The Muppets are back!
The Muppet Show returned to TV with a special event airing on Wednesday, February 4th, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the beloved series’ debut. The new production sees the return of characters like Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, and Miss Piggy as well as “their signature brand of music, comedy, and a whole lot of chaos,” Disney writes.
Guest stars included Seth Rogen (who produced the show), Maya Rudolph, and Sabrina Carpenter, who performed her hit “Manchild.” However, the music kicked off the way it always has: with The Muppet Show Theme.
The ebullient vaudeville-style tune was written by Muppets creator Jim Henson and Sam Pottle in 1976. Pottle, who also wrote for Sesame Street, was a seasoned composer and had written for Broadway, where the theme song takes on a theatrical quality. It opened and closed every episode during the show’s five-season run with slight tweaks each week as they introduced the guest or Fozzie Bear told a joke.
While it has been re-recorded for 2026, the crux of the song remains the same. After fifty years, it’s a piece of music that sparks joy in the hearts of viewers and gets them excited for what they’re about to watch. As such, it’s proof of the original composition’s strength.
Running just over one minute, the song is a masterclass in economy. It opens with one of the most anticipatory musical devices ever crafted: the drum roll. Next, we have a brass-driven fanfare that begins in the key of A before modulating to the song’s actual key of C. This quick key change is another showtune trick to capture a listener’s attention. It immediately establishes a “curtain-up” atmosphere that is bold and recognizable.
The main melody is compact with just enough leaps to make it interesting without losing the ability to be sung by everyone. This design choice makes it memorable for audiences to be able to hum it back after a single listen.
The song construction and harmony draw heavily from that of the Great American Songbook. It has an AABA structure, where each A section begins with the lyric “It’s time to…” The A sections vaguely mimic that of the jazz standard “I Got Rhythm.” The first four bars are turnarounds on the tonic chord. In The Muppet Show Theme, we have C-Ebdim7-Dmin/G-G7, and “I Got Rhythm” it’s C-Amin-Dmin7-G7. In each example, the next bar becomes a dominant I chord that moves to the IV and then a minor iv. This is quite a distinct sound, and The Muppet Show Theme capitalizes on it by crafting a heavy bass line that emphasizes the chord alterations: C, Bb (the 7th of C7), A (the third of F), Ab (the third of Fmin), and G.
Get a visual cue by watching this piano cover by Jazzassin:
The Muppet Show Theme is a perfect theme song that encapsulates the show’s energy and serves as a hook to attract new viewers. That’s why it’s as timeless as Miss Piggy.
Now, “it’s time to start the music.” Get the sheet music for the Muppet Show Theme and join in on the fun:
