Why the Media Won't Stop Treating the Muppets Like Real People

The promos ABC has been running for the upcoming “Muppets” series features the network’s other stars alongside the show’s familiar puppet characters.

Being treating like real humans is nothing new for the Muppets. For nearly its entire history, the show has set its cast of characters in the real world, employing self-referential humor to skewer the entertainment business.

Where the upcoming series will have Elizabeth Banks, Topher Grace and Imagine Dragons making guest appearances as themselves, “The Muppet Show,” the original series that premiered in 1976, had Elton John, Mark Hamill and John Cleese.

Also read: 'Muppets' Characters Kermit, Miss Piggy Meet Emmy Nominees in Awards Teaser (Video)

The 1976 series was a send-up of variety shows, a common television format at the time. The new series, co-created by Bob Kushell and Bill Prady, aims to replicate that for today’s TV landscape.

ABC’s “The Muppets” apes the mockumentary format made popular by shows like “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation.” The series is set up as a faux-reality series, touting the first glimpse at the character’s personal lives off screen.

It’s a natural extension of what the Muppets have always done, Brian Jay Jones, author of “Jim Henson: The Biography” told TheWrap. “This falls in with what Jim would think is worth tittering at, worth making fun of. This would be a format that he would say, ‘This is what’s around and everyone is kind of using, and maybe over-using.'”

Also read: Kermit and Miss Piggy's 6 Best Lines From ABC's 'The Muppets' Panel

The framing of the Muppets as real humans isn’t something isolated to just the franchise itself, but the way it is covered in the press as well.

When Kermit and Miss Piggy “announced” the break-up of their long-time relationship at the Television Critics Association summer panel last month, the press (including TheWrap) reported on it as though it were news beyond just a TV series plot development. More surprisingly, the characters have also participated in interviews with outlets that otherwise would not interview fictional characters.

According to Jones, the media’s willingness to participate in the franchise’s story is a simple matter of nostalgia. Many of those interacting with the Muppets today as adults also grew up with the characters as kids. It’s a testament to Henson’s work developing characters so iconic.

Also read: ABC's 'The Muppets' Reveals First Look at Kermit the Frog's New Love Interest (Photo)

“One of my very favorite Muppets moments is when [Henson] is performing on ‘Sesame Street,’ and he’s doing the ABCs with a little girl named Joey,” Jones said. “He’s kneeling on the floor right in front of her. He is in plain sight, but once you put that puppet on, the performer disappears.”

He continued, “It’s one of those things where people are willing to meet the Muppets more than halfway because they’ve got nearly 50 years of good will behind them.”

