Summary

• Jim Henson's stint on SNL helped pave the way for The Muppet Show, showcasing his creativity beyond children's content.
• "The Land of Gorch" muppet skit on SNL featured crude humor and drugs, alcohol references, contrasting Sesame Street muppets.
• Henson's SNL muppet skit failed due to creative differences with writers, limiting his vision despite his innovative ideas.

Although Jim Henson is best known for creating The Muppet Show, he also had a significant role on SNL season 50 on the way, it has been a long time since Henson ed the show back in 1975.

Jim Henson ed SNL during its first season in the mid-1970s before it was known just how big the show would get. With him, he brought several muppets in hopes of creating a successful adult puppetry skit for the comedy show. Henson and his muppets ed SNL shortly after Henson created muppets for Sesame Street, the children's television show. While his work on SNL was a big jump from Sesame Street, Henson hoped that his work would find a new, broader audience.

Jim Henson Worked On Saturday Night Live Season 1

Jim Henson Hoped It Would Help Expand His Career

After working with Sesame Street to develop muppets for the educational series, Henson was worried he would be forced to create children's content for the rest of his career. Not wanting to be limited, with the help of his agent, Henson was able to land a role in Saturday Night Live's first season in 1975. The role consisted of creating new muppets for the show to create a recurring adult puppetry skit on the sketch comedy series. While the idea of Henson's work being shown to an adult audience was an exciting prospect, audience reception was generally negative.

The skit was a stark contrast to the general style of sketches that Saturday Night Live became known for. Moreover, Henson himself was not able to write the sketches due to union laws and, as a result, he often clashed with the writers of the show. The lack of interest from the writers, in combination with the crude nature of the skit's humor and the contrast to SNL's other skits, meant Henson's early version of the muppets failed that first year and shortly after, the muppets disappeared from SNL.

Jim Henson's The Land Of Gorch Muppet Skit On SNL Explained

A Skit Centered On The Grotesque And Crude

Henson's muppet skit was called "The Land of Gorch" and was centered around a royal family from a different world. The muppets made crude jokes and often alluded to drugs, sex, and alcohol in a way that fit the general vibe of SNL's humor. The muppets' behavior and dialogue were a distant contrast to that of the muppets that were introduced on Sesame Street shortly before the first SNL season. The characters in the skits were also vastly different from the muppets as they are known today, with names such as Ploobis, Peuta, and Wiss.

Despite the unpopularity, "The Land of Gorch" had 11 sketches spread throughout the first season of SNL. Henson had likely hoped that the sketches would gain popularity as time went on, but unfortunately, the skits fell flat with the audience. While the skits were unsuccessful in capturing the audience's interest, they did lay the groundwork needed for the future The Muppet Show, which aired shortly after and featured the muppets as they are known today. The Muppet Show is vastly different from "The Land of Gorch," but it did maintain the humorous surreality and absurdity of the muppets.

Why The Muppets' SNL Skit Was Canceled

An Unpopular Skit Led To One Of The Most Beloved Pop Culture References Today

There were a few reasons why SNL's muppet skit failed. The main reason was likely that while the vision for the muppet skit was Henson's, the writing was not his own. The Writers Guild of America was particularly strict on who could write for the show and only writers employed by SNL could write skits for SNL. Therefore, Henson could contribute the idea for the skit, create the muppets, and act on the show, but Henson could not write the sketches. His vision for the skit could only go so far.

Another reason why the skit was canceled was because of creative differences between the writers and Henson. Since Henson could not write the sketches himself, the role fell to the young writers at SNL. Unfortunately, those same writers dismissed the muppets and disliked having to write the sketches. The Saturday Paper quoted one writer who, referring to the sketches, said "I don't write for felt." Despite the early cancelation of "The Land Of Gorch," the skit helped to form The Muppet Show the following year, which remains one of the most beloved pop culture references today.

During his time on SNL, Henson also created pilot episodes for The Muppet Show, but the show was not picked up as a consistent TV show until 1976, shortly after Henson's time on SNL. With the help of Frank Oz, who also helped Henson create "The Land Of Gorch" skits, Henson ran The Muppet Show from 1976 to 1981. The show was similar to SNL in that it also featured guest stars and comedy skits. The Muppet Show introduced the widely loved characters Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog. Disney has since bought The Muppets, to Frank Oz's dismay.

Jim Henson's Time On SNL Will Be Featured In Saturday Night

Henson Is Not The Only Comedian That Will Be Featured In The Movie

Jim Henson's experience on SNL will be featured in the movie, Saturday Night. The movie, directed by Jason Reitman, will follow the cast and events that led up to the first episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975. The characters will feature major SNL names, including Lorne Michaels, Dan Ackroyd, and George Carlin, played by Gabriel LaBelle, Dylan O'Brien, and Matthew Rhys, respectively. Given the cultural phenomenon that SNL became, it will be interesting to see how it all began and see actors portray famous comedians of the 1970s.

Saturday Night will be released on October 11, 2024 in the United States.

Henson will be played by Nicholas Braun who is best known for playing Greg Hirsch in the hit HBO series Succession. Besides his work in TV, Braun is also known for playing roles in several movies, including the rom-coms Chalet Girl in 2011 and The Perks of Being A Wallflower in 2012. Given Henson's significant role in the first season of Saturday Night Live, it will be interesting to watch how Braun brings Henson back to life on screen, especially as he will be portraying Henson before he reached his success with The Muppet Show.

Source: The Saturday Paper