Muppets Now

Muppets Now is an American web television series produced by The Muppets Studio for Disney+. Directed by Kirk Thatcher, the series is an improvisational comedy based on The Muppets franchise by Jim Henson. It premiered on July 31, 2020.

Muppets Now
GenrePuppetry
Improvisational comedy
StarringBill Barretta
Dave Goelz
Eric Jacobson
Peter Linz
David Rudman
Matt Vogel
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes3
Production
Executive producer(s)Andrew Williams
Bill Barretta
Sabrina Wind
Running time22-24 minutes
Production company(s)The Muppets Studio
Soapbox Films
DistributorDisney Media Distribution
Release
Original networkDisney+
Original releaseJuly 31, 2020 (2020-07-31) –
present (present)

Premise

Muppets Now is a series consisting of multiple different segments bridged together by a framing device featuring Scooter. The segments include a game show, a cooking show, and a talk show. The series was marketed as unscripted, but several writers are credited.

The segments include:

  • Lifesty(le) with Miss Piggy, in which Miss Piggy offers lifestyle tips with assistance from Uncle Deadly, Taye Diggs, Linda Cardellini and various other Muppet and celebrity guests.
  • Økėÿ Døkęÿ Køøkïñ, hosted by Beverly Plume in which The Swedish Chef competes against celebrity chefs.
  • Muppet Masters, which features Walter discovering the Muppets’ hidden talents.
  • Mup Close and Personal, in which a different Muppet each time attempts to have an in-depth conversation with a celebrity guest.
  • Pepe’s Unbelievable Gameshow, where Scooter has came up with a long list of rules for Pepe's game show, but Pepe himself would rather just make it up as he goes along, to Scooter's annoyance.

Cast

Muppet Performers
Main article: List of Muppets
  • Eric Jacobson as
    • Fozzie Bear, Kermit's best friend, a struggling comedian.
    • Miss Piggy, the host of "Lifestyle with Miss Piggy".
    • Animal
    • Sam Eagle, a conservative eagle.
    • A Mole who appears in the second installment of "Økėÿ Døkęÿ Køøkïñ".
  • Bill Barretta as
    • Pepe the King Prawn, the host of "Pepe's Unbelievable Gameshow".
    • The Swedish Chef, a chef who is the star of "Økėÿ Døkęÿ Køøkïñ".
    • Big Mean Carl
    • Howard Tubman, a rich pig and RuPaul superfan who appears in the first episode, interrupting Kermit's interview with his idol.
    • Bubba the Rat, a butch rat who appears with Yolanda in "Lifestyle with Miss Piggy".
    • Bobo the Bear, an absent-minded bear.
  • David Rudman as
    • Scooter, the co-host of "Pepe's Unbelievable Gameshow" and the producer of Muppets Now whose job is to upload the show onto Disney+ in time.
    • Beaker, the co-host of Muppet Labs Field Test and the victim of Bunsen's experiments.
    • Janice, the guitar player of The Electric Mayhem who appears in "Lifestyle with Miss Piggy".
  • Julianne Buescher as
    • Yolanda the Rat, a female rat who appears in "Lifestyle with Miss Piggy".
    • Beverly Plume, a turkey who is the host of "Økėÿ Døkęÿ Køøkïñ".
    • Margaret, a Whatnot beautician who appears in "Lifestyle with Miss Piggy".
    • Rosie the Sheep, who appears in "Lifestyle with Miss Piggy".
    • Beak-R, Bunsen's new high tech assistant who appears in the first installment of "Muppet Labs Field Test".
    • Priscilla the Chicken
    • Brie the Cheese, who appears in "Lifestyle with Miss Piggy".

Production

Development

On May 21, 2019, it was reported that Disney was developing a 10-minute short series based on The Muppets.[1] The series was set to be an improvised situation comedy featuring three segments.[1] On August 23, 2019, the series was officially announced under the title Muppets Now.[2] On December 22, 2019, director Kirk Thatcher said that the series will approach "three different types of shows".[3]

Filming

Production on Muppets Now began on June 8, 2019,[1] and lasted approximately six days.[3] Thatcher serves as director for the series.[4]

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Due Date"[5]Christopher Alender
Rufus Scot Church
Vito Massara		Matthew Barnette
Marcos Gabriel
Jim Lewis
Jamilyn Rosalas
Noah Smith
Joanna Truman
Andrew Williams
Kelly Younger
(story team)		July 31, 2020 (2020-07-31)

The Swedish Chef and Carlina Will compete against each other in "Økėÿ Døkęÿ Køøkïñ", Walter reveals Kermit's hidden talent for photobombing in "Muppet Masters", Kermit interviews RuPaul in "Mup Close and Personal" and Miss Piggy discusses personal style with Uncle Deadly, Janice, Rosie the Sheep, Taye Diggs and Linda Cardellini in "Lifestyle with Miss Piggy".

