The Muppets Kitchen with Cat Cora

[Mupp]

When I tried watching that, all it did was play an ad, freeze, then start playing the recommended videos list.

The segment is now available on youtube;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDvGudR-AyA&feature=related

 

[muppetperson]

I enjoyed the first few episodes where there were more Muppet characters in it and broken up with Muppet sketches.But, the Hasty Tasty episodes that mainly featured Cat and Angelo became less interesting and more like a normal cooking show.

 

[Luke]

Due to the format of the show, the Muppets Studio was right to use Angelo.

I disagree totally. The Muppet is bland, it has no personality, its not funny, it looks like a whatnot.

... and i'd probably say the same for Cat Cora too, lol.

I totally applaud them for doing a web cookery show. Cookery is very "in" right now, its a great way for children to see the Muppets, and all the jokes and zaniness are great. Some of the writing has been excellent, and great to see some old stuff back. The things wrong with it IMO are (ironically) Cat Cora and Angelo.

She doesn't interact well with the Muppets. There's just something about her that doesn't work. Many humans over the years have worked with the Muppets and managed to have some kind of connection with them - she doesn't. I think a better cook could have been found.

Secondly Angelo. Has to be about the weakest new Muppet i have ever seen. People say they need to have Angelo there (as he speaks english) rather than the Swedish Chef for the educational aspect. But it's not "Angelo and Cat Cora", it's "The Muppets and Cat Cora" - there are all the other Muppets around who speak English and can do that job way better. You could just as easily put an apron on Pepe or Johnny Fiama (With Sal as assistant). Having the Swedish Chef there really would work better as you could have Cat Cora making the meals seriously, and Swedish Chef messing them up and her correcting him - which would actually be funny AND educational. All this stuff uses some very basic rules of comedy. I did like the line about the Swedish Chef teaching him, so he took night classes - so you can look on him as an apprentice (which is quite sweet) but i would have to ask whether introducing that kind of thing needlessly complicates and confuses things, especially kids.

I would guess that Angelo was just a political decision by the "higher ups" to have a more serious chef with Cat Cora but the Muppets already have their Chef, and it's totally wrong to try and put another one in, especially one that doesn't really work as a "Muppet" even just from a design aspect before you even get onto him not really bonding with the others.

 

[Drtooth]

I would guess that Angelo was just a political decision by the "higher ups" to have a more serious chef with Cat Cora but the Muppets already have their Chef, and it's totally wrong to try and put another one in, especially one that doesn't really work as a "Muppet" even just from a design aspect before you even get onto him not really bonding with the others.

That's the problem I have with the project, even though I do enjoy it. The problem is that it IS a cooking show, and even then they only BARELY mention the recipes, with cards at the bottom. The wacky Muppet segments make this a million times better than what it is, and I give it credit for NOT being a Biscuit dough and Can of Soup show (I'm sorry, but those two things should NEVER have been food staples unless you want biscuits and soup). But somehow, I just can't say I'm a fan of Cat. And yes, Angelo seems like some odd move... but all I can see is the Chef bumbling about anyway, not really being able to unleash his full comedic bit anyway with Cora pretending (poorly) to be either annoyed or surprised.

The fact that this IS a cooking show is why this isn't quite as sharp as it should be (Unlike the brilliant Statler and Waldorf series which had elbow room to be nothing but zany) is the biggest fault, but that's not to say they've made it better than they have to. Again, I wasn't really excited about it, I wasn't even going to watch. And I really enjoy it.

As for Angelo... aside from the fact that it was an odd move (politicalling or not) I think there's too much Poochie syndrome. Here's a character who has a trial by fire that needs to find a personality in a wave of characters that have exuberant ones, yet trying to not to come off too strong... thus making him a weak character so far. The fact that the format is going with the 2 overly friendly cooking show hosts style (You NEED to have watched cooking shows to really see anything funny about Angelo's forced bad jokes) is kind of hit or miss. To me Angelo needs something... I don't know what, but he needs something to really make the character more fleshed out. If they continue the character (and give him a long standing rivalry with the Chef for good measure) we could really see Tyler go nuts with the character. Unfortunately there really isn't much of a chance with the format they chose.

