The revived Muppet Show is drawing in viewers at a solid clip.
The half-hour special, which debuted Feb. 4 on ABC and Disney+, has more than doubled its initial audience over eight days of streaming and other delayed viewing. The Muppet Show drew 3.07 million viewers for its first showing on ABC; as of Thursday, it had climbed to 7.58 million — an increase of 147 percent.
The 7.58 million cross-platform viewers is on par with seven-day, multi-platform numbers for ABC’s comedies Shifting Gears and Abbott Elementary this season (albeit with an extra day of viewing for The Muppet Show). The season premiere of Shifting Gears hit 7.57 million viewers after a week, while Abbott Elementary rose to 6.64 million over seven days for its season opener.
The Muppet Show, which featured Sabrina Carpenter (who was also an executive produer) as the special guest and appearances by exec producer Seth Rogen and Maya Rudolph, is an updated version of the classic Muppet format, with Kermit, Miss Piggy and Co. putting on a variety show. The special, which Disney ordered in September, was meant to serve as a pilot for possible future episodes, though there hasn’t been any word yet on that front. (The ratings figures surely won’t hurt the cause, though.)
The special also got positive critical notices, with THR’s Daniel Fienberg writing that “This is not The Muppet Show at its best, but it’s a return to what the Muppets do best.”
20th Television, Disney Branded Television, The Muppets Studio and Rogen’s Point Grey Pictures produced the special. Carpenter and Rogen executive produce with Point Grey’s Evan Goldberg, James Weaver and Alex McAtee; David Lightbody, Leigh Slaughter and Michael Steinbach for The Muppets Studio; and Albertina Rizzo, Matt Vogel, Eric Jacobson and director Alex Timbers.
