Farced Perspective

Anna and Ben lie back on the psychiatrist's couch and delve deep into the challenges facing the "classic paranoid" behavior of a man who believes he's Sherlock Holmes and the woman who violates professional ethics for him. They also discuss how cavalier language about sensitive topics can be hurtful, and how they probably aren't equipped to do no harm, but at least they have trivia questions about candy!

Pete corrects Ben's assumptions that James Coco was a sketch comedian and that most sketch comedians are indistinguishable, balding brunets. They weigh whether the episode is constructed of re-used bits or just joyfully chaotic, and are interrupted by what might be sirens announcing The Rapture. But considering this whole episode has been replaced with an extended stream of silence, you won't hear any of that. How rude.

Ben and Pete squabble over this episode, which Ben thinks might be one of the best introductions to the Muppet Show, while Pete finds the vibe — and millennials are all about vibes — lacklustre. But they can find common ground in their problems with Kermit, who Ben thinks is undercutting his own show, while Pete is astonished that he somehow doesn't understand the jokes he's hosting on his stage.

Pete and Ben add two new items to track over the course of Pete's statistical analysis of this new season, and keep a look out for them during Roy Clark's visit to the Muppet Theatre. They also examine if there's a reason why only Frank and Jim seem to be present during the episode's backstage sequences and why the trumpeter in the Muppet pit band seems to be replaced on every possible occasion.

Ben and Pete return, somewhat belatedly, to examining the 45th anniversary of the original TV broadcasts of The Muppet Show, and they examine Helen Reddy's accent, Doctor Bob's lasciviousness, and just how busy the Muppet studios were in 1978. With new characters, newly credited actors, and new Lego minifigs to vie for, why does the show seem weirdly negative, and will it continue? Speculate wildly!

Anna and Ben visit one of Anna's favorite genres — the comedy Western — and arrive at very different responses to James Garner's non-sequel sequel to 1969's "Support Your Local Sheriff". So much so that they instead end up talking about the 1994 film "Maverick", the fairness of quiz shows, and Ben's obsession with "Charade".

Pete and Ben wrap up their coverage of the Muppets' second season with a look at the celebrated career of Cloris Leachman. They also sum up the cumulative statistics from the entire season, and Pete's rankings of the guests generates disbelief on the part of both hosts.

Ben and Pete are both mildly unprepared for this episode, not knowing enough about the cultural weight of the Muppets' guest-star, bunraku puppeteering, or the potential offensitivity of Noel Coward. Pete's excuse is that he fell asleep during the episode, whereas Ben has to hide behind distractions, puns, and other [merdlidop]s. Roll 1d6 to find out how they get out of this one...

Carve about three hours for Pete to quiz Ben about English songstress Petula Clark, her relationship with other Muppet guests, and his research on her chart-topping status. Ben takes Pete to task about his dislike of apparent cue-card use and presents his own "Pet" theories about Ms Clark's lip-synched performance.  

Ben and Pete practice a percentage of being persnickety this episode, riffing on P words, debating the use of the term "podium" and generally paying peculiar partial attention to the guest-star's middle initial, to no particular purpose. Press play to participate!

Thrill to the unexpected, as Pete and Ben look things up on the Internet while broadcasting! Join them to discover whether Muppet special guest Lou Rawls has deliberately smuggled bird imagery into many of his lyrics, and whether a bonus question can earn Ben yet another victorious Lego minifig!

Ben and Pete take the content warning on Disney Plus to heart, but is it about Beaker's abrupt teleportation — which had previously been edited out by Nickelodeon — or Peter Sellers' cultural depictions? And is Fozzie secretly torturing his boss to force him to break down publicly and perform one of the Muppets' most well-known songs? The answers to these questions and many more can be discovered if you just BLOOP!

Pete and Ben go bullish and steak their reputations on some prime cuts of cow-based punnery that you'll calf to heifer yourself to believe. Somehow in the midst of all that, they manage to talk about Julie Andrews' career and how she was able to naturally interact with the Muppets in a way to which other guests could only aspire.  Pete also watches a clip from the infamous Muppet Movie test footage, and Ben remembers a favorite childhood book.

Ben and Pete come to very different conclusions about the underplayed demeanor of Bob Hope as he enters his last quarter-century of comedy on The Muppet Show. They also discover that Ben is racist against pigs, that Pete might want a cat for a sleep mask, and — against all expectations — that Kermit might be a well-modulated stage manager after all.

Pete and Ben come to very different determinations of the rules Pete has established for judging the performances of the guest stars on the podcast. They also make a ruling on Ben's previous confusion about Muppet crocodiles, talk about not talking about a particular sketch, and find an unexpected application of the word "hornswoggle".

Ben and Pete clash over what comes off more poorly in this episode: the newly corporeal figure of of Scooter's uncle or the folk music stylings of the guest-star. They also guess what segment of the show was produced months after filming and engage in a truly gross pun run.

