The Muppets to be a vital component of its increasing popularity, providing an "effective and pleasurable viewing" method of presentation for the series' educational curriculum. In the early 1970s, the Muppets continued their presence in television, primarily appearing in "The Land of Gorch" segments during the first season of "Saturday Night Live". As his involvement with "Sesame Street" continued, Henson mused about the possibility of creating a network television series featuring the Muppets; as opposed to "Sesame Street", however, this proposed series would be aimed at a more adult audience and focus largely on sketch comedy. Two pilot specials, "The Muppets Valentine
The Muppets (film) the first film in the series to gross over $100 million worldwide (unadjusted for inflation). On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 95% based on 216 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Clever, charming, and heartfelt, "The Muppets" is a welcome big screen return for Jim Henson's lovable creations that will both win new fans and delight longtime devotees." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 75 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews." CinemaScore audiences gave "The Muppets" an "A" grade rating on an A+ to