Before The Muppet Show, ABC aired a 1975 pilot hosted by a Muppet named Nigel, with Kermit barely in it. Sam debuted there, along with Animal, the Swedish Chef and Statler and Waldorf. Sam the Eagle is the most uptight Muppet ever made. So its fitting that his first appearance was in a special called “The Muppet Show: Sex and Violence.” The pilot aired on ABC on March 19, 1975 , more than a year...
