A Beginners Guide to The Muppet Show
New to the series? Here's a quick guide to 15 essential episodes to watch now on Disney+
I couldn’t tell you exactly how or when I came to love The Muppets. It certainly wasn’t their early films, including the seminal The Muppet Movie. I wouldn’t view those until later in adolescence. The first Muppet thing I remember being obsessed with was the 1990 TV special The Muppets at Walt Disney World which I now realize was nothing more than a commercial for the park but at the time I thought was the absolute apex of cinema. Yet, that couldn’t be where my Muppet love started either because I remember owning Kermit and Fozzie plushes long before that.
Either way, my Muppet fixation absolutely did not begin with this five-season primetime variety series that I did not know existed until my dad told me about one day when I was a kid. How was this a real show? And it was on regular TV for everyone to watch with their families? What? Of course at that point in time – the early 90’s – it didn’t matter if I wanted to watch The Muppet Show. I couldn’t. And I wouldn’t until Disney began releasing the seasons as DVD sets in 2005. (They only released the first 3 and not the final two for reasons that I find both baffling and infuriating. Do they know how incomplete my DVD shelf looks? Yes I have a DVD shelf in the year 2021. Deal with it.)
So I cannot claim to have fallen in love with The Muppets via The Muppet Show. However, it is the most essential Muppets there has ever been or will ever be. The movies are great (some of them, anyway), Muppets 3D at Disneyland and Walt Disney World is terrific. But this is the series that introduced most of the Muppets and showcases their unique, erm, talents in the best way. And since there series is now available for all on Disney+, it felt like an important time to celebrate the series that started it all.
Are there other similar lists to be found in every corner of the Internet? Absolutely. And you should read them all! But since I just finished rewatching the entire series a few weeks ago, this post allows me to ramble safely into my keyboard instead of at family gatherings where I risk being shunned to the corner when I try and explain which episode of “Veterinarian’s Hospital” is the best.
So let’s play the music, light the lights, and raise the curtains on the 15 greatest episodes of the show that started it all: The Muppet Show.
(Note: There are multiple ways the show was filmed and aired, leading to varying episode orders depending on what you’re reading. The season and episode numbers listed below refer to how they appear on Disney+.)
15. PAUL WILLIAMS (Season 1, Episode 8)
We’re starting off with a bit of an odd one. You could be forgiven for not even knowing who Paul Williams is or why he was a guest of a primetime show. Yet, you could argue this ended up being the most important guest of them all, as Williams would go on to forge deep relationships with Henson and the team that would lead to him co-writing the songs for The Muppet Movie with Kenneth Ascher. So without this episode, we wouldn’t have “Movin’ Right Along” or “Can You Picture That?” And, most crucially, we wouldn’t have “Rainbow Connection,” Kermit’s beautiful opus that lives on almost 40 years later.
14. JULIE ANDREWS (Season 2, Episode 17)
Andrews mostly plays it straight as the guest and delivers an earnest duet with Kermit titled “When You Were a Tadpole and I Was a Fish,” which has a goofy title but will hit you right in the heart. This is also a guest with deeper significance as Andrews featured the Muppets years prior in several variety shows before they had their own headlining series.
13. DIANA ROSS (Season 4, Episode 24)
There are too many laugh out loud moments in this episode to list and most of them stem from Statler & Waldorf’s decision to “keep score” of each part of the show leading to panic from the Muppets both on stage and off. This culminates in a frenzied Kermit begging Ross for guidance on what sketch to do next. She suggests sending out one of their surefire acts to please the crowd. “Pigs in Space?” he asks. “Pigs in Space!” she exclaims. As soon as he leaves her face contorts. “Pigs in Space? I hate Pigs in Space. What am I doing on this crummy show?” A truly perfect Muppet moment.
12. CAROL BURNETT (Season 5, Episode 14)
You will notice a lot of episodes that end up making this list are ones that take a singular concept and have them last throughout the entire episode. This is definitely one of those as Burnett is dismayed to find out upon her arrival that Gonzo is hosting a dance marathon that will last the majority of the show. No one does false outrage quite like Burnett who is adept at seeming simultaneously furious and delighted at what’s going on. This is another appearance that has a larger significance as its likely this show wouldn’t exist without Burnett’s own success with her legendary eponymous variety show that started a few years before this one. In one sketch, the two shows are briefly and beautifully linked when Burnett performs as her well-known Charwoman character.
11. LINDA RONSTADT (Season 5, Episode 21)
Predictably, Miss Piggy is none too thrilled that Kermit seems to be especially excited for this week’s gorgeous guest star. Her solution is very on brand: she locks him in a trunk for the majority of the show. The running gag makes its way into most of the sketches. A briefly freed Kermit is able to duet with Ronstadt on “I’ve Got a Crush on You,” before being returned to the trunk. Piggy then drags the trunk on stage with her during “Pigs in Space” to better keep an eye on it. Don’t worry, Kermit is freed in time for one more song with Ronstadt, whose voice is in sublime form. A wonderful sketch in this episode that has nothing to do with that love triangle is Rowlf’s rendition of “The Cat Came Back,” as an adorable feline acts out the lyrics on screen.
10. RITA MORENO (Season 1, Episode 6)
Moreno won an Emmy – the show’s first – for her appearance and it is incredibly deserved. This is the episode that also introduced two crucial Muppet Show sketches: “Veterinarian’s Hospital,” the show’s first long-running sketch that featured Rowlf, Janice and Miss Piggy operating on various Muppets over the years, and our first trip into the kitchen of The Swedish Chef. But the episode will always be remembered for Moreno’s closing number where she performs “Fever” accompanied by Animal on drums who continually irritates the guest star with his incessant bashing. A classic show was born.
