History Series / TheJimHensonHour

''The Jim Henson Hour'' (known internationally as ''The Jim Henson Show'') was Creator/JimHenson's last television series, and aired on 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''.

* TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat: 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.

* ParentalBonus: Some of the finest examples in the whole ''Sesame Street'' franchise are in ''Sesame Street: 20 Years… and Still Counting'', like Grover hawking [[Film/ADayAtTheRaces "tootsie-frootsie ice cream"]] on the street, Oscar saying [[Film/SunsetBoulevard "I'm ready for my closeup, Mr. [=DeMille=]"]], and after roving around asking "Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?" as the Question of the Day, Kermit learning that tomorrow's Question of the Day is [[Music/DionneWarwick "Do you know the way to San Jose?"]].

* 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 Barbara Walters). 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!

* EverythingsBetterWithDinosaurs: One episode that never aired on NBC, ''Living With Dinosaurs''. It subsequently premiered in [[TheNineties 1993]] on Nickelodeon as a stand-alone special.

''The Jim Henson Hour'' was Creator/JimHenson's last television series, and aired on 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''.

* IconicOutfit: Jim in those Cosby sweaters.

* 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. [[CryCute She finally breaks down on camera and admits to her deception]], whereupon the proceedings take a happy turn at last.

* 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 Barbara Walters). Just after she knocks on the door of the final "friend", Creator/DudleyMoore, Piggy finally breaks down and has a CryCute 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!

* DemotedToExtra[=/=]CommutingOnABus: Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear don't appear very often, as Creator/FrankOz was busy with movie projects (particularly ''Film/WhatAboutBob'') during the show's production. That said, they are very much the focus of ''Miss Piggy's Hollywood''. Another veteran Muppeteer, Richard Hunt, only performed characters in one or two episodes.

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 mostly negative reviews (especially 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.''

* DemotedToExtra[=/=]CommutingOnABus: Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear don't appear very often, as Creator/FrankOz was busy with movie projects (particularly ''Film/WhatAboutBob'') during the show's production. That said, they are very much the focus of ''Miss Piggy's Hollywood''. Another veteran Muppeteer, Richard Hunt, only performed characters in one episode.

* DemotedToExtra[=/=]CommutingOnABus: Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear don't appear very often, as Creator/FrankOz was busy with movie projects (particularly ''Film/WhatAboutBob'') during the show's production. That said, they are very much the focus of ''Miss Piggy's Hollywood''.