Such was not the case 25 years ago, when the program literally had something for everyone, from little kids to retirees (who were huge fans of the show). Its clever premise has Kermit the Frog (Henson) staging a weekly musical-comedy revue in an old vaudeville-type theater. In front of a "live" audiences, including heckling geezers Statler (Richard Hunt) and Waldorf (also Henson), Kermit must contend with prima donna Miss Piggy (Oz), desperately unfunny comic Fozzie (also Oz), specialty act Gonzo the Great (Dave Goelz), insane hippie drummer Animal (Oz), and many others. Episodes also revolve around the visiting guest star's encounters with the cast, and there's usually some other story thread, often one sending Kermit scrambling to resolve backstage.

Except for Kermit and Rowlf (Henson), a piano-playing dog, nearly all the other now famous characters were first introduced on The Muppet Show, and many understandably became instant "stars." Miss Piggy, Fozzie, and Animal seem to have been the most popular, though Gonzo is a wonderfully oddball creation, and other continuing characters like The Swedish Chef (Henson and Oz), Dr. Bunsun Honeydew (Goelz) and his assistant Beaker (Hunt) were memorable in their own right. The cast of puppeteers and voice artists do an incredible job making these characters come alive. It's really amazing just how expressive, for instance, Henson was with Rowlf, a very simple puppet with but hands and a mouth that could open and close. The thing can't even blink, yet Henson was able to create the illusion of a living, breathing creature.

Some of the one-shot creations for The Muppet Show likewise exhibit the creators' ingenuity as they move well beyond basic hand-puppet characters. Similarly, the show works hard to present the Muppets in ways that belie their manipulation and a lot of their work here anticipates the sometimes-startling achievements in the later Muppet movies. The down side to all this is that generally the show now appears rather ordinary compared with everything the Henson company has done since.

What's still impressive about The Muppet Show is how it appealed to all age groups by including music running the gamut from Gilbert and Sullivan to British musical hall (such as "My Old Man Said Follow the Band") and cowboy songs to acid rock. In no small way The Muppet Show reintroduced popular standards like "I Won't Dance" to new generations, and kept them in the public consciousness. Today though, a little of these numbers goes a long way, especially as they tend be rendered in the same, slightly-campy style. The same holds true with the timeworn Berle-esque puns that permeate the sketches and offstage antics.

Best of the Muppet Show contains three episodes from the program's second season, guest starring George Burns, Dom DeLuise, and Bob Hope. Each show is preceded by an unnecessary and often annoying introduction by Brian Henson, Jim's son. They offer a minimum of insight in the show's creation but a lot of spoilers. The George Burns intro, for instance, features a clip of a funny exchange between Burns and Gonzo (with Gonzo in the Gracie Allen role) that is repeated and whose effect is thereby lessened less than a minute later.

The Bob Hope show is a disappointment. Apparently the comedian's busy schedule, which is a running gag on the episode, proved literally true, and his appearance is limited to one skit (where he sings "Don't Fence Me In" on a Muppet horse) and a few exchanges with Kermit. As he always did later in life, Hope clearly is reading cue cards, often looking a good foot above Kermit's head as he "ad-libs" with the talking frog. Of the three guest stars, Dom DeLuise interacts best with the Muppet cast; his freewheeling style and energy are better attuned to the show's antics, and he more readily adapts to the show rather than the other way round.

The Video & Audio for The Muppet Show looks about as good as one can expect for a 25-year-old program shot on videotape. The image is reasonably clear overall, but is unlikely top anyone's home theater demo list. The mono sound is okay, but brings with it the obvious limitations to the musical numbers and those sketches incorporating Muppety sound effects.

Extras

Beyond Brian Henson's introductions, extras include a "From the Archives" production sketch of the horse Muppet used in the Hope episode. There are also two newly shot bits featuring the Muppets. The first is "Movie Mania," in which characters "screen test" for the role of Ricky Ricardo on I Love Lucy. The second, whose presence is frankly baffling, is a 30-second TV spot, a "Muppetism" featuring Kermit. Columbia/TriStar has also tacked on ads for four of its family titles, accessible via the main menu.