Seth Rogen is basically a Muppet in human form, so it makes sense he would be the one to revive The Muppet Show.
The Muppet Show will return in 2026 as a Disney+ special starring (and executive produced by) Sabrina Carpenter — next year marks the 50th anniversary of the original variety series. The hope is for the Muppet Show special to serve as a backdoor pilot for a new season of the iconic series that debuted in the ‘70s. The Muppets themselves actually date back two decades before that.
Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver and Alex McAtee will executive produce the special for Point Grey Pictures. David Lightbody, Leigh Slaughter and Michael Steinbach executive produce for The Muppets Studio.
The special, which sees the Muppets return to their theater to produce a variety show, also hails from 20th Television and Disney Branded Television. Albertina Rizzo will write and executive produce; Alex Timbers will direct and executive produce. Matt Vogel and Eric Jacobson are also executive producers. Longtime Muppet performers Bill Barretta, Dave Goelz, Eric Jacobson, Peter Linz, David Rudman and Matt Vogel will perform most of the muppetry.
Created by Jim Henson in 1955, the media franchise was purchased by The Walt Disney Company in 2004. The Muppets first appeared on Sesame Street in 1969, but skyrocketed in recognition through The Muppet Show, which premiered in 1976. All five seasons of The Muppet Show are currently available to stream on Disney+.
Several Muppet feature films have been made, including 1979’s The Muppet Movie, 1981’s The Great Muppet Caper and 1984’s The Muppets Take Manhattan. There have also been various spinoffs and a television film titled It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002).
Since 2004, Disney has managed the characters through The Muppets Studio, which led to two theatrical films: The Muppets (2001) and Muppets Most Wanted, the Halloween special Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021) and most recently the television series The Muppets Mayhem (2023).