Lilly Singh teams with The Muppets for Disney+'s The Muppets Mayhem

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https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv...us-1235105741/

Singh has been tapped as the human lead in Disney+'s new Muppets series that follows the Electric Mayhem Band as it records its first-ever album. She'll play a junior A&R executive who is tasked with managing and wrangling the band that originally debuted in the pilot for The Muppet Show in 1975. The Goldbergs creator Adam F. Goldberg created The Muppets Mayhem with Bill Barretta -- the voice of Swedish Chef, Rowlf the Dog and many other Muppet characters -- and Jeff Yorkes, based on Jim Henson's original characters. “We are so excited to bring the story of The Electric Mayhem Band to the front and center of this new series," said said David Lightbody, senior vice president at Disney Live Entertainment and The Muppets Studios. "They’ve been entertaining audiences since The Muppet Show, which debuted 45 years ago, so it’s wonderful that these characters are finally getting to play lead rather than supporting roles."

[JamesG]

"The Muppets Mayhem" is Ready to Jam in First Look at Series Focused on the Electric Mayhem
by Maureen Lee Lenker
March 27, 2023


"The Muppets Mayhem", heading to Disney+ later this year, marks the first time The Muppets have embarked on a new television series since 2015's "The Muppets".

"The Muppets Mayhem" veers into new territory for the characters, pivoting its focus from the core characters of Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, and their ilk to focus on the story of the beloved side characters of the Muppets house band.




Co-created by Muppets veteran Bill Barretta and college friends Jeff Yorkes and Adam F. Goldberg, who also wrote the screenplay for The Muppets Wizard of Oz, the series seeks to open a new avenue for a relationship between Disney+ and the Muppets. "To us, this is an IP that's as big as Star Wars or Marvel," Goldberg tells EW. "I mean, they have Kermit."

"The Muppets Mayhem" centers on Nora (Lilly Singh), an aspiring record producer, who with the help of her social media influencer sister, Hannah (Saara Chaudry), and Electric Mayhem super-fan, Gary "Moog" Moogowski (Tahj Mowry), embark on helping the band record their first-ever album.




Because it's all about the music, an art form near and dear to late Muppets creator Jim Henson's heart, audiences can expect a lot of clashing of styles between the new world order of music producing and the '70s jam band vibes of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.

Though don't start thinking this is Daisy Jones & the Six with Muppets.



"They get along better than Fleetwood Mac," Yorkes says with a laugh. "But they're definitely from a different era. The conceit of the show is bringing this old school band to the modern age and way of making music. That's the comedy of it. They're a group of characters that have no real goals or ambitions.

Whatever you want to do, they roll with it. So, when you have a character that's really determined to get them to do something, that's also the comedy of the show. It's Type A wrestling with Type, I would even say, C."




To that end, the show will boast an epic soundtrack. Goldberg estimates the first half of the ten-episode season is nearly all covers, particularly a lot of classic rock of the era in which the band was first introduced to audiences (they premiered in 1975 as the house band on the pilot of The Muppet Show).

But there will also be plenty of original songs too as the band writes their album.




With that in mind, the show also promises lots of fun surprise cameos, as is always the case with the Muppets. But don't necessarily expect your favorite Muppet to pop up.

"We are telling a regular story in the real world with Muppets," Goldberg says. "So we tried to ground everything and keep it realistic as opposed to all of a sudden there's talking fruit in your fridge."




Another new element to the series is the diversity of the human cast. Traditionally, in a reflection of the industry itself, the Muppets have starred opposite white actors. But "The Muppets Mayhem" offers audiences a much more colorful world beyond mere shades of felt.

"When I was auditioning for the show, one of the really big reasons I wanted it was because the Muppets are so iconic," Singh says. "Everyone has a memory of seeing the Muppets for the first time. Everyone has a love story with the Muppets. I had never seen myself in those stories. I know other people probably don't see themselves. I really wanted this role so that it could look different."

https://ew.com/tv/first-look-muppets-mayhem-series/

[JamesG]

"The Muppets Mayhem" is streaming May 10, only on Disney+