TV Preview: The Muppets Grow Up

In the late 1970s, The Muppet Show took some puppet characters that were introduced on the children's show Sesame Street and made them grow up a little bit. This year's reintroduction of the Muppet characters, The Muppets, forces those same beloved characters to grow up even more, and the new adult-oriented tone of the series may not be a comfortable fit.

The new series is a 2000s-style mockumentary - like The Office was originally supposed to be - about a late night TV show starring Miss Piggy and produced by Kermit the Frog. In this way it's not unlike the original series, which also followed the behind-the-scenes action of a show, and the new series will also call upon the skills of weekly guest stars - Tom Bergeron and Elizabeth Banks in the first episode.

What's different is the un-family-friendly introduction of jokes about infidelity, inter-species sexual relations, fetishes and other double entendres that are definitely not meant for the kids to enjoy. While the original series certainly had its mature moments, it never relied on jokes that you'd be embarrassed to have to explain to your kids. It remains to be seen whether or not long-time Muppet fans will appreciate the irreverent modernization of their favorite characters.

The Muppets debuts September 22 on ABC.