Premiere | 1996 |
Finale | 1998 |
Network | US: ABC/Disney Channel UK: BBC 1 |
Seasons | 2 |
Episodes | 22 |
Muppets Tonight is an updated version of The Muppet Show, set in a television studio. The show aired in 1996 on ABC, and was cancelled after ten episodes had aired. The full run of 22 episodes aired on Disney Channel from 1997 to 1998.
The premise of Muppets Tonight was that Clifford was the host of a variety show on KMUP. Most of the shows stuck closely to the Muppet Show format of various skits interspersed with some sort of backstage story (usually a crisis). The show featured a laugh track, similar to the one used on The Muppet Show. One big difference between the two shows is that on Muppets Tonight, it was much more common for audiences to only see half of an on-stage act (especially musical numbers), as many acts would begin and shortly afterwards would cut to a backstage scene (or a comment from Statler and Waldorf). Another difference is that while each episode of The Muppet Show only had one or two featured guests, and no additional humans appearing on-screen, many episodes of Muppets Tonight often featured cameos by celebrities in addition to the featured guest star. Some of these celebrities also took part in episode subplots. Also, while it was rare for any scenes on The Muppet Show to take place outside of The Muppet Theater, many episodes of Muppets Tonight had scenes taking place outside of the station.
Among the regular sketches were "Bay of Pigswatch"; "Pigs in Space: Deep Dish Nine" (a spin-off from The Muppet Show's "Pigs in Space"); "EIEIO-R"; "Tales from the Vet", and "Great Moments in Elvis History".
There have been no commercial releases of the show on DVD or video, but Brian Henson has expressed hope for a DVD release of the series after season five of The Muppet Show.[1]
Characters
Muppets Tonight introduced many new Muppet characters, including Pepe the King Prawn, Johnny Fiama, Sal Minella, Bobo the Bear, Seymour, Spamela Hamderson, and Bill the Bubble Guy. The show also featured regular appearances from classic characters, such as Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Rizzo the Rat, Statler and Waldorf and Miss Piggy.
In a newspaper interview, Brian Henson talks about the show focusing on the new characters instead of the classic characters.
Behind the Scenes
Brian Henson said about the decision to put the Muppets in another TV series, "We were waiting until enough time had passed from the original 'Muppet Show' where we didn't feel like we were doing something that we had already done once."[2]
Reruns
Reruns of Muppets Tonight aired in syndication in countries outside of the United States, though, often packaged with the MuppetTelevision segments of The Jim Henson Hour (retitled The Jim Henson Show), and episodes of The Muppet Show.
Trivia
- Kevin Clash has suggested that Jim Henson was planning the next Muppet series, after The Jim Henson Hour's end, including Clifford's leading role. (YouTube)
- The show was at first going to be titled "Muppets Live!"[3][4][5][6]Another working title was "The New Muppet Show." Also in a taped presentation, Gonzo suggested a surefire alternative: "Roseanne's Funniest Home Improvements, She Wrote"[7] (referencing then-popular television series Roseanne, America's Funniest Home Videos, Home Improvement, and Murder, She Wrote).
Credits
- Executive Producers: Brian Henson, Dick Blasucci
- Producer: Martin G. Baker
- Directors: Greg V. Fera, Gary Halvorson, Brian Henson, Tom Trbovich
- Writers: Dick Blasucci, Paul Flaherty, Darin Henry, Jim Lewis, Kirk Thatcher and Patric Verrone
- Puppeteers: Kevin Clash, Bill Barretta, Steve Whitmire, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Jerry Nelson, Brian Henson
- Additional Puppeteers: Leslie Carrara-Rudolph, Phil Baron, Thom Fountain, Bruce Lanoil, Doug Legacy, Len Levitt, Drew Massey, Joe Selph, Leif Tilden, Allan Trautman, Tim Blaney, Kevin Carlson, Steven Ritz-Barr, John Kennedy, David Rudman (episode 201), Brad Abrell (season 2), Julianne Buescher (season 2), Terri Hardin (season 2), Alice Dinnean-Vernon (season 2), Paul Hartis, Mary Brehmer, John Henson (episode 206),
- Musical Director: Richard Gibbs
- Music Coordinator: Paul Rudolph
- Costume Designer: Polly Smith
- Designers: Amy Van Gilder, Fred Buchholz, Mary Brehmer, Jane Cootnick, Matthew Brooks, James Haves, Henri Ewaskio, Heather Henson, Ronald Binion, Janet Kuhl
- Executive Consultant: Frank Oz
Gallery
See also
- Muppets Tonight Episodes
- Muppets Tonight UK Spots
- Muppets Tonight Promos
- Muppets Tonight TGIF Bumpers
Sources
- ↑ KUER RM Radio interview
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Rome News-Tribune: Henson's muppets return to television
- ↑ The New York Times: Henson's Son Builds on Muppets Tradition
- ↑ The News-Journal: Muppets back on TV
- ↑ Bangor Daily News: ABC, Henson sign 5-year Deal
- ↑ Sun Journal: Kermit, Miss Piggy, rest Of crew returning in new 'Muppets' series
- ↑ The Milwaukee Journal: Son Of The Muppets' Late Creator At Helm Of New Series. Kermit makes a comeback