Apple’s new Fraggle Rock series was shot on iPhones in its creators’ homes

There are few more messages more timely than the opening line, “Dance your cares away, worry’s for another day” (or is it “worries?”). Today the familiar Fraggle Rock bass line returns, along with the titular felt underground dwellers, as the first of a new series of mini-episodes hits Apple TV+.

Apple’s streaming service will post free short episodes of Fraggle Rock: Rock On! each Tuesday, starring a familiar parade of Muppets, including Gobo, Red, Boober, Mokey, Wembley, Uncle Traveling Matt and those poor, hardworking Doozers.

Arguably even more interesting than the show itself is the circumstances of its production. As the global COVID-19 pandemic has brought television production to a screeching halt, the show’s producers have taken to creating the show remotely. “ In accordance with the Covid-19 ‘Safer at Home’ guidelines,” Apple writes in a release, “Fraggle Rock: Rock On! is all shot on iPhone 11 phones from the homes of the production team and individual artists from all over the U.S.”

If nothing else, the current pandemic has proven how creative people can be with an internet account and a lot of free time. It’s already has already reshaped how we view musical and comedy performances as a long parade of creatives have opened their homes to the internet. A new Fraggle Rock series demonstrates what can be done when you add a bit of production values into the mix.

The series joins a number of familiar childhood properties being revamped for the platform, including Peanuts (Snoopy in Space) and Ghostwriter.