Fox brought The Masked Singer back for Season 10, and is stiking with the trend that each season gets bigger and better than those that came before. After nine cycles and a multitude of wild themes in its wake, however, the show really had to go outside the box to deliver unexpected collaborations for this landmark batch of eps. After learning the Fox hit will be honoring Harry Potter and the NFL with standalone installmentss, I'd say they hit the mark, but I needed some input from the showrunner to fully understand how these themes would even work in a song performance competition.
CinemaBlend had a chance to speak to The Masked Singer showrunner James Breen ahead of Season 10's premiere, and I had to ask how the show managed to theme entire episodes around the wizarding world of Harry Potter and the NFL. Breen assured me that whether fans are watching live on Fox or later with a Hulu subscription, they're not going to want to miss what's coming to those episodes and beyond. As for how the fantasy and sports-themed battles will work out, he shared the following details:
When you see it, we've got a full-size Whomping Willow and a Ford Anglia on the set. So it looks spectacular. We've been very lucky the NFL were great partners. Warner Brothers were great partners. So what we've done is like if I take NFL, for example, we've used the music from acts that are performed at the Super Bowl.
It's not a full-scale Hogwarts Castle, but the Whomping Willow paired with Ron and Harry' enchanted vehicle from the franchise does feel like an adequate enough set piece to make The Masked Singer's Harry Potter night feel special. As for the NFL channeling past Super Bowl performances, that also makes complete sense. I don't imagine they'll try to recreate Janet Jackson infamous wardrobe malfunction caused by Justin Timberlake, but I am curious to see what other performances they take inspiration from.
Showrunner James Breen was thrilled with how the upcoming episodes of The Masked Singer turned out, and even went so far as to say these particular episodes were his favorites of the season. Breen spoke more about how the NFL and Harry Potter have worked into the Season 10 episodes, and it sounds like something even newcomers to the series will want to check out:
Everything around that the special guests, surprise guests, the onstage clues, the performance creatives, the look of the set, what the panel are wearing, is a celebration of the NFL and NFL culture. And then Harry Potter, it's, you know, songs about magic, it's songs about witches. It's very much a celebration of the Wizarding World. I think weirdly, you know, it's obviously easier to do. You can imagine what Disco Night is. Iit's a little easier musically, but I think Harry Potter and NFL were two of the most successful, and it broadens the show a little bit and lets us have fun.
As expected, the showrunner is excited about Season 10 of The Masked Singer. His vested interest aside, I think we've seen enough from the preview show and footage released thus far that he's not blowing smoke and that this will be the best season the series has done to date. With no sign of Season 8's polarizing format change in anything we've seen thus far, I'm optimistic this could be the best season yet.
In fairness, Season 10 will lean heavily on the beloved twists and stars of past seasons of The Masked Singer, all of which will be popping up at various points. It's a season that will both honor the past and move the franchise forward into the future. Here's hoping those goals can hit home with viewers and help this series get another ten seasons, even if it is already losing a celebrity panelist in Season 11. At least we know that Jenny McCarthy is planning to stay for a long time!
The Masked Singer airs on Fox on Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Tune in to see all the surprises in store for Season 10 and which celebrities are competing this season for the Golden Mask trophy.
