Some Changes Coming To “The Muppets”

Yahoo! is reporting that “The Muppets” series co-creator Bob Kushell, who has also served as executive producer and showrunner, is out, with Kristin Newman (Galavant) in talks to replace him.

What’s more, the second half of the comedy’s freshman season — specifically, the six episodes airing after the show’s midseason hiatus — will reportedly look very different from its first. Per Deadline, the series was rushed to air, leading to a “clash in styles and vision” between Kushell and co-creator/executive producer Bill Prady. The second half of Season 1 is reportedly being considered a “relaunch.”

Following a summer full of fanfare and Kermit/Piggy breakup “news” stories, The Muppetsdebuted in September to 9 million viewers and a 2.9 demo rating. For the past three episodes, it has averaged 4.4 million and a 1.4. That said, its freshman run thus far has improved ABC’s Tuesday lead-off numbers by 55 percent in total viewers and 73 percent in the demo.