"At heart, the Muppets are charming because of their universality. Their ABC comedy, for instance, misstepped "because it presumed that audiences would want to see the Muppets act like adults, with relationship issues, stresses, etc.," Spiegel says. "I fear that in buying the Muppets, Disney has failed to use the characters in a way that will help them become popular again." Simply put, "a lot of kids just don't know the Muppets," says Josh Spiegel, who co-hosts the podcast Mousterpiece Cinema and has written extensively about the characters. But some longtime fans say that it doesn't look so bright. Representatives for Disney did not respond to USA TODAY's requests for comment regarding the future of the franchise. (Last year's R-rated Brian Henson puppet parody "The Happytime Murders," although not sanctioned by Disney, also bombed.) Disney, which bought rights to the characters in 2004, attempted to revive the brand in 2015 with ABC's sitcom "The Muppets." But the workplace comedy was a critical and commercial misfire, drawing ire from longtime fans for its use of crude language and sexual innuendo, and earning low ratings until it was canceled after just one season.
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