The Muppet Show
Season Three
Disney

Here’s a great family offering–the third season of the The Muppet Show, a progam that aired from 1976 to 1981 (and has also been seen in syndicated reruns). Guest stars for this year included Harry Belefonte, Danny Kaye, Cheryl Ladd, Raquel Welch, Roy Rogers & Dale Evans, then-rising Rocky star Sylvester Stallone, and more. The Muppets always seemed to bring out the best good-sport nature in all celebrities. And, of course, there are those Muppet egos–Miss Piggy in particular–ever the porcine charmer. They really did have everyone from everywhere, including shock-schlock rock star Alice Cooper (the best version of “School’s Out” ever!) and, in one of the true stand-out shows featuring Lynn Redgrave, a 25-minute production of “Robin Hood.” Merry Muppet Men indeed! There’s the late, wonderful Gilda Radner doing Gilbert and Sullivan in Muppet land; a train setting for Loretta Lynn; Liberace and Gonzo’s tap-dancing chicken; Belefonte with “The Banana Boat Song (Day-O),” fully Muppetized; and the ever-magical Danny Kaye, whose eternal sense of childlike wonder was perfect for the program. The bonus features include “The Muppets on Puppets” documentary dating back to 1968, and a new featurette, “The Making of The Muppets.” This really is fun for the whole family.

Here’s a Muppet taste:

Mission Impossible – Fourth Season
CBS

Both produced by Desilu, Star Trek and Mission Impossible began at the same time, though MI continued on after Trek was cancelled (and we know the rest of that story). The producers over at MI must’ve been keeping an eye on Leonard Nimoy, as he was hired post-Trek, right away when Landau and Barbara Bain left after the third season of the Impossible Missions Force Adventures. Enter Nimoy as Paris, another master of disguise (plus semi-regular Lee Meriweather–still years from Barnaby Jones–as Tracy). Though some call the Landau-Bain era the show’s prime years, it’s far from true as some great episodes can be found on this set, especially the extended multi-part storylines of “The Controllers” and even better, then three-part “The Falcon.” Other fine stand-alone eps include “Fool’s Gold,” The Choice,” and the quite remarkable “Orpheus.” Blending political intrigue, spy-thriller motifs and cerebral elements as well, season four is still very watchable four decades later, the equal of contemporary programs today such as the BBC’s MI-5.

Monsterquest – Complete Season 1
History Channel – A&E Home Video

Ah, there be monsters here…or maybe not. That’s the thrust of this engaging History Channel series, the initial 13 episodes collected here.

Unlike some programs with a mission to debunk myths and such, Monsterquest usually leaves viewers to decide. With high-tech devices, the crew goes in search of creatures of lore, including the Kraken, the Lake Beast Werewolf, Jurassic Fish Monsters, America’s Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot and more, from deep dark woods to deep-fathom lakes. It’s creepy, it’s spooky, and all done with a nice edge too. The set comes packaged in a metallic tin DVD box.

Modern Marvels – Engineering Disasters
History Channel – A&E Home Video

Man’s genius, coupled with his arrogance, has too often resulted in folly, then tragedy, and that’s the thrust here. This extensive collection looks at 20th and 21st century disasters rooted in engineering, from the Exxon Valdez oil spill debacle to Hurricane Katrina devastating an unprepared New Orleans. But rather than just summon sheer blame, the programs look at the aftermaths which resulted in superfunds to clean up toxic wastes of various kinds, the rise of the EPA, new standards for ships, aircrafts and autos, new approaches towards construction from buildings and other structures to bridges and roads/highways. This one is definitely good for a Father’s Day (comin’ up soon, folks) gift for pop, especially if he watches this sort of thing regularly on TV. This is true reality television, and well done at that.