8.5/10344 votesLoading...#1 - Christopher Reeve
Season 4 Episode 17 - Aired 2/15/1980
Everyone has a superhero bug, donning costumes and trying acts to impress the star of Superman: The Movie.
Director: Peter Harris
Writer: Don Hinkley, Jerry Juhl, Jim Henson, David Odell
8.4/10279 votesLoading...#2 - Peter Sellers
Season 2 Episode 14 - Aired 1/1/1978
Sketches/Songs: "A Gypsy's Violin", "When", "Down Memory Lane", Masseur sketch, "It's Not Easy Bein' Green", "Muppet Labs", "Cigarettes & Whiskey"
Director: Peter Harris
Writer: Don Hinkley, Jerry Juhl, Jim Henson, Joseph A. Bailey
8.4/10231 votesLoading...#3 - Sylvester Stallone
Season 3 Episode 14 - Aired 2/9/1979
Sketches/Songs: ""Hawaiian War Chant"", ""Let's Call the Whole Thing Off"", ""Lady Be Good"", ""The William Tell Overture"", ""Veterinarian's Hospital"", Fozzie's Act, ""Bird in a Gilded Cage""
Director: Philip Casson
Writer: Don Hinkley, Chris Langham, Jerry Juhl, Jim Henson
8.3/10338 votesLoading...#4 - Juliet Prowse
Season 1 Episode 19 - Aired 1/16/1977
Muppy, the favorite pet of The Muppet Theatre owner J. P. Grosse, becomes a prima donna when Kermit reluctantly allows him to do a musical number with Scooter. Muppy even gets his own dressing room and star billing, but Kermit draws the line when the dog asks to change the show's title to The Muppy Show. When Muppy locks himself in his dressing room and refuses to perform, Scooter does the number with Fozzie instead.
Director: Peter Harris
Writer: Marc London, Jack Burns, Jerry Juhl, Jim Henson
8.3/10270 votesLoading...#5 - Danny Kaye
Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 12/25/1978
Sketches/Songs: "Aquarius," "Lunchtime," "Cheek to Cheek," "Jogging," "Swedish Chef," "The Flying Zucchini Brothers," "The Municipal Vermin Abatement Code," "Inchworm"
Director: Philip Casson
Writer: Don Hinkley, Chris Langham, Jerry Juhl, Jim Henson
8.3/10186 votesLoading...#6 - Roy Rogers & Dale Evans
Season 3 Episode 16 - Aired 2/23/1979
Sketches/Songs: ""Blue Skies"", ""Skyball Paint"", ""Muppet Sports"", ""Deep in the Heart of Texas"", ""A Four Legged Friend"", ""Bear on Patrol"", Cowboy and Skyball sketch, ""Medley""
Director: Peter Harris
Writer: Don Hinkley, Chris Langham, Jerry Juhl, Jim Henson
8.3/10167 votesLoading...#7 - Hal Linden
Season 5 Episode 15 - Aired 1/11/1981
Statler and Waldorf get their chance to do a better show than Kermit--they play host, while Kermit and Fozzie heckle from the balcony. Unfortunately, Statler and Waldorf's acts don't turn out exactly as they plan. The Berlin National Opera Company cancels and are replaced by the Salzburg Sauerkraut Singers. Hal's Fourth of July number is invaded by Gonzo on a sleigh singing Christmas songs. Finally, Statler and Waldorf admit that the show is harder to put together than it looks and happily go back to complaining from the balcony.
Director: Philip Casson
Writer: Jim Henson, Don Hinkley, Jerry Juhl, Chris Langham, David Odell
8.2/10221 votesLoading...#8 - Don Knotts
Season 2 Episode 19 - Aired 2/5/1978
Sketches/Songs: "Cuento Le Gusta", "Train Back Home", "Chattanooga Choo Choo", "Veterinarian's Hospital", "Wotcher (Knocked 'Em in the Old Kent Road)", "I Won't Dance", "World's Most Powerful Explosive", "Medley"
Director: Peter Harris
Writer: Don Hinkley, Jerry Juhl, Jim Henson, Joseph A. Bailey
8.2/10193 votesLoading...#9 - James Coco
Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 12/8/1978
Sketches/Songs: ""Octopus's Garden"", ""The Medium"", ""Eight Little Notes"", ""Swedish Chef"", ""Catch a Falling Star"", ""Veterinarian's Hospital"", ""Short People""
Director: Philip Casson
Writer: Don Hinkley, Chris Langham, Jerry Juhl, Jim Henson
8.2/10170 votesLoading...#10 - Roger Moore
Season 5 Episode 1 - Aired 10/5/1980
Kermit calls the Secret Service to hire real spies for Roger's closing number. (They're listed in the Yellow Pages.) However, Roger wants to do a cute, cuddly version of "Talk to the Animals". The spies, anxious for a chance to rub out James Bond, pose as fluffy animals to infiltrate the number.
