But as legendary Muppet voice actor and puppeteer Frank Oz put it (as did former Kermit voice actor Steve Whitmore), no one knows the Muppets better than the people who portray them, and that talented cast was constantly held back by the series’ scripts and outsider input.
ABC’s The Muppets was created by The Big Bang Theory co-creator Bill Prady and Anger Management writer Bob Kushell, with the latter leaving mid-production over creative issues.
That incident was used as a springboard to try and relaunch several show elements that weren’t working before, and The Muppets somehow got worse, leading to its cancellation.
For this new Disney reboot, getting the perfect writer is just about as important as getting the voices right, since tone and narrative craftsmanship are what separate the best Muppet properties from the less savory ones.