Overcome that 21st-century presumption, though, and there’s not much difference between the new Muppets and the 70s classics, aside from identifiably new voices, with Matt Vogel replacing Steve Whitmire, who was fired, as Kermit the Frog. and the flesh and blood talent (Taye Diggs, Linda Cardellini, and Danny Trejo among them) enlisted to join the nonsense.
One advantage Muppets have is that they are such an institution, people seem to welcome the opportunity to pass, as evidenced by the celebrities mentioned above, or Kermit’s interrupted interview with RuPaul.
The previewed episodes feature multiple recurring bits, some stronger than others. There’s a cooking competition involving the Swedish chef against real chefs, ridiculous experiments with Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker (accompanied by legal warnings), and the regular “Lifestyle” segments of Miss Piggy. Of course, she is constantly irritated that the graphics people keep leaving the “le” out of the title, adding an appropriate pig twist.
The broad physical gags cater to a family audience, and perhaps the weakest, longest segment is a kind of game show hosted by Pepe the King Prawn. (End credits include thanks to those who stayed quiet at home while the project was done, a nod to production in the Covid-19 era.)
Basically “Muppets Now” fits nicely into the filler bin of the streaming business model, the kind of show that would motivate relatively few people to subscribe, but since it’s a recognizable product, you can see if you’re already getting Disney + .
Granted, that’s not a resounding endorsement, but on the upside, it’s more enthusiastic than any criticism the gang would receive from Statler and Waldorf.
“Muppets Now” premieres July 31 on Disney +.
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