4 Reasons Why 'The Muppets' Is Being Slammed For 'Adult' Content

The break up of Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog ahead of the airing of the first episode of their new series 'The Muppets' nearly broke the internet, and for a good reason; people have always been fascinated by the pretence of these puppets as celebrities in the real world. However, have these beloved TV characters gotten too real? There are pressure groups out there who think so.

'The Muppets' is now being accused of being way too 'adult' for the original audience. Despite the fact that it's on ABC at night and Miss Piggy and Kermit's relationship has always been a factor in the storyline even though it gets slightly uncomfortable if you think about that too deeply, a Christian pressure group called One Million Moms is campaigning for it to be taken off air. They allege that the show is 'weighing in on interspecies relationships and promiscuity' and questions how parents will explain 'sexually charged jokes' to their kids. But are they right?

More: Miss Piggy and Kermit team up for 'Hello' parody video

1. The latest Miss Piggy story to hit headlines was 'Pitch Perfect' star Elizabeth Banks' attempt to make out with the Muppet after she presented Banks with an award at the VH1 Big In 2015 with Entertainment Weekly ceremony. While Piggy clearly seemed uncomfortable with the moment, it's still rather shocking to see lip-locking action of that degree on television.

2. Things got even more uncomfortable when Kermit and Miss Piggy appeared on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' to promote 'The Muppets' following their break-up. Kermit's answer to Fallon's question of how old his new 'piglet' girlfriend Denise was was a little awkward to say the least. 'She's old enough, let's just say that', he said, sheepishly. Old enough for what, Kermit, hmmm? Don't answer that.

3. Another 'Jimmy Kimmel' moment saw Kermit suggesting that Miss Piggy is 'dating anyone' referencing her tendency to be seen out and about with different faces, before Kimmel revealed the Tinder profile he'd made up for her; a platform which is notoriously well-known as not so much a dating app as a hook-up app. 'Let's get this pig in a blanket', Kimmel read off the page.

4. Furthermore, in one of the many promotional features for 'The Muppets', Miss Piggy is clearly seen ogling 'Castle' star Nathan Fillion. 'Nathan, sweetie, you gotta move', she told him after cutting the shot. 'It's your butt. It's super distracting.' And proceeded to stare wistfully at his behind as he walked away.

On the other hand, Miss Piggy has always been one of the more cheeky characters in the show, and it's one of the many reasons why it has appealed to so many people for so many years. It's jokes like these that broadened the demographic and made it the success it is today. Older episodes have seen plenty of nudity jokes and sexual innuendos, but such things were obviously largely ignored against a more child friendly backdrop.

So what do viewers think? Are these beloved characters way too grown up these days? Or has nothing really changed?