Get ready to let the music play and dance your cares away — after more than 30 years off the air (and one dead movie project), Fraggle Rock is finally returning to television. Following the success of Fraggle Rock: Rock On! shorts, Apple TV+ announced a rebooted Fraggle Rock series, Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, was in the works over on the streaming service. Just over a year later, we now have our first look at the upcoming show, which appears to be a vibrant yet incredibly faithful take on the original 80s cartoon.
Developed as a Muppets spinoff, Fraggle Rock follows four, tiny muppet “factions” — Fraggles, Doozers, Gorgs, and Silly Creatures — as they all interact with one another in a series of caves known as Fraggle Rock. Compared to the rest of the various Muppet-related franchises, Fraggle Rock was significantly more loud and silly, with less emphasis on education than the likes of Sesame Street and a greater focus on good ol’ fashioned fun, an idea that is perfectly reflected in the Fraggle’s somewhat envious 30-minute work week.
In the trailer, we see many classic characters — such as Gobo, Red, Wembley, Mokey, and Boober — as well as several newcomers. Apple’s statement on the series reveals the upcoming show will have an even greater emphasis on introducing those new characters and celebrating “our interconnected world” through the various Muppets:
“Jim Henson’s fun-loving, musical Fraggles are back! Join Gobo, Red, Wembley, Mokey, Boober and new Fraggle friends on hilarious, epic adventures about the magic that happens when we celebrate and care for our interconnected world.”
As of now, Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock has not been given a release date but is anticipated to hit Apple TV+ sometime in 2022. The series is being executive produced by The Jim Henson Company’s Lisa Henson and Halle Stanford, along with longtime Henson collaborator John Tartaglia, New Regency’s Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer, and Dave Goelz and Karen Prell. In addition, Matt Fusfeld and Alex Cuthbertson will serve as the reboot’s primary showrunners, with Harvey Mason Jr. will executive producing its music.