Series synopsis
The Jim Henson Hour is an American family comedy television series that premiered on NBC on April 14, 1989. It ended on August 7, 1993. It was created by Jim Henson. It stars Jim Henson, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire and Kevin Clash.
An hour-long anthology series hosted by Jim Henson and generally included two segments. The first, MuppeTelevision, features comedy skits starring the Muppets, as well as frequent guest appearances by popular entertainers. The second often rebroadcasts original productions, primarily The StoryTeller.
Premise
An hour-long anthology series hosted by Jim Henson and generally included two segments. The first, MuppeTelevision, features comedy skits starring the Muppets, as well as frequent guest appearances by popular entertainers. The second often rebroadcasts original productions, primarily The StoryTeller.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Jim Henson as Self / Various
- Dave Goelz as Self / Various
- Steve Whitmire as Self / Various
- Kevin Clash as Self / Various
- Fran Brill as Self / Various
- Jerry Nelson as Self / Various
- John Hurt as The Storyteller (archive footage)
- Elliott Spiers as Prince Leo (archive footage)
Supporting cast
- Nicholas Selby as The King (archive footage)
- Peter Marinker as The Wolf (archive audio)
- Frederick Warder as The Giant (archive audio)
- Robert Tygner as Wolf / Bird / Salmon (archive audio)
- Mak Wilson as Wolf / Bird / Salmon (archive audio)
- Gemma Jones as The Queen (archive footage)
- Andrew Wilson as Brad
- Jennifer Lee as Bootsie
- Louie Anderson as Self
- Chris Makepeace as Zeb Norman
- Carolyn Dunn as Rosalie
- Helen Burns as Clara Buford
Guest cast
- John Hurt as The Storyteller (archive footage)
- Elliott Spiers as Prince Leo (archive footage)
- Nicholas Selby as The King (archive footage)
- Peter Marinker as The Wolf (archive audio)
- Frederick Warder as The Giant (archive audio)
- Robert Tygner as Wolf / Bird / Salmon (archive audio)
- Mak Wilson as Wolf / Bird / Salmon (archive audio)
- Gemma Jones as The Queen (archive footage)
- Andrew Wilson as Brad
- Jennifer Lee as Bootsie
- Louie Anderson as Self
- Chris Makepeace as Zeb Norman
Episodes
This series spans 2 seasons with 14 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 2 | September 25, 1987 | September 25, 1987 |
| Season 1 | 12 | April 14, 1989 | August 7, 1993 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Pitch Reel Surrounded by all sorts of Muppet and Creature Shop creatures from previous productions, Henson explains the early concept of The Jim Henson Hour. The original plan was to have a rotating schedule of four different kinds of episodes; one for each week of the month. The first would be an episode of The Storyteller. The second was for Lead Free TV, featuring the characters from the unaired InnerTube pilot. Henson describes Lead Free TV as 'the Muppet Show from the future', full of special effects, rock music, fast-paced comedy and human guest stars. The third, a Picture Book Special, in the vein of Emmet Otter, The Christmas Toy, and The Tale of the Bunny Picnic. |
September 25, 1987 |
| 2 |
InnerTube Pilot The show is similar in format to the MuppeTelevision segments of The Jim Henson Hour. Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy make brief appearances in the show, but the focus is on the new characters. According to writer David Misch, the pilot was not meant to resemble The Muppet Show; Kermit was merely given a role when it became hard for Henson to sell the series. In the Jim Henson Hour pitch, clips from Inner Tube are presented as "Lead Free TV." Jim Henson describes it as "the Muppet Show from the future," and explains that it is one of the four types of programs in The Jim Henson Hour's proposed rotating schedule. It was planned to have a weekly guest star (John Candy was originally planned to guest star in this pilot, but in the end no guest star appeared). Several scenes from this can be seen in the television special The World of Jim Henson. |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Outer Space Part 1 (MuppeTelevision): Kermit cancels the boring parts of the show when Digit discovers he can tune in cable channels from other worlds. Part 2 (The StoryTeller: The Heartless Giant): An imprisoned giant who terrorized the land tricks young prince Leo into freeing him. After rampaging the kingdom, Leo's older brothers attempt to recapture the giant but are never heard of again. Leo must use his gifts of kindness to save his brothers and free the kingdom from the giant's wrath. |
April 14, 1989 |
| 2 |
Oceans Part 1 (MuppeTelevision): Kermit tries to run the show with several disruptive water-related issues. Part 2 (Lighthouse Island): Zeb Norman visits a strange small town in search of a gift for his fiancée. He finds a pair of silver slippers in a local curio shop run by a witch who drags him to Hog Island to obtain a mysterious pearl once stolen from her rival. |
April 21, 1989 |
| 3 |
Power Part 1 (MuppeTelevision): Gonzo and Leon convince Kermit to take a vacation so they can run the show. Part 2 (The Storyteller: The Soldier and Death): A soldier returns from 20 years of war with only three biscuits in his sack. Soon he must outwit devils, save a kingdom, and try to outwit death. From an early Russian folk tale. |
April 28, 1989 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | NBC |
|---|---|
| First aired | April 14, 1989 |
| Last aired | August 7, 1993 |
| Runtime | 60 minutes |
| Status | ended |
| Schedule | Sunday at 20:00:00 |