Guest stars: Linda Cardellini, Taye Diggs, RuPaul and Carlina Will
2"Fever Pitch"[6]Rufus Scot Church
Vito Massara		Matthew Barnette
Marcos Gabriel
Jim Lewis
Jamilyn Rosalas
Noah Smith
Joanna Truman
Andrew Williams
Kelly Younger
(story team)		August 7, 2020 (2020-08-07)

Pepe drives Scooter crazy with his made-up rules in the first installment of "Pepe's Unbelievable Gameshow" with help from Beauregard, Carol and Gonzo and his chickens. The Swedish Chef competes against Danny Trejo in "Økėÿ Døkęÿ Køøkïñ". Dr. Bunsen Honeydew experiments with melting and burning with his new high tech assistant Beak-R and Miss Piggy discusses health with Uncle Deadly, Bobo the Bear, Yolanda Rat, Bubba the Rat, Camilla the Chicken, Taye Diggs and Linda Cardellini in "Lifestyle with Miss Piggy" while Fozzie bombards Scooter with pitches.

Guest stars: Linda Cardellini, Taye Diggs and Danny Trejo
3"Getting Testy"[6]Rufus Scot Church
Vito Massara		Matthew Barnette
Marcos Gabriel
Jim Lewis
Jamilyn Rosalas
Noah Smith
Joanna Truman
Andrew Williams
Kelly Younger
(story team)		August 14, 2020 (2020-08-14)
4"Sleep Mode"[6]TBATBAAugust 21, 2020 (2020-08-21)
5"The I.T. Factor"[6]TBATBAAugust 28, 2020 (2020-08-28)
6"Untitled sixth episode"TBATBASeptember 4, 2020 (2020-09-04)

Release

Muppets Now premiered on July 31, 2020, on Disney's streaming service, Disney+.[2][7][8]

The first season will consist of 6 episodes. As is normal for a Disney+ original series, episodes will be released weekly.

International
Country Release date
Australia July 31, 2020
Canada
India
Ireland
New Zealand
United Kingdom
Middle East and North Africa August 1, 2020
Japan August 21, 2020
Indonesia September 5, 2020

Marketing

On August 23, 2019, during the series' official announcement, a promotional teaser featuring Kermit the Frog and a Muppet named Joe the Legal Weasel was shown at the D23 Expo.[2] On January 1, 2020, footage of the series was released in a video featuring original Disney+ content set to be released through the year.[9] The official trailer was released on June 24, 2020.[10]

Reception

On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 67% based on 49 reviews, with an average rating of 6.52/10. The critical consensus reads, "Though Muppets Now's formulaic sketches fail to showcase The Muppets' chaotic charms, it's entertaining enough to suggest that with looser reins - and a lot more music - it could become the best reboot in years."[11] On Metacritic, the series has a weighted average score of 68 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[12]

References
  1. "EXCLUSIVE: Muppets Variety Shorts Coming To Disney+". The DisInsider. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  2. 'The Muppets' Short-Form Series Coming to Disney Plus
  3. GalaxyCon Louisville
  4. Kirk Thatcher official website
  5. Disney+ Media Relations (June 17, 2020). "Next on Disney+: July 2020". Disney+. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  6. Disney+ Media Relations (July 16, 2020). "Next on Disney+: August 2020". Disney+. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  7. Muppets Now Coming to Disney+ This Summer
  8. "Muppets Now Coming To Disney+ In July". What's On Disney Plus. 2020-05-20. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  9. What's Coming to Disney+ in 2020
  10. Romano, Nick (June 24, 2020). "RuPaul dishes with Miss Piggy in trailer for Muppets Now Disney+ show". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  11. "Muppets Now (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  12. "Muppets Now Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
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