Director: Peter Harris
Writer: Don Hinkley, Chris Langham, Jerry Juhl, Jim Henson, David Odell
8.1/10396 votesLoading...#11 - Ruth Buzzi
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 10/3/1976
Scooter's uncle sends a mechanical, wind-up TV show host, an exact duplicate of Kermit. The robot harasses Kermit and flirts with Miss Piggy.
Director: Peter Harris
Writer: Marc London, Jack Burns, Jerry Juhl, Jim Henson
8.1/10266 votesLoading...#12 - Bernadette Peters
Season 2 Episode 8 - Aired 11/18/1977
Robin wants his own spot on the show, but his uncle Kermit doesn't even notice him with bigger costars like Thog, Sweetums, and Timmy stomping around. The little frog even tries to run away but just ends up locked in his own suitcase. When Bernadette Peters notices him and tries to cheer him up, however, Robin finds out that all the Muppets believe in him. He becomes so confident that he demands to sing "They Call the Wind Maria," but Kermit settles on a cute, little song called "I'm Five" instead.
Director: Peter Harris
Writer: Don Hinkley, Jerry Juhl, Jim Henson, Joseph A. Bailey
8.1/10208 votesLoading...#13 - Dom DeLuise
Season 2 Episode 9 - Aired 11/25/1977
Miss Piggy hires Scooter to pay off the audience to go wild for her. She also has him send her dozens of bouquets and write her piles of fan mail, all part of an attempt to get Kermit to notice her more. Piggy and Scooter stage a conversation for Kermit to overhear, in which she pretends to have an offer from another show, but Kermit isn't fooled. After finding out from Scooter what's really going on, he tells Piggy he's heard about her offer and has decided to let her go. When she breaks down in tears, sobbing that she can't leave him, Kermit agrees to take her back, but at a lower salary. After all, if she can afford to have Scooter pay off the audience for her... Miss Piggy gets hysterical and depressed, but is refreshed by Dom DeLuise.
Director: Philip Casson
Writer: Don Hinkley, Jerry Juhl, Jim Henson, Joseph A. Bailey
8.1/10221 votesLoading...#14 - Rudolf Nureyev
Season 2 Episode 17 - Aired 1/22/1978
Sketches/Songs: The Electric Mayhem, A Wagner opera performed, "Swine Lake", "Something's Missing", "Veterinarian's Hospital", "It's Cold Outside", "Clair De Lune", "Top Hat"
Director: Philip Casson
Writer: Don Hinkley, Jerry Juhl, Jim Henson, Joseph A. Bailey
8.1/10150 votesLoading...#15 - Mark Hamill
Season 4 Episode 19 - Aired 2/29/1980
The regularly-scheduled guest (a terrible singer) is bumped when four stars of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope suddenly appear in the theater. It's a natural for the Pigs in Space.
Director: Peter Harris
Writer: Don Hinkley, Jerry Juhl, Jim Henson, David Odell
8.1/10135 votesLoading...#16 - Mac Davis
Season 5 Episode 23 - Aired 3/8/1981
Beaker tests Muppet Labs' new copier machine, ultimately falling into it and making seven copies of himself. The multiple Beakers gang up on Bunsen, and the doctor is forced to wear a disguise and hide from his assistants.
Director: Peter Harris
Writer: Jim Henson, Don Hinkley, Jerry Juhl, Chris Langham, David Odell
8.1/10147 votesLoading...#17 - Shirley Bassey
Season 5 Episode 24 - Aired 3/15/1981
Kermit borrows fifty million dollars worth of gold for Shirley's closing number, "Goldfinger". Security guard Bruno is suspicious that Kermit wants to steal the gold, but keeping an eye on the frog makes him overlook a band of pig thieves, who steal all the gold as Shirley sings.
Director: Peter Harris
Writer: Jim Henson, Don Hinkley, Jerry Juhl, Chris Langham, David Odell
8.0/10216 votesLoading...#18 - Milton Berle
Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 10/14/1977
Fozzie Bear is so intimidated by the thought of meeting Milton Berle, "the King of Comics," that he spends the whole show hiding from the guest star. His flimsy disguises don't fool Kermit or Scooter, but when Fozzie finally overhears Milton saying that he'd like to do a song-and-dance with him, Fozzie springs out of hiding, and the pair performs "Top Banana" together in baggy pants and big shoes.
