Line #16 Series/MuppetsTonight


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5	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/muppets_tonight_style_guide_01_cover_1_3.png]]
6	[[caption-width-right:350:♫ ''We got a show for you\
7	Guaranteed brand new\
8	Here come the Muppets Tonight!'' ♫]]
9
10	->''"If you're a human being, take a break from the race''\
11	''Take a load off your feet, wipe the look off your face''\
12	''Got a lot to do, and we do it for you''\
13	''Everybody take your place!"''
14
15	''Muppets Tonight'' is a TV series featuring Franchise/TheMuppets that originally ran from 1996 to 1998, initially as part of Creator/{{ABC\|US}}'s TGIF block. (A ChannelHop to Creator/DisneyChannel followed.) An update of the premise of the late Creator/JimHenson's ''[[Series/TheMuppetShow Muppet Show]]'', it features the Muppets producing a television variety show with the help (or otherwise) of the episode's guest star. Kermit the Frog was replaced as host by Clifford, a catfish-esque "humanoid" first seen on ''Series/TheJimHensonHour'', but retains his role as producer. ''[[Series/LostInSpace Pigs In Space]]'', a recurring sketch from ''The Muppet Show'', returned as ''[[Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine Deep Dish Nine]]''.
16
17	The series introduced several new Muppets who went on to appear in subsequent productions such as ''Film/MuppetsFromSpace'' and [[Film/TheMuppets2011 the 2011 film]], including lounge singer Johnny Fiama; Sal Manilla, Johnny's chimpanzee bodyguard; Bobo the Bear, the studio's security guard; voracious monster Big Mean Carl; MadScientist Dr. Phil van Neuter; and Pepe the King Prawn, the studio's elevator operator/commissary chef who was desperate to break into showbiz, [[VerbalTic okay]].
18
19	----
20	!!This series provides examples of:
21
22	* TheAce: Creator/DennisQuaid is portrayed as such in his guest appearance, making Clifford very jealous. Ends up being an inversion, as Dennis claims all his great feats were either lucky guesses or just bluffs.
23	* AdamWesting: Many of the guest stars, to a greater or lesser extent.
24	* AmbiguouslyGay: Dr. Phil Van Neuter. However, one episode revealed he was married to his assistant's sister.
25	* TheBackstageSketch: Much like ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' before it, many things would happen outside of the show proper.
26	* BigEater: Big Mean Carl, Bobo the Bear, Rizzo the Rat and Howard Tubman. Howard is particularly noticeable as he starred in a whole series of sketches--"The Tubmans of Porksmith"--about his massive appetite; one of them opened with him devouring an entire buffalo in a single sitting, and still being hungry afterward.
27	* BigGuyLittleGuy: Seymour the elephant and Pepe the prawn.
28	* BreakoutCharacter: Pepe the King Prawn. Other new characters this series introduced either faded or had minor roles later on, but Pepe has had a steady major presence ever since. Bobo the Bear and Big Mean Carl have also made repeated appearances since ''Muppets Tonight'' ended, but neither to the degree of prominence that Pepe has achieved.
29	* BuffySpeak: In the John Goodman episode, Andy Pig refers to a door as "the get out thingy".
30	* CallBack: When Bobo flings Sal Minella into the traffic, Johnny Fiama comments that it's a [[Film/TheGreatMuppetCaper nutty way to get a cab.]]
31	* TheCameo:
32	** One episode was nothing ''but'' cameos, featuring the likes of Arsenio Hall, Kathy Ireland, Little Richard and Jay Leno.
33	** At the end of the Creator/JohnGoodman episode, he is seen relaxing on the set of ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'' (or at least a very authentic looking replica).
34	** The Music/GarthBrooks episode features a surprise appearance by Creator/LeonardNimoy after the episode's Deep Dish Nine sketch.
35	** In regards to the Muppets:
36	*** Floyd Pepper and George the Janitor made cameos in the first two episodes.
37	*** The Swedish Chef, Zoot, Janice, Lew Zealand, Crazy Harry, Foo-Foo, Louis Kazagger, Pops and Bean Bunny appeared in the first episode. Zoot, Lew, Bean, and Louis would make more cameos in future episodes, and Lew appears during the theme song.
