Seth Rogen and Sabrina Carpenter Team Up for a Can't-Miss The Muppet Show Special on Disney+
Cue the chaos: The Muppet Show returns as a Disney+ special, produced by Seth Rogen and guest-starring Sabrina Carpenter.
Good news for anyone who still hums the theme song in the shower: The Muppet Show turns 50 in 2026, and Disney+ is marking it with a one-off special next year led by Seth Rogen. The plan (or the hope, depending on how you read the tea leaves) is that this special doubles as a backdoor pilot for a full-on revival season.
'It's time to play the music. It's time to light the lights.'
What they're cooking
Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, and the rest of the chaos crew head back to the Muppet Theatre to put on an old-school variety show — music, comedy, and the usual barely-controlled disaster. Sabrina Carpenter is on board as the guest star and is also executive producing.
Who's making it
This one has more executive producers than Statler and Waldorf have one-liners — and yes, a couple of the puppeteers are EPs too. Here's the lineup:
- Seth Rogen executive produces, along with Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, and Alex McAtee for Point Grey Pictures
- David Lightbody, Leigh Slaughter, and Michael Steinbach executive produce for The Muppets Studio
- Director: Alex Timbers, who is also an executive producer
- Writer: Albertina Rizzo
- Additional executive producers: Matt Vogel and Eric Jacobson
- Muppet performers: Bill Barretta, Dave Goelz, Eric Jacobson, Peter Linz, David Rudman, and Matt Vogel will handle most of the characters
The recent Muppet track record (aka why this matters)
Disney bought The Muppets back in 2004. The big screen got a win with the 2011 movie starring Jason Segel and Amy Adams. TV has been rougher: the 2016 Office-style mockumentary got canceled after one season; Muppets Now (the improv-ish one) ran just six episodes; and The Muppets Mayhem — the Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem spinoff — also bowed out after a single season.
There have been bright spots on Disney+, like 2021's Muppets Haunted Mansion with Gonzo and Pepe trying to make it through one spooky night. And if you want the classics before the new special drops, all five seasons of The Muppet Show (1976–1981) are streaming now.
The bottom line
One special, coming to Disney+ in 2026, with Seth Rogen steering and Sabrina Carpenter in the spotlight. If it lands, we might finally get a proper new season. If not, well, at least we got the band back together — literally.