Muppets TV

Context & Trivia

Muppets TV was a French television series produced by Sébastien Cauet for The Muppets Studio, based on Jim Henson's The Muppet Show characters. It aired on TF1 between October 29 and December 31, 2006. The series stemmed from a 2005 deal between French radio comedian/producer Sébastien Cauet and French network TF1 with Disney. The actual puppets were sent to France, and a team of French puppeteers, led by Yves Brunier, performed them. The character voices were later dubbed by French voice actors, with Sébastien Cauet providing the voice for Kermit the Frog. This decision to use French puppeteers and then dub the voices was a departure from the traditional Muppets approach and sparked debate among fans regarding the characters' authenticity. The series featured classic Muppet characters such as Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Scooter, Rowlf, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Beaker, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, the Swedish Chef, Clifford, and the Newsman, as well as a new character named Denise. Ten 45-minute episodes were produced, but due to station management changes and poor ratings, TF1 opted not to order a second set of Muppets TV episodes.