The Muppets Mayhem: Season 1

The Muppets Mayhem "Track 1: Can You Picture That?"

I loved the ABC Muppets Mockumentary. But the truth is I got the complaints. It was TOO edgy. It was funny because it had a lot of modern humor, but I didn't like seeing the Muppets put into adult situations and swearing. Muppets Now was terrific, and I had no bad notes about it at the time. But it's essentially an interview web series and another format that's sort of a gimmick.

The Muppets Mayhem has the feel of a Muppet Movie if they were a half hour long, and they were followed by nine others.

Unlike Bill Prady's cynical short-lived ABC show, this is not afraid to go for the big heartwarming moments. Better yet, the specific premise lends itself to musical numbers and celebrity cameos and they are leaning heavily into those too. Danny Trejo popping up in Muppet stuff will never get old.

Speaking of which, Danny Trejo has the most interesting IMDB page out of any actor, living or dead. Check it out sometime and tell me you don't agree. If there is another actor who was in both Machete Kills and Elena Of Avalor I'd like you to name them to me.

Here is something to note, and something I respect: The journey of the season will be Nora's. And only hers. The Mayhem themselves are already what they are and nothing can change them. It's nice going through a major adventure and arc with the main characters already in their set personas and people we already love, and don't expect to learn a valuable lesson. That's not how Wall-E was built, and I loved his movie for that. Character growth is a beautiful thing. But to hit me with a group of characters already comfortable in their own skin / felt? The only drama we need to see there is how OTHER people react to them. And they love the Mayhem as much as I do.

I wonder if there was some concern ahead of time because this is the first Muppets project in a long time to focus on a group of side characters. Dr. Teeth was equal parts freaky and frightening when I was a kid, and totally memorable. But can he carry a show? And can the Mayhem give him the right comedy back-up? The first episode says he can. And we learned a LOT about a character who has literally been around since the 1970's that we didn't know before. Like the hot tub thing. And did you know he's attentive to his ex-girlfriends? Decades later he still remembers the sweetest details about them.

I thought the "cliffhanger" ending was too cute by half, and the Disney+ branding jarred me, but hopefully that's the only real fourth-wall joke. As far as I can tell, this is going to be as funny as the mockumentary, but not as cynical or objectionable. Which if you ask me were the biggest things wrong with that great show. Basically that show's best parts without its biggest faults, along with the visual budget of a classic Muppet Movie? This could potentially be the greatest Muppet show of all time. Little too early to tell for sure by the Pilot. But it could be.

I love it. Go Team Henson! More of this! *****.

The Muppets Mayhem "Track 2: True Colors"

It's nice the show is going for super happy and heartwarming endings, but I feel like this episode is focused too much on the human cast. Yes, the season IS Nora's journey, but there really shouldn't be so many scenes of ONLY human characters doing sitcom bits with each other.

Janice is SO cute, and Dr. Teeth was very relatable to me this episode too. Once Nora starts telling the truth he advises her to go on.

Let me be honest about Janice breaking into song at the end. I cringed. That often happens during Muppet projects, even the good ones. They often take The Feelz too far. So I loved it when during this moment I was feeling a shade of embarrassment on behalf of the show where Nora's like, "What's happening?" instead of being fully on-board and smitten. Instead of portraying the moment as righteous Muppet magic, the show suggests it's bizarre instead, and I'm suddenly back on-board. Honestly, I love this franchise so much, it doesn't take much to win me over.

I'll tell you another good thing. The Muppets has a brief intro / title card, but Muppets Now did not. This show is the first major Muppet show since Muppets Tonight to have a legit theme song main title. And you want to kick Bill Prady for not understanding singing and dancing ARE the Muppets, so you want to give them the proper intro each week. Good for this show.

Not as great as the first episode. ****.

The Muppets Mayhem "Track 3: Exile On Main Street"

Yes, three episodes in and I'm calling it the best Muppet show. By far.

I was not crying like a baby at that ending. But it was close.

Floyd raised Animal as a baby? What a great idea! And the caveman Baby Animal is weirdly cuter than either version from Muppet Babies.

I was losing it over Ben Schwartz's stuff with Animal. Talk about a human who works good with the Muppets. More of him, please.

And the only reason I don't call James Hong a national treasure is because he is actually considered a global one. Dude can't be undersold on that.

Oh, man. That was amazing. *****.

The Muppets Mayhem "Track 4: The Times They Are A-Changin'"

Janice focused episode. She has a twin? The weird things this show is teaching us.

I thought the stuff between Nora and her sister was too schmaltzy. But I liked Cheech and Chong (and Zoot's trick with the dime) and the last scene made me laugh. ***1/2.

The Muppets Mayhem "Track 5: Break On Through"

Another "WHAT?!" ending.

Great G-rated way to get everyone high.

We saw Lips' eyes for the first time ever. The stop-motion Dr. Teeth was great and another appearance of a strangely verbose Baby Animal was welcome too.

