Review: ‘Muppets Now’ brings manic mayhem to Disney+

The newest visual venture from The Muppets comes in the form of a streaming variety-style show titled “Muppets Now,” exclusively on Disney+.

Debuting on July 31, “Muppets Now” is the first-ever unscripted series from The Muppet Studio, and its first original series for Disney+. In the short-form-style variety show, Scooter has to upload the various shows for “Muppets Now”… now! With the help (and hinderance) of his fellow Muppets, Scooter will bring fans a variety of offerings, from cooking shows and game shows, to vlog-style “Muppisodes” and scientific shorts!

The six-episode season features all your favorite characters as they run their own shows: Swedish Chef has a culinary cook-off with special celebrity guests; Miss Piggy has a lifestyle vlog featuring her felt friends, Linda Cardellini, and Taye Diggs; and Pepé the King Prawn is the madcap host of a game show that runs by its own rules, to name a few.

To say I got a chuckle or two out of this show is an understatement; I belly-laughed through the whole thing. The Muppets are always funny — and when the performers are allowed to utilize their entire arsenal of humor, gags, and timely quips, everyone wins. Pepé and Swedish Chef are clear, standout favorites with their respective segments. And if you’re a fan of lesser-seen Muppet players, you’re in for a treat practically every episode as many “deep-cut” characters make an appearance.

I will say, however, that this show feels like if Nickelodeon’s “iCarly” were taken over by a cast of fuzzy puppets instead of teenagers seeking viral fame on the internet; the quick bites of each “show” seem a little too specifically crafted for sharing online. As a fan of the previous Muppets TV show, ABC’s “The Muppets,” I would’ve liked to see some backbone of a storyline supporting the unscripted madness versus a variety of YouTube-style shorts.

Ultimately, seeing The Muppets on my TV in any capacity is a great and welcome thing, and I hope that whatever success this new show receives will only lead to more of these characters to come in future projects.

Check out the trailer for “Muppets Now” below, and be sure to stream the first episode when it drops on Disney+ starting July 31.