The Muppets News

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Because we know all our readers eat, sleep and breathe Broadway, what could be better than waking up to it? Today's big news: Keira Knightley makes her Broadway debut in THERESE RAQUIN, opening tonight!

ABC's “The Muppets” returned from the prior week's preemption up 8% in Adults 18-49 (1.4/5 vs. 1.3/5 on 10/13/15).

ABC has announced that Broadway's Kristin Chenoweth will guest star as herself on the next episode of THE MUPPETS, titled. 'Ex-Factor'.

The long running Off-Broadway smash mixes it up with basketball's clown princes.

You don't have to make a deal with the devil to find laughs, love, baseball and heart. Just come out to the theatre, as Cabrillo Music Theatre kicks off the 2015-2016 season with a brand-new production of the American Classic DAMN YANKEES! Winner of eleven Tony Awards including Best Musical, DAMN YANKEES is sure to be a home run hit. With a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, and music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, this ever-popular baseball musical will have fans on the edge of their seats. DAMN YANKEES includes favorite songs such as 'Heart,' 'Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets,' 'A Little Brains, A Little Talent,' and 'A Man Doesn't Know,' among many others.DAMN YANKEES opens today, October 16th, 2015, playing until Sunday, October 25th, 2015 at the 1,800-seat Kavli Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, located at 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks. 

At 8:00 p.m., ABC's “The Muppets” took second in Adults 18-49 (1.3/5) to CBS' “NCIS,” beating NBC's time-slot premiere of “Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris” by 18% in the half-hour

During the week of October 5, 2015, ABC ranked No. 1 in Nielsen's non-sports Adult 18-49 averages (1.6/5), leading NBC and CBS by 7% each (tied at 1.5/5) and Fox by 14% (1.4/4).

Check out the clips of the STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP parody below!

'The Muppets” (8:00-8:30 p.m. – 4.8 million and 1.6/6 in AD18-49) at 8:00 p.m., ABC's “The Muppets” dominated its comedy competition in Adults 18-49, beating Fox's “Grandfathered” by an even greater 45%

the Top 20 broadcast programs in Adults 18-49, the most for any network, including 3 of the Top 5 dramas (“Scandal,” “Grey's” and “Murder”): “Modern Family” – No. 9,  “Scandal” – No. 10, “Saturday Night Football” – No. 13, “The Goldbergs” – No. 14, “Grey's Anatomy” and “How to Get Away with Murder” tied at No. 16 and “The Middle” – No. 19.

BroadwayWorld's satirical article in response to Westboro Baptist Church's Plans to Protest a Kristin Chenoweth concert draws response from both sides.

Podcasts are hard, yo! After a week of tinkering, we were able to improve the sound quality of the podcast enough so that it no longer sounds like I am broadcasting from 'the bathroom of a tin-roofed crack house,' but it still isn't at the level that we would like. Nonetheless, we are sallying forth with the official premiere episode of the Some Like it Pop Podcast. In this episode, Jennifer McHugh and I take a quick look back at the 2015 Emmy ceremony, I pay up on our Predictions Article bet, and we talk about the new and returning shows that we are most looking forward to from this fall TV season.

With its late-night lineup of “Jimmy Kimmel Live” at 11:35 p.m. and “Nightline” at 12:35 a.m. during the week of September 21, 2015, ABC was up for the 2nd straight week in Total Viewers

Embrace your inner misfit and join the most famous reindeer of all in joyful merriment at Center for Puppetry Arts! Lighting up Atlanta for its sixth consecutive year, Rudolph the Red-Nosed ReindeerTM plays November 12-December 27. Adapted by Jon Ludwig, directed by Tim Sweeney, and based on the timeless 1964 stop-motion animated television special, this can't-miss family favorite is filled with holly-jolly adventure and excitement bound to brighten the Christmas season!

In the scene from last night's episode of ABC's THE MUPPETS, titled 'Hostile Makeover', when Kermit sets Miss Piggy up with Josh Groban in an attempt to make her happy, he may get more than he bargained for!

Based on the hit UK television series of the same name, “Mistresses” will return for a fourth season in 2016. ABC has ordered 13 episodes of the ABC Studios series which is executive-produced by Rina Mimoun, KJ Steinberg, Robert Sertner and Douglas Rae and stars Yunjin Kim, Rochelle Aytes, Jes Macallan, Brett Tucker and Rob Mayes.

I grew up watching the MUPPET BABIES, loving the whimsy of the odd, but relatable creatures (although always frustrated that we couldn't see Nanny's face). Then, MUPPETS TONIGHT debuted during my freshman year of high school and I started to really understand the joys of a variety show (only later for that to be enhanced by finding clips of THE MUPPET SHOW on YouTube). Also, I adored 2011's big screen THE MUPPETS; in fact “Man or Muppet” is still in heavy rotation on my iTunes. So anytime there is a new addition to the Muppets Universe, my inner-child takes notice. However, as details of their new TV show (also confusingly called THE MUPPETS) started being revealed, that inner child began to feel left out. The idea was to reinvent the Muppets in a more real-life, adult sitcom; yes, a real-life, adult sitcom, starring felt puppets.

Aflac, the leading provider of voluntary insurance at the work site in the United States, will debut its newest television commercial, 'Gym,' during two highly anticipated premieres tomorrow night: the series premiere of 'The Muppets,' which airs at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC Network

Tune-in and take a look at the exciting new shows coming to ABC this fall as doctor-turned-actor/comedian Ken Jeong hosts “ABC Fall Preview Special,” TONIGHT, SEPTEMBER 18 (8:31-9:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

The Secret Opera will present a fresh take on one of the most beloved Christmas stories of all time, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, in a series of performances in New York City and the greater NY area. This family-friendly holiday favorite comes to life in an all-new interdisciplinary work utilizing classic text, period vocal music, and improvised string ensemble, adding a modern twist that makes each individual performance unique.