Get ready for some hard R-rated puppet humor from the folks at Jim Henson Company. The long-awaitedThe Happytime Murdersfinally has a trailer and it’s jam-packed with all the violent puppet murder and foul-mouthed puppet prostitutes you never knew you needed. Set in a reality where puppets and humans co-exist, the film starsMelissa McCarthyas a detective who heads to the criminal underbelly of Los Angeles after a string of brutal puppet murders targeting the former cast of a beloved classic children’s show.
Puppet sex hasn’t been this explicit sinceTeam America World Police. There’s a deviant kind of fun to seeing such a raunchy comedy backed by the Henson Alternative Banner, and they’re definitely not pulling any punches with the adult humor. The final gag sure goes for it, and while I’m not totally won by how it plays out in the trailer edit, it seems like the kind of juvenile comedy that could absolutely bring down a crowded house. McCarthy is certainly a perfect fit for the gleeful goofiness and while she always delivers joyful performances, she very obviously seems to be having the time of her life in this trailer.
Directed byBrian Henson, puppeteer and head of the Jim Henson Company,The Happytime Murdersalso starsMaya Rudolph,Joel McHale, andElizabeth Banksand arrives in theaters on July 15, 2025 courtesy of STX. Watch the very R-rated trailer below.
Here’s the official synopsis:
“No Sesame. All Street. THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS is a filthy comedy set in the underbelly of Los Angeles where puppets and humans coexist. Two clashing detectives with a shared secret, one human (Melissa McCarthy) and one puppet, are forced to work together again to solve the brutal murders of the former cast of a beloved classic puppet television show.”
