I was curious to know if there was a good, legitimate reason this was only on for 2 seasons?? :mad: :o It makes me sad. Such a good & funny show had to end so soon.

:violin: :argue:


Anyone else saddened by this???

We were lucky enough to get 70 episodes before it was cancelled because of poor ratings. Apparently ABC's Batman, which was in colour, was the major culprit. I would have loved a third season partly because it probably would have been in colour.

The ratings during the first season were very good. Yes Batman did make a dent in the Munsters ratings. I believe a bigger reason was that the show cost too much to produce as time went on.

Is this real ? Or a mock ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKM_Lk0MLZQ&feature=related

Another reason the Munsters didn't last longer was because Fred Gwynne found the heavy costume and make-up he wore as Herman very uncomfortable. In fact he sweated so much in his costume that he lost a lot of weight. To the point of endangering his health. So he couldn't have gone on much longer under those conditions anyway.

I always found it odd that they said the series cost too much to make. 90% of it took place in the Munster house - a standing set already made. The makeup couldn't have cost that much either. It is soo odd that the Munsters and the Addams Family both started and ended together....

I always thought Munster Go Home was one of the reasons the show ended. I thought it was something like you can either do a third season or have a movie.

Is this real ? Or a mock ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKM_Lk0MLZQ&feature=related

It's real

2 seasons by the '60's standards is equal to 3 seasons today!! There were 70 episodes of the original The Munsters. Other shows that lasted 2 seasons but shot close to this many episodes, The Addams Family, F-Troop, Car 54, Where Are You?, and the above mentioned Batman.

[/I], and the above mentioned Batman.
Batman went 3 seasons and had 120 episodes.

also if they did a 3rd year it would have to have been produced in color and the budget would have soared.

Batman went 3 seasons and had 120 episodes.
That's because ABC aired it twice a week for two of it's seasons.

I always thought Munster Go Home was one of the reasons the show ended. I thought it was something like you can either do a third season or have a movie.
Actually the reason they made the movie was to boost the ratings for what they hoped would be the third season of the series. Unfortunately by the time they finished shooting the movie the network had already cancelled the series.

I just seen a Documentary on The Munsters and they were cancelled by the powerhouse which was Batman. It was felt that kids would switch over in droves because Batman was in color and The Munster's were in B&W. The Munsters were shot in B&W because no one wanted to pick up the extra 10K it would cost to shoot in color.

I think the 2 seasons sort of add to the allure, and one of the above posters said it went with the Addams Family, those two will always be linked in many ways, sort of the way Andy Griffith, Green Acres, etc. were the country/small town shows, the Addams Family and the Munsters were the monster family shows.

The Munsters was always the best though!!

I heard they cancelled it because apparently switching it over to color would ruin the show's feel. Same with The Addams Family. Although I think there was likely a number of reasons over than just one main reason. The fact that the show rated 18 in the ratings at the end of season 1 and then rating at 61 the following season is enough cause for cancellation.

Many shows ended after the 1965-1966 season and I wonder if the cost of filming in color could've been the reason. Along with The Munsters and The Addams Family other shows that ended were: The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Patty Duke Show and I'm thinking The Donna Reed Show but I may be mistaken on that last one. It's late and I'm tired. Seems like there are a few more shows that wrapped up rather than switch to color which I believe all three networks were broadcasting in for the prime time 1966-1967 season.

We were lucky enough to get 70 episodes before it was cancelled because of poor ratings.Yes pretty stupid...... EXCELLENT SHOW!!

I always found it odd that they said the series cost too much to make. 90% of it took place in the Munster house - a standing set already made. The makeup couldn't have cost that much either. It is soo odd that the Munsters and the Addams Family both started and ended together....

If the series returned for the 1966-67 season, the series would had to have been produced in color. I remember an interview with Al Lewis once and he said CBS was not willing to pay for the increased cost nor was Universal and the second season ratings didn't justify an increase in production costs.

Many shows ended after the 1965-1966 season and I wonder if the cost of filming in color could've been the reason. Along with The Munsters and The Addams Family other shows that ended were: The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Patty Duke Show and I'm thinking The Donna Reed Show but I may be mistaken on that last one. It's late and I'm tired. Seems like there are a few more shows that wrapped up rather than switch to color which I believe all three networks were broadcasting in for the prime time 1966-1967 season.

The Dick Van Dyke Show ended in 1966 because Carl Reiner made the decision to end it feeling the show had run its course after 158 episodes. ABC wanted to move The Patty Duke Show production to Los Angeles from its home in New York and the producers nor Patty Duke were interested. The Donna Reed Show had run its course after 8 years and 275 episodes. Reed had been slipping in the ratings for awhile.

I was surprised to hear that it was only two seasons as well.

We were lucky enough to get 70 episodes before it was cancelled because of poor ratings. Apparently ABC's Batman, which was in colour, was the major culprit. I would have loved a third season partly because it probably would have been in colour.

How Batman '66 Killed The Munsters (https://screenrant.com/batman-66-munsters-tv-shows-ratings-canceled/)

However, on January 12, 1966, The Munsters faced a new threat the macabre clan of monsters living at 1313 Mockingbird Lane couldn't overcome: Batman, starring Adam West as the Caped Crusader and Burt Ward as Robin the Boy Wonder, premiered "in color" on ABC and brought splashy comic book derring-do to network television. Batman was an instant smash that kicked off a merchandising bonanza dubbed "Batmania" in 1966, but it was the superhero show's unique twice-weekly airing schedule that gravely impacted The Munsters. Batman aired at 7:30 pm on Wednesdays and each episode ended with a cliffhanger to be resolved in the second episode that aired Thursdays at 7:30 pm - directly opposite The Munsters. With the audience more interested in seeing how Batman and Robin escaped each week's deathtrap on Thursday nights, The Munsters' ratings eroded.

Butch Patrick confirmed Batman's deleterious impact on The Munsters' ratings to Daily Mail in 2019. In a look back on the series that made him a child star, Patrick said that Batman "'just came in and took our ratings away." The Munsters' popularity couldn't compete with the bonafide pop culture phenomenon Batman became during its first season. The Munsters was canceled by CBS in May 1966, just five months into Batman season 1.