The Muppets Nominated for Shorty Award!

The Muppets Twitter account has been nominated for a Shorty Award. 

For those unaware (like myself) the Shorty's recognize individuals and organizations producing great content on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitch, TikTok, Snapchat, and the rest of the social web.

Below is why they were chosen as finalists: 

STRATEGY

As real-world celebrities, The Muppets are able to provide a unique er response to nearly any situation. From @KermittheFrog sharing wisdom with fans, @MissPiggy haranguing celebrity frenemies, or @StatlerWaldorf heckling anyone with an @ before their name, The Muppets do it all! With 11 accounts for different characters, there is a Muppet for every occasion: @GonzotheGreat can spam chicken emojis, @FozzieBear can joke about TikTok, and anything in between.

RESULTS

By utilizing The Muppets brand and character Twitter accounts, we were able to promote the Disney+ Original series Muppets Now in a truly unique way. With character Q&As, watch parties, and fan responses, The Muppets launched their new show in style.

Congrats to Leigh Slaughter, Michael Steinbach, Jim Lewis, Debra Kohls, and Ryan Dosier for their Twitter-iffic work. 

The best part is you can help them win by using this link to vote.

Winners will be announced in April.

Muppets Now Bloopers!

While Muppets Now may be over, for "now". Joe the legal weasel has allowed the release of these bloopers from the series that may be funnier that the show itself!

Just when @GoferScooter thought he was out (of office), Joe from Legal pulls him back in! Enjoy these exclusive deleted scenes from #MuppetsNow and stream all episodes now, only on #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/y6PkKt1qTp

— The Muppets (@TheMuppets) September 9, 2020

Hopefully Disney+ will upload these an an extra with Muppets Now... soon. 

Muppets Now Ends Earth To Ned Begins!

Hard to believe today marks the finale of Muppets Now. Whether we'll see more Now or something else from The Muppets ...SOON remains to be seen. 

But for NOW, enjoy the Muppets Now finale while Now is still NOW and not THEN. 

As Aughra once said "End.Begin. All Same" and as one thing ends another begins as Earth to Ned, the new alien talk show from The Jim Henson Company, premieres. 

The first episode features Andy Richter and Gillian Jacobs with Joshua Bassett, Rachel Bilson, Michael Ian Black, Rachel Bloom, Gina Carano, RuPaul, Taye Diggs, , Lil Rel Howery, Bindi and Robert Irwin, NeNe Leakes, Thomas Lennon, Joel McHale, Olivia Rodrigo, Eli Roth, Kristen Schaal, Paul Scheer, Jenny Slate, Raven Symoné, Reggie Watts and Billy Dee Williams set to appear in subsequent episodes. 

Muppets Now and Earth to Ned are both streaming NOW on Disney+.

Muppets Now Episode 5 Now Streaming!

Muppets Now episode 5 "The I.T. Factor" is now streaming!

This is the last episode before next week's finale. 

In case you missed them, Muppets Now episodes 1-5 are now available on Disney+. 

More Muppets Now Promotion and Reviews!

We're back with some more reviews and promotion for Muppets Now. Including Miss Piggy on The View, Kermit, Piggy and the gang previewed the show for Entertainment Tonight Canada. 

Miss Piggy told Whoopi Goldberg about her new career venture Muppets Now on The View. 

CNN says "Basically, "Muppets Now" fits nicely in the filler bin of the streaming business model -- the kind of show that would motivate relatively few people to subscribe, but given that it's a recognizable commodity, you might watch if you're getting Disney+ already.

Kermit, Miss Piggy and more previewed the show for Entertainment Tonight Canada:

Granted, that's hardly a ringing endorsement, but on the bright side, it's more enthusiastic than any review the gang would receive from Statler and Waldorf."
While The Sandusky Register says that "Disney redeems Muppets."

Last, but not least, TV Guide gave Muppets Now a Cheers!

You can watch Muppets Now on Disney+!

"Muppets Now" Reviews!

While Muppet Now premiered today, many critics got an early sneak peek. 

Here's what they had to say. 

Collider hails Muppets Now as a "Dazzling, Slyly Subversive Return to Greatness"

The Hollywood Reporter says the show is "Full of potential, despite a repetitious streak that wastes much of the ensemble"

Entertainment Weekly gave it a B+

TV Insider's Matt Roush says the show "Trades on Classic Humor"

The AV Club says "Disney actually made a good Muppet show—yaaaaaaaay!"

Variety says the show is "smart enough update of the franchise that it should have no trouble satisfying longtime fans while converting new ones"

NBC10 Boston calls it "Pure Muppets Magic Served Up Variety Show Style For Streaming Audiences"

Rolling Stone says "While it’s a substantial improvement on the characters’ last TV series, it ultimately misses the point of playing the music and lighting the lights"

NBC6 Miami raves Muppets Now "Is Pure Muppets Magic Served Up Variety Show Style For Streaming Audience"

Vulture says it "Brings the Golden Age of Muppetry Into the YouTube Era."
The Deseret New says "it’s the 2020 comedy we’ve been waiting for. It’s silly, it’s low stakes. But it’s entertaining and gives us a break from the darkness of our modern world — a happy escape amid a pandemic and a stressful world."