38	*** Rowlf the Dog appeared during the closing number of the second episode, in which he uttered his first spoken dialogue since the death of Jim Henson ("Oh, yeah.").
39	*** Mildred Huxtetter and Link Hogthrob appeared in the third episode, and in the theme song.
40	*** The Newsman, Large Marvin and Begoony from ''Series/FraggleRock'', Annie Sue, Angus [=McGonagle=], Chip from ''Series/TheJimHensonHour'', the Gnu and Armstrong the Chicken Hawk from ''Jim Henson's Animal Show'' are in the audience.
41	* CatapultNightmare: After suffering from horrible injuries caused by Andy and Randy throughout his episode, John Goodman finds himself in the infirmary. When Andy and Randy appear to continue "helping" him, he starts screaming and panicking, then comes to in his actual hospital bed--he's still in traction, but the pigs appearing was a dream.
42	* CelebrityPower: Cindy Crawford was shown to have heat vision, because she's a ''super''model.
43	* CharacterCatchphrase:
44	** Andy and Randy frequently exclaim "This job's too hard!!" Usually when anybody reaches step 2 of the very simple task they're putting before them.
45	** Clifford (when he's hosting and something inevitably sidetracks him): "anywho..."
46	** Bobo (as an inappropriately casual goodbye given whatever had just happened beforehand): "Have a good day sir."
47	** Big Mean Carl: "Hi, I'm Carl!" and "Thank you!"
48	* ChasteToons: Well, Muppets anyway. Miss Piggy mysteriously acquires two nephews, Andy and Randy, who made their debut in ''Film/MuppetClassicTheater''.
49	* TheChewToy: Clifford is frequently the subject of the show's cartoonish slapstick.
50	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: With a few exceptions, most notably Pepe the King Prawn, Bobo the Bear and Big Mean Carl, many of the new Muppet characters that debuted on this show either got DemotedToExtra or made no further appearances in Muppet productions after the series ended. Examples include Seymour, Bill the Bubble Guy, Zippity-Zap, Nigel the Director, Mr. Poodlepants and others.
51	** Johnny Fiama, Sal Minella and Dr. Phil van Neuter became core characters in post-''Muppets Tonight'' Muppet productions for a few years, but fell victim to this trope after the mid-2000s, though Johnny and Sal made one final appearance in the "Music/BohemianRhapsody" viral video in 2009. This is largely because Sal and van Neuter were performed by Brian Henson, who stopped performing on a regular basis when the Muppets were sold to Disney. [[note]] Johnny, Sal and Van Neuter would return in the 2021 special ''Film/MuppetsHauntedMansion'', with Brian returning to perform Sal. [[/note]]
52	* CirclingVultures: A variation. In the Creator/WhoopiGoldberg episode, a vulture warns Miss Piggy she might be lunch after Andy and Randy get their car lost in a desert.
53	* ClarkKenting: Parodied, with a skit that featured Bobo the Bear & Clifford in a BuddyCopShow parody - Upon Clifford asking him about his sunglasses, Bobo stated he was working undercover, prompting Clifford to point that it was a PaperThinDisguise & it wouldn't work... Only for several people who knew Bobo to fail to recognize him.
54	* ClipShow: "The Best of ''Muppets Tonight''"
55	* CoolShades: Averted. Unlike Clifford's other appearances, he was featured with eyes in this incarnation instead of his sunglasses. Kevin Clash was not pleased about it, to the point where he made clear he would not perform Clifford if the shades were ever removed again.
56	* ComicallyMissingThePoint: A majority of the Swift Wits contestants such as Nate Leakey, Buster & Colfax Bergman, Philo Zilfinger, Lester Tomwater, and Agnes Stonewick. Until Arthur Modell came along, all of the aforementioned characters got the answers to Snookie Blyer's questions wrong.
57	* ContinuityNod: Kermit introduces the guest star, as always.
58	* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: Or more like "could have avoid this scene". When Bobo becomes security guard, he doesn't let anybody in unless their name is on the list. Johnny Fiama and Sal arrive, Johny's name is not on the list and therefore Bobo does not let him in, leading to Sal angrily calling Bobo names before Bobo throws him out the door (stopping a taxi in the process). It's near the end of this fight that Johnny sees that he looked at the wrong date in his appointment book. If he'd gotten it right, this fight would not have happened.
