An improvement in tone and humour over season 1, not to mention recognisability of the guest stars over 30 years since the series went out meant that I enjoyed this season more than the previous. Knowing who the weekly guest star is doesn't necessarily improve my enjoyment of the show, but it sometimes helps! Sometimes I'd heard of someone, but I wouldn't be able to pick them out of a line up, however this season there were some true greats - Elton John, John Cleese, Peter Sellers, Russian ballet dancer Rudolph Nureyev, Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters (last seen in season 3 of Ugly Betty running YETI!) and Julie Andrews - many of whom are still around today, although all too often the guests where getting on a bit when they appeared in the Muppet Show and didn't last much longer - Zero Mostel was not old, but he died only days after his episode was shown. One of my favourite guest stars of the season was Teresa Brewer, an American singer I was not familiar with before. She had an excellent voice and sang some great songs on the show, yet she was also very funny in the comedy sketches. Not every guest star was adept at both. John Cleese didn't really get songs, and his comedy was top rate. Some of the acts, such as Bob Hope, I don't think really 'got' what the Muppets was and so sometimes looked a bit uncomfortable - when the guests loosened up and just went with it, these were the best episodes. Rudolf Nureyev's was a surprisingly funny (and stangely hot, for he spent one number in just a towel) turn, and is an example of someone I'd heard of but wasn't very familiar with.
As for the Muppets themselves, the writers really seem to have landed on who works best and when, in comparison to season one. That means Miss Piggy gets an expanded role - especially with the introduction of the hilarious Pigs In Spaaaaaaaaaaace 'sitcom'; Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker make more appearances; the Swedish Chef becomes more of a fixture; and Fozzie gets more to do backstage than just get heckled onstage. Statler and Waldorf seem to have had more to do too, although that just may be my selective memory at work. One of my favourite recurring spots is the cringe-inducing pun-packed Doctor Bob sketch, with Rolf, Miss Piggy and Janice in an operating theatre - every time the announcer comes on at the end of the sketch and the three Muppets start looking around for his voice, it cracks me up! There's nothing quite like the Muppet Show, and there's not been anything even remotely like it since (Muppets Tonight not withstanding), so it's a joy to watch.
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