I’m not a hardcore Muppets fan by any means, but they have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, stretching back to the days I’d see Kermit the Frog pop up on Sesame Street. So whenever a new Muppets project is announced, my curiosity will usually be piqued, though whether it fully grabs my attention later on is another matter. Fortunately, The Muppets Mayhem, which is now available for Disney+ subscribers to watch, is a welcome jolt for this long-running franchise, and I’m already hoping that the Mouse House’s streaming platform keeps The Electric Mayhem’s tour going for Season 2.
Unlike most Muppets projects, The Muppets Mayhem eschews spotlighting all the heavy-hitting puppets we know and love in favor of exclusively focusing on the band The Electric Mayhem, comprised of Dr. Teeth, Floyd Pepper, Janice, Animal, Zoot and Lips, all respectively portrayed by Bill Barretta, Matt Vogel, David Rudman, Eric Jacobson, Dave Goelz and Peter Linz. After decades of performing their music, whether it’s for The Muppet Show or touring around the United States, the band is finally recording their first album thanks to some prodding from Lilly Singh’s Nora, a junior A&R executive, and with help from their biggest fan, Tahj Mowry’s Moog. However, in typical Muppets fashion, the journey towards this goal is fraught with complications, ranging from traditional comedic hijinks to The Electric Mayhem learning to navigate the modern music scene.
The Muppets Mayhem Effectively Balances Comedy And Drama
Make no mistake, The Muppets Mayhem is packed with the kind of zany elements that Muppets fans expect from these characters, including the band members decorating The Shack, the place they’re staying while recording the album, in their own unique way, only to discover they’ve vandalized Danny Trejo’s home, and then later tripping out on expired marshmallows with Nora while on a retreat in the desert. However, this entry in the 2023 TV schedule is also one of the more grounded Muppets projects out there, with co-creator Adam Goldberg telling EW in March that the show is “ telling a regular story in the real world with Muppets,” and thus they “tried to ground everything and keep it realistic as opposed to all of a sudden there's talking fruit in your fridge.” (Although keep an eye out for Zoot talking to his own shoe.)
This tonal balance works to The Muppets Mayhem’s benefit, because while it is fun to see Dr. Teeth and his pals get into all sorts of shenanigans, they also feel like fleshed out characters with their own desires and goals, issues and vulnerabilities, just like the human characters. My favorite example of this is “Track 6: Fortunate Son,” where we flashback to Dr. Teeth becoming a dentist and preparing to take over his family’s practice, only for his life to take a musical turn when he meets Floyd Pepper. Sure, this group of Muppets are put into various exaggerated situations, but in the midst of that, we watch them grow, something they’ve never really had the chance to do in previous outings.
The Muppets Mayhem Utilizes Human Characters Quite Well
It’s also great that the humans accompanying The Electric Mayhem aren’t just window dressing for their story. As Nora works with the band to make their album, feeling this is her last chance to make it big in the music industry, we also learn about her family history, including her complicated relationship with her sister, Saara Chaudry’s Hannah Singh. Having been The Electric Mayhem’s biggest fan for years, Moog now finds himself in a position to help the band directly, but as he fights to ensure that their album retains what makes them special rather than just follow popular trends, he also develops feelings for Nora. Even Anders Holm’s JJ, who’s initially presented in an antagonistic light as the app developer who wants to acquire Wax Town Records, becomes a more compelling character as we learn more about his motivations and past with Nora.
And then on a more comedic note, we have the many celebrities who cameo throughout The Muppets Mayhem, whether it’s people like Paula Abdul, Ziggy Marley and Kevin Smith playing as themselves, or the likes of Rachel Bloom, Jack McBrayer and Kirsten Schaal, among others, briefly playing characters. To be sure, all these appearances could feel overwhelming over the course of 10 episodes, but The Muppets Mayhem manages to squeeze these people in without making it feel too forced. Besides, given how celebrity appearances have been tied to this franchise since The Muppet Show aired from 1976 to 1981, it’d be weird if this Disney+ series wasn’t packed with famous people, though again, this isn’t to the detriment of the featured characters.
Bring On The Muppets Mayhem Season 2!
As someone who wasn’t particularly impressed with Muppets Now when it was released in 2020 (though our own Dirk Libbey felt differently about the streaming series), I’m so happy to say that The Muppets Mayhem is an outstanding return to form for all the reasons mentioned above and many more. Without going into spoilers, while the show does end in a way where this could easily be a one-and-done outing, there are also elements in play where Season 2 could easily happen, which I’m hoping will be the case. This is the most I’ve ever cared about The Electric Mayhem, and I’m eager to see what this next chapter of their life brings.
Continuing The Muppets Mayhem also provides a bit more stability to this franchise, which lately has keep afloat through the characters appearing in online shorts and other TV shows, like Kermit the Frog stopping by The Masked Singer. Yes, we got Muppets Haunted Mansion (a special packed with Disney Parks references) in 2021, but it’s also been almost a decade since the last feature-length Muppets movie, Muppets Most Wanted, was released and delivered its own lineup of celebrity cameos, and there’s no indication the film series will resume anytime soon. It would be nice for The Muppets to have a a more regular presence in our lives, even if it’s just one specific group of them. But even if another project eventually comes down the line that spotlights Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie and the rest of the gang, that shouldn’t stop Disney+ from letting Dr. Teeth, Floyd, Janice, Animal, Zoot, Lips from continuing to hang out with Nora and Moog.
It may be a long time until we learn whether or not The Muppets Mayhem will be renewed for a second season or simply stay a one-season affair, but if you’ve made it this far and still have yet to watch the show, I urge you to head over to Disney+ and rectify that immediately. The more people who check out The Electric Mayhem’s solo story, the more the chances improve of them getting another one.