Pete and Ben discuss the legacy, potency, and popularity of the Soviet Union's premiere cultural defector, and consider how he's objectified by the episode, whether Statler and Waldorf should sing along to the theme song, and how big Robin's hat should be.  They also determine a head-canon for the Muppet Show warm-up comedian and that Pete doesn't appreciate anything classy.

Ben and Pete look at the posthumous release of the Muppet Show episode featuring Zero Mostel, discussing his maximalist performance, dissecting the show's spec script origins, and digressing into the depths of wordplay "betta" left unplumbed.

Pete and Ben investigate how well the Fawlty John Cleese of 1977 matches up with the potentially more cloth-eared John Cleese of 2022, and what the term "cloth-eared" means, anyway. They also investigate the height of the Muppet theatre, where Frank Oz was during this episode, and why both local fireworks and Siri seem to want to interrupt their recording session.

Ben and Pete get lost in a circle in a spiral, in a wheel within a wheel, as they talks about the strange edits that Disney has imposed upon their hosting of the Don Knotts episode of The Muppet Show. They also warily wander the circumference of the topics of relatives, the proper reaction to the cuteness of dogs, and whether the episode has gone on for so long that they might as well start over.

Pete and Ben find themselves pulled between critical poles on this episode, enjoying the charisma of the guest-star but lamenting her musical choices, and also finding that while the backstage runner has aged poorly, the UK Spot might be the greatest musical secret the Muppet Show has ever concealed from American audiences.

Ben and Pete grovel, grovel at the feet of that fabulous funny-man, the inimitable Milton Berle, while also marveling at the intemperate timekeeping of Dr. Julius Strangepork, the indescribable transcribing of Jerry Juhl, and the indefatigable patience of King Charles the Third.

It's an extra-long episode of self-indulgence as Pete goes down a nerdy rabbit hole of calculating dropping a weight on the Muppet newsman, and Ben investigates a tweet about Robin's princely origins. They also talk at length about Bernadette Peters' awards and honors, unwrap a new minifig, and payoff teases of obscure redheads, House of Leaves situations, and Karnak's mystery prediction.

Ben brings way too much research to the table — literally — as he and Pete sit down to discuss a format-breaking episode of the Muppet Show, but one where Steve adapts his previously-established act for the family-friendly audience.  And, it turns out, some of that act hasn't aged well, but that may be less problematic than Pete and Ben running afoul of the Italian-American Anti-Defamation League!

Pete and Ben get a little loopy about whether Fozzie should have engaged in a little time travel in order to establish his famous catchphrase before he started using it in honor of this week's guest. Then they get loopier still about whether Pete's rating system is baseless and can't be trusted. Except, Ben's going to go back and cut that part out. Whoops. Now we need ANOTHER temporal pincer movement for that.

Ben and Pete call out the Muppets and the guest-star for fat-shaming and for not agreeing with their pet thesis that the Muppets are more important than the temporary human visitor. They talk about DeLuise's recipes, Ben's research into Zulu-inspired folk music, and Pete nearly walks off the show due to punnery.

Pete and Ben break down the episode into A, B, and C plots, where C is for Chicken, and that's good enough for, well, everyone.  Edgar Bergen's ventriloquist act prompts a discussion about how engaged a puppeteer should be in a scene, Gonzo's wrestling match prompts googling of how heavy a brick should be, and the quiz prompts the unwrapping of the first prized Lego Muppet minifig.

Ben and Pete fall into an absolute spiral of film puns, but before they do that, they discuss the legacy and screen presence of Madeline Kahn, Pete's lack of memory, the rivalry between New York's and New Jersey's most iconic troubadours, and how much the internet loves feet.

Pete and Ben do an impression of a pair of knowledgeable podcast hosts and discuss the career and contributions of Rich Little. They also examine the essential heart of the act of an impressionist, realize that their patented Wild Speculation™ is the equivalent of Wikipedia's [citation needed], and make a LOT of references to other podcasts.

It's the Muppet Show! With our very special return to season two on the 45th anniversary of the original NYC broadcast. Ben and Pete continue their journey documenting what jokes land, debating which conceits confuse, and wondering from where some of these musical choices came. This week they discuss the show's secret Britishness, the worst green-screen ever, and Pete's encroaching total amnesia.

And so we come to the close of the first season of the Muppet Show, with the 45th anniversary of the broadcast of the first production episode. Pete and Ben discuss which scenes they think were re-filmed, the creepiness of an amphibian casting couch, and which Muppets have had plastic surgery, before Pete summarizes statistics and rankings for the whole year and we learn who beat whom at the quiz.

Ben and Pete examine the career and appearance of Avery Schreiber, and the ties between his comedy partner — the key writer on The Muppet Show — and his manager — whom he shared with Jim Henson. And yet, they find that this show featured some of the best writing of the season and some of the most animatronic antics by the guest star. Was it kismet or nepotism, and does it matter?

Pete and Ben get socked all the way to the Geek Farm, where they discuss this week's appearance of The Mummenschanz, are surprised by the behind-the-scenes origin of The Vendaface, and try to remember that Pete is forgetting everything.

