LeVar Burton: “Encountered an old friend last night in Pittsburg.”

My personal Mt. Rushmore would replace Bob Ross with Jim Henson. Nothing but respect and admiration for both men, but I think it's plain to see that Henson wielded infinitely larger influence on generations of viewers. Even forgetting The Muppet Show (which is painful for me to even *conceptualize* forgetting,) we wouldn't have had Sesame Street without Jim. Even if one personally didn't get a lot of mileage out of Sesame Street, the value it provided to underprivileged kids across the country was immeasurable. It was every bit as important as Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and/or Reading Rainbow. But he *also* gave us the timeless magic of The Muppet Show. (And Emmett Otter's Jugband Christmas, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, The Witches, The Storyteller, The Jim Henson Hour, and - lesser recognized - the first TMNT movie. Among other treasures.) PS - If y'all haven't already, I'm begging you: *PLEASE* watch the new episode of The Muppet Show (currently streaming on D+) as many times as you can stomach. It's wonderful, and the more people watch it, the better the chances it will be picked up for more new episodes. ♥️