Fall TV Preview: 126 New and Returning Shows Premiere Dates

“The Awesomes” (Hulu) Tuesday, Sept. 8
Hulu
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS) Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 11:35 p.m.
Getty Images
“The League” (FXX) Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 10 p.m.
FXX
“You’re the Worst” (FXX) Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 10:30 p.m.
FXX
“Longmire” (Netflix) Thursday, Sept. 10
Netflix
“Z Nation” (Syfy) Friday, Sept. 11 at 10 p.m.
Syfy
“Continuum” (Syfy) Friday, Sept. 11 at 11 p.m.
Syfy
“Project Greenlight” (HBO) Sunday, Sept. 13 at 10 p.m.
HBO
“Doll & Em” (HBO) Sunday, Sept. 13 at 10:40 p.m.
HBO
“Dancing With the Stars” (ABC) Monday, Sept. 14 at 8 p.m.
ABC
“The Mindy Project” (Hulu) Tuesday, Sept. 15
Hulu
“Best Time Ever With Neil Patrick Harris” (NBC) Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 10 p.m.
Getty Images
“The Bastard Executioner” (FX) Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 10 p.m.
FX
“South Park” (Comedy Central) Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 10 p.m.
Comedy Central
“Moonbeam City” (Comedy Central) Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 10:30 p.m.
Comedy Central
“Doctor Who” (BBC America) Saturday, Sept. 19
BBC America
“The Voice” (NBC) Monday, Sept. 21 at 8 p.m.
NBC
“Gotham” (Fox) Monday, Sept. 21 at 8 p.m.
Fox
“The Big Bang Theory” (CBS) Monday, Sept. 21 at 8 p.m.
CBS
“Life in Pieces” (CBS) Monday, Sept. 21 at 8:30 p.m.
CBS
“Minority Report” (Fox) Monday, Sept. 21 at 9 p.m.
Fox
“Scorpion” (CBS) Monday, Sept. 21 at 9 p.m.
CBS
“NCIS: Los Angeles” (CBS) Monday, Sept. 21 at 10 p.m.
CBS
“Castle” (ABC) Monday, Sept. 21 at 10 p.m.
ABC
“Blindspot” (NBC) Monday, Sept. 21 at 10 p.m.
NBC
“Scream Queens” (Fox) Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 8 p.m.
Fox
“NCIS” (CBS) Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 8 p.m.
CBS
“The Muppets” (ABC) Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 8 p.m.
ABC
“Fresh off the Boat” (ABC) Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 8:30 p.m.
ABC
“NCIS: New Orleans” (CBS) Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 9 p.m.
CBS
“Limitless” (CBS) Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 10 p.m.
CBS
“Survivor” (CBS) Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 8 p.m.
CBS
“Rosewood” (Fox) Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 8 p.m.
Fox
“The Mysteries of Laura” (NBC) Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 8 p.m.
NBC
“The Middle” (ABC) Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 8 p.m.
ABC
“The Goldbergs” (ABC) Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 8:30 p.m.
ABC
“Empire” (Fox) Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 9 p.m.
Fox
“Law & Order: SVU” (NBC) Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 9 p.m.
NBC
“Modern Family” (ABC) Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 9 p.m.
ABC
“black-ish” (ABC) Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 9:30 p.m.
ABC
“Nashville” (ABC) Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 10 p.m.
ABC
“Heroes Reborn” (NBC) Thursday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m.
NBC
“Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC) Thursday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m.
ABC
“Scandal” (ABC) Thursday, Sept. 24 at 9 p.m.
ABC
“The Player” (NBC) Thursday, Sept. 24 at 10 p.m.
NBC
“How to Get Away With Murder” (ABC) Thursday, Sept. 24 at 10 p.m.
ABC
“Last Man Standing” (ABC) Friday, Sept. 25 at 8 p.m.
ABC
“The Amazing Race” (CBS) Friday, Sept. 25 at 8 p.m.
CBS
“Hawaii Five-0” (CBS) Friday, Sept. 25 at 9 p.m.
CBS
“Shark Tank” (ABC) Friday, Sept. 25 at 9 p.m.
“Blue Bloods” (CBS) Friday, Sept. 25 at 10 p.m.
CBS
“Bob’s Burgers” (Fox) Sunday, Sept. 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Fox
“The Simpsons” (Fox) Sunday, Sept. 27 at 8 p.m.
Fox
“Once Upon a Time” (ABC) Sunday, Sept. 27 at 8 p.m.
ABC
“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” Finale (CBS) Sunday, Sept. 27 at 8 p.m.
CBS
“Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (Fox) Sunday, Sept. 27 at 8:30 p.m.
Fox
“Family Guy” (Fox) Sunday, Sept. 27 at 9 p.m.
Fox
“Blood & Oil” (ABC) Sunday, Sept. 27 at 9 p.m.
ABC
“The Last Man on Earth” (Fox) Sunday, Sept. 27 at 9:30 p.m.
