{
  "id": 5631505,
  "title": "Kermit the Frog Was Just Trying to Put on a Variety Show. Fifty Years Later, the Muppets Are Some of the Biggest Stars in Television History",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/kermit-the-frog-was-just-trying-to-put-on-a-variety-show-fifty-years",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-04T19:21:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Smithsonian",
    "slug": "smithsonian",
    "url": "https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/kermit-the-frog-was-just-trying-to-put-on-a-variety-show-fifty-years-later-the-muppets-are-some-of-the-biggest-stars-in-television-history-180989451/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "The first episode of Jim Henson's \"The Muppet Show\" premiered in the United Kingdom on September 5, 1976. Enthusiasm for the eclectic ensemble has endured ever since",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}