''3rd Rock from the Sun'' is an American television
sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...
created by
Bonnie and Terry Turner, which originally aired from January 9, 1996, to May 22, 2001, on
NBC. The show is about four
extraterrestrials who are on an expedition to Earth, the third planet from the Sun, which they consider to be a very insignificant planet. The extraterrestrials pose as a human family to observe the behavior of human beings.
The show premiered three years after the film ''
Coneheads
The Coneheads are a fictional family of extraterrestrials with bald conical heads, created for a series of recurring sketches on ''Saturday Night Live'' (SNL). They first appeared on the January 15, 1977 episode hosted by Ralph Nader (episode 3 ...
'', which was also written by the couple and featured a similar premise of aliens arriving on Earth and assimilating into American society. ''Coneheads'' also starred
Jane Curtin as one of the titular alien Coneheads and featured a supporting cast including
Jan Hooks,
Phil Hartman,
Julia Sweeney
Julia Anne Sweeney (born October 10, 1959) is an American actress, comedian, and author, who gained fame as a cast member on '' Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1994. She played Mrs. Keeper in the film '' Stuart Little'' and voiced Brittany in ...
and
Laraine Newman, all of whom appeared as guest stars on ''3rd Rock from the Sun''.
Overview
The premise of the show revolves around an extraterrestrial research expedition hailing from a planet in a
barred spiral galaxy on the
Cepheus-
Draco
Draco is the Latin word for serpent or dragon.
Draco or Drako may also refer to:
People
* Draco (lawgiver) (from Greek: Δράκων; 7th century BC), the first lawgiver of ancient Athens, Greece, from whom the term ''draconian'' is derived
* ...
border attempting to live as a normal human family in the fictional city of Rutherford,
Ohio
Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...
, said to be outside of
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...
where they live in an
attic apartment. The show's humor is principally derived from the aliens' attempts to study
human society and understand the
human condition, while living as humans on Earth, reflecting on human life from the perspective of aliens. Most of the episodes are named after the protagonist, Dick. In later episodes, they have become more accustomed to Earth and are often more interested in their human lives than in their mission.
The show also takes humor from its mirroring of all human anthropological expeditions and their assumptions of superiority to the "natives", as well as their inability to distinguish themselves from the natives. Dr.
Mary Albright
Mary Margaret Albright is a fictional character who was played by former SNL cast member Jane Curtin in the American situation comedy ''3rd Rock from the Sun''. She serves as a straight foil and love interest for the eccentric Dick Solomon.Peter ...
(
Jane Curtin) is a professor of
anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...
at fictional Pendelton State University, and many of the issues with which the four aliens struggle appear in her conversation and work. Furthermore, these four alien researchers end up looking approximately like joyriders as they get drawn increasingly further into human life.
Dick Solomon
Dr. Dick Solomon is a character played by John Lithgow in the late-1990s NBC sitcom ''3rd Rock from the Sun''. Solomon is the High Commander of a highly trained alien unit, sent to Earth by their leader, The Big Giant Head. His crew is made up of ...
(
John Lithgow), the High Commander and leader of the expedition, is the family provider and a
physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...
professor at Pendelton (with Lithgow's eldest son
Ian playing Leon, one of his less-successful students). Information officer and oldest member of the crew
Tommy (
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt (; born February 17, 1981) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his leading performances ...
) has been given the body of a
teenager and is forced to enroll in high school (later college), leaving security officer
Sally (
Kristen Johnston
Kristen Angela Johnston (born September 20, 1967) is an American actress. Best known for her work on television sitcoms, she twice won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Sally Solomon in ...
) and "the one with the transmitter in his head",
Harry (
French Stewart), to spend their lives as 20-somethings hanging out at home and bouncing through short-term jobs. The show also involves their relationships with humans, mostly their love interests.
The family often communicates through Harry with their off-world (and usually unseen) boss, the
Big Giant Head
The Big Giant Head is a fictional character from the American sitcom ''3rd Rock from the Sun''; he is the Solomons' mission leader and king of the universe.
