He gave the world The Muppets, Fraggle Rock, Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal—now get to know the TV legend and pioneering puppeteer Jim Henson with tonight's broadcast debut of Jim Henson Idea Man, a 2024 documentary film directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon).
"From Disney Branded Television and Imagine Documentaries, 'Jim Henson Idea Man' takes us into the mind of this singular creative visionary, from his early years puppeteering on local television to the worldwide success of 'Sesame Street,' 'The Muppet Show' and beyond," reads an ABC press release. With unprecedented access to Jim's personal archives and behind-the-scenes footage, as well as insights from Henson's family and closest friends and colleagues, "filmmaker Ron Howard brings us a fascinating and insightful look at a complex man whose boundless imagination inspired the world."
After premiering at the 77th Cannes Film Festival this past spring, Jim Henson Idea Man became available on streaming via Disney Plus worldwide on May 31. And now the acclaimed documentary is getting primetime TV treatment as part of ABC's "Wonderful World of Disney" Sunday night movie lineup tonight, August 11 at 8:30pm Eastern Time.
Jim Henson Idea Man is the most Emmy-nominated documentary project of the year with eight nominations, including Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special and Outstanding Directing for Howard. You'll be able to see if the flick wins at the 2024 Emmy Awards, happening this September on ABC.
In the meantime, you can tune into tonight's special screening of Jim Henson Idea Man at 8:30pm on ABC. Anyone with a traditional pay-TV setup, TV antenna or live TV streaming service that carries ABC (such as Fubo, Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV) can watch The Wonderful World of Disney's broadcast on the alphabet network. And if you're not able to tune into ABC's airing of the doc, it is still available to stream right now on Disney Plus.
ABC has been airing both Disney-owned favorites and time-honored classics throughout this summer, including beloved titles like Encanto, Toy Story 2, The Princess and the Frog, and The Jungle Book live-action remake.
Check out the official trailer for Jim Henson Idea Man before tuning into the new documentary tonight on ABC.
