Line #32 Series/TheJimHensonHour


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dogcityld_12.jpeg]]
2	''The Jim Henson Hour'' (known internationally as ''The Jim Henson Show'') was Creator/JimHenson's last television series, and aired on Creator/{{NBC}} from April 14, 1989 to July 30, 1989, and on Creator/{{CBC}} in Canada. The first half of most of the hours was [[Franchise/TheMuppets 'Muppetelevision']], with the second half a half-hour special showcasing what else Henson could do with puppetry (and one Muppet special, ''Miss Piggy's Hollywood''). Several episodes of ''Series/TheStoryteller'' that hadn't yet aired in North America were originally aired here, as was the one-off special ''Dog City'', which inspired [[WesternAnimation/DogCity a TV series of the same name]]. One character named Clifford would go on to appear in other Muppet productions, such as hosting ''Series/MuppetsTonight'' and appearing in ''Film/MuppetsFromSpace''.
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4	Unfortunately, it failed to catch on. ExecutiveMeddling resulted in a far less structured show than Henson had in mind, leaving audiences confused, and the new Muppets were largely a disappointment. A common refrain from critics was that people should skip the first half of each episode, and only tune in for the ''Storyteller'' segments. As a result, critics gave the show mixed reviews (being especially harsh towards the first half of the show), and it ended up being a total ratings failure. Twelve episodes were produced, but the ratings were so bad that NBC cancelled the show after only ''five'' episodes had aired. Four of the remaining episodes were burned off that July. Two more episodes premiered as stand-alone specials on Nickelodeon in 1992 and 1993. The last episode aired in the United Kingdom on December 30, 1990, but never aired in the United States. Japan got the series only as a one-off special in 1992 on Creator/{{NHK}}, under the title ''Jim Henson's Fantasy World.''
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6	See the ''[[Recap/TheJimHensonHourE5 Dog City]]'' page for tropes from that special.
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9	!!Tropes featured include:
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11	* AlternateSpeciesCounterpart: The "Outer Space" segment featured an alien television broadcast of [[SdrawkcabName The Teppums]], alien versions of Franchise/TheMuppets. Characters include Timrek the Gorf, Oznog (an analog to Gonzo), and unnamed Teppum versions of Vicki, Digit, Leon, Bootsie, and Brad.
12	* BehindTheBlack: In [[https://youtu.be/gnbgPvgJuV8?t=2526 the "Secrets" episode]], Gonzo and others are horrified and creeped out by their performers, who are visible in a long shot. When the camera moves in so only the upper halves of the puppets can be seen, he looks down and sees the floor again.
13	-->'''Creator/JimHenson''': The fantasy always wins.
14	* BrainWithAManualControl: In the episode "Outer Space", after Digit breaks down, Kermit, Lindbergh and Waldo go into his brain to fix him. They end up controlling Digit from the inside when they are unable to reach a button to release them out of his brain.
15	* BreakTheHaughty: Miss Piggy gets put through this in ''Miss Piggy's Hollywood'' -- not only does her CelebrityLie become increasingly transparent to the audience, she tumbles out of the back of a car, gets blown up at Universal Studios at the end of an egotistical rewrite of "That's Entertainment", and falls backwards into a pool as the day progresses. She finally breaks down on camera and admits to her deception, whereupon the proceedings take a happy turn at last.
16	* BunniesForCuteness: Bean Bunny's role as the RidiculouslyCuteCritter is repeatedly lampshaded.
17	* TheCameo: Sprocket from ''Series/FraggleRock'' makes a brief appearance in ''Dog City'' and also appears in the "OMD" (Organization of Muppet Dogs) segment in ''Secrets of the Muppets''.
18	* CelebrityLie: ''Miss Piggy's Hollywood'' is built on Piggy trying to put this over even as it quickly becomes clear that the stars she's trying to get on camera for interviews are ''not'' dear friends of hers, reaching a low point when an angry Creator/JustineBateman backs her into a pool (Gonzo told her agent she was going to be interviewed by Creator/BarbaraWalters). Just after she knocks on the door of the final "friend", Creator/DudleyMoore, Piggy finally breaks down as she admits to the audience that she's been fibbing because she wanted to live up to their expectations...and for a moment doesn't realize that Moore has not only stepped outside but is thrilled to see her, as he's a huge fan of hers. She promptly cheers up after that!
19	* ClipShow: ''Series/SesameStreet: 20 Years… and Still Counting'', which was produced as an episode of the series, but aired as a separate special on April 7, 1989, one week before the formal series premiere, and is considered sort of an "episode 0" for the series, is an anniversary show that mixes clips with various bits of new material, including an intro with Henson and Kermit.
20	* ComplimentBackfire: Kermit gets the compliment-that-makes-you-feel-old from Vicki, who's been a huge fan of ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' since kindergarten.
