It’s taken almost 50 years, but at last Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem are getting their place in the spotlight thanks to the streaming service Disney+. A new series called “The Muppets Mayhem” is coming soon to our TVs to focus on the house band from “The Muppet Show.”
The series has already been in the works for more than a year. The Muppets Studio announced the limited-run series was in development in March 2022.
“We are so excited to bring the story of the Electric Mayhem Band to the front and center of this new series,” David Lightbody, one of the series’ executive producers and a vice president at The Muppets Studios, told The Hollywood Reporter last year. “They’ve been entertaining audiences since ‘The Muppet Show,’ which debuted 45 years ago, so it’s wonderful that these characters are finally getting to play lead rather than supporting roles.”
After sharing first-look stills from the new show with Entertainment Weekly, the Twitter account for Electric Mayhem posted the pictures on the group’s Twitter page.
“Get ready to rock!” the band tweeted.
Get ready to rock! Feast your eyes on these pristine pics from #TheMuppetsMayhem, our outta sight Original series coming soon to @DisneyPlus! Read more about our new jam at @EW: https://t.co/sLU4LrH3PJ pic.twitter.com/A9hfqEr9kk
— Electric Mayhem (@ElectricMayhem) March 27, 2023
In case you’re not familiar with the iconic group, this groovy gang of musicians made their debut in 1975 as part of a pilot for “The Muppet Show.” Members of Electric Mayhem include Animal, Dr. Teeth, Floyd Pepper, Janice, Lips and Zoot.
— Electric Mayhem (@ElectricMayhem) March 27, 2023
Creators of the show feel they have an opportunity to work with characters who have a little more room for storytelling than other Muppet characters such as Kermit the Frog or Miss Piggy.
“We have the freedom to go anywhere with these characters — they’re not as well-known as the core characters,” show co-creator Jeff Yorkes told Entertainment Weekly. “People recognize them, but we have the freedom to fill out their backstory and do whatever we want.”
In this tweet from the band, there’s a hint about the plot: the series will take an in-depth look at the making of the band’s first album.
Since the 70s, we've had hit record after hit record! Unfortunately, not a single one has made it to release because Animal uses them as cymbals and hits them 'til they break! Maybe we’ll finally make an album this year. Stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/TGLUxWiD5a
— Electric Mayhem (@ElectricMayhem) March 2, 2023
The show will strike a balance between human actors and the Muppet characters to tell the story. Lilly Singh stars as an aspiring record producer with a social influencer sister played by Saara Chaudry, while Tahj Mowry plays an Electric Mayhem superfan. The 10-episode series will also feature a lot of new songs and some surprise cameos in keeping with longtime Muppet tradition.
Disney+ has not released the show’s debut date yet, but filming started last April, so hopefully it won’t be long. Stay tuned to find out when you can see Animal banging his drums on TV once more!
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Check out Simplemost for additional stories.
