Disney, as a company, is no stranger to reboots and revivals. They found a string of major successes throughout the 2010s in taking their iconic animated TV shows and remaking them in live-action, a move that pushed the Walt Disney Studios arm of the company to be on par with Marvel and Star Wars, another brand where they continue to toy with reviving stories and characters. The Disney+ streaming platform has become a major place for these revivals, as Disney has rebooted Percy Jackson, the animated X-Men, and The Mighty Ducks in some form. Now, they’ve revealed the first look at their next big revival, one that is decades in the making.
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Back in 2004, The Walt Disney Company acquired the rights to The Muppets, an addition to the stable of characters they own, that seemed like a perfect move despite their avant-garde nature. Disney has had sporadic success with The Muppets as a series, but earlier this year, word came that they’re taking them back to their roots in a huge way, reviving The Muppet Show after more than four decades. Now, we know when The Muppet Show will return, and it ends a decades-long stretch of no new episodes.
The Muppet Show Returns for First New Episode in 45 Years
Back in September, it was confirmed that Disney was bringing back The Muppet Show as a special event, marking the first new episode of the series since the fifth season wrapped up in 1981. Seth Rogen and his Point Grey Pictures production banner are set to executive produce the series, which will get back to the roots of The Muppet Show by featuring the iconic characters alongside a special guest star, confirmed to be Sabrina Carpenter. The teaser for the upcoming “special event” has confirmed when the series will air, premiering on ABC and Disney+ on Wednesday, February 4th, 2026, 45 years after the last episode of the series.
It was previously teased that this “special event” would serve as the template for a potential full season of the series. By enlisting Carpenter for the episode, though, the series seems primed for success in a big way thanks to her massive popularity. But even more so, how her personality will mesh with the characters on screen. Carpenter already looped in Miss Piggy for one of her concerts in Los Angeles earlier this year, a moment that may very well be referenced in the special event.
As fans no doubt recall, The Muppet Show was not only built around the sketches featuring the puppet characters, but how they interacted with the special guest performers that would appear in every episode. Notable actors and singers like Rita Moreno, Elton John, Steve Martin, and Julie Andrews all showed up in episodes of The Muppet Show, and it’s hard not to see how Carpenter will set the template for other modern stars to follow in her footsteps. Should the special event prove to be a success, it could see The Muppet Show fully revived.
Disney’s history with The Muppets, ever since purchasing them, has been defined by inconsistency. Though the 2011 feature film grossed over $160 million globally (the highest of the entire franchise) and even won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, its sequel wasn’t as well-received and has resulted in the characters being absent from movie theaters for 11 years now. Even their attempts at bringing them back on TV have been squandered, with three different TV shows that all only lasted one season. Will The Muppet Show revival do better? We’ll find out in February.
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