Multiple sources including Variety and Deadline, are reporting that The Muppets co-creator Bob Kushell is stepping down as executive producer, after clashing with fellow co-showrunner Bill Prady.
There is no confirmation as of yet on who will take his place, but reports say that ABC is currently in talks with comedy producer Kristin Newman. Newman’s past credits include ABC’s musical comedy Galavant, as well as NBC’s spy comedy Chuck.
Deadline is reporting that this creative shake-up is part of a massive overhaul of the show, starting next year. The show is expected to finish its first ten episodes before going on hiatus. Over the winter break the crew will apparently be working on a complete revamp of the show, after which time they will return for the final six episodes. Deadline is expecting them to treat these last six episodes as a relaunch.
This news comes just days after ABC announced the they were picking up The Muppets for a full season, but that “full” in this case, meant just 16 episodes. Is it possible that this is the reason for the truncated episode order? Did ABC only order three extra episodes, knowing that there was not going to be time to get out a full back 9?
What does all this mean for the show? What exactly do they mean by “Relaunch?” Perhaps it will just be similar to the revamping that Parks and Recreation went through after their first season, where the writers just tweaked the writing and the character’s personalities. It was still basically the same show, just much funnier. As of now there are no answers. Hopefully ABC will issue a more definitive statement soon.
What do you think about this news for ‘The Muppets’? Is this a good sign for the show’s future or a bad sign?
Edited by: Morgan Stradling