 

[frogboy4]

I disagree totally. The Muppet is bland, it has no personality, its not funny, it looks like a whatnot.

... and i'd probably say the same for Cat Cora too, lol.

I totally applaud them for doing a web cookery show. Cookery is very "in" right now, its a great way for children to see the Muppets, and all the jokes and zaniness are great. Some of the writing has been excellent, and great to see some old stuff back. The things wrong with it IMO are (ironically) Cat Cora and Angelo.

She doesn't interact well with the Muppets. There's just something about her that doesn't work. Many humans over the years have worked with the Muppets and managed to have some kind of connection with them - she doesn't. I think a better cook could have been found.

Secondly Angelo. Has to be about the weakest new Muppet i have ever seen. People say they need to have Angelo there (as he speaks english) rather than the Swedish Chef for the educational aspect. But it's not "Angelo and Cat Cora", it's "The Muppets and Cat Cora" - there are all the other Muppets around who speak English and can do that job way better. You could just as easily put an apron on Pepe or Johnny Fiama (With Sal as assistant). Having the Swedish Chef there really would work better as you could have Cat Cora making the meals seriously, and Swedish Chef messing them up and her correcting him - which would actually be funny AND educational. All this stuff uses some very basic rules of comedy. I did like the line about the Swedish Chef teaching him, so he took night classes - so you can look on him as an apprentice (which is quite sweet) but i would have to ask whether introducing that kind of thing needlessly complicates and confuses things, especially kids.

I would guess that Angelo was just a political decision by the "higher ups" to have a more serious chef with Cat Cora but the Muppets already have their Chef, and it's totally wrong to try and put another one in, especially one that doesn't really work as a "Muppet" even just from a design aspect before you even get onto him not really bonding with the others.

Thank Frog! I hate sounding like a malcontent, but I just don't dig the two featured stars as much as the people around here. I love the classic cast involvement, but the rest is beneath the quality of the Muppet name. Cat's okay, but she talks at and around the Muppets rather than actually to them. Maybe she'll grow into that. I just don't see much growth for this program. It seems destined to be another weird Muppet footnote.

They have cast this new chef Angelo in an impossible role and I feel he's a dud. They've taken the surface elements of the Swedish Chef (humanoid, real hands, no visible eyes, accent) but haven’t done anything truly interesting with them. This only invites unfavorable comparisons. My ideas on such a new character would be either some sort of strange and zany Frackle or maybe they could go with an Angelo type, but with a finer design that included eyes, a more subtle accent and make him younger, more eager Scooter-type personality.

The first episode I saw began with Angelo cross dressing as Cat in some sort of strange effort to tap into her personal taste so he and the gang could create the best meal for Cat's birthday. I don’t understand why I should care about the birthday of a character yet to be introduced who is screeching from behind a locked door. I love Muppets in drag, but I didn't even know who Angelo was yet and he was already taking on a persona...and rather blandly. This all smacks of Clifford's failed presumptuous introduction in Muppets Tonight. This paints Angelo as an obnoxious interloper to me and many casual fans who favor the Swedish Chef. He needs to endear fans to him first - neither coming off too strong nor a wallflower. That's hard to do in web clips.

Some fans are easier to please. I wanted to like Angelo, but I don't see that happening. Also, where's the usual putting-on-a-show excitement that endears us to the Muppets? I'd love to see Scooter giving notes and helpful tips behind the camera and some fun Muppet goofiness. Maybe have Animal eat all the ingredients and have Cat and company have to make a meal with limited resources. I'm just not buying no matter how much I want to. Thank Frog for the movie because if this was the only Muppet project out there I'd cry. Again, it's okay...but aside from some Muppet side-bits, it's just not Muppet quality. At least not yet.

 

[Mupp]

I would guess that Angelo was just a political decision by the "higher ups" to have a more serious chef with Cat Cora but the Muppets already have their Chef, and it's totally wrong to try and put another one in, especially one that doesn't really work as a "Muppet" even just from a design aspect before you even get onto him not really bonding with the others.

