While Disney+ has been exploiting most of the famous franchises in their library quite liberally, it feels like they had sidelined one very important one: the Muppets. Well, thankfully that is about to change. Via the official Muppets Twitter account, we’ve got our first look at the new Muppets series, The Muppets Mayhem. The new show will focus on the beloved Muppets rock band, the Electric Mayhem. And all the original members will join in the fun. That means Dr. Teeth, Janice, Floyd, Zoot, and of course, Animal on drums. You can check out the first trailer and images from The Muppets Mayhem right here.
This will be the first Muppets series that doesn’t focus on characters like Kermit, Piggy, Fozzie, or Gonzo. Up until now, aside from Animal, most of the Electric Mayhem have been side characters. But now, they’ll get to shine. It’s time for Electric Mayhem to make an album. But not without a lot of chaos and some excellent guest stars. We have “Dr. Teeth on vocals and keyboards, Animal on drums, Floyd Pepper on vocals and bass, Janice on vocals and lead guitar, Zoot on saxophone, and Lips on trumpet.” And joining them will be a sea of guest stars that includes Lil Nas X, Morgan Freeman, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Kesha, Danny Trejo, and more.
The series was co-created by Muppets veteran Bill Barretta, along with Jeff Yorkes and Adam F. Goldberg, who also wrote the screenplay for The Muppets Wizard of Oz. So this one is definitely coming to us from some Muppets experts.
According to a report from Entertainment Weekly, the show centers on Nora (Lilly Singh), an aspiring record producer, who enlists the help of her savvy social media influencer sister, (Saara Chaudry), to help the Electric Mayhem record their first album. Yes, they’ve been together since 1975, but they’ve yet to go into the studio. It’s about time, we think. The creators promise that the Electric Mayhem will get along better than Fleetwood Mac (that’s a relief) and that there will be many classic rock cover songs.
The last regular Muppets TV show was The Muppets, a mockumentary-type series that aired on ABC in 2015. Since then, we’ve had The Muppets Haunted Mansion special on Disney+ and a handful of Muppets Now shorts. Hopefully, this is the first of many Muppets projects to land on Disney+ in the next few years. They deserve as many spin-offs as other Disney IP like Star Wars, Marvel, or Pixar. Back in the ’90s, it felt like there were new straight-to-video Muppet movies every year. Shouldn’t Disney+ have something similar? Maybe something that’s a mashup? We’d be down for Muppets Star Wars or Muppet Avengers. Just as long as Jim Henson’s classic characters get their overdue spotlight.
The Muppets Mayhem will premiere May 10 on Disney+.
Originally published March 27, 2023.