59	* CupidsArrow: When the guard, a grizzly-puppet named Bobo, sees a guest star Creator/CindyCrawford, cupid appears to shoot an arrow at him...however, upon realizing that it was a ''bear'' he was supposed to shoot, he immediately exchanges his bow for a heavy crossbow, knowing that it'd take that much firepower to affect a bear. The kick from said crossbow [[LawOfInverseRecoil launches him off the screen]] while he's in the middle of explaining it to the audience. Later on in the same episode, he accidentally shoots Sal, causing him to [[HoYay fall in love with Johnny Fiama]].
60	* TheDanza: InUniverse example: In the "Bay of Pigswatch" segments, Spamela Hamderson plays the role of "Spamela".
61	* ADayInTheLimelight:
62	** The last episode centers around Johnny Fiama moving out of his mother's house and into the studio, while Sal tries to get Johnny to go back.
63	** The Creator/AndieMacDowell episode prominently focuses on Dr. Bunsen Honeydew going through his midlife crisis.
64	* DemotedToExtra: Many older characters. Kermit not being the host is a common source of criticism.
65	* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: In the Creator/WhoopiGoldberg episode, three Kermits end up singing "Once In A Lifetime" by the Talking Heads. They all go backstage and we see Clifford say, "Nice job, Kermit", and a Kermit responding "Thank you" all 3 times.
66	* DistractedByTheSexy: Half of every "Bay of Pigs Watch" sketch consisted of David Hoggselhoth ignoring whatever is going on at the beach to come up with an excuse to make out with Spamela Hamderson.
67	* TheDitz: [[ThoseTwoGuys Andy and Randy]] may be just the two stupidest Muppets ever created, rivalling that of Fozzie Bear!
68	* DontExplainTheJoke: Seymour and Pepe's attempt at telling the "Elefino" joke, which is made even funnier by [[OverlyLongGag the diagrams and placards they use to explain it]]. The audience got it the first time, they don't think it's funny. Even Gonzo had to hold Rizzo back from yelling.
69	* DropInCharacter: Both Polly Lobster and Clueless Morgan from ''Film/MuppetTreasureIsland'' appear on this show... for... some reason...
70	* DropTheCow: Clifford has a falling cow land on him in the Tony Bennett episode.
71	* DumbassHasAPoint: There instances of the slightly dim Bobo having rather perceptive knowledge of certain things. For example:
72	-->'''Dennis Quaid:''' Have you seen Clifford?\
73	'''Bobo:''' Oh, well, he just went in the elevator and went up to the roof.\
74	'''Dennis:''' How come?\
75	'''Bobo:''' Well, I'm no licensed psychologist, but I would posit that he suffers from clinical depression triggered by your hyper-efficient performance of his duties.\
76	'''Dennis:''' Are you saying it's my fault?\
77	'''Bobo:''' Hey, what do I know? I'm a bear. I get my jollies from tipping over garbage cans.
78	* EarpieceConversation: In the Creator/CindyCrawford episode, mumbling security guard Bobo the Bear develops a crush on her. They hook him up an earpiece so that Rizzo the Rat can feed him the lines, but it comes to a bad end after Rizzo's nephews (coming home from the fair carrying balloons) walk in, leading Bobo to hear and repeat: "That's a nice set of balloons you've got. Maybe you'll let me play with them later."
79	* EasilyForgiven: The threat of a [[Film/{{Speed}} bomb that would go off if the ratings go under 50%]] turned out [[spoiler:to be a false threat made up by Creator/SandraBullock in an attempt to keep the ratings up, due to her being worried that they would blame her if the show wasn't popular. The Muppets don't show any resentment for her, let her do whatever she wants (which includes a terrible act), and Clifford assures her she can come back to the show any time.]]
80	* ExactWords:
81	** When Bobo is hired as a security guard, he prevents Clifford from getting to his office because his orders (As given by Clifford) stated that if a person's name wasn't on the list, they weren't to be allowed in the building. Clifford countered by saying: If my name's not on your paycheck, you don't get paid.
82	** The first time Clifford and Rizzo get Garth Brooks to agree to do a country song, he sings "If I Were A Rich Man", which is a song from a musical about people living in the ''Russian'' countryside. Rizzo comments that Garth didn't mention ''which'' country.
