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The Best Episodes of The Muppet Show Season 1

Every episode of The Muppet Show Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Muppet Show Season 1!

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Go behind the curtains as Kermit the Frog and his muppet friends struggle to put on a weekly variety show.

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  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    The Muppet Show Season 1 Episode 1 - Joel Grey
    7.7/10(512 votes)

    #1 - Joel Grey

    S1:E1

    Fozzie works on a new act -- jokes on any subject -- and drives everyone crazy. Finally, he gets on stage and asks for any word. Statler and Waldorf call his bluff by yelling out: "Amoeba!"

    Director:Peter Harris
    Writers:Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London

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  2. The Muppet Show Season 1 Episode 2 - Rita Moreno
    7.6/10(396 votes)

    #2 - Rita Moreno

    S1:E2

    Fozzie Bear becomes embroiled in a running gag involving the backstage phone. Throughout the episode, Rita parodies her combative image. She battles with several Muppets, including Miss Piggy, a Full-Bodied Muppet, and Animal, who's backing her on drums in her closing number, "Fever."

    Director:Peter Harris
    Writers:Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London

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  3. The Muppet Show Season 1 Episode 3 - Sandy Duncan
    7.1/10(391 votes)

    #3 - Sandy Duncan

    S1:E3

    Fozzie performs Gags Beasley's famous "banana sketch," which everyone has heard of except Kermit. When Kermit asks Sandy and Fozzie to tell him what it is, they laugh too hard to explain it.

    Director:Peter Harris
    Writers:Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London

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  4. The Muppet Show Season 1 Episode 4 - Jim Nabors
    7.2/10(347 votes)

    #4 - Jim Nabors

    S1:E4

    A young kid named Scooter applies for a job as a go-fer. When Kermit remarks that he doesn't even look like a gopher, Scooter explains that he'll go-fer coffee, he'll go-fer sandwiches, he'll go-fer anything. Kermit says he doesn't have the money to hire him, until Scooter mentions that his uncle owns the theater.

    Director:Peter Harris
    Writers:Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London

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  5. The Muppet Show Season 1 Episode 5 - Ruth Buzzi
    8.1/10(416 votes)

    #5 - Ruth Buzzi

    S1:E5

    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
    Writers:Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London

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  6. The Muppet Show Season 1 Episode 6 - Paul Williams
    7.0/10(344 votes)

    #6 - Paul Williams

    S1:E6

    Scooter talks Fozzie into doing "the telephone pole bit," and Fozzie practices dutifully until he finds out what the bit is: Fozzie dresses up as a public telephone, and Scooter asks what his name is. "Mike Oznowiczki," Fozzie says, and Scooter exclaims, "Oh, so you're the telephone Pole!"

    Director:Peter Harris
    Writers:Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London

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    The 20 BEST Episodes of The Muppet Show

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  7. The Muppet Show Season 1 Episode 7 - Florence Henderson
    7.3/10(311 votes)

    #7 - Florence Henderson

    S1:E7

    The Muppet Theatre is plagued by a variety of pig-related problems, both onstage and off. First, The Bouncing Borsalino Brothers flub their act and crash through the stage floor. Backstage, Miss Piggy throws herself at an uninterested Kermit and then jealously interrupts his onstage Talk Spot, physically threatening guest star Florence Henderson, whom she thinks is horning in on her frog. The feud continues in the Panel Discussion as Florence throws pig slurs around.

    Director:Peter Harris
    Writers:Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London

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  8. The Muppet Show Season 1 Episode 8 - Peter Ustinov
    7.6/10(315 votes)

    #8 - Peter Ustinov

    S1:E8

    Kermit becomes jealous when Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Hilda and Scooter rave about Peter Ustinov. At the end, Peter admits that he's jealous of Kermit; he's always wanted to be a frog.

    Director:Peter Harris
    Writers:Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London

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  9. The Muppet Show Season 1 Episode 9 - Lena Horne
    7.0/10(287 votes)

    #9 - Lena Horne

    S1:E9

    Kermit cuts Miss Piggy's scheduled song so she won't look foolish following Lena Horne. He tells her that "there are singers and there are singers," making her think that he doesn't want her to show up Lena.

    Director:Peter Harris
    Writers:Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London

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  10. The Muppet Show Season 1 Episode 10 - Harvey Korman
    7.5/10(289 votes)

    #10 - Harvey Korman

    S1:E10

    Embarrassed about being the "token person" on the show, Harvey is dressed up as a giant chicken.

    Director:Peter Harris
    Writers:Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London

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  11. The Muppet Show Season 1 Episode 11 - Candice Bergen
    7.5/10(275 votes)

    #11 - Candice Bergen

    S1:E11

    Fozzie brings a series of deliveries to Kermit, pestering the frog with lousy gags.

    Director:Peter Harris
    Writers:Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London

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  12. The Muppet Show Season 1 Episode 12 - Ben Vereen
    7.7/10(274 votes)

    #12 - Ben Vereen

    S1:E12

    Fozzie gets stuck in a magician's trick cabinet. The cabinet is dragged onstage so that he can perform his act -- and at the end of the act, two pig stagehands tip the box over so he can take a bow. Crazy Harry, who makes frequent appearances (and frequent explosions) during the show, blows up the cage before the end of the show so that Fozzie can escape.

    Director:Peter Harris
    Writers:Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London

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  13. The Muppet Show Season 1 Episode 13 - Charles Aznavour
    7.3/10(252 votes)

    #13 - Charles Aznavour

    S1:E13

    When he's unable to get a spot on the show, Gonzo asks Scooter to be his manager. Scooter advises Gonzo to do a rock act, banging on a large rock with a mallet. Later, Gonzo tries his hand at female impersonation, wearing a dress and a blonde wig. Scooter gives up managing when Gonzo eats his contract.

    Director:Peter Harris
    Writers:Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London

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  14. The Muppet Show Season 1 Episode 14 - Phyllis Diller
    7.4/10(276 votes)

    #14 - Phyllis Diller

    S1:E14

    Aging wardrobe woman Hilda puts on a wig and makeup to try to make herself look younger. She is spotlighted in a backstage plot for the first and last time.

    Director:Peter Harris
    Writers:Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London

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  15. The Muppet Show Season 1 Episode 15 - Avery Schreiber
    7.5/10(263 votes)

    #15 - Avery Schreiber

    S1:E15

    To make Kermit jealous, Miss Piggy instructs Scooter to tell him that Avery is in love with her. Kermit finds out that it's all a trick, and Piggy karate-chops everybody.

    Director:Peter Harris
    Writers:Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London

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  16. The Muppet Show Season 1 Episode 16 - Twiggy
    7.4/10(236 votes)

    #16 - Twiggy

    S1:E16

    Kermit is skeptical when everyone backstage is terrorized by "the Phantom of the Muppet Show." There turns out to be one, though -- Uncle Deadly, a monster-actor who performed in the theater years ago. After being panned by the critics, he vowed never to perform there again, and not to let anyone else perform either. He warns the Muppets, "Leave or be doomed!"

    Director:Peter Harris
    Writers:Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London

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  17. The Muppet Show Season 1 Episode 17 - Valerie Harper
    7.5/10(231 votes)

    #17 - Valerie Harper

    S1:E17

    This is one of only a few Muppet Show episodes that open the show after the theme song with some kind of offstage scene. There's also a couple of scenes with the guest star in her dressing room conversing with Muppets instead of onstage in the Talk Spot. In last week's "At The Dance", Boppity danced in drag with another monster. This week Boppity appears as normal but his partner is in drag. In both instances, he ends up headless.

    Director:Peter Harris
    Writers:Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London

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  18. The Muppet Show Season 1 Episode 18 - Mummenschanz
    7.5/10(237 votes)

    #18 - Mummenschanz

    S1:E18

    Miss Piggy is repulsed when Gonzo tells her that he loves her. Kermit tries to help by asking Piggy if she would like to go to dinner -- and when she accepts, he fixes her up with Gonzo. Everybody gets karate-chopped.

    Director:Peter Harris
    Writers:Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London

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  19. The Muppet Show Season 1 Episode 19 - Juliet Prowse
    8.3/10(359 votes)

    #19 - Juliet Prowse

    S1:E19

    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
    Writers:Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London

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  20. The Muppet Show Season 1 Episode 20 - Kaye Ballard
    7.4/10(229 votes)

    #20 - Kaye Ballard

    S1:E20

    Tired of the "embarrassingly square" theme song, bass player Floyd Pepper informs Kermit that he and the rest of the orchestra pit (except Rowlf) are quitting. Kermit says their conductor Nigel will write a new theme, but Floyd refuses: "He wrote the first one, man." Floyd performs his idea for a new theme, a dreadful Zappa-esque piece called "Fugue for Frog." Kermit won't use it and refuses that Floyd submits to Kaye Ballard a petition about the theme song, so the band leaves. The closing theme is performed solo by Rowlf on the piano.

    Director:Peter Harris
    Writers:Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London

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  21. The Muppet Show Season 1 Episode 21 - Bruce Forsyth
    7.4/10(238 votes)

    #21 - Bruce Forsyth

    S1:E21

    Fozzie Bear has a plan to get back at Statler and Waldorf when he does his act, but is crushed when he's replaced by Bruce Forsyth. Fozzie throws some nasty jokes and, for the first (and last) time, leaves the two old codgers speechless. Then Fozzie and Bruce end up performing together, and sing "Side by Side." A duck appears frequently in the sketches and skits.

    Director:Peter Harris
    Writers:Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London

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  22. The Muppet Show Season 1 Episode 22 - Ethel Merman
    7.6/10(236 votes)

    #22 - Ethel Merman

    S1:E22

    Fozzie's agent, Irving Bizarre, negotiates Fozzie's contract with Kermit. Kermit ends up offering Fozzie ten times as much money; unfortunately, Fozzie made nothing before. "Yeah, and don't forget," Irving says, "I get ten percent of that."

    Director:Peter Harris
    Writers:Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London

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  23. The Muppet Show Season 1 Episode 23 - Connie Stevens
    7.1/10(222 votes)

    #23 - Connie Stevens

    S1:E23

    When Fozzie overhears Hilda, Kermit, and Scooter talking about getting rid of "that bear," he thinks they're talking about him, only to find out later it's actually Gonzo's teddy bear that everyone is badmouthing.

    Director:Peter Harris
    Writers:Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl

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  24. The Muppet Show Season 1 Episode 24 - Vincent Price
    7.4/10(244 votes)

    #24 - Vincent Price

    S1:E24

    In honor of guest star Vincent Price, the show is filled with monsters, ghosts, bats, vampires and spooky situations. A three-headed monster auditions for the show: "We sing!" "No, we dance!" "No, we tell jokes!"

    Director:Peter Harris
    Writers:Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"Joel Grey" is the best rated episode of "The Muppet Show" season 1. It scored 7.7/10 based on 512 votes. Directed by Peter Harris and written by Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London, it aired on 9/5/1976. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "Rita Moreno".