Director: Philip Casson
Writer: Don Hinkley, Jerry Juhl, Jim Henson, Joseph A. Bailey
8.0/10194 votesLoading...#19 - Lou Rawls
Season 2 Episode 12 - Aired 12/16/1977
Fozzie Bear has a new rollerskating act, but since he doesn't know how to skate, he spends the entire episode careening around backstage. He eventually manages to roll out onto the stage to tell his jokes, but when he gets too ambitious and tries to skate backwards on one leg, he falls off the stage.
Director: Philip Casson
Writer: Don Hinkley, Jerry Juhl, Jim Henson, Joseph A. Bailey
8.0/10165 votesLoading...#20 - Dudley Moore
Season 4 Episode 1 - Aired 10/24/1979
Dudley has a surprise for Kermit, a robot that can do the work of the entire band and of course the Electric Mayhem feel threatened by this fact.
Director: Philip Casson
Writer: Don Hinkley, Jerry Juhl, Jim Henson, David Odell
8.0/10123 votesLoading...#21 - Melissa Manchester
Season 5 Episode 7 - Aired 11/16/1980
Kermit is plagued by a night of backstage crises. A group of skiers get hurt during the opening number, and after Kermit says that the theater will cover their medical costs, Scooter forgets to cash the check. The Teeterini Family are angry that their teeter board won't fit on the stage. The Swedish Chef prepares spring chicken, and the bouncing chicken drives Kermit crazy. And let's not even talk about the blindfolded, hang-gliding yodelers.
Director: Peter Harris
Writer: Don Hinkley, Chris Langham, Jerry Juhl, Jim Henson, David Odell
8.0/10141 votesLoading...#22 - Joan Baez
Season 5 Episode 11 - Aired 12/14/1980
Rizzo and the other rats bother Kermit for a spot on the show, so Kermit asks Beauregard to "take care of them." Of course, Bo takes that literally, and treats them as guests. The rats make Beau their president, and manipulate him into giving them food. The rats eventually become so bold that they decide to take over the show. Kermit says Beau has to kick them out, or he goes with them. Beau chooses to stick with his new rat friends, until Miss Piggy enlightens him.
Director: Philip Casson
Writer: Jim Henson, Don Hinkley, Jerry Juhl, Chris Langham, David Odell
8.0/10121 votesLoading...#23 - Debbie Harry
Season 5 Episode 17 - Aired 1/25/1981
Robin's Frog Scout troop visits the show, getting in everyone's way backstage. They ask Debbie for help earning their punk merit badges, and she teaches them how to do the pogo. When Gonzo cancels his act, the Frog Scouts get their chance to do a performance of close-order drills.
Director: Philip Casson
Writer: Jim Henson, Don Hinkley, Jerry Juhl, Chris Langham, David Odell
8.0/10123 votesLoading...#24 - Chris Langham
Season 5 Episode 22 - Aired 3/1/1981
A messenger brings a message from the scheduled guest star -- Benny Brillstein, the Yiddish yodeler. Benny refuses to be on the show, so Kermit asks Chris, the messenger boy, to be the guest. Chris knows a joke, so Kermit introduces him as a comedian.
Director: Philip Casson
Writer: Jim Henson, Don Hinkley, Jerry Juhl, Chris Langham, David Odell
7.9/10196 votesLoading...#25 - Steve Martin
Season 2 Episode 11 - Aired 12/9/1977
Kermit cancels the show in order to audition new acts. Guest star Steve is angry at first, but he goes on to perform for the cast. Fozzie worries that Kermit plans to hire replacements, especially after the audition of a canine comedian, Baskerville the Hound. Kermit tells Fozzie that he should appreciate seeing another artist's work -- until Lenny the Lizard auditions as a new emcee. A young singing girl, called Mary/Terry/Carrie Louise, is systematically removed off, when she makes an attempt of audition with her croaking partner.
Director: Peter Harris
Writer: Don Hinkley, Jerry Juhl, Jim Henson, Joseph A. Bailey
The Best Episodes of The Muppet Show
Every episode of The Muppet Show ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The Muppet Show!
Go behind the curtains as Kermit the Frog and his muppet friends struggle to put on a weekly variety show.
Genres:KidsComedyFamily
Network:ITV1
Best Episodes Summary
"Christopher Reeve" is the best rated episode of "The Muppet Show". It scored 8.5/10 based on 344 votes. Directed by Peter Harris and written by Don Hinkley, Jerry Juhl, Jim Henson, David Odell, it aired on 2/15/1980. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Peter Sellers".