“That Puppet Game show”
is a new TV series for BBC One co-produced by the Jim Henson Company, the people
behind The Muppets and Sesame Street. You can catch it Saturdays on BBC 1 or on
BBC iPlayer.
The Muppets played a huge part in my childhood so I was thrilled
the first time I saw the advertisement for “That Puppet Game show.” I could
tell the puppets had been created by the Jim Henson Company with their classic
felt-y style, distinctive colours and impressive individuality. I was so
excited that I immediately put it on series link.
I should not have let my nostalgic longing overridden my
usual scepticism at the re-imagination of a cherished memory.
The show draws on many of the structures of the original Muppet
Show such as backstage plots and a range of quirky characters with different
relationships, including family members and even a little romance. What I found
lacking, however, was humour. It wasn’t in those extra plots, it wasn’t in the characters
and it certainly was not in the Clyde the crabby crab. In fact, it wasn’t
exactly present in many of the games, at least not directly. The way the
celebrities embraced the tasks and the hilarity that ensued, largely from their
mistakes, was the only thing that made it funny, and even then it often
dragged.
That’s not the worst part though. No, the worst part has to
be how much they have tried to emulate The Muppets, even down to the
characters. You have Amber, the diva (AKA Miss Piggy); Dr Strabismus, the crazy
scientist (AKA Dr Honeydew) and The Amazing Ian, the weird one (AKA Gonzo the
Great) to name just a few. I can’t help but think that if they had started it
as an entirely separate new show rather than desperately replicating a
previously successful show, they could have created something great. Sadly,
that’s simply not the case.
