Disney and several entertainment news outlets revealed that The Muppet Show is being rebooted. This will happen in 2026 with a special on Disney+ starring Sabrina Carpenter. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who helmed the multiple Emmy award winning series The Studio, are set to executive produce alongside James Weaver and Alex McAtee. For Muppets Studios, David Lightbody, Leigh Slaughter and Michael Steinbach will executive produce. In this post, we’ll break down the news as well as discuss the possible trickle down effect this could have on the Disney Parks!

In the latest update, Disney has revealed that the special event will take place on February 4th on ABC and Disney+. Here’s the synopsis from Disney along with the teaser:

“It’s “The Muppet Show!” Kermit, Miss Piggy and the beloved Muppet gang are back with a brand-new special event. Music, comedy, and a whole lot of chaos are bound to ensue when The Muppets once again take the stage of the original Muppet Theatre with their very special guest, Sabrina Carpenter!”

The rest of this post is from when the original news broke of The Muppet Show returning. I remain optimistic that this special will lead to a renewed interest in bringing back the show more often but there’s no new information on that. We’ll cross our fingers and hope!

Rumors began surfacing for this project earlier in 2025 before Disney put the kibosh on them. They later popped up last month, with a few different casting calls on several sites. Having official confirmation is great news! Disney does seem to be hedging their bets with this project, starting with a special before committing to a series. That special is meant to be a backdoor pilot for a new series, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

Technically, I think the backdoor pilot phrase is a little loose with semantics here. Generally that phrase means that side characters will take a larger role in an existing show and then spin off into another. In this case, I think that the producing team is hoping that the special does well enough to go ahead and do a full on season of The Muppet Show. Seeing the whole gang back together again routinely would be a dream come true!

For those worried about this being a Rogen and Goldberg project, I wouldn’t be. Even if the likes of Superbad and This is the End aren’t your flavor of movies, the duo has started making a diverse set of projects. That has all culminated in the excellent and award winning show, The Studio. I know that many get weary of Muppets using adult humor (even though there’s a long history of that since their creation) and attaching Rogen to that probably isn’t going to help that trepidation. People can feel what they want, but these two creatives being attached to the project makes me very excited and bullish on this being more than just a Disney+ special.

The most frustrating part of the announcement, was that the company was clearly using it as a distraction from the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel. I won’t comment on the suspension, as this is generally not the website to get your political commentary from, but I was disappointed that the news of a reboot was used as a way to change the news cycle. Hopefully, and realistically, that won’t hurt the project long term.

I’m very excited for the new Muppet Show project and cautiously optimistic about a new series coming out of this. There should be an emphasis on the word cautiously. Disney’s track record with the Muppets has been Crazy Harry (typo intended) at best. Modest successes like the Jason Segal reboot in 2011 have been mixed with clear instances of the company just not understanding what to do with the property.

That seems to be changing some, even in the midst of closing MuppetVision 3D at Hollywood Studios. There’s clear advocates for it in Imagineering, as the Muppets keep popping up in unexpected ways including the retheme of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. Hollywood is also full of Muppets believers, with many comedians crediting their love of the original Muppet Show. If there’s enough voices in the room believing in the Muppets then Kermit and the gang won’t disappear.

But at some point the Muppets have to make some money for Disney to continue to try them in different settings. I can, and will, stream the new special double digit times but that can only do so much good. Here’s hoping that this project catches on more than the last few. I think the Muppets humor and Kermit’s optimism could be used right about now. Fozzie’s fart shoes wouldn’t hurt either.

As for any theme park implications, that will be decided by the success of the show. We’ve pointed out several times, as have other outlets, that once Villains: Unfairly Ever After finishes its run, there will be a big theater right next to the Muppets themed Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. If this special turns into a show and that show turns into a success then the chances of MuppetVision returning there grow exponentially. Unfortunately, we need like five things to go right in that sentence for it to come to fruition. Not impossible but still a ways down the road for now.

Elsewhere, the Muppets could have a heavier presence back at California Adventure in some form. They’re already featured heavily (and perfectly) in the World of Color Happiness preshow. There are theaters that MuppetVision could be shown in. My pie in the sky dream is that this inspires a new (or dusted-off old) ride plan for the Muppets in some way. I don’t really see that happening but I’ll take what I can get!

What I hope and think will happen is more Muppets in the parks leading up to Disney+ special. That could come in the form of advertisements and merch. I’d love to see a small show or character meets in one way or another. Heck, break out the Sweetums costume and let him roam around Hollywood Studios for a while. Kermit and Miss Piggy have been featured at holiday parties on both coasts. Some of the infrastructure to have the Muppets pop up throughout the parks is there, use it to sell the show!

Whether this stays a special with the very popular Sabrina Carpenter or turns into an unforgettable series, I’m excited for the project to take flight. Getting a modern day Muppet Show is a dream come true for me and I’m eager to see what it looks like, especially under Rogen and Goldberg. It’s time to play the music…

Are you excited for a Muppet Show reboot? Let us know, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below. Planning a Disney trip? Check out our Travel Guides to help get you there! For those looking for discount tickets to the theme parks, check this site! If you enjoy what you’re reading here on Wandering in Disney please subscribe to the blog via email or WordPress and like our social media pages. You can find all of those things on the right side of this page. Thank you very much for reading, we appreciate it!