Disney+ Shares First Trailer for The Muppet Show Special With Sabrina Carpenter

16 days ago in "Disney+"

Gallery / 3 Photos
The Muppet Show

Posted: Friday January 23, 2026 12:00pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Disney+ has shared the first trailer for The Muppet Show special event, set to return February 4, 2026 on both Disney+ and ABC.

Kermit, Miss Piggy and the full Muppets ensemble are heading back to the original Muppet Theatre for a brand-new special event featuring guest star Sabrina Carpenter.

The Muppet Show

The trailer shows the classic chaos fans expect from The Muppets, with the gang causing their usual mayhem backstage and onstage.

Disney describes the special: "Music, comedy, and a whole lot of chaos are bound to ensue when The Muppets once again take the stage of the original Muppet Theatre with their very special guest, Sabrina Carpenter!"

This marks the return of the original variety show format that made The Muppet Show famous from 1976 to 1981. The new special event brings back the theatre setting, guest star format, and signature blend of music and comedy.

The Muppet Show special event premieres February 4, 2026 on Disney+ and ABC.

The Muppet Show

Discuss on the Forums

Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox

Tom P.7 hours ago

I think Disney has really nailed the right tone with this special. It really does have that classic Muppet Show feel. I am pretty skeptical of anything Hollywood does today, especially when it involves sequels and reboots and such, but I think they have pretty much gotten it with this one. The opening bit with Rowlf and Kermit made me laugh out loud within the first minute or two, so that's a good sign. That being said, I just don't think I can get past Kermit's voice. It just takes me right out of the action. I know Vogel is trying hard, and I know he has gotten better, but as someone who grew up first with Henson and then with Whitmire, it just still feels off to me. The two "gold standards" for the Muppets, to me, are The Muppet Show and The Muppet Christmas Carol, so one with Henson and one with Whitmire. That's what I consider the absolute best of the best of the Muppets. I don't know if I can really, truly enjoy a Muppet production when I am constantly feeling distracted by the voice. Maybe that's a shortcoming on my part. I do wish them well, and I hope this succeeds, but I just can't get into it like I would previous Muppet productions.

sedati22 hours ago

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/jim-hensons-son-explains-why-kermit-actor-was-replaced-character-could-use-change-1022041/ My understanding from other things that leaked out over time is that Whitmire fancied himself not just Kermit's replacement, but Henson's. And while he was a good Kermit, he was not a good Henson. For the newer Muppet performers he was apparently terrible.

MisterPenguin1 day ago

erasure fan11 day ago

The reason I say mainly Oz for me, is because he was so close with Jim. For me, he was the heart of the Muppets next to Jim. Of course Whitmire is part of it as well. They should be tapping as many people who worked with Henson that they can. While they can. There's hate for steve? I haven't really seen any hate for him. Maybe from Disney? But from the fans I haven't really seen much of it. For me, I've never liked his Kermit. Out side of that I've never had an issue with him.

Phroobar1 day ago

Just watched the special and enjoyed it. It felt like the original show. Good job Disney on doing it right.

BrianLo1 day ago

This is helpful to hear, I’m simply not engrossed in it enough. I watched with friends and conversed with them that the internet was not hot on Kermit’s voice, but was confused because I didn’t think it sounded bad, nor them. I guess it was a good showing. Thought the special was great!

TanagraTheater1 day ago

It wasn't just Oz, but also Steve Whitmire. He was Jim's handpicked successor. I feel like all the hate towards him is manufactured and amplified.

sedati2 days ago

I saw less than half of your comment. I'm not trying to be mean, but most comedies such as the Muppet Show use reoccurring gags or prolonged pay-offs, so judging based on half is actually basing it on even less than that.

EagleScout6102 days ago

Watched it this morning and was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed it. Rizzo singing Blinding Lights is stuck in my head, and while he's still got his rough spots (Mainly when yelling "IT'S THE MUPPET SHOOOOOWWWW!!!"), I actually found Vogel tolerable as Kermit. Praying he keeps this version of Kermit as his standard and doesn't revert back to his earlier attempts to sound like Steve's Kermit. Rogen didn't get many laughs from me.

erasure fan12 days ago

Yea it was hit or miss for me as well. I will say I thought Statler and Waldorf were better than they've been in a long time. I have to watch it again. But for me, it was just too clean. And there was more than a couple instances where the puppeteering fell really flat. For me, it's all about Oz. No one knows the characters better than him since Jim passed. If Disney wants to keep these characters going, tap into this priceless knowledge.

erasure fan12 days ago

Don't get me wrong, I'm not hating on it or anything. Do I think it was awesome? No. It was fine. Somethings didn't really hit with me and some did. There's potential there for sure. There was plenty of potential with Mayhem as well and they canned that. Do I trust Disney to push this in the right direction? Absolutely not. I believe whatever they were going to do, they needed to make a commitment to it. At least 3 to 4 episodes to see it's sticking power. Will this be something they just throw out there a couple few times a year as an event? Or is it a true one off? Or will it be a legitimate series? Time will tell I suppose.

DisneyFreak2 days ago

Loved this guy! I was looking for him too on set. I did see the Mahna Mahna Muppets though.

networkpro2 days ago

In My Opinion, its a faithful recreation of the show for this one episode. A good mix of music, skits. and puppets. I'd be happy for it to continue on this platform and trajectory.

TanagraTheater3 days ago

I saw half of the special the other night and the only things I found funny were: Miss. Piggy's wig getting stuck on the chandelier, her sending her lawyers to contact Sabrina's, and Statler and Waldorf's remarks. I was surprised and glad to see that they brought back Hilda the Seamstress. She was one of my favorite characters from the first season and I was sad that they never used her in anything aside from the Muppet Movie finale. I thought it was unnecessary to have all the characters backstage at once, they cluttered the scene. It's a shame they don't try to bring back Waldo, Chip, and that cyborg. I thought the Muppets designed for the special were hideous, especially the one seated next to Rogen. That Muppet with the pin and the top hat and cape, they should have used Uncle Deadly instead. It's just sad that there's Muppeteers out there that Jim trusted with these characters and Disney forced them out.