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Written by Amanda Clark
The Muppets Mayhem is a Muppets’ side character show fans didn’t realize they needed but should be glad they got.
When people think of the Muppets, the first thought that likely comes to mind is Kermit the Frog, and then a few of the main side characters: Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Beaker, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Scooter, Pepé the King Prawn, Swedish Chef, Rizzo the Rat, Statler and Waldorf, Sweetums, Sam Eagle, and Animal. People probably don’t immediately think of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem unless they’re an Animal fan, but after this show, Muppet fans can begin to move them up on the list of who could be their favorite Muppet character.
The Muppets Mayhem follows the classic hero’s journey tale for the main character, and in this instance, it’s more than one. The entire band is the main character along with their new band manager Nora (Lilly Singh, The Bad Guys) who works for a dying record label that is trying to get them to make their first album. Each band member of the band receives the same amount of storyline and focus. We, the audience, face many ups and downs with the band to see them evolve into even more of a rock band than their first appearance in 1975.
To parallel Electric Mayhem’s first album, Disney titled each episode a different track number and name, which aligns perfectly with each episode as we get closer to the finished album. However, to make it truly reflect the band’s album, Disney should have made it 12 episodes instead of 10 since their album consisted of 12 tracks. At the same time, every situation that happened in the show seemed to come out of nowhere yet blend together to get the band closer to finding their passion in this album. Thus, having an additional two episodes might’ve made some episodes feel like filler episodes, and it’s great that none of the episodes felt that way.
No matter what age the viewer is, they’ll have an enjoyable time watching this show. It’s short enough that you don’t feel like you’re spending too much time watching it and putting off any work you need to do, and it’s long enough so you can grow connected to these characters and become emotionally evolved in this group of Muppets.
It’s amazing how the crew works with these puppets and what they are capable of making it seem like each Muppet is doing, especially with the scenes where each member of the band, Nora, and some of the side characters are all in the same room where everyone is doing something. Of course, with it being 2023, almost anything can be accomplished in a show, but a show that seems to hardly be using computer-generated imaging (CGI) is able to make everything these puppets are doing look real.
One of the perks of this show was all of the cameos — no Kermit cameo, though. But we got to see stars like: Zedd, Sofia Carson, Paula Abdul, Morgan Freeman, ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic, Ryan Seacrest, Lil Nas X, Peter Jackson, and more. The best cameo was a Muppet cameo of Statler and Waldorf finally being thrown out of a performance for hating it.
Another aspect The Muppets Mayhem brought to the table to add comedic relief while being realistic was showing how intense artists’ fans can be in two ways: literally knowing everything about the artist and, if anyone offends the artist, viciously defending them. The latter includes a fun jab at Swifties, Beliebers, the Beyhive, and Little Monsters.
This entire show is comedic with some heartfelt moments. It’s a must-add to anyone’s watch list, even if it is just going to be played in the background while the viewer is cooking or doing work. There is never a dull moment in each episode because there was always something happening that led to the next event, like a line of dominos. As soon as one falls, everything unfolds.
The Muppets Mayhem finally shined a light on these side characters who have just as much personality as any other Muppets, if not more.
