3rd Rock From The Sun

[TJ]

I don't think we've ever had a thread devoted to this show. So it's time that we did.


"It's the Fusion Chamber!... lin Show"

[Neil]

Yes!  Great show, really used to enjoy it.  John Lithgow was extremely funny and likeable, I doubt many people could have handled such an over-the-top role as well as he did.  Pretty surprising if you'd only seen him in the likes of Cliffhanger, or The World According To Garp (one of my fave movies and books.)  Are they still making this show?  Are they showing it anywhere on British telly at the mo?

[TJ]

They made the last series a couple of years back. BBC2 showed the whole of it late at night stripped across two or three weeks, which was annoying.

[neveragain]

Yes, it was incredibly enjoyable. The second episode with John Cleese (he appeared for two minutes in the previous one) was sheer class but whenever he reappeared after that the episodes were shit... for some reason.

[Purple Tentacle]

Absolutely hated it at the time, the infinitely slappable teenage character probably put most of the poison in.

[Jemble Fred]

Mainly watched it for Sally, myself. But it was a notch above yer average US sitcom.

[RFT]

This is an excuse to drag out my favourite bit of the show- and possibly one of my fave comedy moments ever.

scene: a book signing by Dick's rival professor
Dick: This man is a fraud! Every word of this book has been written before! Perhaps you've read... THE DICTIONARY!

such a cheesy gag, but it still makes me laugh thinking about it. Lithgow's completely over-the-top performance makes it.

[TJ]

Absolutely hated it at the time, the infinitely slappable teenage character probably put most of the poison in.

Erm... that was the joke. He was an old man alien having to act like a slacker teenager to fit in undetected.

"'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...' - I'm not reading a whole book if he can't make up his mind in the first sentence!".

[Purple Tentacle]

No, I took a dislike to the actor and his fucking face.

Not very rational I'll grant you, but since the rest of the programme left me nonplussed it gave me a focus.

[Rats]

Very handsome though wasn't he, that was the bloke of dazed and confused wasn't it? Sally was hot, I used to think it was allright but the endless mugging got right on my tits. Aye, without Lithgow, it would have been worse.

[mayer]

i liked it... i knew it was trash and i'd never plan to watch it, but when it was on i always enjoyed it.

i liked the episodes with William Shatner in.

[Psychotic Mongoose]

Series 1-3 and the final series 6 are available to buy on dvd!
For some reason series 6 came out first! John Lithgow is superb in it.

[Dark Sky]

No, I took a dislike to the actor and his fucking face.

I used to have a crush on him.  And on Wesley Crusher from Star Trek.  Perhaps I shouldn't have admitted that.

You should watch Halloween H20;  Joseph Gorden Levitt has a cameo in it and gets an ice skate stuck in his face.

Third Rock....had its ups and downs, I suppose.  I used to find if hilarious, but then it lost its appeal for me.  Then I heard that William Shatner was in it as the Big Giant Head, and I thought "Oh dear" and haven't watched it since.

-Nick

[Godzilla Bankrolls]

More of an OK series than anything truly great. Plenty of nice moments though. In one ep, Sally and Harry have been looking after a 'new' alien (one of the Kids In The Hall) and have to part with him at the end. They reflect on the experience thoughtfully...

SALLY: Look on the bright side...now we've got time to do all the things we never had time for.

HARRY: Yeah... DOUBLE DOORBELL! (tweaks Sally's nipples)

Shame Wayne Knight reprised Newman to weak effect.

[TotalNightmare]

as a matter of interest...

has ANYONE EVER seen French Stewart's Eyes??

Coz i havent!

[neveragain]

The 3rd Rock From The Sun book is well worth looking out for.

[no_offenc]

I enjoyed the Shatner episodes, if only because he can play an utter shit so ver well.  He looked like he was enjoying it, as well.

[Lt Plonker]

I heard that Shatner's role was originally written for Phil Hartman.

I quite enjoy the show myself. I agree that Lithgow is tremendous.

[mister mike]

I heard that Shatner's role was originally written for Phil Hartman.

I don't think this was the case.