Muppets Now is streaming, well ...now on Disney+!

The Muppets Virtually Promote "Muppets Now!"

The Muppets have been making the rounds to promote Muppets Now, and these days that means conducting interviews over zoom. 

Kermit gave Disney Vacation Club Members a sneak peek:

Gonzo and Pepe joined ABC 7's Jennifer Matarese:

Black Girl Nerds sat down with Miss Piggy about how to be entanglement-free:

Black Girl Nerds also sat sat down with Walter on working in front and behind the scenes:

Scooter talked with Laughing Place reporter Mike Celestino:

Scooter also sat down with Chip and Company's Kaitlyn:

Gonzo called into Petrana Radulovic of Polygon. 

Decider's Brett White also got to chat with Gonzo

Gonzo and Pepe joined our our friends at ToughPigs to promote the show as well. 

 Collider Interviewed Miss Piggy about being called a diva:

NBC LA entertainment reporter Heather Brooker sat down with Kermit the Frog, Gonzo and Pepe the King Prawn:

Eyewitness News 3 chatted with Kermit, Miss Piggy, Walter, Pepe, Gonzo, and Scooter:

Finally, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy talk ‘Muppets Now’ on GMA:

Muppets Now debuts on Disney+ Friday!

‘Muppets Now’ Poster Art!

Disney+ commissioned the Poster Posse to create a series of posters to promote Muppets Now. Each one highlighting a part of the series. 

Check them out below:

Muppets Now (all characters)

Poster Artist: ANDY FAIRHURST

Lifestyle with Miss Piggy

Poster Artist: LUKE BUTLAND

Muppet Labs Field Test

Poster Artist: TOM MIATKE

Okey Dokey Kookin!

Poster Artist: MATT NEEDLE

Muppet Masters

Poster Artist: CRISTHIAN HOVA

Pepe’s Unbelievable Game Show

Poster Artist: COURTNEY MARTIN

Mup Close and Personal

Poster Artist: SAM GILBEY

Muppets Now debuts on Disney+ Friday!

Muppets Now Video Conference and Episode Descriptions!

Last week The Muppets released a video conference to promote Muppets Now and now, thanks to Muppet Wiki, we also have episode titles and descriptions for most of the 6 episode season. 

Muppets Now episodes:

Episode 101: Due Date (July 31, 2020)

• Muppets Now is The Muppets Studio’s first unscripted series and first original series for Disney+. In the six-episode season, Scooter rushes to make his delivery deadlines and upload the brand-new Muppet series for streaming. They are due now, and he’ll need to navigate whatever obstacles, distractions, and complications the rest of the Muppet gang throws at him.

Episode 102: Fever Pitch (August 7, 2020)

• Fozzie Bear has some big ideas for Muppets Now, and there’s no time like the deadline to start pitching! He’s found a very tough audience in Scooter, who just wants to finish uploading the latest delivery.
  We see the very first episode of a game show that Pepe the King Prawn totally just made up. The Swedish Chef tries to cook a better molé sauce than his competitor, Danny Trejo. Dr. Bunsen Honeydew has replaced Beaker with a new smart assistant, and things get fired up. Miss Piggy and her guests, Taye Diggs and Linda Cardellini, show viewers how to work it out when they share the secret to staying healthy.

Episode 103: Getting Testy (August 14, 2020)

• Joe, the new legal counsel for The Muppets, interrupts the scheduled delivery of Muppets Now to announce that all streaming content must be vetted by a focus group. Things go from bad to worse when Scooter meets up with the assigned test audience – curmudgeonly critics Statler and Waldorf.
  The Swedish Chef collaborates with Chef Roy Choi as the two try to make a one-of-kind kalbi bowl. Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant, Beaker, enlist a Pizza Delivery Person (Al Madrigal) to explore velocity. Miss Piggy and her guests, Linda Cardellini and Taye Diggs, dig deep into the workings of a healthy relationship. Pepe the King Prawn’s unbelievable game show features new contestants, new challenges, new rules, and no planning at all.

Episode 104: Sleep Mode (August 21, 2020)

• Scooter wakes up in horror to discover his all-nighters have finally gotten the best of him, and he has only 30 minutes to upload Muppets Now. With the clock ticking and his eyelids drooping, Scooter enlists Animal to help him stay awake.
  Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant, Beaker, conduct a series of vibrational experiments with the help of a lonely, outdated computer. The Swedish Chef uncovers the secrets of Spaghetti Carbonara when staring down his competitor, Giuseppe Losavio. Miss Piggy sits down with Aubrey Plaza to conduct a fabulous one-on-one interview. Later, she looks out for number one as she focuses on self-care with guests Linda Cardellini and Taye Diggs.

