The Disney+ series The Muppets Mayhem follows The Electric Mayhem Band – made up of Dr. Teeth, Floyd Pepper, Janice, Zoot, Lips and Animal – on their journey to finally recording their first-ever studio album, with help and guidance from Nora (Lilly Singh), a driven but underappreciated music executive at their record label. Since making their debut as the house band for The Muppet Show, they’ve won over the hearts of adoring fans everywhere, from super fan Moog (Tahj Mowry) to a wide variety of music superstars from every genre, and they will undoubtedly continue to do so, one music track at a time.

During this interview with Collider, co-stars Singh, Mowry and Saara Chaudry (who plays Hannah, Nora’s social media influencer sister) talked about their incredible experience working with The Muppets, when they first learned about who The Muppets are, the first scene they shot with their Muppet co-stars, what makes a lovable super fan, exploring the sister dynamic, and which member of The Electric Mayhem Band they most identify with, on a personality level.
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Collider: After spending time in Muppet world, how do you go back to living in the boring human world?

LILLY SINGH: You don’t.

TAHJ MOWRY: You do it because, obviously, you’ve gotta keep going. I think what we all do is just rethink about all the amazing memories.

SAARA CHAUDRY: Yeah, I won’t even lie, there were several times, throughout the past several months, where I’ve been at college in my dorm, or I’ve needed to pick me up, I just miss you guys so much and I miss the band, that I’ll just flip through my behind-the-scene pictures or videos.

SINGH: I’m that person now, that tries to weave it into every conversation. My friends are talking about anything else and I’m like, “Totally, Dr. Teeth would feel the same way.”

Image via Disney+

Lilly, is life just a little sadder, now that Animal isn’t around?

SINGH: That does make me sad! The love has really continued, post wrap. It was a long time ago that we wrapped the show, and we still have so much love. We still talk so often. We watched Power Rangers at my house, three weeks ago. We all love each other so much, and that love has really transcended from beyond the set.

I feel like I don’t even remember my life without The Muppets in it. I’ve watched them for so long, in various forms, that I don’t even remember what it was like before that. What was your first exposure to The Muppets and their world? Did you seek them out? Did you just happen across them?

MOWRY: It’s a pop culture thing. The Muppets were just there, and you couldn’t help but love them because they’re so lovable. For a movie, it was Muppets Take Manhattan for me. But they were just around, so you grew up with them. I feel like we all grew up with them.

SINGH: At least for me, I don’t know when I first heard of them. I don’t know how they got into my life. They’ve just always been there. They’re just something that everyone knows, and they’ve always been there. We’re born with something in us, where we love The Muppets. That’s what it feels like.

CHAUDRY: And they span generations. My parents talked about The Muppets. I had interactions with Muppets, along the way. You can talk to anybody, and at some point in their life, they’ve stepped into The Muppets world, and once you’re in it, you don’t come out. You enjoy all the different characters and you love them. Whether or not you’re a die hard Muppets fan, or you’re just somebody who is a person in the world, you know the Muppets.

Image via Disney+

What was the first scene that each of you shot with a Muppet, and which Muppet was in it? What was it like to figure out how to do that?

MOWRY: My first shot with The Muppets. I was with a lot of Muppets, but maybe not all of them. There was one particular shot where [Lilly] and I were talking and Animal butts into the conversation by coming down from the roof. Shooting that whole scene, I was like, “This is happening. Animal is literally right there.” I remember, in the scene, we were trying to ignore him, which was so hard.

SINGH: My first day was a shot with all six of The Muppets. It was a massive setup. Not only were there all six of The Muppets, but there was a special camera for that one shot. It was just overwhelming, across the board. I remember thinking, “You’ve gotta hold it together, Lilly. You’ve gotta be a professional right now.” I would act the scene, and then I would turn around and freak out by myself, and then go back to being professional. Just across the board, it was overwhelming.

MOWRY: It was cool because it kept us on our toes. There were no corners that were cut. Being on a set where you see, “Oh, this person is paying so much attention to detail, it keeps you on your game too and makes you wanna pay attention to even more detail.

SINGH: This show is just an entire group of people doing extraordinary work because they care so much about the outcome, and that is not always the case.

CHAUDRY: Being on set with them for the first time, I was thrown into it. I learned about the sets being built three or four feet up, and there being random holes in the ground, and how you can take the set and move it around, so that they can be underneath and putting their hand up. It was incredible. What really stood out to me was just the sheer talent and the way that they pushed me to be my best self. These performers are so talented and their comedy improv skills are just insane. They just are magnificent, so they force you to fine tune and hone in your skills. It’s really special. They’re magical and they bring you so much joy, but they’re also so technical and talented. That’s something that is super unique to the work that they do.

