The Muppet Show Season 3: Good For Me, Good For America

Season 3 of The Muppet Show comes out on DVD May 20, which is TODAY! Or, depending on when you read this, yesterday. Or two days ago or three days ago or five years ago if you read this in 2013. But the point is, I'm happier than a termite at a ventriloquist's dummy convention about the new DVDs, and I can't wait to hold Fozzie's huge face in my hands.

The season three shows I'm familiar with are full of hilarious/bizarre stuff. Pigs sing in Hawaiian! Gonzo falls in love with Big Bird! Miss Piggy sells her soul to a rock star! All these moments are terrific, but they're not the only reason I'm jazzed. See, I've been looking over the list of episodes over at Muppet Wiki, and I realized that almost half of these are episodes I've never seen before.

The third season was when The Muppet Show got all country & western, so many of the new-to-me episodes are the ones guest-starring country singers, like Kris Kristofferson (whose hits include "Help Me Make It Through the Night"), Roy Clark (whose hits include "Yesterday When I Was Young"), and Jean Stapleton (whose hits include "Boot Scootin' Boogie").

Other never-seen-by-me episodes include the ones guest-starring Cheryl Ladd, who is my third favorite Charlie's Angel, and Elke Sommer, whom I know nothing about. I think she's an actress, unless "Elke" is a man's name, in which case she's probably not an actress.

Maybe one of these episodes will have the funniest Veterinarian's Hosptial sketch ever. Maybe one of them will feature a musical number that will become my new favorite Muppet song. Maybe some of the non-comedian guest stars will surprise and delight me with their ability to share the stage with Muppets. I won't know until I watch the DVDs. Still, I can be certain of one thing: I will like these episodes of The Muppet Show.

I don't have to tell you that these are uncertain times we live in. Prices are up on every single thing that costs money, the airline industry and the housing market are both in dire straits, and nobody knows just what is wrong with Paula Abdul.

So it's incredibly comforting to know that I can purchase season three of The Muppet Show secure in the knowledge that it will be a good investment. I have no idea what gas prices will be tomorrow, but I know that The Muppet Show will make me chuckle and snicker and guffaw and sing along. When I get my DVDs home today, I can forget about plagues, famine and pestilence for a while and just get a kick out of Fozzie's bumbling attempts to write the script for the Harry Belafonte episode.

In these trying times, the Muppets are a sure thing. I, for one, plan on voting for these new DVDs for president in 2008, and I invite you all to do the same. Frog bless America.

Click here to discuss the season 3 DVDs on the Tough Pigs forum!

ToughPigsRyan@yahoo.com