TV series

The Muppet Show

Name: The Muppet Show
Released: 1976
Cast: Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Jerry Nelson, Dave Goelz, Richard Hunt

1976–1981· 5 seasons· 26 min episodesTV-G★ 8.0Ended

On ITV1 — From Henson Associates · Associated Television

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Where to watch

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Synopsis

Go behind the curtains as Kermit the Frog and his muppet friends struggle to put on a weekly variety show.

Themes

puppet theatre audience

Episodes

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E1 Joel GreyNext upSep 5, 1976 · 26 min · ★ 6.6
Synopsis
Fozzie works on a new act -- jokes on any subject -- and drives everyone crazy. Finally, he gets on stage and asks for any word. Statler and Waldorf call his bluff by yelling out: "Amoeba!"
Guest stars: Joel Grey (Self - Special Guest Star)
E2 Rita MorenoSep 12, 1976 · 26 min · ★ 7.7
Synopsis
Fozzie Bear becomes embroiled in a running gag involving the backstage phone. Throughout the episode, Rita parodies her combative image. She battles with several Muppets, including Miss Piggy, a Full-Bodied Muppet, and Animal, who's backing her on drums in her closing number, "Fever."
Guest stars: Rita Moreno (Self - Special Guest Star)
E3 Sandy DuncanSep 19, 1976 · 26 min
Synopsis
Fozzie performs Gags Beasley's famous "banana sketch," which everyone has heard of except Kermit. When Kermit asks Sandy and Fozzie to tell him what it is, they laugh too hard to explain it.
Guest stars: Sandy Duncan (Self - Special Guest Star), Peter Friedman (Crocodile / Banana (voice))
E4 Jim NaborsSep 26, 1976 · 26 min · ★ 5.7
Synopsis
A young kid named Scooter applies for a job as a go-fer. When Kermit remarks that he doesn't even look like a gopher, Scooter explains that he'll go-fer coffee, he'll go-fer sandwiches, he'll go-fer anything. Kermit says he doesn't have the money to hire him, until Scooter mentions that his uncle owns the theater.
Guest stars: Jim Nabors (Self - Special Guest Star), John Lovelady (House / Danceros / Headless Dancer (voice))
E5 Ruth BuzziOct 3, 1976 · 26 min · ★ 5.7
Synopsis
Scooter's uncle sends a mechanical, wind-up TV show host, an exact duplicate of Kermit. The robot harasses Kermit and flirts with Miss Piggy.
Guest stars: Ruth Buzzi (Self - Special Guest Star)
E6 Paul WilliamsOct 10, 1976 · 26 min
Synopsis
Scooter talks Fozzie into doing "the telephone pole bit," and Fozzie practices dutifully until he finds out what the bit is: Fozzie dresses up as a public telephone, and Scooter asks what his name is. "Mike Oznowiczki," Fozzie says, and Scooter exclaims, "Oh, so you're the telephone Pole!"
Guest stars: Paul Williams (Self - Special Guest Star / Arnold Stockman)
E7 Florence HendersonOct 17, 1976 · 26 min · ★ 5.3
Synopsis
The Muppet Theatre is plagued by a variety of pig-related problems, both onstage and off. First, The Bouncing Borsalino Brothers flub their act and crash through the stage floor. Backstage, Miss Piggy throws herself at an uninterested Kermit and then jealously interrupts his onstage Talk Spot, physically threatening guest star Florence Henderson, whom she thinks is horning in on her frog. The feud continues in the Panel Discussion as Florence throws pig slurs around.
Guest stars: Florence Henderson (Self - Special Guest Star), John Lovelady (Rats / Scoff / House (voice))
E8 Peter UstinovOct 24, 1976 · 26 min · ★ 6.3
Synopsis
Kermit becomes jealous when Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Hilda and Scooter rave about Peter Ustinov. At the end, Peter admits that he's jealous of Kermit; he's always wanted to be a frog.
Guest stars: Peter Ustinov (Self - Special Guest Star / Dr. Felix Ogelbaum), Peter Friedman (Additional Muppets (voice))
E9 Lena HorneOct 31, 1976 · 26 min
Synopsis
Kermit cuts Miss Piggy's scheduled song so she won't look foolish following Lena Horne. He tells her that "there are singers and there are singers," making her think that he doesn't want her to show up Lena.
Guest stars: Lena Horne (Self - Special Guest Star / Lola Bramswell), Peter Friedman (Lead Mop (voice))
E10 Harvey KormanNov 7, 1976 · 26 min
Synopsis
Embarrassed about being the "token person" on the show, Harvey is dressed up as a giant chicken.
Guest stars: Harvey Korman (Self - Special Guest Star)
E11 Candice BergenNov 14, 1976 · 26 min
Synopsis
Fozzie brings a series of deliveries to Kermit, pestering the frog with lousy gags.
Guest stars: Candice Bergen (Self - Special Guest Star), John Lovelady (Frogs / Monsters / Announcer (voice)), Peter Friedman (Andre the Artist (voice))
E12 Ben VereenNov 21, 1976 · 26 min
Synopsis
Fozzie gets stuck in a magician's trick cabinet. The cabinet is dragged onstage so that he can perform his act -- and at the end of the act, two pig stagehands tip the box over so he can take a bow. Crazy Harry, who makes frequent appearances (and frequent explosions) during the show, blows up the cage before the end of the show so that Fozzie can escape.
Guest stars: Ben Vereen (Self - Special Guest Star)
E13 Charles AznavourNov 28, 1976 · 26 min · ★ 5.7
Synopsis
