Season Three takes The Muppet Show to greater heights of zaniness, introducing new characters such as Lew Zealand (and his boomerang fish act) and Beauregard (the lovable, yet dim-witted, custodian). Kermit also hires a younger female pig to serve as a protege for Miss Piggy, which arouses her jealousy and serves as a plot device in several episodes.
There were a few disasters to befall The Muppet Show during Season Three, however. In the episode featuring Roy Clark, the cast is struck by an epidemic of chronic Cluck-itis, changing pretty much the entire cast into chickens. Luckily, Roy Clark, himself, was immune, as he reveals he had already had Cluck-itis as a child. The Muppet Theater catches fire in one episode, while in another episode, it's being fumigated and Kermit is forced to film Loretta Lynn's episode at the train depot in which they went to meet her. Poor Kermit and Gonzo end up pretty much sitting this one out, as they accidentally get on a train that's leaving the station, then try to return via a hand-car, only to wind up run down by an oncoming train. Luckily, Kermit's injuries seemed to be superficial, as he showed no signs of the tragedy by the next episode.
Some of the musical performances in The Muppet Show: The Complete Third Season include Leo Sayer performing, "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing," Alice Cooper performing his #1 US/UK hit "School's Out for Summer," Liberace using the last part of an episode to perform a short concert, Raquel Welch (One Million Years B.C., The Three Musketeers) singing and dancing in a revealing outfit with a strange, man-sized spider Muppet, Harry Belafonte performing "Turn the World Around" and his first ever televised performance of "The Banana Boat Song (Day-O)," Roger Miller performing a medley of some of his hits, including "Dang Me," "Can't Roller-skate in a Buffalo Herd," and "Wackadoo," Roy Rogers and Dale Evans performing separately and together, a duet featuring Raquel Welch and Miss Piggy performing "I'm a Woman" and a duet featuring Cheryl Ladd (Charlie's Angels) and Miss Piggy performing "I Enjoy Being A Girl."
Another notable show in Season Three is the comedy sketch that Kermit allows Miss Piggy to orchestrate. As her topic, she chooses an elaborate wedding between herself and Kermit. Instead of using a cast member to play the part of the priest, Miss Piggy gets a real priest to do the honors. The ceremony is conducted all the way through until Kermit is asked if he takes Miss Piggy's hand in marriage, to which he narrowly escapes by introducing Lew Zealand's act and running away. This controversial skit is referenced in interviews with cast members later. Miss Piggy refers to it as when she married Kermit, Kermit remembers it as just a comedy skit and, I would imagine, Lew Zealand remembers it as his big break.
In addition, the special features are literally pieces of the Muppet Show's history, something that fans will be dying to see. Muppets on Puppets was originally aired in 1969 and features the creators of the Muppets (including Jim Henson, himself) showing off their craft and explaining some of the history of puppets, how the Muppets are crafted and even how to make your own. A Company of Players is an interesting interview with many of the Muppeteers - the artists who controlled the various Muppets during their performances, revealing a fun-loving and whimsical working environment. Finally, the Muppet Commercials featurette shows several commercials for Purina Dog Chow featuring Rowlf. All present an interesting look into the past of the Muppets.
While it's true that no Muppet fan's collection would be complete without The Muppet Show: The Complete Third Season, this season has more going for it than appealing to completists. It has drama. It has tension. It has lots of explosions. It has the infernal Muppaphone player, Marvin Suggs. With guest stars such as Alice Cooper, Liberace and Raquel Welch, this show isn't "in Kansas anymore," as Dorothy Gale would put it.
