"The Muppet Show" (1976) TV series 1976-1981

Writers:

Joseph A. Bailey (writer) (1977-1981)
Jim Henson (writer) (1976-1981)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Release Date:

29 January 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Music

Plot:

Kermit the Frog and his friends struggle to put on a weekly variety show.

Plot Keywords:

Frog | Theater | Variety | Heckler | Guest Star

Awards:

Won 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 5 wins & 25 nominations

Cast

Frank Oz	...	Fozzie Bear / ... (117 episodes, 1976-1981)
Richard Hunt	...	Statler / ... (117 episodes, 1976-1980)
Jim Henson	...	Kermit the Frog / ... (117 episodes, 1976-1981)
Dave Goelz	...	Gonzo / ... (116 episodes, 1976-1981)
Jerry Nelson	...	Floyd Pepper / ... (110 episodes, 1976-1981)
Louise Gold	...	Additional Muppets / ... (81 episodes, 1977-1980)
Steve Whitmire	...	Additional Muppets / ... (64 episodes, 1978-1981)
Kathryn Mullen	...	Additional Muppets / ... (53 episodes, 1978-1981)

Runtime:

30 min (120 episodes)

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | USA:TV-G | Singapore:G

Filming Locations:

BBC Elstree Centre/ATV Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Associated Television (ATV)

Trivia:

One of the most persistent stories over the years is about Spike Milligan's T-shirt with Arabic lettering. Supposedly it was discovered that the Arabic lettering translated to "hashish" only after the show was aired. This was untrue. Milligan's T-shirt actually says "Kuwait", a reference to his own television series "Q5" (1969), which had been renamed in various versions over the years to "Q8" in one of its incarnations. Kuwait = Q8.

Quotes:

Miss Piggy: But I love him.
Rowlf: How could you love him? You're a nurse.
Miss Piggy: That may be true, but I am a woman first.
Rowlf: No, you're not. You're a pig first. Nurse second. I don't think woman made the top 10.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Swedish Chef's Theme

One of the funniest shows around

In this t.v. show Kermit the Frog has to run a variety show, that has many "interesting" acts, like german sauerkraut singers, and many regular performers like Gonzo the Great, the only what-ever-he-is to catch a cannon ball with his hand; Fozzie the Bear, a stand up comic who can't get a laugh; and Miss Piggy, the wanna-be movie star who is, unfortunately, hopelessly in love with the frog. Kermit also has handle things like over-hand bowling and alligator wrestling backstage and food attacking the swedish chef onstage. All the while trying to keep the guest star happy, and putting up with the antics of Statler and Waldorf, two mean old hecklers who have a box seat at the show. The music for this show is also superb, it is played by three groups; the muppet show band, the electric mayhem (Zoot, Floyd Pepper, Janis, Animal, and the man himself, Dr. Teeth), and Rolf who is an excellent pianist, for a dog. I know this all sounds really weird, but it's really hilarious and unique, I mean where else can you see Viking pigs sing "In the Navy", or a pig judo chop superman? I give this show two flippers up.