83	** In Creator/SandraBullock's episode, she complains that the muffin basket left in her room only had one muffin in it. Rizzo points out that it has to--any more, and it would be a muffinS basket.
84	* ExecutiveMeddling: Done in-universe when Earnst Staveros Grouper buys the station. Among the irrational changes he makes is changing Kermit the Frog into Virgil the Monkey.
85	* ExternallyValidatedProphecy: In the Cindy Crawford episode, Clifford shows footage supposedly of Crawford as a child talking about what she'd like to do when she grows up. Every one of the implausible ambitions young Cindy mentions is something she actually did do as an adult.
86	* FailedASpotCheck: When Billy Crystal was the guest star, after the show begins, Billy decides he wants the closing number to be a big jazz number and knows a good jazz band. Unfortunatley, the band fails to show up. At the end, it's revealed why. [[spoiler:In this same episode, Bobo the Bear was hired as security guard and he follows orders to only allow people in if their name is on the list, and clearly nobody thought to update the list so the band can get in.]]
87	* FaintInShock: Clifford faints early in the first episode when he's told he's going to get the job of hosting a show and he has to be ready in 30 seconds.
88	* FanDisservice: Bunsen and Beaker... in bikinis in the "Cameo Show." Statler and Waldorf agree.
89	* FashionShopFashionShow: Johnny Fiama and Sal take Bunsen on one of these, set to "Pretty Bunsen."
90	* {{Flanderization}}: When Clifford became the host of the show, his attitude changed greatly. Whereas in his previous appearances, he was cool and laid-back, being the host made him uptight and irritable, essentially putting him in Kermit's shoes.
91	* FurryConfusion: Well, Muppet Confusion, but one episode involved a ventriloquist dummy coming to life...and this freaked ''[[HypocriticalHumor the Muppets]]'' out.
92	* FurryReminder: Or rather Muppet Reminder. In the first episode, Clifford introduces himself as "Your homey made of foamy."
93	* GameShowGoofballs: A short game show segment titled "Swift Wits" featured contestants who were given a simple secret word to guess or else Big Mean Carl would eat an animal. However, nearly all the contestants were too stupid to have even a remote chance of winning. Two insisted on one answer, one refused to answer at all because they had gotten his name wrong, one (a pair of twins) kept spouting off generic answers and not listening, and in the last sketch, even when the word was given, the contestant mistook it for a clue. By the fourth sketch, even the host was getting tired of having idiots on the show. Even when one contestant did win the game, Carl insisted on eating the animal ''and the contestant!''
94	* GirlishPigtails: When Cindy Crawford plays herself as a teenager in a skit, she has her hair in twin pigtails to signify her youth.
95	* GoodAngelBadAngel: Seymour and Pepe pretending to be Jason Alexander's good and bad conscience in order to convince him to do an act with Gonzo.
96	* GotVolunteered: How Clifford got to be the host. Kermit asked for someone to host the new show and everyone ran out the door. Except Clifford, who was in the corner talking to his girlfriend on his cell phone.
97	* HeyThatsMyLine: Said by Fozzie in "The Cameo Show" after the cow says, "Wakka wakka".
98	* HilariousOuttakes: Some of the episodes have these during the closing credits.
99	* HollywoodPudgy: A rather odd in-universe example. In Creator/MartinShort's episode, he gets a taste of Mama Fiama's delicious pasta sauce and eats so much that he balloons up. While Short was a slim guy to begin with and certainly looks convincing as bigger in his fat suit (complete with a large stomach and double chin), all of the characters act as if he's become monstrously obese; Clifford says he's "500 pounds" and others call him "two tons." It's used for jokes, but since he doesn't really appear as fat as they're making him out to be, it comes across as mean-spirited.
100	* HostileShowTakeover: In one episode, the lobsters from the "Rock Lobster" sketch take over the show. The day is saved by the guest star, Creator/PierceBrosnan, who goes undercover as... James Prawn. In a gigantic lobster costume.
101	* HypocriticalHumor: The shows has tons of it, particularly mixed with TemptingFate.
