The original ‘Muppet Show’ coming to Disney+ (all 5 seasons)
The original Muppet Show, the zany variety show hosted by Kermit the Frog in the late-'70s and early-'80s, is coming to Disney+ on February 19. This will mark the first time all five seasons of the half-hour series, which aired from 1976 to 1981 on ITV in the U.K. and on CBS in the U.S., will be available to stream — the fourth and fifth seasons have never before been released on home entertainment.
In addition to Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Dr Teeth & The Electric Mayhem, the Swedish Chef, hecklers Statler and Waldorf and the rest of the Muppet gang, The Muppet Show featured a wide array of celebrity guests each week, including Alice Cooper (who tried to talk Gonzo into selling his soul to the Devil), Steve Martin, Elton John, Debbie Harry, Johnny Cash, Paul Simon, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Linda Ronstadt, Paul Williams, Mummenschanz, John Cleese, George Burns, Peter Sellers, Loretta Lynn, Petula Clark, Roy Clark, Sylvester Stallone, Kenny Rogers, Liza Minnelli, Dizzy Gillespie, the cast of Star Wars, Diana Ross, Buddy Rich, Shirley Bassey, and more. Backstage antics and disasters were as much a part of the show as the musical and comedy numbers.
“It’s going to be great to welcome back longtime fans and to give a new generation of fans a chance to see how we got our start, how Miss Piggy became a star, and so much more,” said Kermit the Frog said in a statement. “And as for Statler and Waldorf, the two old guys in the balcony, I can only add, ‘Sorry, guys, but … here we go again.”
Disney acquired The Muppets in 2004, and Disney+ and their current streaming library includes The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, 2015 TV series The Muppets, 2020 series Muppets Now and more. HBO, meanwhile, has The Not-Too-Late-Show with Elmo and Fraggle Rock.
You can watch a few highlights from The Muppet Show below: