Skip to footer

'The Muppets': A look at upcoming guest stars on the new ABC show

Some of the stars who will be appearing on the ABC 'Muppet' program have been revealed. The Muppet characters made a big comeback in the 2011 film 'The Muppets' and now they'll be back on TV with the new show.

|
Eric McCandless/ABC/AP
'The Muppets' stars Kermit the Frog (l.) and Gonzo the Great (r.).

We now know another guest who will be appearing on ABC’s upcoming program “The Muppets.”

“The Hunger Games” actor Liam Hemsworth recently posted on Instagram about his appearance on the TV show, and it looks like he’ll be vying for the affections of a certain female Muppet.

Spent Friday with the most beautiful girl in the world. Kermit, #SorryNotSorry. #TheMuppets #misspiggy

A photo posted by Liam Hemsworth (@liamhemsworth) on

In addition to the “Hunger” franchise, Hemsworth has also appeared in such films as “The Last Song” and “Paranoia” and is set to star in the new “Independence Day” film. 

Other celebrities scheduled to appear on “The Muppets,” which debuts on Sept. 22, include “Wild” actress Reese Witherspoon, Topher Grace of “American Ultra,” “Scandal” actress Kerry Washington (“Scandal” is also an ABC program), “Pitch Perfect 2” director Elizabeth Banks, Nathan Fillion of “Castle” (also an ABC show), and the band Imagine Dragons.

The Muppet characters, including Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, and Fozzie Bear, appeared on TV on the popular program “The Muppet Show,” which ran from 1976 to 1981. The group also starred in various films in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including “The Muppet Movie” and “The Great Muppet Caper.” The 1999 film “Muppets from Space” wasn’t well-received, but the Muppets came back in pop culture with the release of the 2011 film “The Muppets,” which was well-reviewed and did well at the box office. 2014’s “Muppets Most Wanted” also did fairly well, though it grossed less at the box office and was received less positively by reviewers. 

The Muppets’ previous high-profile TV gig, “The Muppet Show,” was hailed for being enjoyable for children and adults and as it became even more famous, the show drew guest stars like Mark Hamill, Ethel Merman, Elton John, and Roger Moore. 

Now the new program reflects change in comedy. Mockumentary-style shows have become ubiquitous with the popularity of programs like NBC’s “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation” and ABC’s own “Modern Family.” According to ABC, the new program will also include behind-the-scenes looks at the Muppets in their homes and elsewhere outside the studio.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.
editor@csmonitor.com
Subscribe
Mark Sappenfield
Editor

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

Subscribe to insightful journalism

QR Code to 'The Muppets': A look at upcoming guest stars on the new ABC show
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Culture-Cafe/2015/0901/The-Muppets-A-look-at-upcoming-guest-stars-on-the-new-ABC-show
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe