These Are The Comedians We Most Want To See On 'The Muppet Show'
These Are The Comedians We Most Want To See On 'The Muppet Show'
Keegan KellyTue, February 10, 2026 at 1:00 AM UTC
0
Despite the many existential threats faced by Sesame Street and its biggest stars, The Muppet Show survived to see 2026, which means that there is still a chance for contemporary comedians to join Steve Martin, John Cleese and Carol Burnett in the ranks of Muppet royalty.
Last week, Jim Henson’s beloved puppet characters returned to ABC and Disney+ with a simply titled special, The Muppet Show, which harkened back to the days when such reveries were a weekly occurrence and not a one-off labor of love by some of the biggest stars in show business.
Led by pop music sensation Sabrina Carpenter and featuring appearances from Maya Rudolph and Seth Rogen, the latter of whom also served as an executive producer on the special, The Muppet Show (2026) reminded everyone that, despite how numerous attempts by Disney to turn The Muppets into streaming hits crashed and burned in the first half of the decade, there is still an audience for the slapstick antics of Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzy Bear and the rest of their felt friends.
The Muppet Show (2026) drew universal acclaim and massive attention from the online audience, proving that the Muppets franchise could very well have a future with the right comedic talents behind it. To wit, here are some comedians who we think could carry a special, an episode or even a Muppets movie, starting with…
5 Shane Gillis
Sure, the Tires star doesn't seem like a natural fit for a franchise with a strict “no slurs” policy, but the Muppets' insistence on playing clean is exactly why we want Gillis to give it a shot. Whether it's on Saturday Night Live or at the ESPYs, Gillis has a history of coming off a little uncomfortable and unconfident when he's not performing in front of his usual audience of bros and their begrudgingly attending girlfriends, and what better way for Gillis to learn how to get clean laughs than on the most welcoming comedy show in the world?
Plus, we already know he's a Muppets fan:
Advertisement
4 Nate Bargatze
On the other side of the coin, Bargatze is a natural fit for the clean comedy of The Muppets, seeing as the entire Nateland comedy empire could easily earn at least a TV-PG rating. Bargatze's deadpan delivery would be a perfect foil for the over-the-top antics of the Muppets, and, more than that, it would be fun for the whole family, which is exactly how Bargatze plans to make his billions.
3 Andy Samberg
The Lonely Island and Saturday Night Live alumnus is a bit of a cheat-pick, since he did a two-part, in-depth interview with Bert for the Sesame Street YouTube channel back in 2011. Nevertheless, we'd like to see Samberg get some more meaningful screentime with the full Muppets gang. Maybe the rest of The Lonely Island can come on the show, too, and collab with the Muppets on a comedic music video, similar to classics like “Natalie Raps” – only different in almost every way, of course.
2 Kristen Wiig
Honestly, we were shocked when we realized that Wiig has never once appeared in any Muppets media, considering how half of her most famous SNL characters ever had the exact mannerisms of deranged puppets. Wiig is one of the most dynamic and exciting performers in the history of comedy, and we need – no, we demand – to see her onscreen with Miss Piggy as soon as possible.
1 Maria Bamford
Again, this one is kind of a cheat-pick, mainly because we want to see Bamford on every comedy series, not just The Muppet Show. Honestly, given her immense vocal range and her supernatural ability to switch between characters in an instant, Bamford could pull off a one-woman Muppet Show without breaking a sweat, provided she trains with the Muppeteers beforehand.
The only challenge would be to get Bamford to stop joking about killing herself for half an hour.
Get more Cracked directly to your inbox. Sign up for Cracked newsletters at Cracked News Letters Signup.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
