Here’s the 10-minute reel that convinced ABC to make new Muppet show

The new version of “The Muppets� show might be a lot different from the variety series that premiered back in the 1970s, but the new mockumentary version (that mimics the style of “The Office� and “Modern Family,� complete with cutaways to character interviews talking directly into the camera) still has a lot of Muppet meta charm. And here’s the 10-minute reel that convinced ABC to re-raise the curtain and re-light the lights on a Muppets show.

According to ABC’s channel on YouTube: “You were never supposed to see this.� But apparently this 10-minute reel, which re-introduces the whole Jim Henson gang, was what sold the network on making a brand-new Muppet series. As they said themselves: “Here’s the pitch that convinced ABC to make a show with the Muppets!�

The new show will premiere on Sept. 22, and if this new footage is any indication of what we’re getting, the new series will be stuffed with the usual Muppet fare: meta jokes, a disorganized gang of wild personalities who have to find a way to work together, the frog in the center of it all, scads of celebrity cameos and a love story between Miss Piggy and Kermit the frog.

Fingers crossed for a chicken and Gonzo musical revue.

Twitter: @MdellW