. This is a more adult Muppet show, for "kids" of all ages.

Cast Details:

Steve Whitmire as Kermit the Frog, Rizzo the Rat, Beaker, Statler, and Lips
Eric Jacobson as Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, and Sam Eagle
Dave Goelz as Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen, and Dr. Benson Honeydew
Bill Barretta as Pepe the King Prawn, Rowlf the Dog, Dr. Teeth, The Swedish Chef
David Rudman as Scooter and Janice
Matt Vogel as Floyd Pepper, Uncle Deadly, Sweetums
Peter Linz as Walter

Steve Whitmire is a puppeteer, best known for performing as Kermit the Frog and Ernie from Sesame Street. He has performed as both characters since the death of Jim Henson in 1990.

Eric Jacobson is a puppeteer known for his work on The Muppets and Sesame Street.

Dave Goelz is a puppeteer known for his work on The Muppets and Sesame Street. He has also worked on shows such as Dinosaurs and Bear in the Big Blue House.

Bill Barretta is a puppeteer who has primarily worked on many varieties of Muppets films and specials. He has been performing with the Muppets since 1993.

Matt Vogel is a puppeteer with The Muppets and Sesame Street. He also did puppeteer work in an episode of 30 Rock.

Peter Linz is a puppeteer who has performed as the character Walter on The Muppets since the character's debut in the 2011 feature film The Muppets. He also appeared on shows like Blue's Room and The Puzzle Place and worked as a puppeteer for the Broadway musical Avenue Q.

Pilot Plot:

We have watched the first two episodes for review. Descriptions of the episodes are listed below:

"Pig Girls Don't Cry (Pilot)" (Airs September 22 at 8:00PM ET)

Miss Piggy is furious that Kermit booked Elizabeth Banks as a guest on her late night talk show Up Late with Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear meets his girlfriend's parents, and Grammy Award-winning rock band Imagine Dragons performs their new single "Roots."

"Hostile Takeover" (Airs September 29 at 8:00PM ET)

In an attempt to make Miss Piggy happy, Kermit sets her up with Josh Groban who fills her head with ideas on how to make Up Late with Miss Piggy better. Meanwhile, Fozzie is invited to a party at Jay Leno's house and everyone is annoyed that Bobo is selling cookies for his daughter's troop.

Analysis:

The Muppets has already sparked a lot of buzz over the summer, thanks to well-plotted PR stunts about how Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog have broken up after a decades-long relationship. The reaction to these stunts was about on par with some of the real celebrity break-ups that took place over the summer, which just goes to show the level of passion long-time Muppets diehards have for these characters. The entire stunt rang a little hollow, blatantly trying to cash in on people's nostalgia and adoration for The Muppets for a marketing campaign...and yet, there was something about it that was kind of fun, and that sucked you in spite of itself. You kind of questioned why it needed to exist, and why you cared so much, and why it was working on you. But it did work on you. And that kind of sums up this entire new Muppets project in a nutshell. It feels a little unnecessary, and like it's trying very hard to pull at all of your childhood feelings for these characters while simultaneously feeling modern and "cool." But, at least in its first two episodes, it pretty much works!

Centering around the backstage antics of a Ms. Piggy-hosted talk show, The Muppets is being touted as a more "adult-friendly" vehicle for these characters, boasting a concept similar to 30 Rock and a format reminiscent of shows like The Office and Modern Family. Given that there are some pretty blatant jokes about Kermit's sexual escapades with his new girlfriend in the first 10 minutes of the pilot, it becomes clear that the target audience for this show isn't necessarily kids, but the people who grew up with these characters as kids. (That said, it's probably fine to watch with your kids - content-wise it's mostly pretty tame, and the sexual innuendo is all very mild and likely to go over the heads of any young viewers.) It is also more "adult" in how it handles the relationship between its characters. The major anchor of the show, thus far, is the broken courtship between Kermit and Ms. Piggy, and how the destruction of their personal relationship has affected their personal relationship. Their actual break-up scene is flashed back to in the pilot, and it's the best scene of the show thus far, far more emotional and raw than you would expect a scene in The Muppets to be. Similarly, a sub-plot like with Fozzie attempting to impress his girlfriend's parents despite their judgement of him has some well-utilized earnesty that, if doubled down on, could lead to The Muppets sustaining itself as a quality television show and not just a marketing ploy. On the other hand, the series gets a little clunky when it's attempting to shoehorn figures like Jay Leno and Tom Bergeron into the proceedings, where the joke of the scene seems to amount to little more than "look at these people talking to these characters you love!" There are lots of moments where The Muppets looks like it wants to take itself seriously as a TV show that's holding up a beloved institution. And then not long after that, Imagine Dragons plays us off with their new single. There is plenty of potential in this updated version of The Muppets, but it'll have to resist the urge of being a showbiz marketing tool and actually take its characters seriously.

