ABC has come up with two surprises involving superstars, past and present.
The former is the late Jim Henson (shown here). A documentary about his life will air at 8:30 p.m. Aug. 11.
And the latter is Carrie Underwood. This winter, she’ll become a judge on “American Idol,” the show that thrust her to fame 20 years ago. Details include:
— By the time Henson died in 1990 (at 53, of bacterial pneumonia), his Muppets had already starred in three movies and their own TV series, plus “Sesame Street,” a Disney World 3-D show and more.
Henson had also made two praised science-fiction movies, “Labyrinth” and “Dark Crystal.” Now his life has been captued in “Jim Henson: Idea Man.” It’s the fourth documentary by director Ron Howard, who is better known for fiction, including the Oscar-winning “A Beautiful Mind.”
The film is already on Disney+ and has received eight Emmy nominations. Now it becomes the first documentary in ABC’s Sunday movie slot.
— Back in 2005, Underwood became the fourth “Idol” champion. She’s gone on to have 16 No. 1 country singles, win eight Grammys and sell 85 million records.
She’s also one of only two “Idol” champions to reach that level. The other, Kelly Clarkson, later became a judge on the rival “The Voice.”
Now Underwood, 41, will become an “Idol” judge, an opening created when Katy Perry stepped aside. She’ll be alongside Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie … making it the first time that two of the judges were known for country.