The Muppet Show, Season Two (1977 - DVD)

When I first saw Season 1 and Season 2 of The Muppet Show, I may have thought Season 1 was a little stronger overall, despite having an obviously lower budget. The rewatch of Season 2 revealed both that I had forgotten quite a bit about it and also that it was better than I may have originally given it credit for. Musically, Season 1 may still have it topped, but there are several classic episodes featuring outstanding performances from Elton John, Lou Rawls, Julie Andrews, and a sketch where Petula Clark sings and dances with a muppet many times her size.

For comedy, some of the best episodes were the Steven Martin one (which actually broke out of the normal format of the show), Dom DeLuise (the sketch where he loses control of the monsters at a "shelter" had me in stitches), Jaye P. Morgan (the confusion between her name and theater owner J.P. Grosse's name leads to an hilarious closing credits sequence), Peter Sellers (who reprises his Dr. Strangelove persona as a masseuse), John Cleese (as a pirate who mistakenly gets onboard the Swinetrek), Zero Mostel (great physical comedy in the "What Do the Simple Folk Do?" sketch), Nancy Walker (the Luncheon Counter Monster sketch is a classic), and Rudolf Nureyev (especially when he dances to Swan Lake with a person in a giant pig costume). Not to mention there are some major stars in this season, including Bob Hope and George Burns.

There's also more Muppet Labs with Bunsen and Beaker (Beaker was absent from Season 1), more Swedish Chef sketches, more craziness with the Electric Mayhem, including my personal favorite - Dr. Teeth performing Louis Armstrong's "Cheesecake" that I figured had to be based on a real song because it was too looney, even for this show. In short, there's nothing here that a Muppets fan won't like, and it's an easy entry point for those unfamiliar with them.
Rating: 4.5/5