Also, remember, the show's biggest complaint was that the TONE felt wrong for these characters, so they simply changed it. That's why the writing never changed: it was a vocal minority that wasn't as big as "Cynical Sexy Muppets".

The zaniness of this series was always going to toned down since they wanted to try something different and unique to the characters. Unfortunately that's not what most people want. It's not their Muppets, so they instantly rejected it.

"I want wackiness. I want someone to blow up and someone to be eaten."
They were never going to go that far (also Scooter was almost eaten by Big Mean Carl last episode). They want to try something…..different.

After the hoopla with One Million Moms and the Parent Television Council (these people may seam like annoying ticks, but remember, people DO listen to them or else they wouldn't be around….), Disney doesn't really want to try anything daring that could upset the ratings even more.

Next week…..Robin returns!

They also rush this into production without giving the writing anytime to work out…..

People just want the familiar ways of the old characters. I've hear multiple people for days upon weeks tell me they don't understand why they didn't just continue off from the Jason Segal film, since that had a good lead in for a new TV series.
Then you have people who believe that the Muppets are "old hat" and don't…

You didn't see the season finale of Star?

…when they aired on Disney Channel. The show first aired on ABC and did poorly in the ratings that it was shut down after season 1. Disney requested that they produce more episodes.

Possibly…..or cable.

The piglet's name is Alynda, by the way Caffrey.
Also the "One Million Angry Parents" association is a jab at One Million Moms (Touché).

The Muppets have had an uneven history with primetime network TV (The Jim Henson Hour and Muppets Tonight only lasted a handful of episodes on network television due to the same situation this show is in: low ratings). The Muppet Show fared better since it was broadcast in syndication.

Is no-one going to mention that the Beautiful Day Monster finally got some screentime rather than as a background character?

The ratings are pretty good, but people are ticked that there is no merchandise in the foreseeable future (only Comic-Con merch). The show has been running for a good 2 years.

I'm guessing for these characters, they're trying to play it safe with the plots and not go overboard.

The three-episode extension was possibly due to how well the show did in the ratings (until they started falling every week). The change in showrunner could have also been a way to desperately bring up the sagging ratings and address criticism.

The Muppet Show is Henson's legacy all rolled up into 5 seasons. Even people in the comments who thought the retool was fine are still hoping for anthropomorphic Muppet objects, explosions, and characters getting eaten, which just isn't that possible (They kept the office/workplace backdrop and one-on-one interviews,…

I think I read somewhere that this show was going to be a one and done thing (No second season and beyond).

And……Ken.

ABC exec: "I have an Associates degree, I use a towel."