As a millennial, I wasn’t around for the premiere of The Muppet Show back in 1976. It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 50 years, and now Disney has brought it back for what’s supposed to be a one-time special. However, it’s being treated as a backdoor pilot. If there’s enough interest and goodwill, they could turn it into a full revival. The Muppets were part of my childhood, though they were never my all-time favorites. Still, I was excited to watch this special, which I did with my mother when she came over the other day.

The biggest guest star in the special is by far Sabrina Carpenter. She was born in 1999, long after the original series had ended. Her parents were born in the 1960s, so they likely grew up watching the show.

The premise is just like the original, a sketch comedy format similar-ish to Saturday Night Live. I didn’t particularly need to hear Sabrina sing “Man Child” for the 500th time, but I did enjoy her oddball, quirky humor.

Seth Rogen served as an executive producer and also appears in the program, though mostly as himself as… executive producer. It’s strange seeing him partially gray now, and even stranger realizing he’s only 43, not 53.

Maya Rudolph is the only special guest star who realistically could have grown up watching The Muppet Show, though she would have been only four years old when it premiered. I didn’t find her particularly funny here; she just seemed a little odd and out of place.

The special runs less than 40 minutes and actually features more non-celebrity content than you might expect. Still, there isn’t much time to showcase all the classic Muppets. They do a surprisingly good job fitting in what they can.

The 2026 Muppet Show special wasn’t as good as I had hoped, but it’s still lovable. As for a revival series, it would certainly benefit Disney if it worked, but I doubt it would be very successful if picked up. The Walt Disney Company has invested a lot of money in The Muppets and will likely continue to milk Kermit and Miss Piggy for years to come. However, I don’t think this revival will become a long-running hit that competes with Saturday Night Live for laughs.