Here at Muppet Mayhem we are very excited for the new Muppet show titled The Muppets. The Muppets have been on television for many years and we wanted to celebrate not only the upcoming Muppet show but also past Muppet shows that began the Muppet’s career and eventually created a legacy of laughter and love.
In 1955, Jim Henson began his television legacy with a small show called Sam and Friends. This show would begin Jim Henson's career in puppetry and introduced Kermit as an upcoming star. Many of these short, five minute episodes were originally aired on the NBC affiliate in Washington DC twice daily. Kermit began his long career here, but he was not the amphibian we know and love today. He was in fact a lizard that liked wigs and would visualize letters and numbers. Sam and Friends ended in 1961 as Jim Henson's career began to take off. 
In 1966, five years after the end of Sam and Friends, Joan Cooney was developing a new children’s show that would push Jim Henson’s career even further. Jim Henson loved the idea of this new preschool show and decided to hop on board with his Muppets. Sesame Street has now been on for almost 45 years and still produces amazing television for young preschoolers who are learning how to read, use numbers and being polite. The newest season of Sesame Street will now be on HBO after a deal was made with PBS. For an extended article on the HBO deal and a brief history of Sesame Street, click here: http://muppetmayhemblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/hbo-becomes-way-to-get-to-sesame-street.html
After many years with Sesame Street, Jim Henson took his team in 1976 to create one of the most watched variety shows of all time. This was of course The Muppet Show. The show was based around random songs, skits, and celebrity guests that gave children and adults everlasting laughs. When the song "Mahna Mahna" plays, kids sing along knowing it from the 2011 film The Muppets. However, adults and true Muppet fans know this song was in the pilot of The Muppet Show. With amazing guest stars such as Steve Martin, Elton John, Madeline Kahn, and Gilda Radner, The Muppet Show grew fast with popularity and remained so until its end in 1981.
Six years after Jim Henson had passed away, his son Brian Henson decided to bring the Muppets back to television with Muppets Tonight. The concept for the show was a variety show where Kermit the Frog was not the main star, which was very uncommon considering he is arguably the most famous Muppet of them all. The show introduced many new characters including Clifford, a character brought to life by the very talented Kevin Clash, and featured original characters such as Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, and Gonzo the Great. Although running for only two seasons, the show won two Emmy awards for Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program in 1996 and for Outstanding Children's Program in 1998. 
Now premiering tomorrow begins a new era of The Muppets on television with The Muppets on ABC. It has been said that this show is going to be rated TV-PG or maybe even TV-14 and that ABC is going for more of an adult Muppet Show where you get the inside scoop on their personal lives. The show will follow all the characters we love as we watch them broadcast a new talk show featuring Miss Piggy called "Up Late with Miss Piggy." Kermit is the executive producer for the show, which can be difficult when your ex-girlfriend is the host! We hope to expect classic Muppet comedy and traditions while also adding new flairs that modernize the Muppets.
As we said, here at Muppet Mayhem we are very excited for the new show coming to ABC tomorrow! We hope that ABC continues the legacy of The Muppets and that Jim Henson's philosophies are always remembered while filming this new show. We hope you all watch and enjoy the new Muppet Show at 8pm Pacific time tomrrow and let us know what you think about it at muppetmayhemblog@gmail.com or comment below!
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