Muppets Tonight

I never watched the original Muppets, in fact, I was never a great fan of them. However this show was more than that. It was not about your usual children's puppet show; it was light hearted entertainment that was well written and had guest star roles that perhaps some of the most well established entertainment shows couldn't get a hold of considering it's short run. I had always wondered what had happened to this brilliant show; am I only one of a few who thought this?

This show very nearly captured the heart and soul of the original "Muppet Show" with its outlandish humor and hilarious guest hosts (whom I had actually heard of). However, apparently not enough people agreed with me, and the show was cancelled. They do not even have the Disney Channel reruns anymore. (Granted, since the show was only on for two years, the same episodes kept popping up over and over again. But this should never have been a problem in the first place!)

It's a travesty what happened to this show. In it's short-lived existence, "Muppets Tonight" was one of the best things going on television. Sadly though, it played out to an audience that apparently had been all muppeted out. A wonderful program with an incredible group of characters old and new, "Muppets Tonight" boasted a stellar ensemble of special guests. What other variety program could showcase such awesome star power like Garth Brooks, Michelle Pfeiffer, Prince and Cindy Crawford? What other show could pull off the unbelievable, like Rizzo the Rat belting out Right Said Fred's 'I'm Too Sexy' to a screaming mob of she-rodents? Or a life-sized grizzly-bear-security-guard trying to woo the aforementioned Crawford's affections? Or the hilarious Elvis Moments in History? Alas, "Muppets Tonight". We hardly knew ye. This crazy world just doesn't have room for those loony puppets anymore...except in Germany, apparently. Muppetheads across the globe await to see what happens next.

Muppets Tonight was true to the Muppet Show in every way. The only problem was, no one was interested. Muppets Tonight offered our favorite Muppets, as well as new characters and fresh material. It's shame it was so short and killed by ABC. But not to worry. Those of us who have the Disney Channel can catch it in reruns and newer episodes that never made it to the air.

I remember watching this show on the Disney Channel during the point when it transitioned from ABC. It was still quite hilarious and featured guests like Jason Alexander, Tony Bennett, Whoopi Goldberg, Rick Moranis and even Prince. Even though Kermit is in a producer's role, he still has a lot of influence on the format of the show with Kevin Clash's character of Clifford taking over as host. The show hasn't been seen since its initial airings, and it's not officially available on either disc or streaming. I really hope that Disney can work out a deal with the Jim Henson Company to make the show available on either one of those formats in the near future.

In Memoriam: Jerry Nelson (1934-2012) Richard Hunt (1951-1992) & Jim Henson (1936-1990).