When he's unable to get a spot on the show, Gonzo asks Scooter to be his manager. Scooter advises Gonzo to do a rock act, banging on a large rock with a mallet. Later, Gonzo tries his hand at female impersonation, wearing a dress and a blonde wig. Scooter gives up managing when Gonzo eats his contract.
Guest stars: Charles Aznavour (Self - Special Guest Star), John Lovelady (Announcer / Rat (voice))
E14 Phyllis DillerDec 5, 1976 · 26 min
Synopsis
Aging wardrobe woman Hilda puts on a wig and makeup to try to make herself look younger. She is spotlighted in a backstage plot for the first and last time.
Guest stars: Phyllis Diller (Self - Special Guest Star), John Lovelady (Gloat / Iggy Wiggy (voice))
E15 Avery SchreiberDec 12, 1976 · 26 min
Synopsis
To make Kermit jealous, Miss Piggy instructs Scooter to tell him that Avery is in love with her. Kermit finds out that it's all a trick, and Piggy karate-chops everybody.
Guest stars: Avery Schreiber (Self - Special Guest Star)
E16 TwiggyDec 19, 1976 · 26 min
Synopsis
Kermit is skeptical when everyone backstage is terrorized by "the Phantom of the Muppet Show." There turns out to be one, though -- Uncle Deadly, a monster-actor who performed in the theater years ago. After being panned by the critics, he vowed never to perform there again, and not to let anyone else perform either. He warns the Muppets, "Leave or be doomed!"
Guest stars: Twiggy (Self - Special Guest Star / Lola Thomas), John Lovelady (Nigel / Pig Dancers (voice))
E17 Valerie HarperJan 2, 1977 · 26 min
Synopsis
This is one of only a few Muppet Show episodes that open the show after the theme song with some kind of offstage scene. There's also a couple of scenes with the guest star in her dressing room conversing with Muppets instead of onstage in the Talk Spot. In last week's "At The Dance", Boppity danced in drag with another monster. This week Boppity appears as normal but his partner is in drag. In both instances, he ends up headless.
Guest stars: Valerie Harper (Self - Special Guest Star), John Lovelady (Easter Bernie (voice))
E18 MummenschanzJan 9, 1977 · 26 min
Synopsis
Miss Piggy is repulsed when Gonzo tells her that he loves her. Kermit tries to help by asking Piggy if she would like to go to dinner -- and when she accepts, he fixes her up with Gonzo. Everybody gets karate-chopped.
Guest stars: Mummenschanz (Self - Special Guest Star)
E19 Juliet ProwseJan 16, 1977 · 26 min · ★ 6.2
Synopsis
Muppy, the favorite pet of The Muppet Theatre owner J. P. Grosse, becomes a prima donna when Kermit reluctantly allows him to do a musical number with Scooter. Muppy even gets his own dressing room and star billing, but Kermit draws the line when the dog asks to change the show's title to The Muppy Show. When Muppy locks himself in his dressing room and refuses to perform, Scooter does the number with Fozzie instead.
Guest stars: Juliet Prowse (Self - Special Guest Star), John Lovelady (Cowboy / Frogs (voice))
E20 Kaye BallardJan 23, 1977 · 26 min
Synopsis
Tired of the "embarrassingly square" theme song, bass player Floyd Pepper informs Kermit that he and the rest of the orchestra pit (except Rowlf) are quitting. Kermit says their conductor Nigel will write a new theme, but Floyd refuses: "He wrote the first one, man." Floyd performs his idea for a new theme, a dreadful Zappa-esque piece called "Fugue for Frog." Kermit won't use it and refuses that Floyd submits to Kaye Ballard a petition about the theme song, so the band leaves. The closing theme is performed solo by Rowlf on the piano.
Guest stars: Kaye Ballard (Self - Special Guest Star), John Lovelady (Nigel / Barber (voice))
E21 Bruce ForsythJan 30, 1977 · 26 min
Synopsis
Fozzie Bear has a plan to get back at Statler and Waldorf when he does his act, but is crushed when he's replaced by Bruce Forsyth. Fozzie throws some nasty jokes and, for the first (and last) time, leaves the two old codgers speechless. Then Fozzie and Bruce end up performing together, and sing "Side by Side." A duck appears frequently in the sketches and skits.
Guest stars: Bruce Forsyth (Self - Special Guest Star), Peter Friedman (Pa (voice))
E22 Ethel MermanApr 9, 1977 · 26 min
Synopsis
Fozzie's agent, Irving Bizarre, negotiates Fozzie's contract with Kermit. Kermit ends up offering Fozzie ten times as much money; unfortunately, Fozzie made nothing before. "Yeah, and don't forget," Irving says, "I get ten percent of that."
Guest stars: Ethel Merman (Self - Special Guest Star), John Lovelady (Two-Headed Whatnot (voice))
E23 Connie StevensApr 16, 1977 · 26 min · ★ 6.0
Synopsis
When Fozzie overhears Hilda, Kermit, and Scooter talking about getting rid of "that bear," he thinks they're talking about him, only to find out later it's actually Gonzo's teddy bear that everyone is badmouthing.
Guest stars: Connie Stevens (Self - Special Guest Star), John Lovelady (Bruce Fox / Rat (voice))
E24 Vincent PriceApr 23, 1977 · 26 min · ★ 6.0
Synopsis
In honor of guest star Vincent Price, the show is filled with monsters, ghosts, bats, vampires and spooky situations. A three-headed monster auditions for the show: "We sing!" "No, we dance!" "No, we tell jokes!"
Guest stars: Vincent Price (Self - Special Guest Star), John Lovelady (Ghost / Harry (voice))