Out to Lunch is a prime-time television special that mixed the Sesame Street Muppets and the cast of The Electric Company along with guest stars Elliott Gould, Barbara Eden and Carol Burnett. In the program, ABC News anchor Bill Beutel and his stage manager wrapped up a newscast, and left the studio to take a lunch break. After they leave, the Muppets and the cast of The Electric Company take over the studio, to fill an hour of programming on ABC while the studio staff is on break.