ABC Cancels ‘The Muppets’

It’s sadly official. ABC has cancelled The Muppets. The series will not be returning for a second season due to less than desirable ratings during its freshman season.

Big changes happened for The Muppets mid-season, with news surfacing that the series has lost its showrunner and will also return with a different look.

Co-creator, executive producer and showrunner Bob Kushell exited the series and, according to Deadline, the departure stemmed from a “clash in styles and vision” between he and co-creator/executive producer Bill Prady.

The series was reportedly rushed to air “before before its concept, style and tone had been fully formed.” As a result of that, along with the already tight shooting and production schedules, more stress was added the environment. The show’s creative direction has been questioned since the dip in ratings it faced after the premiere. Now, ratings are overall OK, but the network still considers them disappointing as “The Muppets has been held to a different standard.”

The Muppets started strong last fall, but ratings quickly fading – leaving the series with a 1.7 rating in adults 18-49 and 5 million viewers overall in Nielsen’s “live plus-7” estimates. However, there were rumors that ABC might have been considering a second season renewal for the series due to The Muppets overall value to the parent company – Disney.

The Muppets isn’t alone in this boat though, ABC also cancelled Nashville, Agent Carter, Castle, and The Family.

Editor’s Note:
It’s no secret that I have a great love for The Muppets…. my initial reaction to the news?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYzXhE3vwNk

Followed by….

https://youtu.be/4Z3s1fJgCEE

I didn’t take it well. 🙁 Hopefully this will not be the end of The Muppets for fans, but it will likely be a long time before another show or film is made. Stay strong Muppet fans! 🙂