Well, not necessarily. For all we know, they could have filmed a test show with the Swedish Chef, and perhaps it just didn't work at all.
In theory, an idea always seems good, but when its actually done, sometimes it just doesn't work like one imagined.

Some fans are easier to please.

Um, is that supposed to be a subtle insult?

 

[Mupp]

Let's give points for the Italian accent.

If it wasen't for that, the character would be much more bland.

 

[frogboy4]

Well, not necessarily. For all we know, they could have filmed a test show with the Swedish Chef, and perhaps it just didn't work at all.
In theory, an idea always seems good, but when its actually done, sometimes it just doesn't work like one imagined.

Um, is that supposed to be a subtle insult?

Oh, certainly not. Subtlety isn't my strong suit. Why would you think I wrote that to you personally or meant it as an insult? Even if I'd lost my social graces for a minute it certainly wouldn't be at you or ambiguous. I just think that some fans are by nature easier to please. Some fans will never be pleased. I fall comfortably in between, but on the positive side in that I want to like all the Muppets' projects no matter how odd.

I love the YouTube clips. latest appearances, Give A Day advertisements and Muppets.com clips. I just can't get behind this particular project. It's such a bizarre concept and it would have been nice if they could take the ball and run with it. There's value here, but it's being watered down.

There are many legit reasons they axed the Swedish Chef:
*They don't want to overexpose such a core character.
*Cooking recipes that work would go against his nature.
*There's only so much mock-Swedish a person can take.
*Even his scripted antics are unpredictable and he's a difficult character to perform.

However, this is the Muppets! They should find some way to get a little more of the Swedish Chef's involvement. This is yet another Muppet project with that "something missing" instead of the other new really good stuff that's out there. I understand there are some that like Angelo okay. I just don't understand loving him. He really doesn't hit any range of the various Muppetism characteristics from zany to subversive. He's more "meh" with a forced Italian accent IMHO. But I respect the opinions of others too.

 

[Luke]

Well, not necessarily. For all we know, they could have filmed a test show with the Swedish Chef, and perhaps it just didn't work at all.
In theory, an idea always seems good, but when its actually done, sometimes it just doesn't work like one imagined.

Totally, you may be right. I honestly can't imagine it having been any worse with the Swedish Chef though or not working - unless maybe Cora just couldn't cope without having a "straight" (er) guy to play off. But then Kermit can fill that role usually, or sometimes Gonzo.

I like the series overall, there have been some fantastic bits, but Frogboy is completely right when he compared it to when they brought in Clifford for Muppets Tonight. A new character needs to have a much better introduction to the Muppet World than being thrust into the spotlight as a main character ... and Angelo isn't even that strong. It just wasn't worth confusing the Muppet family defined roles for the sake of a web series. I do give points for the italian accent, and also it's no reflection on Tyler's abilities, you work with what you are given and he worked very well with Fozzie/Eric on that Early Show live appearance.

 

[Duke Remington]

Just in case anyone had a misunderstanding before with a post I made earlier, I do like Muppets Kitchen.

Its always great to see the Muppets doing new things, and I think its great that they teamed up with Cat Cora for this, Some of the recipes look really good. In general this seems like a good project for them.

As many of you know, news about Muppets Kitchen was first mentioned last year at the D23 Expo, and for a while I was worried that it was canceled.


Its understandable that people are disappointed that the Swedish Chef is not front and center, but as some have noted, its really for the best.
The Swedish Chef is an awesome character, but he is not exactly known for preparing meals that are..well eatable and safe.
This web show is a comedy, but it is still about preparing real food. So it had to be done this way.

And again, the Swedish Chef does made an appearance in the "breakfast" episode and I'm looking forward to future episodes.

Swedish Chef has obviously not been phased out. They will continue to use him in future projects.

I totally agree. This series has been pretty darn good overall so far, with a great deal of hilarious bits.

Certain members here are being way too hard on this series and even harder on poor Angelo and Ms. Cora and need to give them much more of a chance.

Besides, we only have a very small handful of episodes at the moment. There's always a chance that this series will get better in future installments.