Far closer to the true spirit of the Muppets is "Pepe's Unbelievable Gameshow," where Pepe the King Prawn throws out the rules and makes up surreal contests as he goes along, and the RuPaul interview segment, which offers positive affirmations about being happy and true to yourself, even as interviewer Kermit gets increasingly frustrated by other Muppets hogging the spotlight.The next time you hop on a video call, trying using these free Sesame Street Zoom backgrounds and change up the normal kitchen cabinet scene your co-workers and friends have already seen a thousands times. Miss Piggy is the star, as usual, but there are only so many diva jokes one can handle before desperately seeking a distraction. The rigid adherence to the recurring segments means Animal, Fozzie Bear and many other staples barely show up, while a lot of attention is paid to the rather unsettling "Okey Dokey Kookin," in which the turkey host gobbles excitedly over dishes featuring chicken and pork and the Swedish Chef wraps a Muppet mole (yes, the mammal) in a tortilla.
This is uncomfortable in the sense that these characters really should not be constrained by anything - they are at their best when they are free to unleash their unique selves on the world around them. The show was filmed before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic but the tech-heavy framing device makes it feel like the Muppets are right there with us in some form of quarantine, desperate for the chance to congregate in person once again. There is so much going on just in terms of the visual detail on-screen - the chaotic sketch transitions are a jumble of digital sights and sounds, the Miss Piggy-led panel discussions unfold on a Zoom-like tableau - that it's as if director Kirk Thatcher is intent on overwhelming his audience. The format becomes the story and the characters recede to the background. Yet, a screening of four of the six episodes of the first season of "Muppets Now" reveals an almost unfathomable neutering of these icons. Whether they're in space, adapting Robert Louis Stevenson ("Muppet Treasure Island") and Charles Dickens ("The Muppet Christmas Carol"), or simply being revived for the 21st century in "The Muppets" and "Muppets Most Wanted," they are always riotous, anarchic figures that happen to also be lovable.
MY SAY The timeless charm of the Muppets has a lot less to do with the particular environment they find themselves in than it does their enduring quirky personality traits. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy.
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