Move over Space Ghost, because another talk show that promises to be "out-of-this-world" is poised to crash land on planet Earth.
It's been announced that Disney+ and The Jim Henson Company are partnering for EARTH TO NED, a comedic half-hour in which Ned, a blue-skinned alien, and his lieutenant Cornelius, interview celebrity guests. The House of Mouse has granted a series order to the puppet populated program, with plans to launch the interstellar interview show exclusively on Disney+ in 2020.
As described by Disney+ and The Jim Henson Company: “The comedic half-hour series follows Ned, a blue-skinned alien and his lieutenant Cornelius, who were sent to scout Earth for an eventual invasion – but instead became obsessed with our popular culture. Now, they host a talk show, broadcast from the bridge of their spaceship hidden deep underground, where they interview our most precious commodity, celebrities, to talk about Ned’s current pop culture obsessions. Ned will be bringing real-life celebrity guests to his ship from across the known universe and interviewing them, late night talk show style, in hopes of producing the ultimate talk show – making Ned a celebrity and putting him further off mission. And the more Ned learns about our human culture, the more obsessed he becomes.”
EARTH TO NED is set to be produced by The Jim Henson Company and Marwar Junction Productions. Meanwhile, Brian Henson and Vince Raisa from The Jim Henson Company and Joseph Freed and Allison Berkley from Marwar Junction Productions will act as executive producers. Naturally, the talented technicians and puppeteers hailing from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop will be in charge of bringing Ned, Cornelius, their Artificial Intelligence BETI, and army of “Clods” (cloned living objects of destruction) to life for all the talk show shenanigans.
“Disney has a long history of giving audiences a glimpse at faraway lands and bringing new talent into the spotlight. We believe Ned is next in line,” said Dan Silver, vice president, Originals – Unscripted Content, Disney+. “We’re lucky to have the talents of The Jim Henson Company and the folks at Marwar Junction Productions helping Ned, Cornelius, BETI, and the Clods to execute and fully realize their vision. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank Ned for promising to entertain us, rather than destroy us all.”
The green light for EARTH TO NED comes not long after Disney+ passed on plans to present a scripted Muppets comedy series called MUPPETS LIVE ANOTHER DAY. The Muppets project, written and executive produced by Josh Gad and ONCE UPON A TIME creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis, would have seen the Muppets making a long-desired return to television, but alas, the project simply was not meant to be. I know. I'm bummed about this development as well. If it makes you feel any better, I'll flip and extra table in anger just for you.
“Earth To Ned is what happens when a very traditional television format gets completely turned on its head, resulting in a wholly original talk show starring some of the most complex puppets we have ever created,” said Brian Henson, executive producer and Chair of The Jim Henson Company. “Our alien host Ned adores and embraces everything about Earthlings – including our quirks, and even our flaws. I think adults will especially appreciate his positive view of our world, which makes our show stand out in today’s often cynical TV landscape.”
While EARTH TO NED would no doubt be a risky concept for most networks, this is Disney wer're talking about, folks. As you know, the House of Mouse has plenty of cash to go around, so I have no doubt that the production values on this project will be through the roof. Furthermore, Disney also has the pull to invite blockbuster guests onto the series. I'm just spit-balling here, but I can imagine stars the likes of Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Tom Holland, and Lupita Nyong'o all taking part in an interview hosted by Ned and his cosmic compatriots. We'll have to wait for more details with regard to an official guest lineup, but mark my words now, because I have a feeling that at least a few of my predictions will come to pass.
“Every time someone launches a new talk show they say it’s unlike anything viewers have seen before. That might finally be true,” said Joseph Freed, executive producer and president of Marwar Junction Productions.
EARTH TO NED will beam onto Disney+ sometime in 2020.