'Muppets' May Be Back on Primetime TV

LOS ANGELES - The Muppets could be coming back to primetime television with a new mission: parodying reality shows.

ABC has ordered a script and five episode outlines for "America's Next Muppet," in which viewers may join in choosing the newest member of the puppet family that includes Kermit and Miss Piggy, a network spokeswoman said Tuesday.

The premise has the ring of such shows as "American Idol" or "America's Next Top Model," in which the audience picks potential new stars.

ABC is part of the Walt Disney Co., which purchased the Muppets franchise from the Jim Henson Co. in 2004 and the right to use the characters in its theme parks, movies, TV shows and retail products. The ABC-TV movie "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz" aired earlier this year.

The late Jim Henson's Muppets got their first regular, widespread exposure on PBS' "Sesame Street" starting in 1969, though Kermit The Frog was first featured on Canadian televison 50 years ago.

The syndicated "The Muppet Show" aired from 1976-81 and was seen in more than 100 countries. The characters also briefly starred in "Muppets Tonight," which aired for four months in 1996 as part of ABC's primetime lineup.

Henson's puppets moved to the big screen in 1979 with "The Muppet Movie," followed by movies including "The Great Muppet Caper" and "The Muppets Take Manhattan."

Oh, fuckin' ay!

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My favorite was always the Blue Saxaphone player in Dr. Tooth's Band. Never said much, but always exuded cool.

Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem was my favorite band when I was between 6-11 years old.

This will either be total crap or completely brilliant. Will need cameos from the good ol' boys inorder to make it worthwhile, methinks.

Either that or have the reality group be a bunch of the C-grade Muppets: Clifford, the Mahna Mahna guy, Wayne & Wanda, Gladys the lunchlady, etc.

I hope Disney has the sense to retain some of the remaining Henson creative talent and doesn't get all Elmo-Zoey on the franchise.

They're going to parody reality TV? What a concept, no one's thought of that yet!