“Muppets Now” News & Discussion Thread

Fone Bone

Matt Zimmer
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That was a cute fun trailer. Joe from Legal was especially funny. I'm also really glad that Kermit's current performer Matt Vogel will be able to work on a show. I don't think he's been able to do much since he replaced Steve Whitmire a few years ago, so I think that this will give him a chance to do more with the role.

I'm still used to Steve Whitmire's voice for Kermit since that was basically the Kermit I grew up with. But I think Matt Vogel is doing a pretty good job so far. I especially liked his performance of "Rainbow Connection" on the Muppet's YouTube channel a few weeks ago. I love the song and I think it showed that he was starting to make this role his own too. Hopefully this show will be good cute fun. The Muppets have needed more attention for ages too.
I grew up with Jim Henson as Kermit but Whitmire has been Kermit so long he's the voice I hear in my head. A new Kermit will be hard to get used to but I did it with Whitmire, so...
 

Light Lucario

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I grew up with Jim Henson as Kermit but Whitmire has been Kermit so long he's the voice I hear in my head. A new Kermit will be hard to get used to but I did it with Whitmire, so...

I'd watch reruns of The Muppet Show and saw the first few Muppt movies when I was little, but I was just a baby when Jim Henson sadly passed away. It was extremely jarring for me to hear a different voice for Kermit for quite awhile for the same reason. I think he's already improving, but I'm just so much more used to Jim Henson and Steve Whitmire's voices after all these years.
 

Fone Bone

Matt Zimmer
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Muppets Now "Due Date"

Honestly, I was very, VERY disappointed that Muppets: Live Another Day never came to fruition. But this is pretty great too. This is the best of the Muppets mockumentary mixed with the best of the James Bobin films. There are parts of both projects I don't like and this just takes the good stuff.

Let's talk about the first segment. I am very glad the show is keeping Uncle Deadly's role as Piggy's personal assistant as seen on the polarizing mockumentary. Deadly was the best character on that underrated show and I'm glad they are going to be utilizing him in that exact same way.

Margaret, whoever that is, repeatedly slapping Piggy as hard as she could as a beauty treatment was comedy gold.

Here is the best thing about Muppets Now: Walter is back! Muppet Workshop seemed to drop the character entirely after the two movies, and he had a lot of untapped potential left. I'm glad he's still a thing. If this show somehow finds a way to keep Rizzo, I'll be even happier, although that is a tougher ask.

Speaking of Steve Whitmire being fired, I like that Kermit is now fun again. He's not a photographer, he's a photobomber. He was certainly making me laugh in all those pictures.

The episode suggested something that I don't remember seeing before. It suggests that the Swedish Chef can't actually cook. And whether this is a new idea or not, since he's never finished a dish before, it actually contradicts nothing. Chef is a pretty loathsome character all throughout the segment. Not only does he refuse to tip the delivery-guy, but he insists that nobody else tips him either. Whatta guy.

It was interesting seeing RuPaul dressed as a man and referred to as such. Kermit was NOT happy about the level of validation RuPaul offered Miss Piggy. He wishes she hadn't heard that. He is very much chagrined at what is waiting for him when he gets home.

RuPaul's expressing skepticism over Gonzo's statements about the spiders and suggestions of trap doors was the right reaction. It's not often a live-person behaves rationally when surrounded by Muppets, but his reactions to Gonzo were the absolute correct ones.

Howard is a new character and he's funny. Quick question: How does Howard know so much about RuPaul to begin with? It's neat, flattering, and super creepy all at once.

No complaints. I love this show already. *****.
 

Fone Bone

Matt Zimmer
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Muppets Now "Fever Pitch"

All great stuff.

Scooter may be unhappy with Pepe, but Brie and Cartoons seem game.

Dave Goelz, still voicing Beauregard after all of these years. But the list of right-sounding Muppets gets shorter every year.

Forget the car ride home, it's the pillow talk that's gonna kill Gonzo tonight.

Danny Trejo, proving once again to be the person with the most interesting IMDB page, hands-down.

Trejo always works great with the Muppets because not only does he not seem to belong there, but the writers lean into that for comedy. He's always one of the funnier guests for that.

I like that otter lawyer very much. Kermit doesn't seem much impressed though.

One of the subtexts of The Muppet Show is that Bunsen Honeydew is a secret sadist and psychopath. They seem to really be playing that up here.

I don't know how or why I could ever describe any Muppet, much less Beaker, as having a great facial expression, but his look as he's pressing the button to set Beak-R on fire was hardcore. For some people, it could be thought of as alarming. For me, after all the poor dude has been through, I found it both cathartic and, yes, heroic.

Bobo is back. Yolanda also being present is good. Because I don't think they'd actually bring her back if Rizzo was actually retired. We'll see in the coming weeks, but perhaps that character is less dead than I predicted.

Is this show going to be shown in half hour increments every week instead of short form as initially planned? I am fully on-board that idea, even if they run out of episodes in a few weeks. These last two weeks have been an outright treat. ****1/2.
 

Fone Bone

Matt Zimmer
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Muppets Now "Getting Testy"

The focus group consists of Statler and Waldorf because that is the type of Universe we live in.

These Swedish Chef segments are unlike every previous Swedish Chef skit. Because there's actual cooking involved with the guest chef. Beverly's crush on Chef Roy was endearing and lame at the same time.

Say this for the Swedish Chef: He's the only Muppet who can shuffle a deck of cards.

