about the opening
I wonder if it would have been a good idea for the opening to have different parts of the original openign in each episode. half of the first season episodes could have the cast singing "it's time to play the music. it's time to dress up right! it's time to raise the curtain on the muppet show tonight!" (funny how in the secodn season it was changed to "it's time to play the music, it's time to dress up right, it's time to get things started", yet in the last season the original line was used again), and the other half could have the cast singing "you'll see the strangest creatures on the muppet show tonight!".
Perhaps shows with guest stars who are know for their singing talents could have sang a line of the song in some epsiodes, and others could have non-singing guest stars scenes done the way they were in other episodes.
Some episodes could have had a joke from fozzie bear, some could have had a song (woudl they have all been sung by wayne and wanda), and others could have a brief dance scene.