Role on the show
He was an unseen character at first, and even then very rarely refer ...
, who when he finally visits Earth, is played by
William Shatner. Harry unexpectedly (and often in inconvenient circumstances) stands up, his arms stiff (acting as the antenna), and proclaims: "Incoming message from the Big Giant Head!"
Cast
Main characters
*
John Lithgow as
Dick Solomon
Dr. Dick Solomon is a character played by John Lithgow in the late-1990s NBC sitcom ''3rd Rock from the Sun''. Solomon is the High Commander of a highly trained alien unit, sent to Earth by their leader, The Big Giant Head. His crew is made up of ...
*
Kristen Johnston
Kristen Angela Johnston (born September 20, 1967) is an American actress. Best known for her work on television sitcoms, she twice won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Sally Solomon in ...
as
Sally Solomon
*
French Stewart as
Harry Solomon
Harry S. Solomon is a character in ''3rd Rock from the Sun'', played by French Stewart. He is the brother of Dick Solomon and Sally Solomon, and the uncle of Tommy Solomon. His middle initial is mentioned in the episode "Dick the Vote." French S ...
*
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt (; born February 17, 1981) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his leading performances ...
as
Tommy Solomon
Tame Horomona Rehe, also known by the anglicised name Tommy Solomon, (7 May 1884 – 19 March 1933) is believed by most to have been the last Moriori of unmixed ancestry. Moriori are the indigenous people of the Chatham Islands.
Early lif ...
*
Jane Curtin as
Mary Albright
Mary Margaret Albright is a fictional character who was played by former SNL cast member Jane Curtin in the American situation comedy ''3rd Rock from the Sun''. She serves as a straight foil and love interest for the eccentric Dick Solomon.Peter ...
*
Simbi Khali as Nina Campbell (seasons 3–6, recurring previously)
*
Elmarie Wendel
Elmarie Louise Wendel (November 23, 1928 – c. July 21, 2018) was an American actress and singer best known as Mamie Dubcek on the NBC sitcom ''3rd Rock from the Sun''.
Early life
Born on a farm in Howard County, Iowa, one of five siblings, ...
as
Mamie Dubcek
Below is a list of characters in the U.S. television comedy series ''3rd Rock from the Sun'':
Cast
Main characters Dr. Richard "Dick" Solomon
(Portrayed by John Lithgow; seasons 1-6) Though the High Commander and head of the expedition to Eart ...
(seasons 3–6, recurring previously)
*
Wayne Knight as Officer
Don Orville (seasons 3–6, recurring previously)
Recurring characters
*
David DeLuise as Bug Pollone, one of Dick's students
*
Ian Lithgow as Leon, one of Dick's students
*
Danielle Nicolet as Caryn, one of Dick's students
*
Chris Hogan as Aubrey Pitman, one of Dick's students
*
Ileen Getz as Dr. Judith Draper, professor at Pendelton and colleague of Mary
*
Shay Astar
Shay Astar (born September 29, 1981) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter best known for portraying the teenage feminist August Leffler, a semi-regular character on the sitcom ''3rd Rock from the Sun''.
Career
Astar played Elizabet ...
as August Leffler, Tommy's first girlfriend (seasons 1–3, sparsely appears in seasons 3 and 4)
*
Larisa Oleynik as Alissa Strudwick, Tommy's second girlfriend (seasons 4–6)
* Ron West as Dr. Vincent Strudwick, Alissa's father and rival to Dick (seasons 2–6)
*
William Shatner as The
Big Giant Head
The Big Giant Head is a fictional character from the American sitcom ''3rd Rock from the Sun''; he is the Solomons' mission leader and king of the universe.
Role on the show
He was an unseen character at first, and even then very rarely refer ...
