Disney+ brought the groove to New York Comic Con Sunday with an exclusive preview of Muppet Mayhem. The clip in question shows the members of Electric Mayhem (Animal, Dr. Teeth, Sgt. Floyd Pepper, Janice, Zoot and Lips) unexpectedly moving into the house of Nora (Lilly Singh), who has agreed to help the band produced their very first studio album. Series co-creator and co-executive producer Jeff Yorkes described their overall sound as “groovalicious”.
“I think Nora is going to learn very quickly that she’s in a huge handle with the band,” Singh told SYFY WIRE during a press roundtable immediately after the panel. “She thinks they’re going to listen, she thinks they’re going to sit down and follow instructions, which isn’t going to happen at all. I think they have their own way of doing things. , they don’t believe in the plans, they “It’s hard to argue. And so, you’re going to see her super stressed and trying to act like she’s got it all figured out. “
The human side of the cast also includes Saara Chaudry (Nora’s social media influencer sister, Hannah), Anders Holm (Nora’s ex-boyfriend and current music industry mogul, JJ), and Tahj Mowry ( Electric Mayhem superfan, “Moog”).
RELATED: Electric Mayhem Will Finally Make an Album in New Disney+ Series ‘The Muppets Mayhem’
“I think what makes The Muppets so special is the fact that they’re so universal,” Chaudry said of the ownership’s multi-generational appeal. “When you look at the Muppets, you don’t see color, you don’t see gender, you don’t see race. You see these beautiful characters who have amazing stories to tell. They are all lovers at heart and they’re just kind characters who have so much to offer.”
“There’s something about the Muppets that draws you in,” echoed Anders. “When you interact with them, it brings them to life in a way that when you’re a kid and you see adults talking to them, it flips a switch in your brain where you’re like, ‘Wait, are you are they real?’ Because you are watching adults, whom you trust, talk to these puppets like you talk to your [stuffed animals]. It gives them life and it marks them for you as that other thing. It’s not a cartoon, it’s not a puppet, it’s a Muppet.”
To help him keep Moog’s “energy” between scenes, Mowry decorated his trailer wall with all sorts of rock ‘n’ roll posters and stickers. It also helped that his costumes still incorporated a piece of Electric Mayhem merchandise. “One of the best things about him is his wardrobe,” the actor said. “Obviously he’s been to so many shows, so he’s got the coolest t-shirts ever and I have to bring some home…”
During the panel, Yorkes and his fellow co-creators (showrunner Adam F. Goldberg and longtime Dr. Teeth performer Bill Barretta) were asked why they felt the need to create a spin-off. off based on this specific group of quirky characters. “I’ve always loved this band,” admitted Yorkes. “I love their music, I love that they were a bunch of misfits that fit together, and nothing was really done with them in their own way.”
“We first did a gig in 2016 at Outside Lands,” Barretta added. “We had so much fun and there was such [strong] response, which we thought, “We really need to do more with these guys”, because a lot of their stories haven’t really been developed at all… We need to write all of these episodes before production, we were so able to chart out this big, long movie with all the arcs of every character – human or Muppet. We have these big stories that unfold over time, so don’t expect everything to be locked in from the start. You’re going to enjoy the whole ride.”
The concept of an Electric Mayhem album isn’t just a nebulous MacGuffin driving the narrative, but a veritable collection of original songs – many of which were written in tandem with Linda Perry. “It’s like a musical in many ways,” Goldberg noted, referring to the mix of unreleased music and covers of old classics. “A big part of the point of the season is, ‘If Mayhem did an album today, what would they sound like? Is that the original sound? Is it going to be influenced by modern nonsense music?'” he explained in the press room. “Do they need to be updated? »
And, of course, it wouldn’t be a real muppets joined without a few major celebrity cameos. “We have a lot of musical cameos,” Goldberg teased. “To get them, you had to write a scene because they weren’t reading anything. It would be like, ‘Hey, Sting has a day off.’ Now we spend a day writing a scene for Sting and by the time we hand it over they’re like, “Oh, Sting’s on tour now.” Jeff and I have probably written over 100 scenes for your favorite musical celebrities who weren’t available. So it was really difficult.”
While the team has kept pretty light on guest stars, Barretta blurted out that Cheech and Chong show up and get totally freaked out by “a surreal side to Zoot that you’re going to love. It’s so weird that, in a way , it’s our fourth wall, but it plays into the reality of the world.”
Muppet Mayhem is set to premiere on Disney+ in 2023.
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Looking for more puppet mayhem? Six of the Puppet Master films are currently streaming on Peacock.