Episode 105: The I.T. Factor (August 28, 2020)

• Chip the I.T. guy installs an upgrade to Scooter’s overtaxed computer just as Scooter is beginning to upload the latest episode of Muppets Now. Scooter must work fast to get everything in place before the hard reboot goes into effect.
  Miss Piggy takes a trip through the topic of travel with guests Linda Cardellini and Taye Diggs. Pepe the King Prawn makes up a new game show on the spot, and the contestants do their best to keep up. Uncle Deadly demonstrates the drama, disciplines, and danger of stage combat for Muppet fanboy, Walter. Dr. Bunsen Honeydew puts the pressure on his assistant, Beaker, with a hydraulic-press experiment that requires a personal touch.

Muppets Now premieres July 31 on Disney+

Watch The Trailer for Muppets Now!

Can't wait for the July 31st premiere of Muppets Now? The bad news is you still have to wait a little over a month for the fist "Muppetisode." But the good news Disney+ just released the first teaser trailer featuring actual footage of the show.  

Check out all the Joe the legal weasel approved Muppet mayhem below:

Muppets Now premieres July 31st on Disney+

D23 Spotlights Muppets Now and Earth To Ned!

The latest issue of D23, Disney's fan magazine contains not one, not two, but three Henson related articles. 

The cover story may be on the Walt Disney Archives, but the main draw for Muppets fans is a sneak peek at Muppets Now, the new improv Muppet series coming to Disney+. 

While the article is short on details, there are a few celebrity names dropped that we should expect to see in the show including Seth Rogen, RuPaul, Taye Diggs, Aubrey Plaza, and Danny Trejo.

And we now know that the series will be split up among the following sketches: Pepe the King Prawn's game show, a cooking show with The Swedish Chef, Miss Piggy's lifestyle show, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker will show off their latest inventions, and they'll be chat segment with surprise celebrity guests. 

Next is an interview with Kermit and Miss Piggy, where a few more Muppets Now secrets are spilled, including some celebrity guests (which we've included in the last above).

The issue also has a look at the new Henson Company talk show, Earth To Ned also coming to Disney+. 

The premise revolves around Ned and his lieutenant Cornelius who were sent to Earth to plan an invasion but instead become obsessed with popular culture.

Ned creates a talk show to interview celebrities in order to out more about Earth while he tries to decide whether or not to destroy it. You know, just like Jimmy Fallon. 

While Earth To Ned doesn't have a launch date yet, the issue says we should expect it sometime this fall.

Thankfully we don't have to wait as long for Muppets Now as the series will premiere July 31st on Disney+!

Breaking: Muppets Now Get's Premiere Date!

Disney+ just announced the premiere for Muppets Now!

Disney+ twitted the following:

Lights! Music! Muppets! ...Unscripted! Get ready to see your favorite characters like never before in #MuppetsNow, an Original Series, coming July 31 only on Disney+.  #DisneyBundle

Many of The Muppets shared tweets and promos for the series as well..

Pepe: 

Dios mio, you gotta be kidding me! No Pepé in any of this #MuppetsNow key art?? Unbelievable, okay! Lucky for you, I've mastered Photoshop after watching one video on YouTubes. See for yourself...

Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker:

Dr. Bunsen Honeydew here. My research shows that using this #MuppetsNow art would yield impressive results. After all, it was created by Muppet Labs, where the future of key art is being made today!

Gonzo:

Wait, I thought we were going with this #MuppetsNow key art! Didn't we all agree it needs more chickens?? And more exploding socks… and, of course, lava spiders.

The Electric Mayhem:

Who chose these distinctly un-groovy options for #MuppetsNow key art? Let's go with something way more far out... and with way more Animal!

Miss Piggy:

Puh-lease! We all know why people will watch #MuppetsNow, so why hide it? Ta-da! Some perfectly chic, simply stunning, positively MOI key art!

to which Kermit replied:

Good grief. Sorry about this, @DisneyPlus. Don't worry, we love the #MuppetsNow key art! Though, if you're looking for my suggestion, I was always partial to this one... I cleaned my banjo right before the photo was taken.

UPDATE:
The six unscripted episodes, following Scooter as he rushes to round up the Muppets and ready them to upload their first streaming show.

It's official you watch Muppets Now July 31 on Disney+

Very Brief Look at Muppets Now!

Welcome to 2020! 

To ring in the new year Disney+ released a sizzle reel of the shows and movies to look forward this year, including a very brief look at Muppets Now. 

You can watch the entire 2020 sizzle reel below:

Update:

We now have our first look at the official logo for the series:

No exact date has been released, but Muppets Now will make its debut sometime in 2020.