Entertainment
‘Julie’s Greenroom’ Is Too Cute To Not Return
Whether she's Mary Poppins, Maria, or Queen Clarisse Renaldi to you, Julie Andrews instantly inspires warm and fuzzy feelings of nostalgia. So now that she's making her triumphant return to the spotlight in the new Netflix series Julie's Greenroom, which premieres Friday, March 17, you better believe that the world (myself included) is excited to see her back onscreen. But after you plow through this installment's slated 13 episodes, you're probably going to want to know if Julie's Greenroom will return for Season 2.
Well, don't stream those episodes of Julie's Greenroom too quickly because Netflix has not yet officially announced whether the series will return for a second season. Even Andrews doesn't yet know, or she's at least not saying publicly. Andrews recently spoke to USA Today about some of this season's guest stars, naming Carol Burnett as one of her favorites. "I couldn't think of anyone better," Andrews said. "Hopefully if the show gets picked up (for Season 2), she'll be back." I second that emotion.
Until Netflix gives the official greenlight to Julie's Greenroom Season 2, we won't know for sure if the series is returning, and we certainly won't know when another installment will premiere, either. But Netflix is usually not too quick to cancel series after only their first season. And if Julie's Greenroom does get a Season 2, it's likely that it would bow about a year from now — so think around early Spring 2018 — since that's typically how Netflix operates with its original series premiere dates.
You can expect Season 1 of Julie's Greenroom to take you on quite the nostalgia trip, not only because of Andrews but also because of the Jim Henson Company's touch in providing the puppet cast of kids learning all about the importance of arts education from the Oscar winner and her famous friends. Henson and all of his creations, most famously the Muppets, have dazzled audiences for decades and have had a noticeable resurgence in the last few years. These days, nothing makes you smile about the past quite like the Muppets.
So whether or not Julie's Greenroom returns for Season 2, there's plenty of magnificent Muppets-like programming to make you feel like a kid again.
'Sesame Street'
One of the earliest and most famous places Henson's characters appeared was on Sesame Street upon its premiere in 1969. And let's be real. With cute, charming, and celebrity-filled segments, Sesame Street is not just for kids to enjoy. Head to Amazon, Hulu, or HBO Go to check out select seasons of Sesame Street and hang out with Elmo, Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, and the rest of the gang.
'Fraggle Rock'
Unfortunately, The Muppet Show is not available to stream as of the time of this writing. But another iconic Henson TV project, Fraggle Rock, is! All five seasons of the show can be streamed through HBO Go. Head on over there, and you'll find the fuzzy, funny, and musical bunch of underground inhabitants where? Down in Fraggle Rock!
'Dinosaurs'
Henson went big and prehistoric for one of my favorite TV projects of his and — dare I say it? — one of my favorite shows as a kid with Dinosaurs. The series brought the family sitcom format back 60 million years with the Sinclairs featuring an oaf of a dad with a ton of hubris in Earl (Stuart Pankin), the even-keeled mom Fran (Jessica Walter), drama queen teen daughter Charlene (Sally Struthers), hot shot teen son Robbie (Leif Tilden), and "I'm the baby, gotta love me" Baby (John Kennedy). All four seasons of the series are available to stream on ABC's website now, and trust me, you won't regret it.
'The Muppets'
ABC capitalized on all of the recent nostalgia surrounding the Muppets by giving Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, and the rest of the squad a brand-new TV series in 2015. The Muppets was targeted more toward adults and was a documentary-style look at the behind-the-scenes of Miss Piggy's late-night talk show. Unfortunately, it seems that the world wasn't quite ready to see The Muppets in a more-mature light, and ABC cancelled the series in May 2016. But you can still stream several of Season 1's episodes on the network's website now.
'The Muppet Christmas Carol'
If you have HBO Go and are feeling festive, might I suggest that you stream The Muppet Christmas Carol? Sure, it's not a TV show, but it is widely considered to be one of the best holiday movies ever made, and couldn't we all use something to lift our spirits these days? While you're there, you'll also find another Muppet movie, The Great Muppet Caper, on HBO Go if you're still in the mood.
'Sigmund and the Sea Monsters'
This one isn't one of Henson's creations, but rather, it comes from his contemporaries Sid and Marty Krofft, famous for creating another beloved puppet character, H.R. Pufnstuf. I'm including Sigmund and the Sea Monsters on this list in case you want to check out a trippier kind of puppet than what's in most of Henson's repertoire.
But this show is also here because it's not the original 1970s series but a new reboot brought to you by Amazon. Sigmund and his fellow sea monsters are just as adorable and campy as ever. But thanks to some advancements in technology over the last 40 years, they're not quite as creepy. After putting it through its pilot process, Amazon announced that it had picked up Sigmund and the Sea Monsters to series, starring David Arquette as Captain Barnabas. For now, let the pilot on Amazon whet your appetite.
And let's hope that we'll be feasting on a new season of Julie's Greenroom before we know it.
