Seth Rogen and Sabrina Carpenter are bringing back The Muppet Show

Seth Rogen has long radiated the exact chaotic, lovable energy you’d associate with The Muppets, so it feels appropriate he’d be the one to help drag Kermit and the gang back into the spotlight after some stop-starts in recent years. Off the back of Rogen’s recent Emmy success with The Studio, it feels even more appropriate.

The Muppet Show is officially returning, sort of, in 2026 as a one-off Disney+ special. Timed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the original 1976 series, the special will feature Sabrina Carpenter as its star (and executive producer), with the Muppets back in their natural habitat: a slightly dilapidated theatre, attempting to stage a variety show that almost definitely goes off the rails.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the special is being set up as a "backdoor pilot", so if all goes well, it could blossom into a full-blown Muppet Show revival.

Behind the curtain, there’s a serious amount of firepower: Rogen is executive producing alongside his usual crew, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, and Alex McAtee for Point Grey Pictures.

Carpenter joins as both star and EP, along with a small battalion of producers from The Muppets Studio, 20th Television, and Disney Branded Television. The episode will be written by Albertina Rizzo and directed by Alex Timbers, both of whom are also exec producers.

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The gang’s all here. Veteran Muppeteers, including Bill Barretta, Dave Goelz, Eric Jacobson, Peter Linz, David Rudman, and Matt Vogel, are returning to bring the characters to life. Goelz, who’s been performing since the original series and created Gonzo and Dr Bunsen Honeydew, has now been a Muppet for more than half a century.

The Muppet Show originally aired from 1976 to 1981, going global and featuring some genuinely legendary guest stars, think Elton John, Diana Ross, Johnny Cash, Debbie Harry, Liza Minnelli, and Paul Simon, all of whom somehow survived Statler and Waldorf’s balcony-based heckling. It won Emmys, BAFTAs, a Grammy, and, more importantly, generations of die-hard fans.

Carpenter is a longtime Muppet stan. She once called Kermit her dream Hollywood date, and recently pulled a full Miss Piggy look at the VMAs. So her starring role in this feels more destiny than a casting decision.

All five seasons of the original Muppet Show are streaming on Disney+, in case you need a refresher before the big return.

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