That Muppet Rip-off!

“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.