Perhaps wires have been crossed because of the fact that due to Phil Hartman's death a 3rd rock script had to be re-written.

Fans would remember that at the end of one of the seasons, Phil Hartman turns up as Vicki's disgruntled ex-boyfriend and kidnaps Harry for the season finale.

It was shortly after this 'cliffhanger' had been filmed that Phil Hartman was killed, so the script was re-wrote to say that Phil's character had sold Harry to a travelling circus and the story was picked up from there.

It was a damn shame, Phil Hartman was one of the funniest comic character actors of the modern era and would have no doubt have grown in influence and exposure as time went on.

The only big part that was directly wrote for Phil which was re-cast after his death, (that i am aware of) - is that of Zapp Branigan in Futurama. It is noticable that Billy West (Fry), who took on this role, performs a near perfect mimic of Phil Hartman's style of speaking.

[pandadeath]

"They'll look alike. Talk alike. At times. They'll even walk alike."

Ah yes. Last summer Paramounth used to show it at 2:30am. I was going through an insomnia phase. It must have been fate.

[neveragain]

The only big part that was directly wrote for Phil which was re-cast after his death, (that i am aware of) - is that of Zapp Branigan in Futurama. It is noticable that Billy West (Fry), who took on this role, performs a near perfect mimic of Phil Hartman's style of speaking.

Ah, that always confused me. Who's doing that voice? No, surely he's dead. Is there someone out there who just imitates Hartman that they've got for the show? That really is a fantastic (and, I would say respectful) imitation. Phil Hartman was great, though. Long may he be remembered.

[Particle Man]

I used to love this show when I was younger - and am very tempted to get the first few DVDs.

I'm not sure if it was me getting older, or what - but I didn't feel the later episodes were as good. I think the problem was, in the early ones they were aliens trying to make sense of everything. Later on they became a "kinda-weird family" which wasn't as much fun.

But yes, it was great.

[The Plaque Goblin]

I quite like this, it's alright.

[Neil]

Right, own up, which one of you cloned Lumiere?

[The Region Legion]

as a matter of interest...

has ANYONE EVER seen French Stewart's Eyes??

Coz i havent!

As for the show... I used to watch it occasionally, but it really irritated me at the same time, the pinnacle of which being the episode where Lithgow's character has a clone embodied by an evil alien and the family defeat him by psychoanalysing him "Jerry Springer"-style - if all that wasn't played irritatingly enough, I start wanting to smash things when the crowd fucking hollers and cheers when they beat him. It's a fucking sitcom you rednecks, calm down...

Don't know why it stirs such anger in me, I'm starting to get pissed off just thinking about it.

[pandadeath]

Also, you can see French Stewart's eyes in Stargate on BBC 2 tonight. Stargate being Roland Emmerich's only half decent film. T'is great.

[Darrell]

Just have to bump this thread as I've been watching plenty on Paramount lately and it's brilliant. I'm going to have to save up for the box set when it comes out.

It's every bit as good as, say, Seinfeld is - why it isn't recognised as such is a complete mystery.

[hencole]

Been watching the (many) repeats of this on ITV2 over the last couple of weeks and it's a lot better than I remember it, and I remembered it to be very good. Lithgow is superb in this and a number of times you see the rest of the cast on the verge of tears during his performances which adds to the rawness of it all. One of those few programmes where I am genuinly LOLing without restraint.

[Jemble Fred]

So has the show completely finished in the US? I suppose asking for spoilers is a bit rude?

I never found it to be must-watch, but I caught most of the episodes that ran on BBC2 tea-time a few years back. In fact, I think I lost concentration on it a bit before Cleese made his appearance. Always good for a laugh though, plus it starred a hot lady (albeit a male alien) who fancied a fat fucker. Which is always good.

[imitationleather]

I remember watching the show's finale but can't remember what happened. Something about them going back and trying to get Mary to go with them? Nah, it's not there. I'd lost interest in the show way before season 6 as well.

I'm watching the odd episode on ITV2 at the moment and I'm really enjoying it. I think Darrell went a bit (well, more than a bit) past the mark with his Seinfeld comparisons, but it's still hugely enjoyable and far better than a lot of you are giving it credit for.