Both "The Muppet Show" & "The Tick" are, of course, classic TV shows, and I'm glad Disney is finally giving them the DVD presentation they deserve with these complete season sets. At first it might seem kind of stupid to discuss them together, but once you set aside their obvious differences (one's live action, one's a cartoon), these two shows actually share a lot in common, both creatively and culturally.

Both shows came to an end long before the creative wells dried up. "The Muppet Show" ran for five years, "The Tick" for three. (and I personally think "The Tick" would have enjoyed greater success if it wasn't first lumped into Fox's Saturday Morning cartoon line-up). Both shows also continue to enjoy popularity today. Allegedly, "The Muppet Show" is still one of the most watched programs in the world. "The Tick" was never as big, but it has always had a large cult following. From a creative standpoint, both programs are as irreverent and consistently clever as 'family' television really ever got. This is doubly impressive when you consider that, even though every episode follows their exact same established formulas, neither program ever became stale. They aren't many shows of any genre you can say that about. "The Muppet Show" is arguably the more endearing of the two, and the 24 episodes in this set are still as much fun as when they first aired 30 years ago. The only thing that really dates it is the sad realization that many of the guest stars featured are now dead. The humor of "The Tick" is more subversive and satirical (and even a few very subtle double-entendres can be found if you pay close enough attention), and when you consider the premise of the show - The Tick is just one super hero in a city overpopulated by them - it's pretty remarkable that it remained funny and irreverent throughout its first run. This two-disc set features 12 episodes from Season Two. For some reason, Episode #15, which chronologically would have been the second episode of the season, is not included in this set (hence my A- rating).

Disney had done right by both shows in the video transfers. The colors and lines are both vibrant and sharp. This is especially impressive with "The Muppet Show," being that it's 30 years old. Both sets are also given good audio renderings. Nothing spectacular, but clear enough to suit them well.

Unfortunately, "The Tick" has no extras, but "The Muppet Show" includes one gem of a bonus, "The Muppet Valentine Special" which first aired back in 1974. Also on the Muppets disc are "interviews" with some of the main Muppet cast, and a short music video.

These two shows are definitely worth picking up, even if you've never seen them before. The clever writing and humor still hold up after all these years (and are worth seeing more than once). Sure, both shows can still be caught on television if you look hard enough, but they look much better on disc, and are a lot more fun when you can watch numerous episodes in one sitting. Both are highly recommended.