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The premiere episode of the new show 鈥淭he Muppets鈥� debuted on ABC on Sept. 22.

The new show featuring the Muppets is presented in a mockumentary style and follows the characters as they produce a new late-night show for ABC titled 鈥淯p Late with Miss Piggy." The program also portrays the characters' lives backstage.聽

The Muppets were created by Jim Henson and include Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie the Bear, and Gonzo.

The return of the Muppets to television follows the release of two new movies, 2011's 鈥淭he Muppets鈥� and 2014's 鈥淢uppets Most Wanted.鈥澛�

Reviews for the new TV show are mixed so far. The consensus seems to be that there are glimpses of the old Muppets humor and the potential for an entertaining show but that the first episodes need some work. The Washington Post's聽Hank Stuever聽 鈥渟mart and often witty鈥� and The Wrap's聽 that 鈥渇or the most part, the show works.鈥� On the other hand,聽others found that 鈥�,鈥� that the show is 鈥溾�� and is 鈥�.鈥�

Some reviewers also took issue with how the show is presenting Miss Piggy. She鈥檚 at the center of the show, serving as host for the fictional 鈥淯p Late,鈥� and 鈥淢uppets鈥� fans know she can be a little temperamental. But Jeff Jenson of wrote that on the new show, 鈥淢iss Piggy is a lunatic, and it鈥檚 not enjoyable. The pricklier aspects of her personality are dialed up to 11鈥� while all of her mitigating characteristics鈥� are muted鈥� Characters mock Miss Piggy behind her back for her weight.鈥� Meanwhile, 's Willa Paskin wrote, 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to get past this iteration of Miss Piggy鈥檚 unpleasantness because that鈥檚 all there is: She鈥檚 not a fully developed moi, just a set of high-maintenance tics.鈥�

By continuing to make new films and TV shows, the Muppets have maintained a presence in pop culture for decades. Following 鈥淭he Muppet Show,鈥� which ran from 1976 to 1981, the Muppets starred in their own films, including 鈥淭he Muppet Movie鈥� and 鈥淭he Muppets Take Manhattan.鈥� Their movies continued into the 1990s with films such as 鈥淭he Muppet Christmas Carol鈥� and 鈥淢uppet Treasure Island,鈥� but after the 1999 movie 鈥淢uppets from Space鈥� failed at the box office, new movies like 鈥淭he Muppets鈥� Wizard of Oz鈥� premiered on TV instead. They finally returned to the multiplex in 2011.

The Muppets are now familiar to multiple generations, and their influence can be felt in other newer forms of entertainment like the Pixar movies. Films by Pixar, from 鈥淭oy Story鈥� to 鈥淚nside Out,鈥� all embrace the idea of having smart, fun humor that will appeal to children and adults alike, as the Muppets projects do.

The Muppets鈥� influence also extended into a certain galaxy far, far away. The Jedi Master Yoda was performed by Frank Oz, a frequent Henson collaborator who was behind such characters as Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear. with those behind the upcoming 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� film, 鈥淪tar Wars: Episode VII 鈥� The Force Awakens,鈥� have suggested the new film will return to the practice of using practical effects, like the original Yoda puppet, rather than creating space creatures out of CGI. 鈥淟ooking at all the 鈥楽tar Wars鈥� movies and getting a feel for what even some of the early films did, combining real locations and special effects 鈥� that's something we're looking very seriously at,鈥� Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said of the new movie.