102	** On a ''Tales from the Vet'' segment, Dr. Van Neuter warns the guests not to overdo it on the eggnog at the Christmas party. HilarityEnsues when he [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsBIjhBBPx8 doesn't follow his own advice...]]
103	** From the Creator/HeatherLocklear episode:
104	--->'''Clifford:''' When Heather Locklear agreed to guest star here on ''Muppets Tonight'', she said she wanted to do something cultured and sophisticated. This is what we came up with. ''(cue StylisticSuck BMovie parody)''
105	* IAmNotSpock: Creator/PierceBrosnan is mistaken for 007 at the beginning of his episode.[[invoked]]
106	* IAmNotWeasel: "I am not a ''shrimp'', okay? I am a King Prawn!"
107	* TheIgor: Mulch serves as the deformed assistant to Dr. Phil van Neuter, host of the ''Tales from the Vet'' segments.
108	* IOweYouMyLife: Creator/JohnGoodman saves Andy and Randy's life, so they dedicate themselves to being his slaves out of gratitude. Naturally, they only succeed in annoying him. They even follow him to the set of ''Roseanne'' afterwards.
109	-->'''Andy and Randy:''' We work ''here'' now.\
110	'''John Goodman:''' screams in terror\
111	'''Andy and Randy:''' join in
112	* IncessantChorus:
113	** In one episode, the characters keep mentioning Istanbul and Constantinople as though they were two different places, and every time they do, a band of rats dressed up as Turks pop up from nowhere to sing the penultimate verse of "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)".
114	** Another episode has a band of Muppets show up to sing "Whip It" every time someone says anything rhyming "whip it."
115	** The "Phenomena" sketch with Creator/SandraBullock. Now, what famous Muppet-performed song rhymes with "phenomena"?
116	** "Goodness gracious, my grape balls are on fire!"
117	* {{Jerkass}}: Big Mean Carl. "Mean" is part of this guy's name. Many of his alter-egos (Carl the Big Mean Bunny, Carl the Big Mean Bagpipe-Eater, etc.) also serve as this.
118	* JokeOfTheButt: Pepe and Seymour dreamed of onscreen singing stardom, but it never came about, because their performances were terrible. They would always sing the same song, with slightly altered lyrics:
119	-->'''Seymour:''' I'm Seymour...\
120	'''Pepe:''' I'm Pepe...\
121	'''Both:''' We're two of a kind.\
122	'''Pepe:''' I'm a little bit forward.\
123	'''Seymour:''' And I've got a big behind.
124	* LeftTheBackgroundMusicOn:
125	** In the Tony Bennett episode, Sal has his own SadTimesMontage set to Bennett singing "Boulevard of Broken Dreams." He returns to the studio and finds Tony has been singing the song the entire time from his dressing room.
126	** One sketch has Johnny plugging his new album "Johnny, We Hardly Heard Ya." He tries to sing the classic "Hooked on a Feeling," but Sal is over-eager on the "ooga-chakas," so he loses his place in the song.
127	* LoonyFan: Creator/GilbertGottfried to Kermit in a season 2 episode.
128	* {{Metaphorgotten}}: When Dr. Honeydew asks for help getting a makeover from Johnny Fiama.
129	-->'''Johnny:''' You know what they say, Bunsen. Clothes make the man, and we're going to make you a new man, so let's... go get some new clothes, man.\
130	'''Sal:''' You sure that's what they say, Johnny?\
131	'''Johnny:''' Hey, who cares? The man's desperate, let's go shopping.
132	* MonkeysOnATypewriter: In the Andie [=MacDowell=] episode, we learn that the show's scripters are actual Muppet monkeys, mindlessly pounding at typewriters going "Ook-ack-ook!". Once they come up with a satisfactory script, Kermit lets them [[Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey go touch the monolith]].
133	-->'''Kermit:''' I'll never know what they see in that thing.
134	* NiceToTheWaiter: Howard Tubman of "The Tubmans of Porksmith" is always polite and kind to his butler Carter. Their relationship is closer to a pair of best friends than employer and employee; it helps that Carter is a ServileSnarker who isn't afraid to call Howard out for his gigantic appetite, and Howard in turn is able to take those comments in stride.
