TMS: Would Its Quality Decline If Continued?

[Muppet Master]

As we watch shows like the simpsons, modern family, or even something like SS we sigh thinking how the show is now a shadow of its glorious past, but would that happen to TMS if there was a season 6,7,8,9,or even 10? I mean there are only so many guest stars and sketches they could continue to keep fresh, would the backstage plot decline, or would the show slip back to a season 1 running gag plot format? What would happen to TMS if it was pushed past the breaking point?

 

[WalterFan1234]

I think they'd ruin it with super annoying guest stars and they would make it too modern so it would lose the greatness of the oldies. It's nice to look at it in a nostalgic way, but it would be weird as modern

 

[jvcarroll]

I do think it's time for a revival. However, Jim and the gang decided to close shop on TMS in the 80's for a very good reason. They'd gone as far as they wanted to go back then so yes. It would have grown stale because the originators felt it would.

 

[Drtooth]

Sesame Street is so completely different from what The Muppet Show was, there's no real comparison. SS's "decline in quality" is due to the ever changing face of children's educational television, and it stays on the air because it's become an institution. I don't think The Muppet Show would have lasted 2 seasons more even if Jim and Co wanted it.

But I agree. They ended the show because they wanted to. Jim always was looking for new and different projects, and being tied down to one show wasn't something he was looking to do. Especially in the 80's where he was trying to get so many things off the ground. And I agree. The Muppet Show ended right there, as it should have. Sure, kinda disappointing we never got that Robin Williams guest star episode.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Every TV show, if left on the air too long, will eventually decline in quality. It's like that Stevie Wonder song, "Nothing can ever, and be in time, stay gold."

Another way I like to look at it is what George Harrison reportedly said about Monty Python. That whatever spirit made the Beatles what they were, must have moved on to the Pythons. The universe chooses you for while, then it's someone else's turn.

 

[jvcarroll]

Every TV show, if left on the air too long, will eventually decline in quality. It's like that Stevie Wonder song, "Nothing can ever, and be in time, stay gold."

Another way I like to look at it is what George Harrison reportedly said about Monty Python. That whatever spirit made the Beatles what they were, must have moved on to the Pythons. The universe chooses you for while, then it's someone else's turn.

Wise words. I doubt we'll get a Muppet Show at the same level as the original. Maybe so, but it would be good to see the Muppets' continue this third act (the post-post-Jim period) of their existence with a solid show that has decent ratings.

 

[Drtooth]

If there's one thing I can say about The Muppet Show it's that there are some things about the show I wouldn't miss if they made a new show that abandoned the concept. Sometimes the fawning over guest stars was a little... awkward, unnecessary, and unwatchable. Something pretty painful about the bad guest stars. I love the show dearly, but in some aspects, I feel the comic book version improved upon the format with the lack of using any name guest stars. Imagine a Muppet Show series that had story arcs and more character developments.

 

[Muppet Master]

If there's one thing I can say about The Muppet Show it's that there are some things about the show I wouldn't miss if they made a new show that abandoned the concept. Sometimes the fawning over guest stars was a little... awkward, unnecessary, and unwatchable. Something pretty painful about the bad guest stars. I love the show dearly, but in some aspects, I feel the comic book version improved upon the format with the lack of using any name guest stars. Imagine a Muppet Show series that had story arcs and more character developments.

I know, it kind of bums me out sometimes when we have to leave such a good backstage plot for the guest star number, as much as I love that too, I want more devolpment too, that's why I liked MT a lot, because well ya they fawned over the guest stars, but they also had longer backstage scenes.

 

[minor muppetz]

I mean there are only so many guest stars and sketches they could continue to keep fresh, would the backstage plot decline, or would the show slip back to a season 1 running gag plot format?

Let's see if I can think of enough people who could have been guest stars for seasons 6-10. 24 per season (I don't think I'll list any duo guests).

Season 6 (1981-1982):

• Cher
• Andy Kauffman
• Mary Tyler Moore
• Danny Devito
• Davy Jones
• Imogene Coco
• Buddy Epsen
• Zsa Zsa Gabor
• Orson Wells
• Robert Motley
• Art Carney
• George Carlin
• Chevy Chase
• Robin Williams
• Henry Winkler
• Alan Young
• Smokey Robinson
• Carol King
• James Taylor
• Don McLean
• Flip Wilson
• Carol O'Connor
• Don Rickles
• Howard Hessman

Season 7 (1982-1983)

• Lucille Ball
• Tom Bosley
• Ted Knight
• Joe Flaherty
• Garrett Morris
• Harold Gould
• Robert Mulligan
• Louis Lasser
• George Harrison
• Suzanne Plessette
• Jack Warden
• Peter Falk
• Telly Savajos
• Tom Poston
• Christopher Lloyd
• Merv Griffin
• Larry Hagman
• Pat Buttram
• Michael Jackson
• Billy Joel
• Charles Durning
• Walter Mattheau
• Gordon Jump
• Gary Coleman

Season 8 (1983-1984)

