When Disney+ announced that their next venture into the Muppets IP would be a focus on the venerable Muppets band, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, it both seemed curious and obvious at the same time. Curious because Disney’s track record has been spotty, with the Muppets largely ignored compared to other IP in its holdings, so there was understandable consternation about how this may play out. But it was also obvious because the band has always been a beloved component of the Muppets beginning as the house band for The Muppet Show and continuing on through many films including delightful, and hilarious moments, such as their roles in The Great Muppet Caper, Muppets in Space, and of course the classic and original The Muppet Movie where they debuted their best known track “Can You Picture That?” Not only has the band delighted on screens large and small, but they also performed at the 2016 Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival to a delighted crowd, which was the impetus for the writers of The Muppets Mayhem, Bill Barretta, Adam F. Goldberg, Jeff Yorkes, to conceive the show in the first place. So in fact it is perhaps most surprising that such a show, or film, hadn’t been developed in the first place, but maybe this was the perfect time to do so as it ably pulls from present day, classic rock, and past Muppets films to deliver a true love letter to the one, the only, The Electric Mayhem.
Lilly Singh as Norah Singh and Saara Chaudry as Hannah Singh (Source: Disney+)
At the start of the show we are introduced to Norah Singh, a junior executive for Wax Town Records played by , who works under the decidedly Muppet Penny Waxman who is looking to sell Wax Town Records, a company whose catalogue appears to be twice as old as the Gen-Z Singh, to the former coffee boy and now corporate streaming exec. JJ. Singh however sees an opportunity to convince Waxman to keep the record company alive for a little longer, as she’s discovered a certain band that still owes them an album. If you guessed it that band is The Electric Mayhem. Norah then ventures out to find the band to convince them to at least after fifty years on the road, finally hunker down and make an album, unaware of the mayhem that may ensue with this proposition.
What happens from there is a delightful send-up of the music industry as Nora tries to flirt with the darker, bitterer sides of the industry – lying to get the band to act, promising producers she couldn’t dare promise, as well promising as a headlining gig at the Hollywood bowl – while gradually falling for, and appreciating, the more honest, and in Dr. Teeth’s words the “absotively posilutely,” attitudes that Muppets and The Electric Mayhem embody.
Unlike most Muppet properties this show is more evenly split with the humans’ journey, especially with Nora at the center as she tries to find her place and path with the band and with her career. Through this process she is helped out by not only the band, but also Moog, a passionate #1 Mayhead (their band’s fan name) played by Tahj Mowry, and Singh’s social media obsessed influencer sister Hannah Singh played by Saara Chaudry. For a decidedly ‘classic rock’ band, as Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem have truly been around for fifty years, these younger actors serve as a nice bridge between older Muppets fans and the younger audiences streaming this series who hopefully will become future Muppets fans.
The Electric Mayhem, Lilly Singh as Norah Singh, and Tahj Mowry as Moog (Source: Disney+)
Nora is not the only one who grows through the series though, as the band tackles issues past and present, internal and external. Singh’s mission for them to record an album has slowed the band down for the first time in fifty years, and it turns out their constant touring schedule means they have missed not just a lot of the modern world, social media in particular, but also apparently they have missed the chance to really have true band discussions about their wants, hopes, and dreams. As Dr. Teeth says in the first episode “the plan is no plan”; however, that changes as they all reflect and evolve.
One episode that is a particular highlight for the series, and deals with these vary internal issues, is the appropriately titled ‘8 Days A Week’. This episode spoofs Peter Jackson’s Beatles documentary ‘Get Back’, as Nora brings in film director Kevin Smith to document the making of the album, which they have to do in an arbitrarily set eight days. Much like the actual documentary ‘Get Back’ you see various personalities at play, and for sure varying levels of dedication to the project, as the band struggles to get creative in this limited timeframe. Though Yoko Ono’s spoof is certainly portrayed unrealistically as we now know thanks to ‘Get Back’, the episode overall is on point with its parody, and it will have fans of the Muppets and the Beatles documentary reeling.
Speaking of Kevin Smith there are many cameos that feature in this series, and it’s certainly worth breaking down a few of the highlights. Right off the bat in episode one we are given a plethora of cameos, starting with Ryan Seacrest as he presents a fictional news piece on the band’s endless tour, which itself features interviews with Chris Stapleton, Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee, and Lil Nas X all praising the Electric Mayhem and their influence on their careers. As the show moves right along too there are many other cameos that name the celebrity outright, such as a fantastic desert dream featuring Weird Al, and a memorable interview with Charlemagne Tha God. There also are a few celebrities who play bit roles, like the cameos of old in Muppet films which were always my personal favorite, and this includes Kristen Schaal, Riki Lindhome, Rachel Bloom, Colton Dunn, and Nico Santos. Overall these cameos cover a wide variety of celebrity types, backgrounds, and ages, and in their own way really show the influence of the Muppets as a whole, and the band in particular, not just in the fictional world of The Muppets Mayhem but in the real world.
Lilly Singh as Norah Singh and Animal (Source: Disney+)
Of course I’d be remiss if I did not discuss the music as well in the show, especially as the whole premise is for The Electric Mayhem to record an album. Though the band does play early on their only hit thus far, the aforementioned ‘Can You Picture That?’, the Mayhem do cover songs early in the series as well before the album begins to take shape. In this period of the show we are introduced to absolutely beautiful covers of Joe Cocker’s “Have a Little Faith in Me” and Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors”, to name a few, both of which provided added emotional resonance for the scenes they are featured in. We are also treated to a classic Electric Mayhem road song sing-along moment as they belt out Kiss’s “Rock and Roll All Nite’, with a hilarious dispute as well over the lyrics. At last the band begins to make original music, composed for the show by Linda Perry, who also serves as Executive Music Producer, and honestly they are pretty great songs. Perry clearly leaned into the heartfelt nature of the show itself, as the majority of the tracks, in particular “Gonna Get There”, “We Are One”, “Believe In Us”, and “On Our Way”, just exude an abundance of positivity. Perhaps it can be a bit saccharine overall, but I don’t think that’s a detriment. Of course time will be the tell for how these songs hold up, though like Moog the Mayhead, isn’t it just exciting to have new music from The Electric Mayhem?
After a series of missteps, or at least lesser Muppet features from Disney+, The Muppets Mayhem is a return to form for Disney, and I hope it showcases the future of The Muppets. Though I love and miss the epic stories of old told in the films featuring the larger Muppet gang, and I of course loved the classic sketch show The Muppet Show, I think Disney+ is looking more at what they can do with TV series. Thankfully they found the perfect sweet spot with The Muppets Mayhem. This show has the potential to reach younger fans, and certainly recaptured the magic for older fans such as myself. While I do not know if there will be a Season 2, or if there were ever plans for one, I do know that thanks to The Muppets Mayhem, and the Electric Mayhem, the Muppets got their groove back.
