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Columbia Tri-Star will release 20 Muppet Show DVD's

By Phillip Chapman
Courtesy of Columbia Tri-Star
June 14, 2002

Not only is Columbia Tri-Star planning on releasing the direct-to-video film, Kermit's Swamp Years on Tuesday September 3, but they also plan to begin releasing a series of twenty Muppet Show DVD's in September as well.

The first two volumes will be released on September 3, 2002 with Kermit's Swamp Years. The other Muppet Show volumes will likely be staggered over several months.

According to dvdangle.com, the DVD's will be nearly identical discs "currently available from Time Life Video (episodes presented in their original full frame aspect ratio and original mono audio). Best of The Muppet Show Volume 1 (with the Elton John, Julie Andrews, and Gene Kelly episodes) and Best of The Muppet Show Volume 2 (with the Mark Hamill, Paul Simon, and Raquel Welch episodes) will be the first 2 installments. Future installments will be released shortly after -- there are currently 10 DVD's in the collection and 10 more are in production." Suggested retail prices are $24.95 per disc with a likely street price around $20.

It's likely these discs are being re-branded with the Columbia label in order to be sold in stores and mass-produced to correspond with the other 25th Anniversary Muppet Show Collectibles already on the market. Time-Life only sells their Muppet Show volumes via mail order. It appears that the Muppet Show DVD's are indeed the same as the Time-Life releases with the same cover art.

It's not yet known if the 10 new DVD's that are in production will also be sold through the "Time-Life" label or solely via Columbia Tri-Star. Either way, this is great news for Muppet Show fans that more episodes will be arriving on DVD later this year.

Time-Life released volumes 11-15 on VHS only, so these episodes will likely be arriving on DVD for the first time with volumes 16-20 being all new episodes not previously released by Time-Life.

Columbia is planning on including close-captions for the hearing impaired on these discs. Time-Life's Muppet Show DVD's do not include close-captions.