Christian Right Voices Pan New Version Of ‘The Muppets’



Last night, ABC premiered the latest incarnation of “The Muppets.” It’s billed as somewhat edgier than the original version of “The Muppet Show.” That doesn’t sit very well with two prominent Christian right voices, the American Family Association and Franklin Graham. Both have panned “The Muppets” as not suitable for families.

Kermit and Miss Piggy from "The Muppets" (from Miss Piggy's Facebook)
Kermit and Miss Piggy from “The Muppets” (from Miss Piggy’s Facebook)

On Friday, the AFA, through its “One Million Moms” project, wrung its hands at the discovery that “the family-friendly Muppets of the 1970s are no more.” It claims that Disney, which bought the rights to Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, and friends in 2004, has created a show that “is not what (Muppets creator) Jim Henson imagined and created.” Instead, it is a show that is “not suitable for family viewing.”

Not surprisingly, the AFA wants concerned Christian parents and families to urge ABC to yank “The Muppets” from the air due to what it claims will be an abundance of “promiscuity” and “sexually charged jokes.” But one of its objections demonstrates that this campaign is yet another reason to point at the Wildmon family and laugh. For instance, it lamented that ABC promoted the show as having “full frontal nudity.” The AFA notes that the advertisement is bang-on “seeing how Kermit doesn’t wear pants.” Come on, guys. Kermit’s been au naturel for 60 years. Then again, that’s to be expected from a group that thought GEICO was promoting bestiality by airing an ad with Maxwell the Pig riding in a car with a human girl.

Graham fils got in on the act yesterday morning, via a Facebook blast to his followers. As has sadly become the norm for Graham fils lately, he didn’t take long to fall off the cliff. He wrung his hands at how the show was due to deal with topics ranging from “sex to drugs to ‘interspecies relationships.'” As far as he’s concerned, “the whole show should be off limits” because it is intended to “promote sin to a younger audience.”

“Interspecies relationships”? Really, Franklin? You can’t seriously be saying there was anything sinful about Kermit and Piggy, the most famous interspecies relationship in television history. Surely your dad taught you that there’s such a thing as having an imagination.

I watched the premiere last night, and I have to wonder if these two Christian outfits were watching the same show. It’s set not long after Kermit and Piggy broke up. However, Kermit is still the executive producer of Piggy’s late-night talk show, and has taken up with another pig–the network’s marketing chief, Denise. Fozzie is dating a human girl, and has a hard sell to make to her parents.

Fortune notes that the hand-wringing by the AFA and Graham fils could end up helping the show. It notes that the AFA was kind enough to note that “The Muppets” airs at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific and 7 p.m. Central and Mountain, thus “inadvertently bringing publicity” that this show badly needs. Considering that the premiere drew nine million viewers–the third-most for a scripted show that night–it looks like this Christian hand-wringing may have generated a classic Streisand effect.

Darrell is a 30-something graduate of the University of North Carolina who considers himself a journalist of the old school. An attempt to turn him into a member of the religious right in college only succeeded in turning him into the religious right's worst nightmare--a charismatic Christian who is an unapologetic liberal. His desire to stand up for those who have been scared into silence only increased when he survived an abusive three-year marriage. You may know him on Daily Kos as Christian Dem in NC. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook. Click here to buy Darrell a Mello Yello.