, the aliens' boss
*
Jan Hooks as Vicki Dubcek, daughter of Ms. Dubcek, Harry's on-and-off girlfriend and later the wife of the Big Giant Head and the mother of his child
*
John Cleese as Dr. Liam Neesam, a professor who briefly has a relationship with Mary, and is later revealed to be an evil alien (seasons 3 and 6)
*
Chyna
Chyna (born Joan Marie Laurer; December 27, 1969 – April 17, 2016) was an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and television personality.
She first rose to prominence in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1997, where s ...
as Janice, a muscular female police officer who is briefly Harry's girlfriend
*
Michael Milhoan as Coach Strickland, a high school physical education teacher at Tommy's high school
Guest stars
Production
Theme music
The show's opening theme music, composed by
Ben Vaughn, was originally a 1950s-style rock-and-roll instrumental piece for the first four seasons; the theme was extended slightly in season three, when Simbi Khali, Elmarie Wendel, and Wayne Knight were officially made series regulars and added to the opening credits. During season one,
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...
provided a voice introduction describing the crew. For Christmas episodes, jingle bells were added to the theme. The only major change to the theme was in season five, when the original Ben Vaughn version was replaced by a big band cover of the theme, performed by the group
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and was only used during that season. For the sixth and final season, the original theme returned and a modern jazz underline version of the theme was used for two episodes.
Title sequence
The opening title sequence, which was produced by the London graphic design firm SVC Television, opens with computerized shots of planets and celestial bodies, some either with the planets dancing or moving in warp speed. It opens and closes with a shot of Earth (which at the open is where the show's title logo appears, after a sunburst appears on the side of Earth). For the sixth and final season only, the typeface of the cast and creators' names was altered.
Episodes
Of the series' 139 episodes, 108 contained "Dick" in the title (referencing John Lithgow's character). While some of the episode titles with "Dick" in them are innocent (i.e., "Tom, Dick and Mary", "Dick Is From Mars, Sally Is From Venus"), others are more risqué and often are double entendres (i.e., "Sensitive Dick", "A Dick Replacement", "Frozen Dick", "Shall We Dick"), because the word "Dick" is both a short form of Richard and a slang term for penis. One episode from season six used an abbreviation for a title, "B.D.O.C.", since the full title ("Big Dick on Campus") was deemed too risqué.
During the show's sixth and final season, John Lithgow commented to several media outlets that ''3rd Rock'' had been moved to more than 15 different time slots in six years, causing its ratings to decrease substantially.
Broadcast
Syndication
In the United States, the series is distributed for syndication by Carsey-Werner Distribution, and entered broadcast syndication in September 1999, where it continued until the fall of 2004, when the show moved into limited-run barter syndication, where it remained until 2016;
The Program Exchange
The Program Exchange was a syndicator of television programs. It was founded as DFS Program Exchange in 1978, which became elongated to the DFS-Dorland Program Exchange from 1986 to 1987. From 1986 to 2008, it was a division of Saatchi & Saatch ...
handled distribution for Carsey-Werner.
ABC Family aired reruns between 2002 and 2006. Reruns of the series aired on
TV Land from 2008 through 2010. In the fall of 2010,
ReelzChannel began airing the series. The series made its debut on digital broadcast network
Laff
Laff (legal name: Laff Media, LLC) is an American digital multicast television network headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and is owned by the Katz Broadcasting subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. The network specializes in comedy program ...
on July 16, 2018, until May 16, 2021, when it moved to
IFC as well on
Cozi TV beginning July 18.
In Italy, this series aired on
Italia 1 under the name ''
Una famiglia del terzo tipo'' (''A family of the third kind'') in 1999.
This series rerun is now also aired on Malaysia's national broadcast TV channel
RTM's TV2 in the 12:30 am time slot on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
In the United Kingdom, the series originally aired on
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream a ...
from 1996 to 2002, and
ITV2 later reran the entire series from 2005 to 2006. Cable network
Virgin Media currently has 40 episodes from seasons one and two available on demand from the
Comedy Central menu option. The series began airing from the beginning on
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
from May 12, 2014, but moved to
5Star in January 2019 but was dropped in July 2020.