Taj, I feel like we all know a Moog. We all have that friend that’s such a huge fan of something. How did you find the right balance, to not have him cross over into annoying, but have him still be just ridiculously lovable?

MOWRY: Thank you. That makes me feel very good. I am so thankful that it was on the page already. The writing team did such an incredible job with creating Moog, so it was easy for me. But I think what helped me find the balance was showing a different side of a super fan. We’re not used to really seeing a heartfelt super fan, so I wanted to make sure I brought the heart into it, and didn’t just make him someone who’s crowd-surfing and throwing up the rock sign. He’s not that super fan. He’s different. So, I really wanted to explore that because I think that’s what’s so endearing about him. He genuinely just cares so deeply for this band. I just focused more on that and less on the crazy super fan. He’s a little different than that. He is my favorite character that I’ve ever played because of that. He’s just so endearing, and I really just tried my best to keep him that way and not change too much of it. So, thank you so much for saying that. That means the world.

Image via Disney+

Saara, along with getting to share scenes with The Muppets, a big part of this season is the sister relationship. What did you enjoy about getting to explore that dynamic and showing a real sister relationship, where they don’t always get along?

CHAUDRY: I have a sister, and I’m also the youngest in real life. Getting to tell a story of sisterhood and go on that journey with Hannah and Nora was just really special. We’re telling a really real story here. I feel like, when you’re younger, you butt heads with your siblings, or one sibling feels they’ve done more work, as a part of the family. There are always those little family quarrels, whatever they may be. And then, as you get older, you become friends and you learn to like each other, as human beings, rather than just using that sibling connection. Obviously, there are siblings that are like besties, right from the get-go, but the journey of being a sibling to someone is something that’s so beautiful and I love seeing that portrayed on camera. What was also really special is the fact Janice got to be a part of that storyline. Janice got to share her journey with her sister, who we learn about. I think that’s really special because you get to see an inside look into the band’s personal lives that we’ve never seen before, and that’s true for the whole show. I think that was really special. And Lilly and I became sisters, on and off camera.

Lilly, what was it like for you, to not only have that sister dynamic, which isn’t really going so great for your character, but then to also have this band that she just can’t seem to keep in line or keep track of, in any way?

SINGH: For Nora, the word that comes to mind is unlearned. She has to unlearn a lot of things that she needed to survive her life. She was the one that was responsible for her sister Hannah, so she has this controlling nature where she wants to make sure she takes care of Hannah. She also takes that and applies it to the arts. She gets this rock ‘n’ roll band and she’s like, “I’m gonna plan and organize with a PowerPoint and a 12-step plan.” But she has to unlearn that way of living and let go a little bit, and the reason she has a hard time letting go is because she’s had complete responsibility over another human being, her whole life. It’s actually this really sweet, beautiful journey of someone who’s been put in a survival situation and has to now put herself in the center of her life, and has to let go and let the universe do its thing. Personally, as Lilly, I have actually learned so much from Nora and from the show. It was just really, really beautiful. I swear to God, I know I’m a very type-A person, but in my life, for certain things, I have been able to let go a little more, since this show. That was a lesson for me. I don’t know, maybe my therapist put the show together. Maybe my therapist funded this whole show. Maybe my therapist was like, “Disney, you’ve gotta do something. My client is crazy.”

Image via Disney+

Which member of The Electric Mayhem Band would you say you each personally identify with, on a personality level?

SINGH: That’s an interesting question because you’re saying specifically on a personality level. When it comes to personality, I’m gonna say Dr. Teeth because a lot of the time when I’m talking to Dr. Teeth, I honestly would say the same things he says. When he talks to the band, I’m like, “Oh, my God, I would say that to my team. If I had a band, I would be this person.” And his level of extra is so me. Could you not see me wearing that hat? I could wear his wardrobe too.

MOWRY: I’m gonna say Floyd Pepper. He’s got a protective side to him that I can relate to, with my little nieces and nephews, and my friends.

CHAUDRY: I think there are elements from every character that you could piece together. When I’m crazy, I’d say Animal. But when I’m in my element, I’d say Janice.

MOWRY: Anything Janice says, there would be moments where I’d be like, “That’s facts, right there.”

CHAUDRY: I don’t know how much I present this externally, but in my personal life, I’m into spirituality and meditation, and all that sort of stuff. So, for that reason, Janice is like the Saara that I don’t necessarily show to the world enough.

The Muppets Mayhem is available to stream at Disney+.