As we get closer and closer to the end of the season, the competition is heating up and Ben and Pete start getting persnickety about a mere half-point in the weekly quiz. They also consider the who might have been the Electric Mayhem's lead songwriter, the continuing enigma of Vendaface, and share what tangents they contemplated when bored with the episode's musical numbers.

Back from a long hiatus, and no longer quite on "anniversary schedule", Pete and Ben turn their sights on the nomenclature of pairs, the legacy of earning the rank of Eagle Scout, and how the Ship of Theseus paradox works with editing and production numbers. And somehow that's all supposed to tie in with Connie Stevens career and appearance on the Muppet Show. One, two, three, dip!

Ben and Pete sit down to discuss the legendary voice and persona of Ethel Merman, while also debating whether any movie would be good without sound editing, and possibly putting to rest the season-long investigation as to whether the Muppet Show knows it's being broadcast on television. Also: thrill to the debate about if Pete deserves an extra half-point in the trivia competition!

Pete and Ben hunker down in the Sadness Café and try to tickle the ivories and make them laugh more than Phillis Diller did.  They also talk about how authentic a stand-up comedian needs to be, how great of a sax player Zoot is, and whether it's time to join the great Spotify exodus.

Ben and Pete hit the catwalk with a twirl and a smize and discussions about whether this episode was produced all at once or cobbled together later, how to reconcile that the show only sporadically engages in continuity, and whether one can ever get used to the weight and movement of long hair.

It's February when this drops, late from a January anniversary airdate, featuring footage from Spooky Season and an featured skit that takes place on New Year's Eve. And that doesn't even include the number of moments that Ben and Pete feel are out of order within the episode itself! Join them to untangle the chronology and to figure out how much Vincent Price is too much, not enough, or too obvious.

Broadway dancer and actor Ben Vereen is the Muppet Show's guest this week, and so  Pete and (a totally different) Ben delve into Vereen's show-biz controversies. They also discuss how they are quick to anger about flag etiquette, that they are confused about the appropriateness of the phrase, "hep to the jive", and that there might be a benefit to leaving in the noises of a squeaky chair.

Pete asks Ben to translate and pronounce the French in this episode, and Ben asks Pete to explain whether the writing is consistent with other episodes or constructed piecemeal out of half-baked ideas. Along the way they speculate about what musician has sold the most albums, the appeal of Americana in the UK, and whether this was the episode that got Frank Oz to lock into the character of Miss Piggy.

Harvey Korman grumps his way through an episode where he apparently only spent a third of the time a guest normally commits to production, and Muffy the dog seems to take against him for it. How will Pete and Ben feel? Also, what do they think about underaged frogs on Top of the Pops, replacement drummers, and the meaning of life?

Bruce Forsyth spends this episode panicked that a gawky bird might find him attractive, astonished at sharing a dressing room with a chicken, and grossed out by the affections of a pig... but wants to rent a great-looking duck for a whole month. Ben and Pete spend the episode confused by this, along with many other inconsistencies. It's a wild one, folks.

This episode was originally filmed right before Henson Associates went on holiday, and it is being dropped, delayed, when Ben has finally recovered from one. Enjoy Ben and Pete's most contentious discussions so far about what landed (or didn't), and enjoy diversions about The Seventh Seal and disgust about long, long, long legs.

The Muppet Show sticks its toe in the waters of meta-narrative, which encourages Pete to try and get Ben to finalize his grand theory of just what kind of show The Muppet Show actually is. Pete, in turn, works on his Muppet-based philosophy that "Peoples is peoples", much to Ben's repeated chagrin.

Tonight, our panel discusses questions of lasting importance: Do "pig slurs" deserve to be answered with violence? Was Kermit really flirting with our pal Flo? Is calling Florence Henderson that overly familiar and fundamentally disrespectful? 

Pete and Ben muse over Peter Ustinov's dated ethnic impressions, "One-World" philosophy, and award nominations, while engaging in their own intractable and tangential debate on the value of the French language. Sacre bleu!

Ben and Pete start down the winding, uncertain path of developing a grand unified theory of whether the Muppet Show is a filmed stage show, a television show within a show, and whether the viewing audience exists in the Muppet Show universe. Oh, and they also review the sketches, guest, etc., etc., per usual.

Sometimes repeating the same joke over and over makes you go from laughing at it to hating it to laughing at it again. Sometimes it makes you wonder why an episode was nominated for an Emmy. Join Pete and Ben as they lose their patience for short jokes, but stand tall for the performance chops and emotional depth of Paul Williams.

Ben and Pete experience continuity whiplash as they revisit an episode from earlier in production that doesn't quite mesh in tone or format with the other episodes reviewed so far.  So they break format as well, and plunge straight through the running order, with only a minor detour where Ryu, Ken, and Gonzo each try to destroy a car as quickly as possible.

Pete and Ben find some giant legs of mutton to chew on, as well as other topics of conversation: namely, whether Scooter's origin is too far from what his character evolves into, what is or isn't actually a joke, and just how good Ruth Buzzi's Twitter feed is.