21	* DancePartyEnding:
22	** At the end of "The Ratings Game", Kermit laments that the show's fallen to pieces and needs ''something'' to save it -- so Bean Bunny launches into "La Bamba" and the rest of the cast (including characters from the preceding sketches) joins in.
23	** A similar ending happens in "Outer Space"; Lacking an idea for a closing number, the Muppets (and [[SimilarSquad their counterparts the Teppums]]) perform "Chattanooga Choo Choo".
24	** The closing number for "Videotape", when Buster Poindexter hosts an "All Night Party".
25	** The cast of Series/SesameStreet sings "Sing a Song" for the conclusion of the episode: ''Sesame Street: 20 Years… and Still Counting'', as they pay tribute to Sesame Street composer, Joe Raposo.
26	* DemotedToExtra[=/=]CommutingOnABus: Creator/FrankOz was busy with movie projects (particularly ''Film/WhatAboutBob'') during the show's production, so Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear don't appear much outside of ''Miss Piggy's Hollywood'', which was intended to compensate for this by giving them ADayInTheLimelight. Richard Hunt, who was diagnosed with HIV around that time, only performed characters in one or two episodes.
27	* DoNotAdjustYourSet: On ''Sesame Street: 20 Years and Still Counting'', Bill Cosby reminded viewers to not adjust their TV set after they ran ''Rubber Ducky'' in Multi-Language.
28	* GreenAesop: A message against pollution is used in one story narrated by Clifford, and in others.
29	* {{Homage}}: The show was designed to be a Jim Henson version of ''Series/WaltDisneyPresents'' (hour-long, rotating subjects, Jim introducing and closing each episode, etc.). [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR8UbcmHcYI More so in the original pitch]], but still.
30	* HostileShowTakeOver: Gonzo and Leon try this, but it's less hostile than usual as Kermit relishes the opportunity for a break. Consequently, things fall to pieces as no one can decide who should have Kermit's job.
31	* IconicOutfit: Jim in those Cosby sweaters. As explained in "The Secrets of the Muppets" this is to avoid issues with the blue screen set.
32	* LaughTrack: In ''Miss Piggy's Hollywood'', Fozzie Bear's set at The Comedy Store (a RealLife stand-up comedy club) is heckled by Statler and Waldorf. He then reveals he brought a laugh track with him just in case, and when he uses it for the same routine, it works so well that they wind up ''surrendering'', complete with little white flags.
33	* MassiveMultiplayerCrossover: In ''Secrets of the Muppets'', Rowlf oversees a meeting of various Muppet/Creature Shop dogs such as [[Film/{{Labyrinth}} Ambrosius]], [[Series/FraggleRock Sprocket]], the ''Dog City'' characters, and Series/TheStoryteller's dog.
34	* MotionCapture: Waldo C. Graphic from the "[=MuppetTelevison=]" segments is an early experiment in CG puppetry. In "Secrets of the Muppets", Jim shows how his performance is done.
35	* NonHumanSidekick:
36	** The Thought Lion from "[[Series/TheStoryteller The True Bride]]" joined Jim in the intros and closings.
37	** In "Secrets of the Muppets", Jim is accompanied by a dog named Jojo who acts as TheWatson.
38	* OminousMultipleScreens: Well, maybe not so ominous. The Muppet control room on consists of hundreds and hundreds of TV screens. This made sense, as the idea was that Kermit the Frog assembled the show by tuning into every television feed in the universe and picking the best stuff. This being the Muppets, characters could also get flung out of screens and into the control room itself.
39	* PolicemanDog: Ace Yu is a dog as well as a private eye.
40	* {{Revival}}: Of ''Series/TheMuppetShow''.
41	* TheScottishTrope: In the cheeky behind-the-scenes special ''Secrets Of The Muppets'', another program that wouldn't air during the NBC run but later appeared on Nickelodeon, it's revealed that most of the Muppets are very sensitive about [[TWordEuphemism "the 'P' word"]].
42	* SerendipitousSymphony: In ''The Song of the Cloud Forest''.
43	* SimilarSquad: An episode featured the characters receiving footage of an alien TV show starring the [[SdrawkcabName Teppums]], including Timrek the Gorf and Oznog.
44	* SdrawkcabName: One episode featured the Teppums, with Timrek the Gorf and Oznog.
45	* TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat:
46	** Gonzo leaves to do a poultry show across town, but has Digit 'pre-record' himself to make an appearence on [=MuppeTelevision=], and is just ''that good'' at predicting what will happen.
47	** Even after Kermit fast forwards to the end of the recording in order to get rid of it, it ''still'' has the prescience to complain about this before departing.

Context Series / TheJimHensonHour