Beginning on March 29, 2021, the series began airing on ''
Comedy Central''. On July 4, 2022, the show returned to Channel 4.
In the fall of 2011, Canada's
TVTropolis
DTour (styled as DTOUR) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment.
The channel was originally established by Canwest in 1997 as Prime, a cable companion to Global with a general entertainment format focusing ...
cable channel began airing the show, and featured a long weekend marathon run of episodes.
Streaming
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
made the complete series available online in March 2011. It was removed several months later in the fall of 2011, but returned on March 15, 2015, and was removed again exactly two years later. The series also was available to stream on
Hulu
Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television series ...
.
As of 2021, the series is currently available to stream on
Amazon Prime Video,
FilmRise,
Hoopla,
Tubi,
Pluto TV,
Crackle,
Vudu
Vudu is an American digital video store and streaming service owned by Fandango Media, a joint-venture between NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery. The company offers transactional video on demand rentals and digital purchases of fi ...
, IMDb TV and
Peacock
Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are r ...
.
In the UK, the first two seasons were available to download through the UK
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...
store but are no longer offered. As of 2022, the full series is available on
Sky Go and
All4
All 4 is a video on demand service from the Channel Four Television Corporation, free of charge for most content and funded by advertising. The service is available in the UK and Ireland; viewers are not required to have a TV licence—require ...
.
Home media
Region 1
Anchor Bay Entertainment released all six seasons of ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' on DVD for the first time in 2005–2006. Seasons 1 & 2 contain the edited, syndicated versions of the episodes instead of the original broadcast versions. As of 2010, these releases have been discontinued and are out of print. On these DVDs, the bloopers segments (on the last disc of each season) are in 16:9 format, indicating the series may have been filmed in 16:9 format.
On May 4, 2011, Mill Creek Entertainment announced they had acquired the rights to re-release the series on DVD in Region 1. They have subsequently re-released seasons 1–4. These releases contain the unedited, original broadcast versions of the episodes.
Seasons 5 and 6 were re-released on January 8, 2013.
On May 14, 2013, Mill Creek released ''3rd Rock from the Sun – The Complete Series'' on DVD in Region 1.
Region 2
Network DVD released all six seasons on DVD in the UK. While seasons 1–4 feature unedited versions of the episodes, seasons five and six feature syndicated, edited episodes. Network re-released the series in 2008 in an individual set and a complete collection.
* ''The Complete Season One'' (released May 17, 2004)
* ''The Complete Season Two'' (released June 21, 2004)
* ''The Complete Season Three'' (released August 30, 2004)
* ''The Complete Season Four'' (released October 25, 2004)
* ''The Complete Season Five'' (released January 24, 2005)
* ''The Complete Season Six'' (released January 24, 2005)
* ''The Complete Series'' (released October 25, 2004)
* ''Series One'' (re-released November 3, 2008)
* ''Series Two'' (re-released November 3, 2008)
* ''Series Three'' (re-released November 3, 2008)
* ''Series Four'' (re-released November 3, 2008)
* ''Series Five'' (re-released November 3, 2008)
* ''Series Six'' (re-released November 3, 2008)
* ''The Complete Series'' (re-released November 3, 2008)
Region 4
Magna Home Entertainment
Magna Home Entertainment was an independent home entertainment distributor headquartered in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, operating within Australia and New Zealand. As of February 2009, Magna Home Entertainment became a fully owned subsidia ...
released all six seasons on DVD in Australia between 2005 and 2007. These releases have been discontinued and are now out of print.
* Season 1 and Season 2 (released November 11, 2005)
* Season 3 (released February 7, 2006)
* Season 4 (July 6, 2006)
* Season 5 and Season 6 (released February 16, 2007)
On November 15, 2010, Beyond Home Entertainment re-released all six seasons on DVD in Region 4. The complete collection was also released three days later, on November 18.
