Muppets Now

Muppets Now is a series produced by The Muppets Studio and Soapbox Films for Disney+. The series premiered on the streaming service on July 31st, 2020.
==Official description==
The show consists of a number of recurring, rotating segments, including:
* Lifesty(le) with Miss Piggy: Piggy offers lifestyle tips with assistance from Uncle Deadly, Taye Diggs, Linda Cardellini, and other Muppet guests. Six segments (episodes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6).
* Økėÿ Døkęÿ Køøkïñ: Hosted by Beverly Plume, the Swedish Chef faces off in a cooking challenge against well-known celebrity chefs. Five segments (episodes 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6).
* Muppet Labs Field Test: Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker do various science experiments out in the field. Five segments (episodes 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6).
* Mup Close and Personal: A Muppet host tries to have an intimate conversation with a celebrity guest. Three segments (episodes 1, 4 and 6).
* Pepe's Unbelievable Game Show: Pepe the King Prawn hosts a game show with no rules beyond what he comes up with in the moment, much to the dismay of announcer Scooter. Three segments (episodes 2, 3 and 5).
* Muppet Masters: Walter takes an in-depth look at some of the most recognizable members of the Muppet troupe. Two segments (episodes 1 and 5).
Additional special guests include RuPaul, Seth Rogen, Aubrey Plaza, Danny Trejo, Roy Choi, Giuseppe Losavio, Al Madrigal, and Carlina Will.
==Episodes==
*Episode 101: Due Date (July 31, 2020)
*Episode 102: Fever Pitch (August 7, 2020)
*Episode 103: Getting Testy (August 14, 2020)
*Episode 104: Sleep Mode (August 21, 2020)
*Episode 105: The I.T. Factor (August 28, 2020)
*Episode 106: Socialized (September 4, 2020)
*Exclusive deleted scenes released on social media (September 9, 2020)
==Notes==
*An unaired "Muppet Masters" segment focused on Dr. Teeth and his hobby as a beekeeper.Collider: 'Muppets Now': What Walter Has Learned From Working With Kermit and the Gang, July 30, 2020."Muppet Masters" intro by The Lobby Inc
==Credits==
*Muppet Performers: Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, Eric Jacobson, Matt Vogel, David Rudman, Peter Linz
*Additional Performers: Julianne Buescher, Mike Quinn
*Directors: Rufus Scot Church, Vito Massaro, Christopher Alender
*Director of Photography: Craig Kief
*Executive Producers: Andrew Williams, Bill Barretta, Sabrina Wind
*Co-Executive Producers: Jim Lewis, Kelly Younger
*Muppet Workshop Supervisor: Jane Gootnick
*Muppet Workshop Wranglers: Jürgen Ferguson, Scott Johnson, Peter MacKennan, Danielle Obinger
*Puppet Heap Supervisor: Paul Andrejco
*Puppet Captain: Bill Barretta
*Original Music: Ed Mitchell
==Development history==
In February 2018, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Disney planned a "reboot" for the Muppets on Disney+, and that a search for a writer was in-progress.The Hollywood Reporter "Disney Planning Another Muppets Reboot for Its Streaming Service (Exclusive)" by Lesley Goldberg, February 21, 2018 The series would join other original programming for the platform from the company's Marvel and Star Wars properties, as well as new versions of High School Musical, The Parent Trap, Father of the Bride, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.
In February 2019, a website called "Splash Report" published an item about the Josh Gad-penned project Muppets Live Another Day, which would follow the events of The Muppets Take Manhattan.splashreport.com "The Muppets Project for Disney+" by Jean-François Allaire, Feb 7, 2019 The project would subsequently be shelved by September.
In May 2019, The DisInsider reported a series of improvised Muppet shorts would be produced for the platform. The approximate ten-minute shorts would take the formats of "three different segments of a game show, a cooking show, and a talk show."The DisInsider: EXCLUSIVE: Muppets Variety Shorts Coming To Disney+, May 20, 2019.
Kirk Thatcher served as one of the directors for the shorts (specifically Pepe's game show, Piggy's shorts, and the Muppet Labs pieces),GalaxyCon Talks Comics! with Kirk R. Thatcher (00:41:24)Kirk Thatcher official website along with Bill Barretta and Christopher Alender (who directed the "Muppet Masters" segments),Christopher Alender - Comedy GalleryKirk Thatcher on Puppet Tears (1:35:55) filmed over the course of six days. They were originally intended as "three types of shows" split between eighteen episodes at approximately ten minutes each for a total of approximately three hours of content.GalaxyCon Louisville (at 46:15) Dec 22, 2019 By early 2020, the series was instead formatted as a half-hour show comprised of the shorts, with new framing material shot from the homes of the performers (due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
==Promotion==
The series was officially announced on The Muppets' social media accounts on August 23, 2019, in the form of a press statement written and signed by Kermit the Frog (with sections redacted in black marker under the restriction of Joe the Legal Weasel). A teaser video featuring Kermit and Joe the Legal Weasel was simultaneously screened at the Disney + panel at the D23 Expo.Variety 'The Muppets' Short-Form Series Coming to Disney Plus Portions of this teaser were incorporated into the official series trailer, released publicly online on June 24, 2020.
Another trailer was released on July 15, 2020, featuring Kermit conducting a video conference with the other Muppets to announce the series' greenlight. A corresponding press release, with annotations again by Joe, was posted to The Muppets' Twitter account (which was temporarily renamed "Joe from Legal").
File:082319-MuppetsNow-Announcement.jpg|First press release, August 23, 2019
File:071520-MuppetsNow-PressRelease.jpg|Second press release, July 15, 2020
==Videos==
File:Muppets Now Official Trailer Disney|Muppets Now Official Trailer
File:The Muppets Video Call Muppets Now Disney+|The Muppets Video Call
==Gallery==
Muppets Now Poster.jpg
Muppets Now poster Animal portrait.jpg
Muppets Now poster Bunsen Beaker.jpg
Muppets Now poster Piggy portrait.jpg
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Muppets Now poster Gonzo wide.jpg
Butland-MuppetsNow-Lifestyle-with-Miss-Piggy.jpeg|"Lifestyle with Miss Piggy" by Luke Butland
Fairhurst-MuppetsNow-AllCharacters.jpg|"Muppets Now" by Andy Fairhurst
Gilbey-MuppetsNow-Mup-Close-and-Personal.jpg|"Mup Close & Personal" by Sam Gilbey
Hova-MuppetsNow-Muppet-Masters-scaled.jpg|"Muppet Masters" by Cristhian Hova
Martin-MuppetsNow-Pepes-Unbelievable-Game-Show.jpeg|"Pepe’s ¡Unbelievable! Game Show" by Courtney Martin
Miatke-MuppetsNow-Muppet-Labs-Field-Test.jpg|"Muppets Labs Field Test" by Tom Miatke
Needle-MuppetsNow-Okey-Dokey-Kookin.jpg|"Økêÿ Døkêÿ Køøkîñ" by Matt Needle
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Muppets Now Stills 02.jpeg
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MuppetsNow-Trailer-05-TayeDiggs.jpg
MuppetsNow-Trailer-06-AubreyPlaza.jpg
MuppetsNow-Trailer-09-SethRogen.jpg
MuppetsNow-Trailer-07-RuPaul.jpg
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Muppets Now Stills 03.jpeg
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==Sources==
__NOWYSIWYG__
Category:Muppet TV Shows