Incognito Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 I haven't seen it, but my comment was referring to a man with a mis-buttoned shirt coming out of Miss Piggie's trailer or whatever. Yeah, I was reacting to Franklin Graham. I agree about not really wanting to think about Muppets (or people, or any combination thereof) getting it on, but it is pretty standard for TV sitcoms. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 Okay, I watched it. Let me say up front that I'm much less bothered by sexual content than I am by violence. In this first episode, I didn't feel like anything crossed the line in terms of "mature" content, but I cringed when poor Scooter got thrown from the golf cart not once but twice. And to me, that "gag" spoke volumes to me about what I found wrong with the show, in general. In previous incarnations of the Muppets, the characters certainly got thrown around or abused a bit. However, the comedy in those incidents came from a certain silliness. A character who got tossed from a vehicle would have flown through the air, swung around a lamppost or two and then finally made a reasonably soft and improbable landing. Here, though, Scooter is simply flung onto pavement and is makes noises that indicate he's hurt. Why is that funny? And that's the big thing for me: It just wasn't funny or charming or magical in any way. Every Muppet in the cast could have been replaced with a human actor and it would have been the exact same mediocre, stale sitcom. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 Yeah, its not that there was adult humour. It's that the people who wrote it seem to think that "adult" means obvious, repetitive, and dull references to sexual activity. And it rather ironically makes it less suitable for families as well as lame for adults. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 It does inspire one to spend the morning watching clips of the original show. :D 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 Wow, after reading all this, I went to watch it on Hulu and it was much milder than I expected. But it was also kind of depressing. I don't know who thought the aftermath of a breakup was a great idea for a setting of the show. It wasn't terribly clever or upbeat or funny. Maybe it'll get better. I've always loved the Muppets. I just watched it too. It was milder than I expected as well. Maybe I'm dense but I just didn't see anything offensive. I certainly don't understand the calls for a boycott! I chuckled at a few jokes but mostly it was kind of ho-hum though. I might watch it again if I'm bored and it happens to be on, but it's not something I'll necessarily look for or DVR. Then again, it might get better...sometimes shows change things around after the first few episodes. 30 Rock, which is also based around a variety show, was much more edgy and offensive (I mean really offensive at times). I thought the Muppets was pretty tame. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 I haven't read up on any boycotts (I'm not big on organized temper tantrums about shows, books, movies, etc.) but am guessing they're based on more than just the first episode. There are a lot of clips and promos for the show out there, and sometimes reviewers have access to episodes that haven't been broadcast yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 I haven't read up on any boycotts (I'm not big on organized temper tantrums about shows, books, movies, etc.) but am guessing they're based on more than just the first episode. There are a lot of clips and promos for the show out there, and sometimes reviewers have access to episodes that haven't been broadcast yet. someone posted something on FB about people calling for a Boycott. I didn't get any further than that though as I'm not big on this type of activism either. Perhaps they were going by other clips?? I don't know. I just know that a boycott has been suggested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 I haven't read up on any boycotts (I'm not big on organized temper tantrums about shows, books, movies, etc.) but am guessing they're based on more than just the first episode. There are a lot of clips and promos for the show out there, and sometimes reviewers have access to episodes that haven't been broadcast yet. The couple people I've seen on FB linking to info on boycotting was based on the first episode only and possibly not even that (since some of what they claimed was actually part of the show at all). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrispyBiscuit Posted September 24, 2015 Author Share Posted September 24, 2015 It wasn't promoted as a family show. We watched it. It wasn't good. It just wasn't funny at all. I hadn't watched enough of ABC to see any clips to know wasn't promoted for families. I just saw Muppets and thought it'd be like the wholesome Muppets movies/old show. I made a wrong assumption, for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbecueMom Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 I hadn't watched enough of ABC to see any clips to know wasn't promoted for families. I just saw Muppets and thought it'd be like the wholesome Muppets movies/old show. I made a wrong assumption, for sure. I've been watching Muppets my whole life and never thought that it was... wholesome isn't the right word... not based in adult situations? We watch Muppet Family Christmas every year, and the turkey tries to take off with Gonzo's chicken girlfriend, saying, "Let's go out to the barnyard for some friendly scratching and squawking." Jim Henson himself had a cameo appearance in that special, so it's not like these jokes started after his death. Bill Prady got his start in show writing by working for Jim Henson, so he's coming back to the Muppets, not taking it over and recreating it without prior experience. Even part of Sesame Street's appeal was having jokes and scenarios that go over kids heads but are understood by adults. Last time I caught an episode, they parodied "Mad Men". They've parodied Mission Impossible and CSI in the between-show spots in PBS. I'm more likely to sit and watch with my kids when there's something in it for me too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 A boycott? Over this? :huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 I hated it. Very disappointed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joules Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 A boycott? Over this? :huh: I was a little confused, too. I can see boycotting the show, as in not watching it. But are people talking about the advertisers? There are dozens and dozens of more offensive shows on TV, you'd practically have to become something like an Amish to not buy anything advertised on any somewhat offensive show. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 Yeah, its over the top to boycott it. If it sucks, don't watch it, it will be canceled soon enough if it doesn't get any better. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 I'm just thinking. Tv is interesting at the moment. On the one hand, it seems to be dominated by cheaply made crap. Reality tv particularly. The humour, when it exists is moronic, and really it is just lowest common denominator in every way. It seems like the more brain-dead they think viewers are, the better it does. On the other hand, there is actually a part of what's available that is probably better than tv has ever been in terms of writing and production values. Moving away from episodic shows to ones that are written with a real narrative arc seems to be a big part of it, and I think it comes down to the way they are being funded for whole seasons, and funded well enough that they don't look like really cheap films. In a lot of ways they have more scope than the movies do to follow a complex story in some depth. And there are better actors than there have been on tv for a long time. I would have thought the audience for The Muppets would be the people who like the second kind of shows, rather than the first, even if they are picturing the Muppets as making the first kind of show. But I think I felt like it was just another version of garbage semi-reality tv. The fact that the charachters are puppets didn't n and of itself make that funny. Also - I thought the music was lame, and that was always a strength in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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