Reception
Nielsen rankings
Awards and nominations
In 1997, ''3rd Rock'' won the most
Primetime Emmy Awards (five from eight nominations) for a television series:
* 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 — Outstanding Lead Actor — Comedy Series — John Lithgow
* 1997, 1998, 1999 — Outstanding Supporting Actress — Comedy Series — Kristen Johnston
* 1996, 1997 — Outstanding Hairstyling for a Series — Pixie Schwartz
* 1996 — Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series — James Burrows
* 1998 — Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series — Terry Hughes
* 1997 — Outstanding Special Visual Effects — Glen Bennett, Visual Effects Artists; Patrick Shearn, Visual Effects Supervisor; Chris Staves, Visual Effects Artists
* 1997, 1999, 2000 — Outstanding Sound Mixing — Comedy Series
* 1998 — Outstanding Sound Mixing — Comedy Series — "A Nightmare on Dick Street"
* 1997, 1998 — Outstanding Costume Design — Series — Melina Root
* 1997, 1998 — Outstanding Comedy Series
* 1997 — Outstanding Choreography —
Marguerite Derricks
* 1998 — Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series — Jan Hooks as Vicki Dubcek
* 1998 — Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series — John Cleese as Dr. Neesam
* 1999, 2000 — Outstanding Multicamera Picture Editing for a Series
* 1999 — Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series —
Kathy Bates as Charlotte Everly and
Laurie Metcalf as Jennifer
* 1999 — Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series — William Shatner as the Big Giant Head
* 2000 — Outstanding Cinematography for a Multicamera Series
John Lithgow received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for each year the show was broadcast, winning the Emmy in 1996, 1997, and 1999. Accepting the 1999 award, he said, "Many wonderful things have happened to me in my life, but the two best are ''3rd Rock'' and my dear family."
Golden Globe Awards
* 1997 — Best Actor in a Television Comedy or Musical — John Lithgow
Screen Actors Guild Awards
* 1996, 1997 — Best Male Actor — Comedy Series — John Lithgow
Other media
A tie-in book, ''3rd Rock from the Sun: The Official Report On Earth'', was released in 1997. It is essentially a report of the Solomons' findings during their stay on Earth. Primarily a source of humor, the book includes such features as "What to do if you encounter Jell-O", a fan biography of
Katie Couric written by Harry, and Sally's version of a ''
Cosmo'' quiz. Portions of the book are included in the booklets inside each season set of the series.
Despite the report's being set within the fictional world of ''3rd Rock'', a foreword written by John Lithgow himself is included in which he explains how he was abducted by the ''3rd Rock'' producers and forced to work on their production. A Post-it note is attached to the foreword, apparently written by Dick Solomon, stating he does not know why the foreword is there, but that Lithgow is an Earth actor who appeared in "
some helicopter movie".
See also
*''
ALF''
*''
Coneheads
The Coneheads are a fictional family of extraterrestrials with bald conical heads, created for a series of recurring sketches on ''Saturday Night Live'' (SNL). They first appeared on the January 15, 1977 episode hosted by Ralph Nader (episode 3 ...
''
*''
Invader Zim''
*''
Mork & Mindy''
*''
My Favorite Martian''
*''
My Parents Are Aliens
''My Parents Are Aliens'' is a British children's television sitcom that was produced for eight series by Yorkshire Television and aired on ITV from 8 November 1999 to 18 December 2006.
Overview
The show primarily follows the lives of three ...
''
*''
The Neighbors''
*''
Ready Jet Go!''
*''
Solar Opposites''
References
External links
''3rd Rock from the Sun'' @ Carsey WernerCarsey Werner - 3rd Rock from the Sun
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:3rd Rock From The Sun
1996 American television series debuts
1990s American college television series
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English-language television shows
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Primetime Emmy Award-winning television series
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Television series about alien visitations
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