There’s been a severe lack of puppetry in our lives lately, something that was finally and mercifully sated by the recent hit, The Muppets, which delivered most 20 and 30-somethings right back to their childhoods.

Now, thanks to the success of that movie, The Jim Henson Company can branch out to some other projects. BBC One has announced that they’ve entered into a partnership with the late, great puppeteer’s company for a new series titled No Strings Attached.

No Strings Attached
Directed by Ivan Reitman
Starring Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, Kevin Kline, Olivia Thirlby, Chris “˜Ludacris’ Bridges, Greta Gerwig, Mindy Kaling
Release date: January 21, 2011

Boy and girl are sitting on a bench underneath the moonlight, probably at some middle school dance or summer camp. They are taking a break from whatever festivity it is that they are attending. The boy looks fairly shy and nervous, anxious to get to a certain point. The girl is more opened it seems. She’s possibly thinking that the boy is going to ask for a kiss. Or maybe he will even act hastily and sneak one. This is such a wonderful set-up that evokes the impulses and feelings we feel at the ripe age of fourteen. But my naiveté works against me here. What wishful thinking on my behalf! What comes out of the boy’s mouth (a question that is usually asked to a prostitute) is well beyond his age and his image. And the girl, disturbingly, remains composed at the question. Can it be that he is addicted to sexual acts at this stage of his life and she desensitized by such pleads? What a demoralizing thought. But my senses should have been more alert for the dialogue used by these two kids. Hell, why should American comedy hold back any thing? Crude is what American comedy does best. And this is 2011, so we should come to expect this kind of humor, vulgarity, cheapness, and conventionality.