{"id":50888,"date":"2026-02-20T15:14:35","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T20:14:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/?page_id=50888"},"modified":"2026-03-03T08:13:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T13:13:54","slug":"silly-creatures","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cgs\/news\/collegian\/silly-creatures\/","title":{"rendered":"Silly Creatures"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this era of remakes, reboots, and sequels, it\u2019s hard to imagine that any 1980s franchises have yet to be revived. But when Apple TV+ executives began building a children\u2019s programming lineup after the streaming service launched in 2019, they identified an ignored corner of the Jim Henson universe: Fraggle Rock<\/em><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

The Fraggles, Doozers, and Gorgs of Fraggle Rock<\/em> may not have the name recognition of Henson\u2019s more famous Muppets, like Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, but they developed a cult following during the show\u2019s five-season run on HBO in the mid-1980s. In the world of Fraggle Rock<\/em>, Fraggles, Doozers, and Gorgs live just out of sight of the Silly Creatures (humans). Their adventures unfold in a series of caves located through a hole in the wall of a human\u2019s house. The colorful, jovial creatures eat radishes, explore, and often break out in song.<\/p>\n

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Fans of Jim Henson\u2019s (comparatively) lesser-known works, rejoice! Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock<\/em> is streaming on Apple TV+ with just the right balance of 1980s nostalgia and 2020s timeliness. Photo courtesy of Apple TV<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To bring the show into the 21st century, Apple TV+ and the Jim Henson Company chose a pair of BU alumni: Alex Cuthbertson (\u201998, COM\u201902) and Matt Fusfeld (COM\u201901). The two met at BU, collaborating for the first time as members of a sketch comedy group. \u201cHe and I had a natural ability to build off of one another,\u201d Cuthbertson says. \u201cMatt would say something that I would find funny and I\u2019d add to it. We had a very natural partnership cadence.\u201d They teamed up again early in their careers and have written and produced together ever since. With Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock<\/em>, they took their first shot at showrunning a series\u2014and delivered rave reviews.<\/p>\n

Season one premiered in January 2022 and boasts a 100-percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes<\/a><\/span>. The San Francisco Chronicle<\/em> called it \u201cdelightfully low-tech\u201d and \u201cwonderfully uncynical.\u201d The Los Angeles Times<\/em> said that \u201ceverything works.\u201d The show\u2019s second season earned the duo a 2025 Children\u2019s and Family Emmy for Outstanding Children\u2019s or Family Viewing Series.<\/p>\n

Now Cuthbertson and Fusfeld are working on their next act, writing movie scripts, pitching series ideas, and\u2014they hope\u2014returning to Fraggle Rock<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The Road to Fraggle Rock<\/em><\/h3>\n
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Alex Cuthbertson (\u201898, COM\u201902), right, and Matt Fusfeld (COM\u201901), in the earlier days of their collaboration. The two met as members of a BU sketch comedy troupe. Courtesy of Matt Fusfeld<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Twenty-five years after their BU sketch comedy group made the rounds at Boston\u2019s open-mic nights, Cuthbertson\u2014a Californian living in New York\u2014and Fusfeld\u2014a New Yorker based in California\u2014have moved their collaboration to the computer screen. They spend the work day on Zoom and in Google Docs hashing out scripts and pitches together. Sometimes they\u2019ll pop on headphones and walk around their respective cities while chatting. \u201cA couple months ago we were talking through a movie idea,\u201d Cuthbertson says. \u201cBy the end of the day, I\u2019d walked 16 miles and gone across the Brooklyn Bridge and back across the Manhattan Bridge.\u201d<\/p>\n

During their 18-year partnership, they\u2019ve written television scripts for American Dad!<\/em>, Community<\/em>, and New Girl<\/em> and tallied a series of producing credits. But Fraggle Rock<\/em> was a new sort of opportunity. The two shared a childhood obsession with The Muppets Take Manhattan<\/em>, the 1984 film directed by Frank Oz. \u201cIt was seminal,\u201d says Fusfeld. They\u2019d even developed a Muppets project for ABC that was never produced, so the invitation to visit the Henson lot in 2019 to discuss reviving Fraggle Rock<\/em> was, in many ways, a dream come true.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s such a culture to the Henson community\u2014[Henson\u2019s] ethos of fun and play and \u2018the best idea wins,\u2019\u201d says Fusfeld. \u201cIt\u2019s a very interesting, passionate group of people who are true artisans.\u201d<\/p>\n

They were careful to stay true to that legacy in their pitch. \u201cWe thought there was an opportunity to reintroduce people to Fraggle Rock<\/em>, to the vibe and to these great characters\u2014and do the show for a modern audience,\u201d Cuthbertson says. \u201cAnd that\u2019s what they wanted to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n

To help the showrunners capture the spirit of Fraggle Rock<\/em>, the Henson team brought together some of the original writers, puppeteers, and production designers for what they dubbed the Fraggle Gaggle. Puppet designer and performer Dave Goelz and writer Jocelyn Stevenson were among those from the 1980s show who joined the new cast and crew.<\/p>\n

The show grapples with timely themes amid the goofiness. The Fraggles deal with a vanishing water supply in one episode. In another episode, one of the Fraggle\u2019s trusts her intuition over the facts and gets lost\u2014ending up in a literal echo chamber. . Cuthbertson and Fusfeld tried to pick up the pacing of the show and tied the first season together with an overarching storyline, linking the microplastics research of Doc\u2014the human who lives above the caves\u2014to environmental impacts being felt by the Fraggles below. Even with those modern touches, Fraggle Rock<\/em> retains its 1980s vibe with its sitcom-like structure and song-and-dance numbers.<\/p>\n

The show is a throwback in another way: It uses almost no computer-generated effects. What you see onscreen are puppets, controlled by humans, navigating physical sets.<\/p>\n

Working with those limitations and within the existing Henson universe could have been limiting. Not for these showrunners. \u201cConstraints make you creative and force you to buckle down. It can focus your energy,\u201d says Cuthbertson.<\/p>\n

Two-For-One Special<\/h3>\n
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Cuthbertson, right, and Fusfeld netted a win for Outstanding Children\u2019s or Family Viewing Series at the third annual Children and Family Emmy Awards. Photo by Jessica Replansky<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cuthbertson and Fusfeld have worked together for so long now they can\u2019t imagine going solo. \u201cWe are basically two-for-one,\u201d Cuthbertson says. \u201cThe gamble that we had to take is, we have to work twice as much.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re doubling your network, doubling your output,\u201d Fusfeld adds.<\/p>\n

That means their world extends well beyond Fraggle Rock<\/em> these days. They wrote for a show coming to Apple TV+ later this year and have several television and movie projects in varying stages of development.<\/p>\n

They also hope to continue working in the Henson universe. A Fraggle Rock<\/em> holiday special is in production for later this year, and they have ideas for a third season and a feature film that they hope Apple TV+ will green light.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a legacy of supporting artistry and craft and there\u2019s a lot of loyalty within the Henson Company,\u201d Cuthbertson says. \u201cThere\u2019s a continuum that we\u2019re lucky to be a part of.\u201d<\/p>\n