The Muppet Show: Season One

Produced by:	Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Release Date:	August 9, 2005 (US) November 14, 2005 (UK)
Discs:	4
Region:	1 (US) 2 (UK)

The Muppet Show: Season One is a 2005 four-disc DVD set collecting all twenty-four episodes of the first season of The Muppet Show for the first time. All twenty-four episodes were digitally enhanced, cleaned, and touched-up from the original show masters. It was released in the UK as The Muppet Show: Series One.

The episodes are presented with the original first season openings, which have not been seen since the 1990s, when they were replaced on first season episode reruns and home video releases by the second season openings.

In addition, the set contains all twenty-four UK Spots, sketches that were not initially intended to be aired in the United States and that have only been seen in selected reruns, compilations, and home video releases.

Several edits made to the episodes due, in part, to music licensing issues, are detailed below. Most of the edited episodes appear fully intact on the German release, including the optional English sound track.

Disc FeaturesEdit

Disc 1Edit

Bonus Features:

Muppet Morsels pop-up trivia track on each episode

Live-Video Menus featuring Statler and Waldorf

Disc 2Edit

Bonus Features:

Muppet Morsels pop-up trivia track on each episode

Live-Video Menus featuring Statler and Waldorf

Disc 3Edit

Bonus Features:

Muppet Morsels pop-up trivia track on each episode

Live-Video Menus featuring Statler and Waldorf

Disc 4Edit

Bonus Features:

Muppet Morsels pop-up trivia track on each episode

Live-Video Menus featuring Statler and Waldorf

The Muppet Show Pitch Reel

Original Pilot: The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence

Season One Promo Gag Reel: Original Season 1 Promos

Packaging and MenusEdit

In North America and other regions, a limited run of a "furry" felt-covered box was created for the inital release. All subsquent printings of the set featured a flat cardboard box with the same design. The discs feature Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, and Gonzo laid in a overlapping digi-pack disc design decorated to look like the curtain from the Muppet Theater.

In the United Kingdom, the box set has the option to hear The Muppet Show in French on all 24 shows, Charles Aznavour and Peter Ustinov dubs their own voices in these episodes.

EditsEdit

The following edits were made to episodes in the set.

Episode 101: Juliet Prowse

The pilot version is not included with the other episodes.

Episode 102: Connie Stevens

The pilot version is not included with the other episodes
There is no fade to black between "Some Enchanted Evening" and the goodnights.

Episode 103: Joel Grey

"Stormy Weather" with introduction by Sam the Eagle
Muppet News Flash: Boffo the Human Cannonball and City Held Hostage
Balcony scene featuring Statler and Waldorf after the number "Razzle Dazzle"
The one-frame shot of Zoot and Crazy Harry between Animal and Rowlf's shot in the opening

It is speculated that the News Flashes and Balcony scene are missing owing to Disney mistakenly using a tape containing an earlier edit of this episode, especially since both News Flashes were late additions to the episode.

Episode 104: Ruth Buzzi

There is no fade to black between "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" and the UK spot

Episode 106: Jim Nabors

"Gone with the Wind" with introduction by Kermit
"The Danceros" with introduction with Kermit and backstage scene with Scooter

Episode 108: Paul Williams

"All of Me" with introduction by Kermit

Episode 109: Charles Aznavour

"The Old Fashioned Way" with introduction by Kermit

Episode 119: Vincent Price

"You've Got a Friend" with introduction by Kermit

In addition, Kermit's closing line was cut from "The Original Pitch Tape." At the end of the original pitch, Kermit appeared and inquired, "What the hell was that all about?"

The German release presents most of the episodes intact, with the few exceptions being the Joel Grey episode (still missing both Muppet News Flash segments and the balcony scene after "Razzle Dazzle") the Connie Stevens episode (still missing the fade to black between "Some Enchanted Evening" and the goodnights), as well as Kermit's closing line, still cut from "The Original Pitch Tape."

NotesEdit

Eleven of the episodes on this set have the UK version of the closing credits.

LogosEdit

An eight-second "Muppet Studios" logo with music is shown before each episode. There are no chapters within each episode, but there is a "play all" feature on each disc. Due to ownership change, the original closing shot of Zoot with the ITC logo is not included on this set. Instead, the episodes feature a shot of Zoot from the 1980s with The Muppets Holding Company information. On several episodes on the German release, the ITC logo shot with Zoot appears intact.