The Muppet Show

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Show Summary

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After the success of Sesame Street in 1969, Muppet creator Jim Henson wanted to have a chance at his own series. In 1974, Henson shot a Muppet special called The Muppets' Valentine Show, which would later become a precursor for The Muppet Show. The special starred famous muppet, Kermit the Frog, with a cast of new muppets including: George the Janitor, Droop the Anteater, Crazy Donald (later named Crazy Harry), Brewsters the oldtimer, Mildred the goose, and Rufus (later named Muppy). Many of these characters were used during the first season of The Muppet Show, and quickly faded away to background characters. The special featured actress Mia Farrow, who taught the muppets about love, and that everyone loves something. Afterwards in 1975, Henson shot the failed pilot for the Muppet Show: Sex and Violence. Amazingly, Kermit the Frog was not in the pilot at all! Instead, the host was wimpy, Nigel, who Jim Henson wrote out of the show soon afterwards. After about a year, the muppet team went to the United Kingdom and were given the green light for the Muppet Show. The show became one of the top syndicated comedies of all time! The show featured a new group of Muppet characters including: Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Scooter, Beauregard, Rowlf the Dog, and The Electric Mayhem. Each show featured a celebrity guest star, who were either personal friends of Henson, or his manager. The Muppet Show lasted for 5 years, and 120 episodes, two spin offs, and several movies.''''''Theme Song:''''It's time to play the music''It's time to light the lights''It's time to meet the Muppets''On the Muppet Show tonight''''It's time to put on makeup''It's time to dress up right''It's time to raise the curtain''On the Muppet Show tonight''''Why do we always come here''I guess we'll never know''It's like a kind of torture''To have to watch the show''''And now lets get things started''Why don't you get things started''It's time to get things started ''On the most sensational''Inspirational''Celebrational''Muppetational''This is what we call the Muppet Show!''''''Characters''Kermit the Frog Originally from "Sam & Friends" (1955), then later Sesame Street (1969), Kermit is the host of The Muppet Show.''''Miss Piggy Self-centered, yet very persuasive. Wants to marry Kermit.''''Fozzie Bear Furry, fuzzy, funny, fabulous, free-willing, fast, and frantic....he's Fozzie Bear.''''The Great Gonzo A "whatever".''''Scooter the Go-Fer Kermit's stage assistant.''''Rizzo the Rat Gonzo's sidekick. A rat with rat-itude.''''Rowlf the Dog Originally from The Jimmy Dean Show, Rowlf is a piano playing dog, and the first muppet to become a national star.''''Statler and Waldorf The two old-timers who sat in the balcony.''''Doctor Bunsen Honeydew The Muppet Show's scientist.''''Beeker Meep Meep Meep's meep.''''Beauregard: The Muppet Show's slow-witted janitor.''''Pops: Greeted the guests at the begining.''''The Swedish Chef Bork bork bork.''''The Eletric Mayhem The Muppet Show's band including: Dr. Teeth (lead vocalist and piano player), Sgt. Floyd Pepper (Bass, and Janice's boyfriend), Janice (guitarist, Floyd's girlfriend), Zoot (sax is his act), Lips (trumpet player), and Animal (HE WANT TO BAT DRUM!)''''First Telecast: September 27, 1976''Last Telecast: June 8, 1981''Episodes: 120 color episodes''Spin-Offs: Muppet Babies and Muppets Tonight!''''Spin Offs:''* Muppet Babies was Jim Henson's first animated series. The show featured familiar Muppet faces, only as babies. New characters included Nanny (the nanny of the nursery), and Skeeter (Scooter's twin sister).''''* Muppets Tonight! was basically a modern remake of The Muppet Show, featuring celebrity guest stars who at the peak of perfection at the time. New characters included: Pepe (the king prawn, okay?), Clifford (the cool hippie muppet)and Johnny Fiami and Sal''''Movies''* The Muppet Movie (1979)''* The Great Muppet Caper (1981)''* The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)''* The Muppet Christmas Carol (1993)''* Muppet Treasure Island (1996)''* Muppets From Space (1999)''* Kermit's Swamp Years (2002)''* It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002)''* The Muppets' Wonderful Wizard of Oz (2005)moreless
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Episode Guide

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S 7 :  Ep 13 Aired 12/17/08
S 7 :  Ep 8 Aired 5/20/81
S 7 :  Ep 7
S 7 :  Ep 6 Aired 2/16/96
S 7 :  Ep 5 Aired 10/28/94

The Muppet Show News

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  • The Top 15 TV Title Sequences 194

    The Top 15 TV Title Sequences

    By Stefanie Lee, Oct 08, 2009

    Quick! Think of your favorite TV show. Chances are, your memory turns to a favorite character, a favorite episode, or a favorite line. But when it comes to defining the overall feel of the show, the show's opening title sequence… more

  • Blog Spotlight: The Muppet Show - The 7 Most Depressing Songs Ever Sung by a Muppet 0

    Blog Spotlight: The Muppet Show - The 7 Most Depressing Songs Ever Sung by a Muppet

    By TV.com Staff, Mar 20, 2009

    By now you've probably seen the YouTube videos in which an uncharacteristically dour Kermit the Frog covers songs by Nine Inch Nails, Elliott Smith and Radiohead. As hilarious as these unauthorized "Sad Kermit" videos are, they also bring to mind… more

Cast & Crew

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  • Jim Henson

    Kermit the Frog / Rowlf the Dog / Link Hogthrob / The Swedish Chef (puppetry and voice) / Dr. Teeth / Muppet Newsman / Waldorf