135	* NightmareFuel: An InUniverse example starts off the Creator/HeatherLocklear episode. Locklear enters the studio to find no one greeting her. Turns out, everyone (Clifford, Rizzo, Gonzo, etc.) is hiding in a closet, terrified of Locklear because of the actions of her character on ''Series/MelrosePlace''. The Muppets begin panicking that she will blackmail them, start love triangles, and worse, frame them for murder and have them sent to the electric chair. Locklear has to assure them that she is nothing like her ''Melrose Place'' character.
136	* {{Notzilla}}:
137	** An episode featured Kermit as "Frogzilla".
138	** Giganticus, the "World's Largest Performing Artist" was slated for an appearance but according to Rizzo was beaten up by Super-Giganticus in Tokyo. Kermit filled in, wearing Giganticus' suit and singing "Once In a Lifetime", in an homage to [[Music/TalkingHeads Byrne's giant jacket top]] from ''Film/StopMakingSense''.
139	* NotOnTheList: A RunningGag involving Bobo the bear as the security guard.
140	* OhCrap: It wouldn't be the Muppets without this.
141	* OldShame: In the first episode of the second season (guest-starring [[Music/{{Prince}} The Artist Formerly Known as Prince]]), during the "Tales from the Vet" sketch, Phil Van Neuter hits his head and goes to the nurse, asking Mulch to play ''Townhouse of Wax'' while he's gone. Instead, Mulch plays "Christmas Party '93", which featured the wrap party to a season of ''Tales from the Vet''. In it, Phil asks his guests to go easy on the eggnog, [[HypocriticalHumor advice Phil himself doesn't heed]] ("Eggy-noggy, eggy-noggy!"). In fact, one hour and twenty-five minutes after the party started, after a failed attempt at a karaoke of "Copacabana", he passes out from an eggnog overdose. When Phil returns and finds out what happened, he first [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial denies ever being at the party in 1993]], then tries to justify it by saying, "It was the eggnog decade; I was just trying to fit in!" Eventually, Phil tries to grab the videotape from Mulch, who escapes through the halls with it with Phil giving chase.
142	* OnOneCondition:
143	** Parodied in an episode in which Ed Grimly will inherit a "fortune" of "eighty-five dollars" (Canadian) provided that he is married to a beautiful woman. Miss Piggy happens to walk in the door at that point... (And it turns out that she has more money than that already on her.)
144	** One "Tubmans of Porksmith" (a British-only sketch) had Howard Tubman being offered a massive inheritance from his great-aunt if he loses a hundred pounds before noon on Tuesday the twelfth. Given that the telegram announcing this news arrives around 11:45 AM ''on'' Tuesday the twelfth, it doesn't end well (although his great-aunt somehow recovers from death, as she's incredibly stubborn).
145	* OutOfFocus:
146	** Pretty much every Muppet performed by Creator/FrankOz, thanks to Oz being too busy with other projects to perform them full-time. Piggy became a "special guest star" (such as in the Creator/MichellePfeiffer episode) while Fozzie, Sam and Animal were only used in the occasional skit or segment.
147	** Kermit too had a reduced role compared to his days on ''Series/TheMuppetShow'', since he was no longer the host, but was instead the "producer" of the show. However, he still appeared in almost every episode and interacted a lot with the guest stars.
148	* OverlyLongGag: The show suffered ''a lot'' from this in the earlier episodes, especially during "Tales From The Vet."
149	* ParentalBonus: It's the Muppets.
150	* ParodyNames: Spamela Hamderson and David Hoggselhoff, the stars of ''[[Series/{{Baywatch}} Bay Of Pigs Watch]]''.
151	* PhoneTraceRace: Happens in one episode where Andy and Randy trace the call... by methodically ripping the phone cable out of the walls.
152	* PianoDrop: Clifford gets a piano dropped on him in the Gary Cahuenga episode.
153	* PigLatin: In the Creator/JohnGoodman episode:
154	-->'''John Goodman:''' The igpays are a little upidstay.\
155	'''Pigs:''' He speaks the ancient tongue! Eway are not orthyway! Eway are not orthyway!
156	* PlayingAgainstType:
157	** InUniverse, where the monster of one sketch is played by Kermit in the Heather Locklear episode.
158	--->'''Kermit:''' This is fun! I never get to play the bad guy.
