The Muppet Show
A comedy-variety television series created by Jim Henson, featuring the Muppets performing sketches and musical numbers before a live audience.
Kermit the Frog: A green Muppet frog who serves as the principal host of The Muppet Show. Kermit tries to keep the performances and backstage chaos moving as the show's host.
Variety show: An entertainment program that combines distinct acts such as comedy, music, dance, and novelty performances. The series adapts this format around Muppet characters and a fictional theater.
Jim Henson: An American puppeteer, filmmaker, and television producer who created the Muppets. Henson created the characters and developed the series' performance style.
The Muppet Movie: A 1979 musical comedy film in which the Muppets travel to Hollywood to pursue a movie career. The film carried the television troupe into a feature-length story and theatrical release.
The Muppet Show season 1: The first season of The Muppet Show, broadcast in 1976–1977. Its episodes establish the theater setting, core cast, and guest-star format.
Fozzie Bear: A Muppet comedian known for telling jokes that often meet with groans or heckling. His stand-up routines turn the theater audience's reactions into part of the comedy.
Backstage musical: A musical or theatrical story in which rehearsals and production life form part of the plot. Backstage scenes connect the guest's acts and expose the troupe's feuds and mishaps.
Sam and Friends: A live television program created by Jim Henson and broadcast in Washington, D.C., from 1955 to 1961. This early program established Henson's television puppetry and introduced Kermit.
Muppet Babies: An animated television series imagining the Muppet characters as young children. The show's popularity helped support spin-offs that reinterpreted its established characters.
The Muppet Show season 2: The second season of The Muppet Show, broadcast in 1977–1978. The season demonstrates the format's continued range of celebrity guests and musical styles.