Muppets Tonight



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.

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.

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".

Muppets Tonight introduced many new Muppet characters: Pepe the King Prawn, Johnny Fiama, Sal Minella, Bobo the Bear, Seymour, Nigel, Spamela Hamderson, A. Ligator, Mr. Poodlepants, Andy and Randy Pig, Ernst Stavros Grouper, Zippity Zap, Snorty, Captain Pighead, Craniac, Dr. Phil Van Neuter, Dr. Pain, Muppets Tonight Band, Muppets Tonight floor manager, Muppets Tonight Writers, Bill the Bubble Guy, The Cow Announcer, and Elvises. The show also featured regular appearances from classic characters, such as Kermit the Frog, Gonzo, Rizzo the Rat, Statler and Waldorf and Miss Piggy.

Episode Listing
Season 1 (ABC):
 * Episode 101: Michelle Pfeiffer - 3/8/1996
 * Episode 102: Garth Brooks - 3/15/1996
 * Episode 103: Billy Crystal - 3/22/1996
 * Episode 104: John Goodman - 3/29/1996
 * Episode 105: Cindy Crawford - 4/5/1996
 * Episode 106: Tony Bennett - 4/12/1996
 * Episode 107: Sandra Bullock - 6/23/1996
 * Episode 108: Jason Alexander - 6/30/1996
 * Episode 109: Whoopi Goldberg - 7/7/1996
 * Episode 110: Martin Short - 7/14/1996

Season 2 (Disney Channel):
 * Episode 201: The Artist Formerly Known As Prince - 9/13/1997
 * Episode 202: Rick Moranis - 9/14/1997
 * Episode 203: Heather Locklear - 9/21/1997
 * Episode 204: Pierce Brosnan - 10/12/1997
 * Episode 205: Coolio & Don Rickles - 10/19/1997
 * Episode 206: Paula Abdul - 11/2/1997
 * Episode 207: Dennis Quaid - 11/16/1997
 * Episode 208: The Cameo Show - 12/7/1997
 * Episode 209: The Best of Muppets Tonight - 12/21/1997
 * Episode 210: The Gary Cahuenga Episode - 12/27/1997
 * Episode 211: Andie MacDowell - 1/4/1998
 * Episode 212: Daryl Hannah - 2/8/1998