159	** The entire plot of the Garth Brooks episode was that Brooks didn't feel like performing Country/Western that night. By the time that Clifford finally convinced him to sing one of his own songs, he had already performed random bits of Creator/WilliamShakespeare, Tom Jones' "It's Not Unusual", "If I Were A Rich Man" from ''Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof'', and had been planning to participate in one of Gonzo's acts up until the moment he learned how painful the act was likely to be (the act consisted of flying upwards on jet packs, being stopped by bungee cords, and then recoiling back to Earth to crash into the unpadded studio floor).
160	* PlayingCyrano: In the Creator/CindyCrawford episode, mumbling security guard Bobo the Bear develops a crush on her, and Rizzo takes the Cyrano role of supplying him with appropriate dialog.
161	* RetGone: A bunch of new Muppets were introduced that took up a larger amount of screen time than the original ones, and were probably intended to be a "next-generation Muppet cast" to add to the originals. The majority of them have never appeared since.
162	* ShaveAndAHaircut: The punchline to the "Phenomena" sketch:
163	-->'''Sandra Bullock:''' You should see [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5Mc55P1i9g what happens when I say "shave and a haircut"]].
164	* ShownTheirWork: Larry King tries to pass security guard Bobo the Bear to become a guest on ''Muppets Tonight'' in the third episode by claiming that his show is broadcast in 220 countries. Bobo disputes this by proving to King that there are only 191 countries. Bobo was, in fact, correct; when the episode aired, there were 191 countries known to exist.
165	* SleepDeprivation: In the Creator/BillyCrystal episode, various animals sing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", making so much noise the lion can't get to sleep, and ends up chasing them away.
166	* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: When Johnny tries selling his new album "Johnny, We Hardly Heard Ya," he firmly reminds Sal that he certainly did ''not'' sell any previous records, muttering about "the IRS audit thing."
167	* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Bug Llewelyn, being one of Jacques Roach who first debuted in The Jim Henson Hour.
168	* SpellingSong: In the Cindy Crawford episode, as part of a parody of ''Series/TheMickeyMouseClub'':
169	-->K-E-R (Are we having fun yet?) M-I-T (That's a swell university.) F-R-O-O-G
170	* SpinOffBabies: A sketch in which two tapes of old network shows got tangled together, resulting in the creation of "''Series/{{Seinfeld}} [[WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies1984 Babies]]''".
171	* SpoiledSweet: Howard Tubman of "The Tubmans of Porksmith" qualifies. As a member of "America's oldest and fattest family," he's extremely rich, but he's also a genuinely nice guy who's usually more concerned with [[BigEater dessert]] than flaunting his wealth. In one sketch, a pair of robbers breaks into the Porksmith Mansion, and Howard is perfectly willing to give them anything they want--to the point where he even wants them to stay for a cup of tea.
172	* TakeThat:
173	** In one episode, a group of lobsters hold the station hostage and read their demands, mostly pertaining to the treatment of shellfish in society. However, one demand ends up being no more movies based on old TV shows.
174	-->'''Lobster:''' What's that got to do with shellfish?\
175	'''Lead Lobster:''' Nothing. It's for the benefit of all mankind.
176	** In another episode, Creator/AndieMacDowell, after a fling with Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, demands more dangerous adventures, such as sitting through a Creator/PaulyShore movie.
177	-->'''Bunsen:''' That's it, she's snapped.
178	** One episode has Creator/JasonAlexander attempting to play Literature/HerculePoirot in a reenactment of Literature/MurderOnTheOrientExpress, only for everyone to keep thinking he's Hercules. While he attempts to stay in character, what truly causes him to break is when Bunsen asks if he's going to [[Film/SupermanTheMovie fly backwards to turn back time]].
179	--->'''Jason Alexander''': ... Alright, first of all I am not Hercules. Second of all, YOU are thinking of SUPERMAN and not HERCULES! And third of all, you cannot reverse time by flying backwards around the Earth! I myself had a little problem with the logic in that part of the film!
180	* TemporaryBulkChange: Both Creator/MartinShort and Clifford become huge when they get a taste of Mama Fiama's pasta sauce--it's [[ImpossiblyDeliciousFood so delicious]] that they can't stop stuffing their faces.
