I don't remember seeing this nor the rest of this series in my childhood, but I wish I had. Ever since I eventually read and learned more about it, I've been wanting to see it for the longest. Some time ago, when most of this show's full episodes were available on Youtube when I found them, I managed to watch a couple of them ("Rooftop Thanksgiving" and "Pack of Lies") before they all were removed. Late last month, I finally found most of the show on the City Kids Foundation's website. All the episodes are there except the pilot. The visual quality of those aren't very bad, but they still could've been better at the same time, and I wish they were, but I know haplessly I'll just have to settle for what they are, I do and I'm still grateful. I've really been wanting to see this especially, since that's been the hardest to find available online. Just a few, early mornings ago, I decided to try searching on the Wayback Machine's archive site and, lo and behold, I found it at last as part of a VHS compilation along with some of the other episodes, it's about time too. I checked it out and it is a spectacular beginning to this series.
Discussing the main plot, an Asian/Chinese-American girl named Susan is forced to deal with some boys who make some racially and sexually suggestive comments towards her. It bothers her, so much so that she considers trying to hide what she is and struggles with accepting her identity. Eventually, she comes around, learns to embrace what she is, and has a talk with the boys who had harassed her. The subplot concerns a Jewish boy named David, who becomes attracted to a girl named Freida, but doesn't know just what they right way to go about approaching her is. He gradually finds out and does, only to be shot down by Freida, who turns out to be too stuck-up for him.
As for the technicalities of this, the film quality for this is fine enough for T. V. It doesn't look too low budget like what one would find on most straight-to-video films. There is a use of both real settings, somewhere in New York, and scenes/backgrounds that aren't real using green screen effects. The writing of both the plot and subplot is excellent, as they both show how to solve both problems in the right light. The dialogue can be witty at times. Of the main human cast, Dule Hill is the only one I recognize, but he and everybody else did well in conveying their roles. The two, musical numbers, "What You Gonna Do About Hate?" and "More Love" are outstanding compositions. The former is a rap song about racism with a sample of "Pass The Peas" by the J Bs; the latter is some kind of reggae that emphasizes more tolerance for other races. The intervals with the muppets who appear in this (the green, mostly one-eyed Koozebanians; the rapping hot dog group, Frankie Frank and The Footers; early versions of the Inside The Head Muppets; and the Dirt Sisters) are best at acting as the Greek chorus for the humans and in providing the comic relief. Both the acting and puppeteering/voice work look and sound great. After watching this a second time, I noticed that Eek! The Cat creator, Savage Steve Holland, was the director of this. The name seemed familiar, but I couldn't remember what he does exactly nor what he's known for, so I had to look him up, and once I did, it came back to me. It's neat to know and he did a bang up job in bringing it all together. One of the few names, whether as part of the cast or crew, I recognize. The whole thing is just plain superb.
With the subject matter of racism as the the main plot, it remains just as relevant today as it did back then. In my view, this is not only one of the best Muppet-related T. V. projects made following the late Jim Henson's death (just a few years in this case), but also one of the best shows of the 1990s. It's better than other teen shows of the time, such as Saved By The Bell, due to it standing apart from related shows by including muppets and musical numbers. This has to be one of the most obscure, if not the most obscure, of the Henson projects. It deserves so much more than what it got, like Emmys, but it would turn bust after its single season run, due to lack of satisfying ratings and viewership support. If only it could'd run for three or four more seasons if it had been more successful. And it's high time this was brought to DVD. Anyway, this is a program that shouldn't have ever been slept on, and looking back on it, I regret doing just that, even if I would've been the only person I know who would've supported it. I advise anybody reading to see this as well, it's enjoyable from beginning to end, and would set the stage for the dozen, other episodes that followed. A one-of-a-kind, teen-oriented program. Recommended.
Discussing the main plot, an Asian/Chinese-American girl named Susan is forced to deal with some boys who make some racially and sexually suggestive comments towards her. It bothers her, so much so that she considers trying to hide what she is and struggles with accepting her identity. Eventually, she comes around, learns to embrace what she is, and has a talk with the boys who had harassed her. The subplot concerns a Jewish boy named David, who becomes attracted to a girl named Freida, but doesn't know just what they right way to go about approaching her is. He gradually finds out and does, only to be shot down by Freida, who turns out to be too stuck-up for him.
As for the technicalities of this, the film quality for this is fine enough for T. V. It doesn't look too low budget like what one would find on most straight-to-video films. There is a use of both real settings, somewhere in New York, and scenes/backgrounds that aren't real using green screen effects. The writing of both the plot and subplot is excellent, as they both show how to solve both problems in the right light. The dialogue can be witty at times. Of the main human cast, Dule Hill is the only one I recognize, but he and everybody else did well in conveying their roles. The two, musical numbers, "What You Gonna Do About Hate?" and "More Love" are outstanding compositions. The former is a rap song about racism with a sample of "Pass The Peas" by the J Bs; the latter is some kind of reggae that emphasizes more tolerance for other races. The intervals with the muppets who appear in this (the green, mostly one-eyed Koozebanians; the rapping hot dog group, Frankie Frank and The Footers; early versions of the Inside The Head Muppets; and the Dirt Sisters) are best at acting as the Greek chorus for the humans and in providing the comic relief. Both the acting and puppeteering/voice work look and sound great. After watching this a second time, I noticed that Eek! The Cat creator, Savage Steve Holland, was the director of this. The name seemed familiar, but I couldn't remember what he does exactly nor what he's known for, so I had to look him up, and once I did, it came back to me. It's neat to know and he did a bang up job in bringing it all together. One of the few names, whether as part of the cast or crew, I recognize. The whole thing is just plain superb.
With the subject matter of racism as the the main plot, it remains just as relevant today as it did back then. In my view, this is not only one of the best Muppet-related T. V. projects made following the late Jim Henson's death (just a few years in this case), but also one of the best shows of the 1990s. It's better than other teen shows of the time, such as Saved By The Bell, due to it standing apart from related shows by including muppets and musical numbers. This has to be one of the most obscure, if not the most obscure, of the Henson projects. It deserves so much more than what it got, like Emmys, but it would turn bust after its single season run, due to lack of satisfying ratings and viewership support. If only it could'd run for three or four more seasons if it had been more successful. And it's high time this was brought to DVD. Anyway, this is a program that shouldn't have ever been slept on, and looking back on it, I regret doing just that, even if I would've been the only person I know who would've supported it. I advise anybody reading to see this as well, it's enjoyable from beginning to end, and would set the stage for the dozen, other episodes that followed. A one-of-a-kind, teen-oriented program. Recommended.