Fox
“Quantico” (ABC) Sunday, Sept. 27 at 10 p.m.
ABC
“The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” (Comedy Central) Monday, Sept. 28 at 11 p.m.
Comedy Central
“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” (ABC) Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 8 p.m.
ABC
“Grandfathered” (Fox) Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 8 p.m.
Fox
“The Grinder” (Fox) Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 8:30 p.m.
Fox
“Beyond the Tank” (ABC) Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 10 p.m.
ABC
“Criminal Minds” (CBS) Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 9 p.m.
CBS
“Code Black” (CBS) Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 10 p.m.
CBS
“Chicago PD” (NBC) Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 10 p.m.
NBC
“Bones” (Fox) Thursday, Oct. 1 at 8 p.m.
Fox
“The Blacklist” (NBC) Thursday, Oct. 1 at 9 p.m.
NBC
“Sleepy Hollow” (Fox) Thursday, Oct. 1 at 9 p.m.
Fox
“Benders” (IFC) Thursday, Oct. 1 at 10 p.m.
IFC
“Dr. Ken” (ABC) Friday, Oct. 2 at 8:30 p.m.
ABC
“Saturday Night Live” (NBC) Saturday, Oct. 3 at 11:30 p.m.
NBC
“Madam Secretary” (CBS) Sunday, Oct. 4 at 8 p.m.
CBS
“The Leftovers” (HBO) Sunday, Oct. 4 at 9 p.m.
HBO
“Homeland” (Showtime) Sunday, Oct. 4 at 9 p.m.
Showtime
“The Good Wife” (CBS) Sunday, Oct. 4 at 9 p.m.
CBS
“CSI: Cyber” (CBS) Sunday, Oct. 4 at 10 p.m.
CBS
“The Affair” (Showtime) Sunday, Oct. 4 at 10 p.m.
Showtime
“The Flash” (CW) Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m.
CW
“iZombie” (CW) Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 9 p.m.
CW
“Finding Carter” (MTV) Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 10 p.m.
MTV
"Casual" (Hulu) Wednesday, Oct. 7
Hulu
“Arrow” (CW) Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 8 p.m.
CW
“Supernatural” (CW) Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 9 p.m.
CW
“American Horror Story: Hotel” (FX) Wednesday, Oct. 7 at 10 p.m.
FX
“The Vampire Diaries” (CW) Thursday, Oct. 8 at 8 p.m.
CW
“The Originals” (CW) Thursday, Oct. 8 at 9 p.m.
CW
“Haven” (Syfy) Thursday, Oct. 8 at 10 p.m.
Syfy
“Funny or Die’s Billy on the Street” (truTV) Thursday, Oct. 8 at 10:30 p.m.
truTV
“Red Oaks” (Amazon) Friday, Oct. 9
Amazon
“Reign” (CW) Friday, Oct. 9 at 8 p.m.
CW
“Undateable” (NBC) Friday, Oct. 9 at 8 p.m.
NBC
“The Last Kingdom” (BBC America) Saturday, Oct. 10 at 10 p.m.
BBC America
“The Walking Dead” (AMC) Sunday, Oct. 11 at 9 p.m.
AMC
“The Talking Dead” (AMC) Sunday, Oct. 11 at 10:30 p.m.
AMC
“Crazy Ex-Girlfrind” (CW) Monday, Oct. 12 at 8 p.m.
CW
“Jane the Virgin” (CW) Monday, Oct. 12 at 9 p.m.
CW
“Fargo” (FX) Monday, Oct. 12 at 10 p.m.
FX
“Manhattan” (WGN) Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 9 p.m.
WGN
“Chicago Fire” (NBC) Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 10 p.m.
NBC
“Kingdom” (DirecTV) Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 9 p.m.
DirecTV
“Nathan for You” (Comedy Central) Thursday, Oct. 15 at 10 p.m.
Comedy Central
“The Knick” (Cinemax) Friday, Oct. 16
Cinemax
“Truth Be Told” (NBC) Friday, Oct. 16 at 8:30 p.m.
NBC
“Satisfaction” (USA) Friday, Oct. 16 at 10 p.m.
USA
“Please Like Me” (Pivot) Friday, Oct. 16 at 10 p.m.
Pivot
“RocketJump: The Show” (Hulu) Wednesday, Oct. 21
Getty Images
“Hemlock Grove” (Netflix) Friday, Oct. 23
Netflix
“Da Vinci’s Demons” (Starz) Saturday, Oct. 24 at 8 p.m.
Starz
“Supergirl” (CBS) Monday, Oct. 26 at 8:30 p.m.
CBS
“Wicked City” (ABC) Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 10 p.m.
ABC
“Grimm” (NBC) Friday, Oct. 30 at 10 p.m.
NBC
“Ash vs. Evil Dead” (Starz) Saturday, Oct. 31 at 9 p.m.
Starz
“Major Crimes” (TNT) Monday, Nov. 2 at 9 p.m.
TNT
“Legends” (TNT) Monday, Nov. 2 at 10 p.m.
TNT
“Angel From Hell” (CBS) Thursday, Nov. 5 at 9:30 p.m.
CBS
“Mom” (CBS) Thursday, Nov. 5 at 9 p.m.
CBS
“Elementary” (CBS) Thursday, Nov. 5 at 10 p.m.
CBS
“Master of None” (Netflix) Friday, Nov. 6
Getty Images
“MasterChef Junior” (Fox) Friday, Nov. 6 at 8 p.m.
Fox
“Flesh and Bone” (Starz) Sunday, Nov. 8
Starz
“Chicago Med” (NBC) Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 10 p.m.
NBC
“Donny!” (USA) Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 10:30 p.m.
USA
“Into the Badlands” (AMC) Sunday, Nov. 15 at 10 p.m.
AMC
“The Man in the High Castle” (Amazon) Friday, Nov. 20
Amazon