I love that Pizza Guy Al guesses what Bunsen and Beaker are doing because he delivers a lot of pizzas to Cal Tech.

Bunsen Honeydew is a superior person to the Swedish Chef because of he approves of tipping. Of course, he expects BEAKER to pay the tips, but that's still better than Chef who insists nobody tip in his presence.

The food being smashed against the wall gives me pleasant flashbacks to Late Night With David Letterman. Good times. If there is anything to prove that Late Night was better than The Late Show it's that more stuff got smashed. Good. Freaking. Times.

Deadly setting up that dark dinner for Piggy with Taye Diggs suggests he's a secret sadist. I don't blame him considering who he has to please. He'll take a small victory wherever he can get it.

Kermit and Linda Cardellini seem a little TOO friendly, if you get my drift, and Miss Piggy doesn't like that at all.

I love that Kermit holds up a sign that says "buffering". When Steve Whitmire was fired, one of the gripes of the higher ups was that Kermit was no fun anymore, and that Whitmire had turned him into a mopey victim. And there is nothing to prove that more right than realizing that the buffering joke would NEVER have occurred during Whitmire's tenure. Never. And I like that Kermit is cute and fun again.

I also love that Pepe keeps calling Scooter Scooper.

Bringing back Carl from the Mockumentary shows that this show takes the best from the Bobinverse and the Pradyverse. I'm glad Carl and Deadly as Piggy's gofer live on even if that show was canceled. They bring back Chip the IT guy, and I'll never have a cross word to say about this show. He sees numbers in colors like I do.

Also would not object to Constantine. He likes to gather them. Yes. Yes.

This is pretty much the best Muppet TV show they've ever made. Outside of Statler and Waldorf who are deliberately old-school and corny, the show has a distinct lack of dumb jokes. And as much as I love The Muppet Show, it was basically ALL dumb jokes. I can't ever recall laughing so hard at a Muppet TV show before. Muppets Most Wanted made me laugh this hard. But it's the only Muppet thing that ever did. And that was just one movie. This show is busting my gut every week. Great stuff. *****.
 

Fone Bone

Matt Zimmer
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Muppets Now "Sleep Mode"

The selling point of Animal is that if you tell him to make loud noises he'll automatically make them.

I love that Scooter has no eyes without his glasses.

Miss Piggy vs. Aubrey Plaza, the Queen Of Shade? Yes please.

Uncle Deadly's reaction shots were hilarious.

I love that otter lawyer.

It seems to me trying to get Beaker to correctly pronounce something is a losing battle.

I think this is the first Bunsen and Beaker thing I've ever seen where Beaker didn't actually get grievously injured.

Loved the cool sound experiments. Very Mr. Wizard.

Beverly continues to be my new favorite Muppet from this show.

Muppet nerds will love seeing Miss Poogy again, but I instead squealed at seeing Chip the IT Guy's cameo. The writers have been reading my Muppet Wishlist again.

I now ship Pepe and Linda Cardellini in real life.

Uncle Deadly is truly the passive-aggressive assistant Miss Piggy deserves.

Fun stuff. ****1/2.
 

Fone Bone

Matt Zimmer
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Muppets Now "The I.T. Factor"

I'm all about Chip the IT Guy with a speaking role. Is he Crazy Harry's son?

Return of Foofoo! Linda Cardellini and him were so cute together. Piggy is annoyed she's taught him tricks.

"Some Bunny" should have been Bean Bunny.

More Walter!

I just realized something. ALF is a total rip-off of Uncle Deadly. Somebody needs to sue Paul Fusco's talentless ass.

The screaming goat stuff was hysterical. And Chris the sound guy has just quit. Run while you can, Karina.

Loving Joe from Legal.

Honestly, I thought the Bunsen and Beaker stuff was too cruel. I know Bunsen is a sadist, but there's a limit to what the show should be asking me to tolerate. Him crushing Beaker's teddy bear crosses a mile over it.

The rest of it was good. ****.
 

Fone Bone

Matt Zimmer
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Muppets Now "Socialized"

Robin!

Lots of Muppets referenced on the computer. I saw Sal Minella, Louis Kazagger, the Muppet Newsman, Rizzo, Chip, Thog, Link Hogthrob, Lew Zealand, Nigel, among others.

Joe from Legal getting in on the Muppet Labs shenanigans. I love his laugh.

Beverly Plume getting fed up with Chef. Can you blame her?

Best segment was Fozzie and Seth Rogen in Mup Close And Personal. I've mentioned this is the funniest Muppets project besides Muppets Most Wanted. The stuff with the creepy babies had me in hysterics the Muppets haven't put me in since Constantine and Ricky Gervais on the blooper reel for that film. Seth's like "I heard you are supposed to leave babies alone." And the babies cry when you take away the jar of poison. Seth's like "Should we give it to them?" And forget running with scissors, they are getting into swordfights. Seth Rogen decides that these must simply be bad babies. Also noted that Rogen does not get upset with Fozzie by the end of the interview the way Miss Piggy's guests always get fed up with her.

Who is Esther? We need more blue Muppets.

And it may not be on brand, but Piggy sees the value of the bucket by the end of the segment.

Man that stuff with Seth Rogen and the babies had me rolling. I'm giving the episode five stars just for that. *****.
 

Zorak Masaki

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Why not just have a Pigs in Space spinoff series?
Actually, I was thinking that they could have it be a webtoon made by one of the muppets (im thinking Gonzo). Make it deliberately low-budget (think the "powered by the cheat" cartoons from Homestar Runner) with limited animation.
 

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