193
people found this helpful, as of 2023
ranked #170,805 most helpful
out of 571,544,897 reviews
★★★★★
Muppet Show - Uneven but Fun
The Muppet Show is one of my all-time favorite TV shows. I have seen most of the shows throughout the years and still own a large number on video and DVD. However, I do recognize that the individual shows are not always great - depending on my interest in the guest star and the quality of the variety of sketches. Some of the acts make me laugh and laugh and laugh ... others just feel like a waste of time.
The first season of the Muppet Show was in 1976. While most of my favorite shows are from later seasons, there are several shows this season that I look forward to owning on DVD. Plus I look forward to watching the shows in the order they were shown to get a feel for how the show evolved over the years.
As I understand it, there were two "pilot" shows - The Muppets Valentine Show (which I have seen) and the Muppet Show Sex and Violence (which I don't recall seeing). It would be great if these pilots were included in this 1st Season set, but I don't know yet if they will be.
From various reference sources, I have verified there were 24 shows the first season. They are (in order they were shown, as far as I can determine):
1. Juliet Prowse
2. Connie Stevens - this show also has Bert & Ernie. I don't recall the Sesame Street characters showing up on the Muppet Show. This may be the only show Bert & Ernie was in.
3. Joel Grey
4. Ruth Buzzi
5. Rita Moreno
6. Jim Nabors
7. Florence Henderson
8. Paul Williams
9. Charles Aznavour (a French singer/entertainer)
10. Harvey Korman
11. Lena Horne
12. Peter Ustinov
13. Bruce Forsythe
14. Sandy Duncan
15. Candice Bergen
16. Avery Schreiber
17. Ben Vereen
18. Phyllis Diller
19. Vincent Price
20. Valerie Harper
21. Twiggy
22. Ethel Merman
23. Kaye Ballard
24. Mummenschanz (Mimes) - in fact my listing for this show has always been "Weird Mimes Act".
There are a few shows this season that I just didn't care for the guest star, but generally a very entertaining season. I much look forward to this collection and future seasons as often as they can be released.
