Beignet Blanc (Forks Out)

Benoit Blanc created by Rian Johnson
The Muppets created by Jim Henson

“I have arrived to this street of sesame, on a sunny day turned cloudy.’

For those of you who couldn’t wait for Wake Up Dead Man, the long-anticipated Knives Out sequel featuring Rian Johnson‘s eccentric detective Benoit Blanc, the good folks at Sesame Street gave us  the world’s other greatest detective, BEIGNET BLANC, in the gentle but spot-on spoof Forks Out.

It’s a mere trifle, for sure, clocking in at little more than five minutes, but sharp enough and smart enough to amuse both children and adults. And extra props for puppeteer (or is that Muppeteer?) Matt Vogel, who  nails the  Southern-fried drawl, peculiar mannerisms and stilted syntax of Daniel Craig’s original portrayal.

Meanwhile,  the mystery, while not exactly complex (it’s Sesame Street, okay?) is totally fair play. The burning question of who stole Cookie Monster’s triple berry pie plays out as Beignet examines the clues and questions the suspects, while Grover in full detective mode tries to help, but proves to be more of a hindrance than anything. Naturally..

There are, of course, snappy asides, and a little fun is poked at both Knives Out and Sesame Street itself, but Beignet perseveres, and the mystery is solved — it even boasts an Agatha Christie–style twist in its final moments.

Sure, Netflix recently acquired the rights to Sesame Street, and also the money behind Wake Up Dead Man, but as corporate crossover promotions go (Forks Out was released the same week Johnson’s film hit theatres), this one seems to have its heart in the right place.

And it is undeniably fun.

THE EVIDENCE

• “We have a culinary culprit in our oven mitts, and to solve this confectionary conundrum, we must look right in front of our googly eyes.”
  — Beignet lays out the case

TELEVISION

• FORKS OUT | Watch it now!
  (December 2025, Netflix)
  5:16 minutes
  Premiere: December 3, 2025
  Starring the voice of Matt Vogel as BEIGNET BLANC
  Also featuring appearances by Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Grover, Elmo and Zoe

FURTHER INVESTIGATION

• Let ‘er Rip!!!
  Some of My Favourite P.I. Spoofs & Parodies

Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.