181	* TemptingFate:
182	** In the episode featuring Creator/DennisQuaid, Kermit leaves the studio in Clifford's hands, then comments, "It's not like bowling balls gonna come falling out of the sky the minute I leave." GenreSavvy Clifford expects this to happen, only other things end up going wrong. When Dennis is able to fix everything, Rizzo comments there weren't even any falling bowling balls. Cue everyone but Clifford sidestepping away as bowling balls pummel him.
183	** At the beginning of Creator/JohnGoodman's episode, he remarks that he's expecting a nice, relaxing evening on the show. Clifford promises him that nothing will stress him out at all...not two minutes later, John keeps Andy and Randy from electrocuting themselves, and they decide that they [[IOweYouMyLife need to be his slave]] to thank him. They spend the rest of the episode generally making John's life a living hell.
184	** In the Creator/HeatherLocklear episode: "Bunsen and Beaker can't screw up twice in the same episode."
185	* ThemeTwinNaming: Andy and Randy
186	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: the Music/GarthBrooks episode was an InUniverse version of this when Garth decided he didn't want to do Country music anymore and did other things like a Tom Jones impersonation, while everyone else wanted Garth to go back to the way he was, so he closed the show with "We Shall Be Free".
187	* ThisIsGoingToSuck: Garth Brooks' opinion of Gonzo's rocket-boosted sub-orbital inverse bungee jumping act once he learns what will be stopping them (The floor). Fortunately, he learns this in time to safely back out.
188	* ThisIsYourBrainOnEvil: Played straight and inverted in the Creator/HeatherLocklear episode, when she accidentally eats Bunsen Honeydew's mood meals. When she eats the chimichangas, she turns into a evil psychotic maniac. Eating the biscottis, however, turns her into the exact opposite: a goody two-shoes sweetheart. The only way to cure either of these symptoms is to [[spoiler:hit her in the noggin with a fish]].
189	* TooDumbToLive: Again, Andy and Randy.
190	* TheTropeFormerlyKnownAsX: Milked for all it's worth with Music/{{Prince}}'s appearance.
191	* TriviallyObvious: "''Muppets Tonight'': the show critics everywhere are calling... 'Muppets Tonight'."
192	* TwoForOneShow
193	* VerbalBackspace: Creator/JohnGoodman is fighting in a war with a bunch of rats:
194	-->'''John Goodman:''' Don't worry, I promise to get all of you home back in one piece.\
195	''(a rat explodes and then comes back into view with his top torso separated from his bottom torso)''\
196	'''John Goodman:''' Okay, maybe several pieces.
197	* WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong:
198	** At the start of the Creator/WhoopiGoldberg episode, Clifford is really optimistic about the show that night, and is cheerfully telling Kermit about the plans, until Bill the Bubble Guy walks past and adds, "What could possibly go wrong?" Cue [[GenreSavvy Clifford's]] immediate paranoia and a phone call from Miss Piggy saying that she's flying back from a mall opening in Antarctica and might not make the closing number.
199	** Clifford says this at the start of the John Goodman episode, followed by Andy and Randy nearly electrocuting themselves.
200	* WholePlotReference: Creator/SandraBullock's episode has a "Mad Bomber" calling into the studio and warning the cast that if the ratings drop below 50%, the explosives he's packed into the place will go off--that's the basic plot of ''Film/{{Speed}}'' (only it's a bus that needs to stay above 50 miles per hour). Sandra lampshades the trope and gets upset when no one seems to have seen the movie. [[spoiler:It's later revealed as a JustifiedTrope in-universe--Sandra was the Mad Bomber in disguise, so it makes sense that she'd base her scheme on one of her own films.]]
201	* WhoWritesThisCrap: At the beginning of the "Hardy Pig Boys in the Mystery of the [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot Zombie Queen of the Amazon Outer Space Bee Woman]] Case: Based on a novel by Jane Austen" sketch.
202	-->'''Announcer:''' Ugh, who wrote this?\
203	'''Andy & Randy Pig:''' We did!
204	* YourCostumeNeedsWork: [[http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/muppet/images/8/8a/Little_richard.jpg Beaker does an uncanny Little Richard impression]], actually a cameo of Music/LittleRichard himself, on which the show's host, Clifford, comments "Worst Little Richard impersonation ever!"

Context Series / MuppetsTonight