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    Frank Oz

    Miss Piggy(1977-1981)/ Fozzie Bear / Animal / Sam the Eagle / The Swedish Chef (Hands)

  •

    Louise Gold

    Annie Sue (1977-1981)

Fan Reviews (53)

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  • Kermit the Frog tries to put on a show every week while trying to deal with back stage chaos on the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational muppettational! This is what we call The Muppet Show!moreless

    10
    "Perfect"
    By meathead704, Nov 27, 2011 Report Abuse
    What can be said about The Muppet Show that isn't already well known. One of the greatest television shows in history. Every episode belongs in a time capsule. The guests are always terrific and the sketches and songs are very well written that they never get old or tired. The fact that this show is almost part of mainstream culture is a testament to it's staying power (Who among us doesn't know "Mena Mena"?). Everybody's two favorite grumpy old men Statler and Waldorf are sure to provide laughs everytime they appear. Speaking of laughs, Fozzie Bear certainly makes his contribution.moreless

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  • It's tome to get things started on The Muppet Show tonight!

    8.5
    "Great"
    By WWinnieF, Jul 14, 2010 Report Abuse
    With a lively crew of Muppeteers, writers, producers, and Jim himself heading this wacky adventure, one couldn't help but get sucked in. Yes, like a fellow Muppet family member in Sesame Street, The Muppet Show appealed to children just as easily as it did towards adults, and yes, like the future family member in Fraggle Rock, The Muppet Show did showcase brilliant unity between the characters and the audience. The only difference: Whereas education was Sesame Street's forte and promoting a world balance was Fraggle Rock's niche, The Muppet Show had those things, but was best in one differing attribute...outter craziness, chaos, mayhem, and disorder!

    From Gonzo's dangerous antics, to Crazy Harry blowing the theatre up constantly, to Swedish Chef finding new inventive ways to create homemade dishes, to Statler & Waldorf heckling Fozzie already bad jokes that were set to bore anyone to death, and even to Miss Piggy hogging...er, relishing the spotlight, the diverse cast of colorful characters for this variety show with a vaudeville feel seemed endless.

    In fact, no character was as cheerfully radiant as the numerous guest stars who starred on the program, proving that this was something unique...a variety show formula starring big time stars, semi-insane puppets, and an audience just as loud & bonkers as the characters being presented!moreless

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  • BEST SHOW IN THE HISTORY OF FOREVER!!!!!!!If anyone never heard of the muppets they are crazy! I

    10
    "Perfect"
    By superchick511, Dec 01, 2008 Report Abuse
    I love how on every episod diffrent happens to Gonzo's truppet. I also love some of the guess stars.Some of them are very funny like Florence Handerson,Mummenschanz and Steve Martin.I have Sesons 1,2,and 3 on DVD. I always watch the muppets on long car trips and cant stop watching them. I was so sad that the creater of the muppets died and someone else had to do the voice of kermit. I loved how on Steve Martins episode they were doing audisions and he couldent do the show so he tried out and kermit was so mad and how miss piggy kept pulling the girl offstage and saying "I'm the girl singer around here." Muppets are my life.moreless

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  • The Muppets shows is full of colorful settings, funny characters, and creative dialog.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By pdgator29, Oct 02, 2008 Report Abuse
    If Kermit the Frog doesn't make you laugh, you have a sick, cold hard soul. The green coated, ping pong ball eyed frog is a Muppet. A creation by Jim Henson which is a mixture of marionette and puppet, thus having, "Muppet". Now this show isn't just the average shabam where you can flick on the tube and say you want to watch it. It's gone, but I don't want it back because it lies in my memories. When I was a kid my parents would always buy tapes of episodes of The Muppet Show, and I remember watching them back to back to back. Well point is: Great show.moreless

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  • A man, a frog, and their dream.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By MightyElroy, Feb 27, 2008 Report Abuse
    In 1969, Jim Henson garnered national success and fame when his Muppets became central characters in the new children's TV show "Sesame Street". After several successful TV specials, Henson had an idea: a primetime musical and comedy variety show with celebrity guest stars that would bring the wackiness of the Muppets into the homes of American viewers. The result: The Muppet Show!

    Viewers were already familiar with Kermit the Frog and Rowlf the Dog, but the Muppet Show introduced us to dozens of memorable characters that have wriggled their way into pop culture and our hearts. Soon, Miss Piggy became the biggest name in Hollywood, Fozzie Bear was cracking us up on stage, and millions of people were speaking gibberish and saying "Bork bork" as they made dinner while watching the Swedish Chef. Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem put new twists on classic music, Veterenarian's Hospital had us glued to our seats, and Pigs in Space brought the Swine Trek to places that pigs have never gone before. Add to that the likes of the Great Gonzo, Rizzo the Rat, Scooter, Animal, Sweetums, Robin, and the two old guys who heckled every act from their theatre box, and you have a fabulous show.

    But it wasn't just the Muppets that made the show special. It wasn't just the crisp writing, the witty sketches, and the endearing performances by Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, and others that made this show what it is. It was the guest stars who came out in droves to interact with ou favourite characters that was special. Many of the day's biggest celebrities made guest appearances. I'm talking the big time here, like Academy Award winners Rita Moreno and Peter Ustinov. Platinum selling artistis like Johnny Cash and Alice Cooper. Living legends in comedy like Bob Hope and George Burns. TV icons like Candace Bergen and Milton Berle. Silver Screen heroes like Christopher Reeves and Vincent Price. Their adventures with the Muppets made teh Muppets even more real and dear. Over all, this is a show that helped define a generation, and still had the power to do more of the same.moreless

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