Other thoughts...
I wonder what order they'll go in? Most likely in production order like the box sets, but even that's imperfect, considering that Kermit says "we've got
another great show for you" in the Juliet Prowse episode, making viewers feel like they've missed something. Plus, Scooter's in that episode, and then he gets "introduced" in the Jim Nabors episode. It's interesting to note that the Muppet Wiki says: "The first region to air the show was the ATV/Midlands region on Sunday, September 5, 1976, beginning with the Joel Grey episode" - and the clip that Disney+ uploaded to YouTube yesterday was the show intro from the Joel Grey episode.
Also, I wonder what finally motivated this. Were there just a ton of subscribers using Disney Plus's request box to ask for the show? Were the movies and other series just doing really well on the platform? Were the numbers high enough on
Muppet Now's premiere that (even though people lost interest quickly) it convinced Disney that there was enough of an audience for more Muppet material? Someone mentioned Brian Jay Jones earlier in the thread--were he and other key behind-the-scenes personnel gently nudging the company? Or was this something they always intended to do anyway just to beef up their streaming library, and it took this long to get all the music rights settled? I suppose the "why" doesn't matter very much in the end, but I'm curious and very grateful for it.
I was talking with a younger person who's seen the movies and a handful of TMS episodes but not most of the series. I expressed concern that most people will start with Season 1 even though that's not the best representation of the series. He actually said he's
more interested in those because their weirdness and primitiveness will seem very different from what he already knows, and it will be interesting to watch the show and characters develop. He also likes watching the early Mickey Mouse shorts, where Mickey acts very differently. So maybe it's just as well if a lot of people do start with Season 1!
Anyway, looking forward to next month!!