9. JOHN CLEESE (Season 2, Episode 23)
Cleese puts on a clinic in deadpan from the episode’s outset where he appears tied up in his dressing room as he refuses to take part in the show. That leads to a running gag throughout the episode that culminates in Cleese’s climactic performance where he refuses to sing a song while the other Muppets force him and sing around him, all while Cleese does his best to let everyone know he wants nothing to do with it.
8. PEARL BAILEY (Season 3, Episode 5)
For the uneducated, Bailey is a Tony and Emmy winning actress and singer who was always brilliant when she guested on variety and comedy shows and this is no different. She sings a medley of Broadway showtunes from various productions all set against the jousting scene from Camelot – the joke being that the Muppets couldn’t get the rights to the music from that show so they had to substitute others. If that doesn’t sound funny, trust me it all somehow works. A random feature of this episode is Floyd being front and center for a lot of it. Why? That’s less clear but it’s always great when one of the Electric Mayhem get called up for a spotlight.
7. LORETTA LYNN (Season 3, Episode 8)
This episode takes on a unique setting – a train station to be specific – thanks to the “fumigation” of the Muppets own theater. That doesn’t stop the show from going through some of its usual sketches like “At the Dance” or “Veterinarian’s Hospital.” We also get three songs from Lynn whose earnest yet playful personality shines through for the entirety of the episode. A nice bonus: the show also features an original song penned by Frank Oz and Larry Grossman titled “The Rhyming Song.”
6. MARK HAMILL (Season 4, Episode 17)
Filmed just before the release of The Empire Strikes Back in 1980, Hamill isn’t the only Star Wars luminary to appear here. Anthony Daniels appears as C-3PO and the late great Peter Mayhew of course plays Chewbacca. Even R2-D2 is along for a sketch or two. But Hamill is the star, portraying not only his on-screen alter-ego Luke Skywalker but also his “cousin” Mark who sings and dances. In a way it’s a shame Hamill had to be saddled with all of the Star Wars stuff in this episode at all because his talent as a performer – and his unabashed love for the Muppets – would have made for a strong half hour anyway. But the Pigs in Space sketches with the Star Wars crew are fun as hell and it includes a closing performance of “When You Wish Upon a Star,” foreshadowing the eventual Disney takeover of everything you see on screen.
5. STEVE MARTIN (Season 2, Episode 8)
The famous behind the scenes story of this episode is that the laughter heard on screen – usually canned – is actually that of the off-camera Muppet crew who couldn’t help themselves at Martin’s antics. What’s cool about this episode is it’s a time capsule of sorts. Martin was a star in the world of stand-up comedy at this point and had already hosted Saturday Night Live multiple times but was still two years away from 1979’s The Jerk which would make him an A-list movie star. The final sketch where Martin plays “Dueling Banjos” with several Muppet music acts is one of the highlights of the entire series.
4. LIZA MINNELLI (Season 4, Episode 13)
An easy standout for numerous reasons, the first and foremost being that without really any explanation, the episode becomes a murder mystery with Kermit playing a private eye and Liza portraying a femme fatale actress named Liza O’Shaugnessy. The result is a completely goofy, tongue in cheek performance from Minnelli who seems like she’s having way more fun than anyone else on set. (Witness her performance of “Copacabana” as proof!) It’s also fun to see the Muppets, who have become Disney polished in recent decades, deal with multiple murders on the show. The final skit has Minnelli performing the most over-the-top death scene – only it’s a fake death devised to out the real killers. Nothing in this episode makes any sense except for its complete and utter brilliance.
3. ELTON JOHN (Season 2, Episode 14)
A mini Elton John concert disguised as a television show. And there’s nothing wrong with that! John performs four of his biggest hits in a 24 minute span and it’s absolutely perfect. First is “Crocodile Rock” where the singer is surrounded by puppet crocs. Then he takes over for Scooter who is leading a brutal version of “Bennie and the Jets.” Next up is a dream collab with the Electric Mayhem on “Goodbye Yellow Road.” Then there’s the ultimate highlight: “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” with Miss Piggy filling in ably for Kiki Dee. Considering where John was at this point in his career, it’s not a stretch to say this is the biggest star the show ever had and John – like he usually does – delivers.
2. GENE KELLY (Season 5, Episode 1)
There is a lengthy list of hilarious celebrity appearances on this list but Gene Kelly’s is undoubtedly the sweetest. The Singin’ in the Rain legend was almost 70 when he guested on the series and affably insists upon his arrival at the Muppet Theater that he was simply invited to watch the show, not perform. This bit – delivered with complete sincerity and warmth by Kelly – lasts throughout the entire show, even when Kermit tries to trick Kelly into teaching him how to dance. Kermit and Rowlf eventually get what they want in the show’s final sketch where Kelly performs a medley of tunes from “Singin’ in the Rain,” capped off with the star lightly waltzing away outside with an umbrella. A beautiful ending to a perfect episode.
1. HARRY BELAFONTE (Season 3, Episode 14)
Widely considered the greatest episode in the series’ entire run. What makes it special? Everything. Belafonte of course sings “Day-O,” only this version has Fozzie constantly interrupting to hilarious effect. Belafonte’s grin during the song is clearly unscripted. Rowlf and Lew – for some unknown reason – try and succeed to perform the song “Tea For Two” backwards. Next, Belafonte and Animal have their own personal drum battle that eventually turns into a beautiful collaboration. Then there’s the final song – “Turn the World Around” – which Belafonte introduces by explaining its artistic significance and is then accompanied by specially-designed puppets that resemble African tribal masks. The song become such an important one for both the singer and the Muppets that Belafonte performed it in 1990 at Jim Henson’s memorial service.