The Muppet Show

The Muppet Show
Premiere	September 5, 1976
Finale	June 8, 1981
Creator	Jim Henson
Network/Provider	First-run syndication
Style	30-minute variety/sketch comedy
Company	Henson Associates, Associated Television, ITC Entertainment
Seasons	5
Episodes	120
Origin	USA / UK

The Muppet Show is a variety/sketch comedy that aired in syndication. It was the show that first put The Muppets in the spotlight (other than Sesame Street).

The concept of the program was that Kermit the Frog and his friends were trying to put on a variety show for the audience (an audience in an auditorium, entirely composed of other Muppets). Unfortunately, things never quite went according to plan, and the group was often forced to improvise, such as when Gilda Radner accidentally got superglued to her own forehead, several of the Muppets, and big plastered chunks of the theater, but had to do a tap dance number on stage in spite of this; or when a group of pigs took over the show during the Cloris Leachman episode, forcing Kermit and co. to escape and save the show.

The program was created by Jim Henson, who enjoyed the critical and popular success that the Muppets experienced on Sesame Street, but was frustrated that the Muppets had been pigeonholed as a "children's act." He wanted to create a show that would be equally enjoyed by adults.

Initially, Henson approached the major TV networks - which then consisted of ABC, CBS, and NBC - about airing the show. But while the studio executives loved Henson's work, they remained unconvinced that a puppet show would work in prime time.

Henson resisted syndicating the show, since he was worried that the program would be under-funded. Upon meeting with British syndicator Lord Lew Grade, the owner of Associated Television (ATV, one of the franchisees of Britain's ITV network), however, Henson agreed once he realized that Grade would provide the appropriate funding for Henson and his group to do a quality production.

In the first season, under the guidance of head writer Jack Bruns, the show was mostly gag-oriented with no overarching plot. Starting in the second season, though, under the guiding force of writer Jerry Juhl, the program become more focused on character-driven stories. Also, some minor characters were dumped from Season 1 in favor of new characters as well as more emphasis on stronger characters from the first year, such as Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, The Great Gonzo, Floyd Pepper, Scooter. Due to these changes, the show's popularity took off in the second season, particularly in the U.S.

Miss Piggy in particular became a breakout TV star in the 1970s. Masterfully performed by Frank Oz, the egotistical yet insecure porcine female had a massive infatuation on a certain frog. But when angered, the pig revealed a powerful karate chop. Miss Piggy's "HI-YAAAAA!!!" becomes as iconic in the 1970s as the Fonz's "Ayyyy!" Miss Piggy became something of a feminist icon, and her debut calendar in 1980 was a huge best-seller.

The show was syndicated to over a hundred countries, and in fact was the first American TV show to be broadcast in the Soviet Union. For this reason, it has been called the most successful television show of all time.

Rita Moreno won an Emmy for her appearance on the show in the first season, and the writing staff won an Emmy for their script for the episode featuring Carol Burnett in Season 5.

After five seasons, Henson decided to pull the plug, not because ratings had dropped but because he was anxious to move his creative team onto other projects, such as the fantasy films The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, and the children's show Fraggle Rock.

The show spawned six theatrical films, starting with 1979's The Muppet Movie, two TV-movies, and a multitude of TV specials. There were also two TV spinoffs that did air on the networks - The Jim Henson Hour and Muppets Tonight - though, ironically, these were both short-lived. The most successful spinoff, oddly enough, was an animated program: Jim Henson's Muppet Babies, which ran from 1984 to 1991 and won multiple Emmys.

The Muppet Show was produced by Henson Associates in association with ATV (in the UK), ITC Entertainment (outside the UK) and CBS-Owned Television Stations (the TV station ownership division of American network CBS). While the show was originally syndicated by ITC during its original run, Disney-ABC Domestic Television now owns the distribution rights due to parent The Walt Disney Company's ownership of the Jim Henson catalogue.

Cast

Actor	Character	Duration
Main Cast		1	2	3	4	5
Frank Oz	Miss Piggy	*	*	*	*	*
	Fozzie Bear	*	*	*	*	*
	Animal	*	*	*	*	*
	Sam Eagle	*	*	*	*	*
Jerry Nelson	Floyd Pepper	*	*	*	*	*
	Camilla the Chicken			*	*	*
Richard Hunt	Scooter	*	*	*	*	*
	Statler	*	*	*	*	*
	Miss Piggy	*
	Beaker		*	*	*	*
	Janice		*	*	*	*
Dave Goelz	The Great Gonzo	*	*	*	*	*
	Dr. Bunsen Honeydew	*	*	*	*	*
	Zoot	*	*	*	*	*
Eren Ozker	Janice	*
John Lovelady	Additional Muppets	*
Louise Gold	Additional Muppets		*	*	*	*
Steve Whitmire	Additional Muppets			*	*	*
	Rizzo the Rat				*	*
	Lips					*
Kathryn Mullen	Additional Muppets			*	*	*
Jim Henson	Kermit the Frog	*	*	*	*	*
	Rowlf the Dog	*	*	*	*	*
	Swedish Chef	*	*	*	*	*
	Dr. Teeth	*	*	*	*	*
	Waldorf	*	*	*	*	*

Seasons

Season	Premiere	Finale				#
First-run syndication
Season One	September 5, 1976	April 23, 1977				24
Season Two	September 30, 1977	April 23, 1978				30
Season Three	November 17, 1978	March 9, 1979				18
Season Four	November 2, 1979	April 4, 1980				23
Season Five	October 5, 1980	March 22, 1981				25

In-Depth

• At a Glance: Additional information about the series

External Sites

• Muppet Show Episodes, TV Listings, News, Photos and More at TVGuide.com
• The Muppet Show at the Internet Movie Database
• Muppet Wiki - The Muppet Show