The Muppets are back, but only for a couple of hours. Disney+ has announced a release date for Muppets Now, a six-episode limited series that takes a meta peek behind the curtain of making a Muppets streaming series happen.
The network announced in a press release that Muppets Now is coming to Disney+ on July 31 (in the U.S., Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and India). It’s been previously described as an unscripted series that features the Muppets gang and a bunch of celebrity guests, but that hasn’t been a lot to go on. According to the new plot description, Muppets Now will centre around Scooter as he works with Kermit, Miss Piggy, and the others to meet his deadline to make, well, Muppets Now (or some in-show version of it) happen.
Here is the description in full: “Muppets Now is The Muppets Studio’s first original series for Disney+. In the six-episode season, Scooter rushes to make his delivery deadlines and upload the brand-new Muppet series for streaming. They are due now, and he’ll need to navigate whatever obstacles, distractions, and complications the rest of the Muppet gang throws at him. Overflowing with spontaneous lunacy, surprising guest stars and more frogs, pigs, bears (and whatevers) than legally allowed, the Muppets cut loose in Muppets Now with the kind of startling silliness and heartfelt fun that first made them famous.”
It’s kind of telling how much they’re selling the fact that it’s a “return home” for the Muppets because their most recent foray into television didn’t pan out so well. In 2015, the short-lived ABC mockumentary series The Muppets baffled audiences (Josh Gad’s pitch for a limited Disney+ series that took place after The Muppets Take Manhattan, which would have focused on the pitfalls of stardom.
Here’s a few more teases of the new series the cast themselves gave fans:
Wait, I thought we were going with this #MuppetsNow key art! Didn’t we all agree it needs more chickens?? And more exploding socks… and, of course, lava spiders. pic.twitter.com/8egBdUNd8K
— Gonzo (@GonzotheGreat) May 20, 2020
Dios mio, you gotta be kidding me! No Pepé in any of this #MuppetsNow key art?? Unbelievable, okay! Lucky for you, I’ve mastered Photoshop after watching one video on YouTubes. See for yourself… pic.twitter.com/WM9sSn4RFz
— Pepé the King Prawn (@SpicyPrawn) May 20, 2020
Having trouble picking #MuppetsNow key art? How about you change the name to #MuppetsNever and we leave it at that! Dohohoho!
— Statler and Waldorf (@StatlerWaldorf) May 20, 2020
It seems like Disney really wants to get back to the roots of the Muppets, with silly and family-friendly shenanigans that everyone can enjoy. Muppets Now arrives on Disney+ July 31.