Conclusion:

The Muppets is full of potential, and while the first two episodes aren't perfect, there's enough good within them to suggest that fans of the franchise can rest assured knowing the characters they love are in good hands. The question is whether the show can rise above the level of "a marketing tool that will please fans and allow celebrities to come plug their stuff sometimes" and become an actual great sitcom with some beloved characters that even non-fans can jump into and enjoy. It's too early to tell which route it will take, and there's evidence of both paths here. Here's to hoping The Muppets chooses the second option, because it would be a shame to see these excellent characters not used to their full capabilities.

Final Numbers (out of 5 stars):

Watchability: 4.5/5
Funniness: 3.5/5
Overall: 4/5

Discuss the show after you watch it on Tuesday, September 22, 2015 at 8:00PM ET/PT on our message board.

Related Links:

ABC.com Official Site

TV.com

epguides.com

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

The Muppets Photo Gallery

Preview:

The 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards aired last night on Fox. Here are the winners!

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Louie (FX)
Modern Family (ABC)
Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Silicon Valley (HBO)
Transparent (Amazon)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Veep (HBO)
WINNER: Veep (HBO)

OUTSTANDING LEAD COMEDY ACTOR
Anthony Anderson, black-ish (ABC)
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes (Showtime)
Don Cheadle, House of Lies (Showtime)
Louis C.K., Louie (FX)
William H. Macy, Shameless (Showtime)
Will Forte, The Last Man on Earth (Fox)
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent (Amazon)
WINNER: Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent (Amazon).

OUTSTANDING LEAD COMEDY ACTRESS
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie (Netflix)
Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central)
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback (HBO)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)
WINNER: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO).

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTOR
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX)
Adam Driver, Girls (HBO)
Keegan-Michael Key, Key & Peele (Comedy Central)
Ty Burrell, Modern Family (ABC)
Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Tony Hale, Veep (HBO)
WINNER: Tony Hale, Veep (HBO)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTRESS
Niecy Nash, Getting On (HBO)
Julie Bowen, Modern Family (ABC)
Allison Janney, Mom (CBS)
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Gaby Hoffmann, Transparent (Amazon)
Jane Krakowski, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Anna Chlumsky, Veep (HBO)
WINNER: Allison Janney, Mom (CBS).

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Better Call Caul (AMC)
Downton Abbey (PBS)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
House of Cards (Netflix)
Homeland (Showtime)
Mad Men (AMC)
Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
WINNER: Game of Thrones (HBO)

OUTSTANDING LEAD DRAMA ACTOR
Bob Odenkirk, Netter Call Saul (AMC)
Kyle Chandler, Bloodline (Netflix)
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards (Netflix)
Jon Hamm, Mad Men (AMC)
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan (Showtime)
Jeff Daniels, The Newsroom (HBO)
WINNER: Jon Hamm, Mad Men (AMC). Fitting for the final season.

OUTSTANDING LEAD DRAMA ACTRESS
Taraji P. Henson, Empire (Fox)
Claire Danes, Homeland (Showtime)
Robin Wright, House of Cards (Netflix)
Viola Davis, How To Get Away With Murder (ABC)
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men (AMC)
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black (BBC America)
WINNER: Viola Davis, How To Get Away With Murder (ABC)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTOR
Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul (AMC)
Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline (Netflix)
Jim Carter, Downton Abbey (PBS)
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Michael Kelly, House of Cards (Netflix)
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife (CBS)
WINNER: Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones (HBO)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTRESS
Joanne Froggatt, Downtown Abbey (PBS)
Lena Headey, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones (HBO)
Christina Hendricks, Mad Men (AMC)
Uzo Aduba, Orange Is The New Black (Netflix)
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife (CBS)
WINNER: Uzo Aduba, Orange Is The New Black (Netflix)

View the full list of winners.

We're at the end of summer and we will be back with our normal weekly ratings report with the first four nights numbers and analysis next week, but we still will have our regular how the sitcoms did one last time for summer! Here are our summer ratings: