It’s a booooooooooooo-nus episode about the new Disney+ special, Muppets Haunted Mansion! Join your grim grinning hosts as we try to make sense of our feelings about this very strange mix of Disney Parks commercial, classic Muppet bits, highly specific references that may or may not be jokes aimed directly at the venn diagram of our interests, and…Gonzo confronting his mortality in deeply upsetting ways? You know, for kids! https://muppeturgy.com/episodes/haunted-mansion

Balancing all the elements in a Muppet Show episode is tricky. Some might say it’s as shaky as King Henry the VIII…wait, what? This wasn’t any of our favorite episode but it did have its high points, like Muppy being adorable, and the first appearance of Beaker! Plus our own very special guest star, Ben Liebert! https://muppeturgy.com/episodes/zero-mostel

We’re back! It’s season two and The Muppet Show is starting to take the form we all remember. 15 seconds to curtain! The arches! Gonzo’s trumpet! Beaker! (Next week.) Uh…nightmare gingerbread people? Horrifying music hall numbers? Deeply stressful mental breakdowns? Hey look, a puppy! Aw, a tribble/fizzgig thing! We’re gonna be okay. Let’s pour one out for Mildred, George, Wayne, and Wanda, and welcome TV legend Don Knotts for season two of The Muppet Show — YAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY! (A thing Kermit doesn’t actually say yet.) https://muppeturgy.com/episodes/don-knotts

This episode is super late! We weren’t abducted by Swiss mimes, nor did they put us off this project entirely, we just had some scheduling issues. And now we’re back and super excited to bring you this extra dose of pedantry and fish puns. This episode is packed with 70s nightmare fuel (but you know, for kids!), plus Gonzo is horny for Piggy, Scooter is horny for Floyd, Statler is horny for Waldorf, and we all have some feelings about microscopic water bears. Listen and learn! GIFs and more tardigrade facts at https://muppeturgy.com/episodes/mummenschanz

And now that we’re back…we’re taking a little break before season 2. So make sure to subscribe so you get the next episode as soon as it drops!

We’re not gonna lie: we’re tired this week, and we wonder if the Muppet People were too as they got to the end of this season in 1976. This episode should work. It has a classic backstage plot and a game guest star. But like one of Vend-A-Face’s customers, the parts don’t quite come together and it’s all a little…one note. https://muppeturgy.com/episodes/kaye-ballard

As you may have heard, there’s no business like show business. Kermit and Fozzie lean into the business side with some intense contract negotiations, while the legendary Ethel Merman brings the show. It’s a surprisingly sweet episode for a guest star known for being so brassy, and the Muppets petty starstruck by the living legend in their presence. Are we starstruck by our guest, award-winning actor/singer/writer/comedian Larry Owens? Listen and find out! https://muppeturgy.com/episodes/ethel-merman

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You might not expect an episode featuring British supermodel, actress and pop star Twiggy to also feature what our esteemed guest, NPR’s Glen Weldon, called “a disquieting gay pride Langolier,” a potentially nightmare-inducing (for small children or fans of continuity) Uncle Deadly threatening to literally murder Kermit, and (sigh) the Gogolala Jubilee Jugband, but here we are. Okay, it doesn’t sound like it but we really liked this episode! It’s so much fun it should be…ill eagle. https://muppeturgy.com/episodes/twiggy

Valerie Harper proves she’s a Broadway Baby and a total Muppet freak while Statler fails to prove worthy of her love…and also Tarzan’s? Rhoda expert Jennifer Keishin Armstrong joins us for some frank talk about creepy Muppets and how Rowlf makes us feel (spoiler: not creepy). As always, tons more at https://muppeturgy.com/episodes/valerie-harper

Just in time for Pride, 2021 or Groundhog Day, 1977 it’s…a super spooky Halloween episode? Whatever the season, we loved this episode, the first theme episode of The Muppet Show’s run. Vincent Price is a great guest, fully embracing the Muppet ethos and bringing his own creepy/campy/fun sensibility. Plus the first appearance of Uncle Deadly and a Droop sighting! We wouldn’t have minded some better singing but at some point beggars can’t be choosers. https://muppeturgy.com/episodes/vincent-price

The backstage plot could stand to have some work done, though as always we love Hilda just the way she is. We also love the great Phyllis Diller, who is our favorite Muppet of the week despite quite clearly being a human. Her chemistry with Fozzie and Rowlf is a joy to behold, and her laugh is infectious. We loved this episode. Just don’t ask about the feet. https://muppeturgy.com/episodes/phyllis-diller