Editing The Muppets (section)

===1970s: ''The Muppet Show'' and foray into film===
In the early 1970s, the Muppets continued their presence in television, primarily appearing in ''[[The Land of Gorch]]'' segments during the first season of [[NBC]]'s ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''. The Muppet characters featured in ''The Land of Gorch'' behaved boorishly and made frequent references to drug abuse, sexual activity, and consumption of alcohol; adult themes that Henson wanted to explore with the characters in an effort to not let him nor the Muppets be typecast as entertainment for children. The writers of ''Saturday Night Live'' clashed with Henson's vision for the program, often refusing to commit to writing the segments, and several cast members bemoaned the inclusion of the Muppets. Eventually, the collaboration proved too divisive, and the Muppets departed ''Saturday Night Live'' after the conclusion of the first season.
As his involvement with ''Sesame Street'' continued, Henson began developing a network television series featuring the Muppets;<ref>Finch, p. 5</ref> but distinct from ''Sesame Street''; this series would be aimed at a more adult audience and would satirize [[sketch comedy]]. Two [[Pilot (television episode)|television pilots]], ''[[The Muppets Valentine Show]]'' and ''[[The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence]]'', aired on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] in 1974 and 1975, respectively.

After ABC passed on the pilots and other networks in the United States expressed little interest in the project, British producer [[Lew Grade, Baron Grade|Lew Grade]] approached Henson and agreed to co-produce the series for [[Associated Television]]. Debuting in 1976, ''[[The Muppet Show]]'' introduced new characters such as [[Miss Piggy]], [[Fozzie Bear]], and [[Gonzo (Muppet)|Gonzo]], alongside existing characters such as Kermit and Rowlf. Aired in [[First run syndication|first-run syndication]] in the United States, ''The Muppet Show'' became increasingly popular due to its [[Sketch comedy|sketch]]-[[Variety show|variety]] format, unique form of [[vaudeville]]-style humor, and prolific roster of [[Guest appearance|guest stars]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sepinwall|first=Alan|date=July 28, 2020|title='Muppets Now': Together Again, With a Touch of Amnesia|magazine=Rolling Stone|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-reviews/muppets-now-disney-plus-1034408/|access-date=July 28, 2020|archive-date=August 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806145257/https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-reviews/muppets-now-disney-plus-1034408/|url-status=live}}</ref> It was nominated for twenty-one [[Primetime Emmy Award]]s during its run, winning four, including [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Series|Outstanding Variety Series]] in 1978. The success of ''The Muppet Show'' allowed [[The Jim Henson Company|Henson Associates]] to diversify into theatrical films, the first of which, ''[[The Muppet Movie]]'', was released in 1979.<ref name=":22">{{Cite news|last=Itzkoff|first=Dave|date=July 28, 2020|title=It's Time to Re-Re-Re-Meet the Muppets|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/23/arts/television/muppets-now-disney.html|access-date=July 28, 2020|archive-date=July 10, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240710002604/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/23/arts/television/muppets-now-disney.html|url-status=live}}</ref>