Latest in The Muppets

Once again, it’s not easy being green. Disney has slapped a warning label on its streaming release of the children’s classic The Muppet Show, warning of “offensive content.” Five seasons of the show started streaming on Disney+ on Friday. Prior to 18 episodes, a disclaimer warns of the dangers that lay ahead. "This…

The Muppets’ TV comeback has come short, with ABC canceling the revival comedy series after one season. The Muppets struggled to get traction with viewers with its original incarnation in the fall and the midseason creative reboot despite a high level of curiosity and nostalgia that brought in viewers for the…

Not all bubble shows are born equal. All rely on ratings performance, the stronger the ratings — linear or digital or both — the better the chance of coming back. Creative strength and critical acclaim also help. But then there are other aspects that factor in more and more as the broadcast ratings supported by…

Proving once again that you usually get one shot to hook viewers with a new show as they rarely give you a second chance, the revamped Muppets started with little ratings fanfare last night. While receiving largely positive reviews, the opening episode of The Muppets 2.0 drew a paltry 0.8 adults 18-49 rating and 2.7…

It came down to the wire last year, with Castle‘s Stana Katic signing on for Season 8 hours before ABC’s upfront presentation. With deals pending for both Katic and costar Nathan Fillion, there’s been a lot of speculation about the show’s future, whether there are contingency spinoff plans or even a Castle 2.0 should…

The leading candidate for the 2016 Democratic Presidential nomination will be back in town early next year in the house that Kermit built. Hillary Clinton is coming back to L.A. on January 7 for some more visits to the seemingly bottomless Hollywood donor well. In what is termed as a "family celebration with Hillary,"…

There is a behind the scenes shakeup on ABC’s freshman comedy series The Muppets. Gone is co-creator, executive producer and showrunner Bob Kushell. Kristin Newman (Galavant) is in negotiations to succeed him as new showrunner under her overall deal at ABC Studios, the studio that produces The Muppets. The move is…

ABC has picked up three more episodes from new comedy series The Muppets, bringing its first-season order to 16 episodes. After big expectations and a strong ratings start, The Muppets has slipped but has done an OK job opening Tuesday night for ABC at 8 PM, with its ratings running on par with lead-out Fresh Off the B…

Disney Media Distribution has racked up strong sales on a clutch of projects. ABC Studios' latest Shondaland drama series, The Catch, has been licensed to broadcasters in 186 territories worldwide with deals in place for France, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, China, South Africa and Nigeria…

It’s not the same as that 15 minutes that will supposedly save you 15% on car insurance, but 15 minutes may be all it takes to predict which new TV shows are most likely to make the cut to return next season, if Peel Smart Remote App data is as accurate this year as it was in 2014. This season’s top 5 new shows…

Snapshot: New series premieres – Fox’s Grandfathered (1.5), Grinder (1.5); New series Week 2 retention – Limitless (1.9, 100%), The Muppets (2.0, 69%), Scream Queens (1.4, 82%). The Voice (3.6) becomes first returning series to post Week 2 growth.  Curiosity and nostalgia (plus a massive marketing campaign) brought…

It was good news for all new Tuesday scripted series, with CBS’ Limitless, Fox’s Scream Queens and ABC’s The Muppets logging the biggest Live+3 ratings lifts on Premiere Tuesday. Limitless and Scream Queens tied for the biggest absolute 18-49 gain, 1.0 rating, rising to a 2.9 and a 2.7, respectively. ABC’s The Muppets…