Most people think of shows with puppets as being something for younger audiences, but like any art form, puppetry can be used to great effect in any genre aimed at any age. It doesn’t happen often, but there have been several shows over the years that either appeal to an adult audience, or appeal to all ages, while using the declining art of puppetry to full effect.
Well, perhaps with the rise of digital performance capture and virtual puppetry, the puppeteers are actually getting the last laugh, but these shows exemplify what old-school hand-up-the-behind puppets can to do make awesome TV.
8
Farscape
Release Year
1999
Seasons
4
Episodes
88 + 2 (Miniseries)
Status
Ended
Farscape is an incredibly special sci-fi show from the late 90s and early 2000s, which is saying something because the 90s were an incredible time for TV sci-fi and gave us absolute gems like Lexx and Babylon 5 to name but a very, very few.
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There was nothing like it and there still isn’t.
A product of Jim Henson’s company, this was a TV show where you could have aliens that didn’t just look like a human in a suit. The puppets, combined with makeup and all the other wonderful practical effects, combine to give us a show that looks and feels like nothing before or since.
It also doesn’t hurt that the actual story and characters have excellent writing, and that the show rarely goes in the direction you’d expect. Sadly, it was canceled after 88 episodes, but later a miniseries gave closure to one of the best sci-fi shows on TV—with or without puppets.
7
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance
Release Year
2019
Seasons
1
Episodes
10
Status
Canceled
The Dark Crystal is one of the most important films ever made in the fantasy genre, and it has a strong cult following. It was also a key factor in showing that puppetry could be more than children’s entertainment.
Netflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is a prequel to that film (so you don’t have to watch the movie first) and is absolutely gorgeous to behold. It has just the right of practical effects wizardry augmented by modern CGI, to present a seamless fantasy world that immediately makes you forget you’re looking at puppets operated by human puppeteers.
Sadly, the show was canceled after only one season, but I’d still say it’s very much worth watching the ten episodes we do have, and if you’ve never seen the original film, it’s a great time to rectify that too.
6
Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared
Release Year
2011
Seasons
1
Episodes
6
Status
Ended
Not to be confused with the later TV show of the same name, the Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared web series is one of the best things I’ve ever seen. You can watch all six episodes for free on YouTube right now, though maybe don’t do that in one go, for your own sanity.
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This is a subversive show that starts off each episode like a children’s show, in the vein of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse or Blues Clues, but quickly devolves into a surreal existential nightmare.
I find this sort of thing hilarious and darkly entertaining, and if that sounds like you, then you’ll appreciate the fine details, metat-extual Easter eggs, and impeccable comedic timing in Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared.
5
Greg the Bunny
Release Year
2002
Seasons
1
Episodes
13 + 20 shorts
Status
Canceled
Greg the Bunny is a very divisive show, and it really splits audiences down the middle. Some people see it as a stupid, offensive, and cheap production and others see it as subversive and hilarious.
I find myself in the second camp, but if early 2000s political incorrectness (or Seth Green and Sarah Silverman) offend you, it’s probably better to skip it. What I like about Greg the Bunny is how the puppets (or “fabricated Americans” as they prefer to be called) are treated like real, living creatures in this world. Though they are a minority, and get the same flack as real minorities do in the real world.
It’s a flawed show for sure, but if you spot the DVDs in a thrift store, you should buy them if the general premise of the show appeals to you at all.
4
Crank Yankers
Release Year
2019
Seasons
6
Episodes
110
Status
Ended
The idea for Crank Yankers is simple but effective: celebrity comedians make crank calls, which are recorded. Then puppets are used to reenact those calls. It doesn’t sound all that exciting on paper, but it’s actually a brilliant idea. After all, you can’t really see the victim on the other end of the call, so it’s a great way to visualize the conversation, and gives the show a unique look and angle.
In a way, it reminds me a little of Drunk History where each episode features different celebrities reanacting historical events for comedic effect, except that Crank Yankers has absolutely zero educational value whatsoever. This show was a staple for me in the 2000s when I still watched MTV, and the skits aren’t that era-specific, so it’s still pretty funny today.
3
Muppets Now (And Its Predecessors)
Release Year
2020
Seasons
1
Episodes
6
Status
Ended
Muppets Now is one of a long line of Muppets shows meant for adults or families as a whole, as opposed to children in particular. It’s like Kermit might make an appearance on Sesame Street and then have a late-night gig like he was Stephen Colbert in frog form that same night—pretty trippy. I used to love shows like Muppets Tonight, but you can’t really stream them anywhere as of this writing and this more modern show might appeal to current sensibilities in the age of social media.
Anyway, each of the six episodes of this show is made up of different segments, all strung together by some sort of overarching frame, much like Muppets Tonight that came before. It strikes a great balance that avoids being vulgar while still having plenty for grownups to enjoy.
2
Wonder Showzen
Release Year
2005
Seasons
2
Episodes
16 + Pilot Episode
Status
Ended
Before Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared there was Wonder Showzen—a dark comedic parody of shows like Sesame Street that would ambush you late night on television when you’re least expecting it.
Gross, violent, offensive, and definitely not for children or sensitive adults, it’s a cult classic among those in the know, and miraculously you can still stream it. I’d for sure thought this would be relegated to DVD like Greg the Bunny, but for now you can also make the poor life decision of watching Wonder Showzen for the low, low price of a Paramount Plus subscription and whatever’s left of your sanity.
1
Dinosaurs
Release Year
1991
Seasons
4
Episodes
65
Status
Ended by a giant meteor
In the 90s, when Dinosaurs was airing, my parents bought us figures from the show. I guess they too thought that it was meant for kids thanks to the us of puppets and that it was comedic. However, just like The Simpsons was animated, but not for kids, Dinosaurs was very much aimed at adults.
The show opens up with a dinosaur newscaster declaring that an asteroid is heading for Earth, and will wipe out all life. Then he’s handed a note and says “no it’s not”, and that’s exactly the sharp sort of satire you can expect throughout the show’s run.
The production values are fantastic to this day, the acting by the puppeteers controlling the animatronic faces is still peerless in my opinion, and the show is both funny and still highly relevant all these years later.
I don’t know about you, but I like variety in my media diet. With some animation, some live action, and some puppets to round things out. Sadly puppet-based shows are rare than they ought to be, but at least we’ll always have these gems to fall back on when the urge to watch a cloth-monster crack a joke strikes.
