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Soul Man was an ABC sitcom which ran from April 15, 1997 to September 15, 1998. The series starred Dan Aykroyd as Episcopal minister Rev. Mike Weber.

In the episode "The Stan Plan," which aired on February 10, 1998 as part of the network's "sweeps" programming, Caroll Spinney guest starred as Big Bird. The plot revolved around Rev. Mike trying to get tickets to take his son to see Big Bird, with the help of his army buddy Stan (John Goodman). Newspaper reviews and television promos emphasized Big Bird's appearance over Goodman's.