HOLEY MOLEY: EP Charles Wachter on Bringing in the Muppets for Season 4 and Shares a Finale Tease

While HOLEY MOLEY is no stranger to (show-appropriate) silly season-long arcs, the extreme mini golf competition series took things to a whole new level in season 4 (dubbed HOLEY MOLEY: FORE-EVER) as the Muppets were “recruited” by co-announcer Rob Riggle to help save the show.

“Each season we’re always looking for some kind of fresh, fun twist on what the show is and what it can be,” executive producer Charles Wachter says. “In season 2, it was the The Tomb of Nefer–Tee–Tee that was teased—that was promoting the finale and what was going to be [executive producer/resident golf pro] Steph Curry’s final hole, his masterpiece. And then season 3, we’re like, ‘Alright, let’s take it and make it [bigger]: [Steph]’s going to take [the game] Pro.’ And that was the beginning of a fully arced idea.”

“We were thinking about season 4, [and] we were like, ‘Well, it’s fourth season. How do we get a fifth season?'” he continues. “We’re thinking about that as producers—what can we do? And then we thought, ‘Why don’t we make that part of the show’s [storyline] that Rob’s worried that HOLEY MOLEY is going away? And he goes to ABC.’ Knowing the Muppets are a Disney brand, we were like, ‘Well, what if it’s the Muppets save HOLEY MOLEY?’ And then more specifically, it [became] ‘What if it’s Rob recruits them into saving HOLEY MOLEY.’ That was a dream come true to be able to work with them, to do that. So we pitched them and we talked about it and we really scripted the whole season before we shot it.”

Though the subplot of the season has been an attempt to save the show (which, while not renewed, is not exactly in danger, either), “ABC has been fantastic, because it’s always been a very meta show,” Wachter shares. “We’ve always been very self-aware and we like kind of crossing that boundary and it’s disarming. There’s definitely no truth to it; I’m really excited about [a possible] season 5 and hope to be getting it and getting going on it with the success of season 4. But ABC’s very aware that being self-referential and meta about the show is part of its DNA. So having Rob kind of embody that kind of panic [about the show being in danger] was funny.”

Season 4 was filmed simultaneously with season 3 back in 2021—an astonishing 20 episodes over 12 days, thanks to three teams (golf; interviews and B-roll; comedy and scripted segments) working together. But since the show wrapped, there was a sizable off-screen achievement for a member of the team: Curry’s Golden State Warriors won the NBA Championship.

Despite the big win occurring while season 4 was airing—and being on the same network—the producers never wanted to bring that achievement into the show.

“That touches on one of the key mantras of the show, which is that HOLEY MOLEY exists in the universe where mini golf is God, and all things are second to mini golf,” Wachter says. “So the fact that Steph is the HOLEY MOLEY pro is far above any sort of real-life basketball [accomplishment] or anything like that. Within the universe of the show, everything serves mini golf. And that kind of North Star helps us make decisions across every kind of creative category, that includes Steph.”

“That was what was so disarming about Steph in season 1,” he continues. “A lot of celebrities will show up in unscripted series and they’ll get a package on them and why they’re so special and why they’re perfect for this show. And we didn’t do any of that. You’ve never seen Steph play basketball on HOLEY MOLEY—it’s like a different universe than HOLEY MOLEY. It’s an alternate universe where Steph’s a basketball player; in our universe, he’s a golf pro.”

Wachter is also quick to praise the comedy Riggle and co-announcer Joe Tessitore have brought to the series. “We found their voice quickly, because they’re both really improv geniuses,” he notes.” Joe brought Super Bowl-level sports live commentary into the mix and Rob is a comedic improv genius. We found it quite quickly—their voices and their lanes—and it has grown.”

“Joe and Rob’s relationship has become sort of a buddy comedy,” he continues. “They’re a little bit like Oscar and Felix or the Smothers Brothers. They have now an intuitive sense of where they go with comedy bits: Joe has figured out how to set up Rob, and then play out some rope for Rob, and then pull them back. It’s been really beautiful to watch that dynamic happen.”

What makes it to air is a mix of scripted bits—”Joe, Rob, the writers, and I will sit down and come up with bits…anything that’s formal or seems like a gag or a bit is produced and written,” Wachter notes—and the unexpected things that come naturally.

“They sit there for 10 straight hours for 12 straight days,” Wachter marvels. “That was something that most shows don’t do. They’re just riffing and we don’t stop rolling. That’s where a lot of funny stuff happens. I’m in their ear cracking jokes and we’re just chatting, so it’s a very loose kind of approach to hosting.”

“Even when we’re sort of out of action, they stay somewhat in-character,” he continues. “They’ll just be talking about sandwiches. And Rob has that little comedic edge and Joe has that little comedic neediness. They have a real center weight to their relationship, and they love each other—they’re truly good friends. The warmth between their friendship is what I really enjoyed building on.”

As season 4 comes to an end, nine contestants will face off in the hopes of taking home $250,000. With the stakes that high, the producers are very careful about the very final hole the remaining contestants will have to face for the year.

“Across the season, obviously we have all types of contestants from grandmas to athletes to golf pros to everyday people,” Wachter says. “So our holes are sort of designed to kind of be playable by everybody. And certainly the final hole always needs to be playable by any type of player—physicality and strength and speed really shouldn’t come in [to play]. [That challenge] exists in the series, but as we’re down to who’s gonna make the quarter million dollar putt and can they win, we want to make sure that everyone has access to it.”

“In season 4, we also were wrapping up the Muppet storyline,” he continues. “So the collision of the Muppets with the final hole was a new opportunity for the series to mix that scripted storyline with the competition storyline. And I think it’s pretty hilarious how that all comes out. I’m really excited for people to watch it—there’s a competition side to it, and then there’s also just a spectacle side of landing all the story arcs and comedy arc.”

HOLEY MOLEY, Season Finale, Tuesday, July 12, 8/7c, ABC

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