• Rob Reiner
• Pat Benatar
• Pete Seeger
• Buffy St. Marie
• Jane Curtain
• Cathleen O'Hara
• James Earl Jones
• Woody Allen
• Elliot Gould
• Dabney Coleman
• Leslie Nielsen
• Bill Murray
• Ed Asner
• John Travolta
• Richard Pryor
• Bill Cosby
• Diann Carroll
• Sherman Hemsley
• Goldie Hawn
• Lilly Tomlin
• Eugene Levy
• Leonard Nimoy
• Ray Stevens
• Waylon Jennings

Season 9 (1984-1985)

• Madonna
• Michael J. Fox
• Lisa Welcher
• Bob Newhart
• Joan Rivers
• Jack Lemon
• Martin Short
• Rodney Dangerfield
• Olivia Newton John
• Dick Van Dyke
• Tom Petty
• Frank Sinatra
• Greg Kihn
• Rhea Pearlman
• Carly Simon
• Dave Thomas
• Mr. T
• James Galway
• Marion Ross
• Jack Klugman
• Julie Kavner
• Farrah Fawchette
• Barry Williams
• Eartha Kitt

Season 10 (1985-1986)

• Weird Al Yankovic
• Loni Anderson
• Scott Baio
• Cyndi Lauper
• John Candy
• Alan Alda
• Clint Eastwood
• Lauren Hutton
• Marcia Wallace
• Billy Crystal
• Andy Griffith
• Itzak Perlman
• Jerry Lewis
• Bea Arthur
• Betty White
• Andrea Martin
• John Ritter
• Michael McKean
• Gene Wilder
• Eric Idle
• John Ratzenberger
• Shelly Duvall
• Hulk Hogan
• Dan Aykroid

So there would have been at least 120 celebrities left for five more seasons. A good balance of current stars, legends, has-beens (both those who would eventually reclaim their old celebrity status and some who wouldn't), and people who were pretty much just famous at the time.

 

[Muppet Master]

Let's see if I can think of enough people who could have been guest stars for seasons 6-10. 24 per season (I don't think I'll list any duo guests).

Season 6 (1981-1982):

• Cher
• Andy Kauffman
• Mary Tyler Moore
• Danny Devito
• Davy Jones
• Imogene Coco
• Buddy Epsen
• Zsa Zsa Gabor
• Orson Wells
• Robert Motley
• Art Carney
• George Carlin
• Chevy Chase
• Robin Williams
• Henry Winkler
• Alan Young
• Smokey Robinson
• Carol King
• James Taylor
• Don McLean
• Flip Wilson
• Carol O'Connor
• Don Rickles
• Howard Hessman

Season 7 (1982-1983)

• Lucille Ball
• Tom Bosley
• Ted Knight
• Joe Flaherty
• Garrett Morris
• Harold Gould
• Robert Mulligan
• Louis Lasser
• George Harrison
• Suzanne Plessette
• Jack Warden
• Peter Falk
• Telly Savajos
• Tom Poston
• Christopher Lloyd
• Merv Griffin
• Larry Hagman
• Pat Buttram
• Michael Jackson
• Billy Joel
• Charles Durning
• Walter Mattheau
• Gordon Jump
• Gary Coleman

Season 8 (1983-1984)

• Rob Reiner
• Pat Benatar
• Pete Seeger
• Buffy St. Marie
• Jane Curtain
• Cathleen O'Hara
• James Earl Jones
• Woody Allen
• Elliot Gould
• Dabney Coleman
• Leslie Nielsen
• Bill Murray
• Ed Asner
• John Travolta
• Richard Pryor
• Bill Cosby
• Diann Carroll
• Sherman Hemsley
• Goldie Hawn
• Lilly Tomlin
• Eugene Levy
• Leonard Nimoy
• Ray Stevens
• Waylon Jennings

Season 9 (1984-1985)

• Madonna
• Michael J. Fox
• Lisa Welcher
• Bob Newhart
• Joan Rivers
• Jack Lemon
• Martin Short
• Rodney Dangerfield
• Olivia Newton John
• Dick Van Dyke
• Tom Petty
• Frank Sinatra
• Greg Kihn
• Rhea Pearlman
• Carly Simon
• Dave Thomas
• Mr. T
• James Galway
• Marion Ross
• Jack Klugman
• Julie Kavner
• Farrah Fawchette
• Barry Williams
• Eartha Kitt

Season 10 (1985-1986)

• Weird Al Yankovic
• Loni Anderson
• Scott Baio
• Cyndi Lauper
• John Candy
• Alan Alda
• Clint Eastwood
• Lauren Hutton
• Marcia Wallace
• Billy Crystal
• Andy Griffith
• Itzak Perlman
• Jerry Lewis
• Bea Arthur
• Betty White
• Andrea Martin
• John Ritter
• Michael McKean
• Gene Wilder
• Eric Idle
• John Ratzenberger
• Shelly Duvall
• Hulk Hogan
• Dan Aykroid

So there would have been at least 120 celebrities left for five more seasons. A good balance of current stars, legends, has-beens (both those who would eventually reclaim their old celebrity status and some who wouldn't), and people who were pretty much just famous at the time.

Look the point is, no matter how many stars, a future TMS episode had, first do you think all those people would agree to star (lucille ball especially) and ya most would, but could they really keep it fresh, they'd probably resort to repeating sketches like SS, and the writers would resort to running gags, because they ran out of backstage plot ideas.