Of Muppets and Men: The Making of “The Muppet Show”

A made-for-TV documentary
Released in 1981

Watch Time: 52 min

Of Muppets and Men is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of “The Muppet Show,” a TV series that ran from 1976 to 1981 and eventually became a prestige program for celebrities to appear on.

During its run, I wasn’t a regular viewer, but I admired it as an amazing cultural accomplishment, bringing a puppet show to tens of millions of people. I also liked the way it managed to produce a continuous flow of mild and sometimes sharp social satire that was easy for viewers across the political and social divides of the time to enjoy.

Of Muppets and Men was recommended by Lori Dorn (Laughing Squid) a few weeks ago. And looking at it now – 43 years since it was released! – improved my already positive view of the show by showing me what it took, in terms of talent, tolerance, and tenacity, to make each episode work so well.

You can watch the entire thing here.

And if you like it, you’ll be interested to know that, on May 31, Disney will be releasing another documentary: Jim Henson Idea Man (directed by Ron Howard).

You can watch the trailer for that one here.