But of course the best part is Weird Al. He mentions he does original songs on every album. He's written like 80 of them. I bet Al was tickled that came up. He is a legitimately talented musician who's written actual songs, and not just silly rhymes to the tunes of stuff other people have written. So that was cool.

I love that Animal can't tell if J.J. is good or bad. Because neither can I.

Funny episode. ***1/2.

The Muppets Mayhem "Track 6: Fortunate Son"

This episode answers the question of what would have happened if "Kermit's Swamp Years" didn't actually suck butt.

It's awesome the show is giving the Mayhem a legit history and timeline with one another. I love that Teeth's mother doesn't like Floyd until the end.

Honestly, I thought the Mayhem was wrong for once in chiding Nora for "interrupting the process". Because the process doesn't solve anything. It just puts off the problem for later. The actual answer is Dr. Teeth getting love and acceptance for who he is from his parents.

I'll tell you why the show is awesome. It doesn't really care about how important demystifying certain iconic characters that have lasted decades is. It doesn't make sense to have his parents visit and not learn his actual name. It's Gerald Jr.. It's the fact that it's underwhelming and told in a matter-of-fact way which is why I love the show. And he's an actual doctor (a dentist, natch).

And a clearly smitten Animal also clearly ships Nora and Moog. Moog IS a pretty cute guy and super nice. Maybe Animal is onto something.

More Baby Animal flashback cuteness. Because that simply never gets old.

This is the best Muppets TV show. ****1/2.

The Muppets Mayhem "Track 7: Eight Days A Week"

Kevin Smith took is on the chin by admitting critics hate his movies. I have to say that fact about his career always surprises me. Like to start out with he was a legit independent filmmaker and Clerks was a super interesting film done on no budget. Chasing Amy is problematic in hindsight, but at the time, it was a pretty high quality and well regarded comedy. And Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back is a classic. But somewhere along the way Smith stopped being funny and just became vulgar and gross. His films always were that, but they weren't ENTIRELY that. And they sort of became so. The guy who should have had the career of the indie darling is now about as hated as Michael Bay and Brett Ratner. I'm pretty sure the only person on the face of the Earth happy about how his career turned out is Seth MacFarlane. But it's amazing Smith turned into an annoying clown. He could have been somebody and for a hot minute actually was.

Speaking of Seth MacFarlane, I think Morgan Freeman in the Zoot nose just found a new career lower worse than Ted 2. That being said, every inch of Freeman's humiliation here is 100% worth it and comedy gold, which is I think all the difference in the world.

Zoot's running gag of "What? When?" is so great because by the end he was naming musicians like Frank Sinatra who didn't just die of old age. They died of old age a LONG time ago. It should not be a surprise that Frank Sinatra is not currently 107 years. It's weird that fact is to Zoot.

Oh, my God, Animal and bunnies! So cute!

I think they are attaching a little too much actual pathos to the Moog and J.J. stuff in trying to win Nora's affection. The show really isn't about that, and if it is, it really shouldn't be.

I'm all in on Kevin Smith poking fun at what a failure he is. ***1/2.

The Muppets Mayhem "Track 8: Virtual Insanity"

I love the Muppets. But I never really dug or understood the Electric Mayhem. They were boosting a part of popular culture back in the 1970's that I was never really a part of, or even something I had a real interest in later on. They always felt flashy and odd to me, and I couldn't really relate to any of them.

I love how this show has given them each distinct personalities to go with the flashy gimmicks for once, and they now feel like a credible group of characters. Who are undone by autocorrect. As are we all. Moog's a sweet enough guy, but the truth is I dig the show because they made the most mysterious characters of the franchise lovable and relatable to me in a way they weren't before. And that just tickles me silly. ****.

The Muppets Mayhem "Track 9: Drift Away"

Nora has broken the band so badly they don't even know they are broken. That WAS the friendliest, chillest band break-up ever.

What have we learned? J.J. BAD. Definitely.

I love that Janice has started a cult. Nora will be spared when the reckoning comes and also her skin is so soft. I think Janice somehow always manages to steal this show.

Let's get the band back together. ****.

The Muppets Mayhem "Track 10: We Will Rock You"

It was satisfying. With the Statler and Waldorf cameos and Zoot mentioning Kermit in the tag, it felt like a good finale.

That being said I mentioned I liked it in the beginning of the season that the Mayhem was just the Mayhem, and there was no larger character journey for them. These past two episodes poked at that a little. Granted, their journey here simply involved a return to normalcy instead of real growth, but I didn't like to see that journey present at ALL. Sigh.

Return of the Disney+ joke. Still not funny.

It was good. That being said, there was nothing in it that occurred that was remotely unexpected. I am very emphatic predictable storytelling has its place in pop culture. But the truth is the show constantly surprised me, so I'm a little disappointed that didn't go for the conclusion at all. But really, it was a feel-good ending, leaving the door open for more, and yeah, I still think it's the best Muppets TV show ever. So there. ****.