The Addams and the Munsters battle it out over the title of Television's First Family of Fright / America's First Family of Fright. Which family do you think deserves the title? and why? Give reasons and specific examples if need to.

The Addams Family definately. They were way better than the Munsters. The Addams' were always tortureing each other while the Munsters just acted stupid. Did they have a torture chamber? I think not. Did the Munsters have infamous relatives like the Addams'? I think not. The Munsters don't have any intereseting stories to tell either. The Addams' trumped them.

The Addams pre-date the Munsters by about 20 years.

The Addams pre-date the Munsters by about 20 years.
More than that, actually. The NEW YORKER magazine accepted Charles
Addams' first cartoon in 1933 (31 years before THE MUNSTERS made its CBS
television debut). However, the family had no name until the ABC TV series,
based on Addams' cartoons, premiered on Sept. 18, 1964 (exactly six days
before THE MUNSTERS). Interestingly, both series were also cancelled within
the same week, two years later!

The Munsters, i couldnt stand the Adams family

The two shows, though outwardly similar, each had its own style of humor. THE
MUNSTERS was broader, THE ADDAMS FAMILY more subtle. Personally, I too
preferred THE MUNSTERS. They were really like Donna Reed's family or FATHER
KNOWS BEST. (It's little surprise their creators, Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher, were also behind LEAVE IT TO BEAVER.) They acted like your typical early
sitcom family. The Munsters only LOOKED weird;
the Addamses really WERE weird!

The whole Munster idea was copied by Charles Addam's cartoons!! So how can you say the Munsters were better when the whole idea of the family was copied?

I like the Munsters as well, much better than the Adams Family. My mother always liked the Munsters too, so she got me hooked on the show.





The Munsters, i couldnt stand the Adams family

Stephen Cox, in his book "THE MUNSTERS" (1989), explores the rivalry between
the two shows: "Both programs were in heavy competition during their two-year run, but the Munsters pounded the Addamses ratings-wise. According
to A.C. Nielsen, the Munsters ranked number eighteen for the 1964-65 season,
while the Addams family came in at number twenty-three. In the second season,
both shows were knocked out of the top twenty-five for the year. Winner
of the first round: 'The Munsters.'"
He goes on to say, "In comparing both shows, production qualities lean
heavily toward the Munsters--especially dollar wise. Universal Studios and
Kayro-Vue Productions put more money into the actual production of 'The
Munsters' than Filmways Productions doled out with their show filmed at
General Service Studios."
"Notably, fan reaction to each family is different. Gomez and Morticia are
provocative, malevolent creatures who rely on dark humor to please their
viewers. Gomez and Uncle Fester are destructive fiends with piracy on their
minds. On the other hand, Herman and Lily rely only on peace and love."
"For the final round," says Cox, "the judges have tallied up the number of
episodes turned in by the two opponents. Yes, it looks like the Munsters win
with seventy episodes, while the Addams clan comes up short with only
sixty-four!"

The Munsters were a normal family that looked weird. The Addams Family were a normal looking family that acted weird. Which is more frightening? I have to go with the Addams family. Their eccentricities are what frighten people out of their house. The Munsters were produced by Joe Connoly and Bob Mosher who also did Leave It To Beaver. Once you looked beneath the surface, they really were quite normal. The Addams Family were everything their themesong claimed they were. So, so what if the Addams' had fewer episodes and lower ratings. They would probably be delighted to know that. The Addams Family represent an aquired taste after all.

Morticia seemed too much like a snob, she had no emotion at all, but maby that was just carolyn jones herself, however in the movie King creole with elvis she showed some emotion in her acting, I did like the character of gomez adams alot and john astin was perfect for the part, The Munsters were not rich snobs they were just completly funny, normal people would react the same way when encountering both familys, I like the adams family but I loved the munsters.

Both families represented freedom. The Addams to act a certain way and The Munsters to look a certain way. Morticia seemed to have a low enthusiasm level, and definately came accross as less warm than Lily Munster. She did seem to perk up when tending to her flesh eating plants, however. And her low key demeanor was the perfect complement to Gomez's over enthusiasm, about the French language or blowing up electric trains, for instance. The actors seemed to take perverse delight in playing their roles. And did you notice both families had a member that was a contrast to rest? Cousin Itt was the weirdest looking of the Addams family, while cousin Marilyn was the most normal looking Munster.

The Munsters were snobbish in a sense. It always bothered me that they thought Marilyn was ugly. If that were the case, then all human beings were ugly in their eyes except for themselves, and they made a point of that quite often.

The Munsters were snobbish in a sense. It always bothered me that they thought Marilyn was ugly. If that were the case, then all human beings were ugly in their eyes except for themselves, and they made a point of that quite often.
The Munsters felt sorry for Marilyn, the "black sheep" of the family.
----
Lily: "Oh, Marilyn ... the circles under your eyes. How lovely you look today."

I would have to say The Munsters.

I have to say the Addams, I like the Munsters tough. But The Addam's jokes were cleverer and smarter, and they started 6 days before The munsters.

Well as a kid there was no question I was a total Adams family fan.
As an adult. I have watched the Munsters and well I don't know if time andsentimentality of the past has made the heart grow fonder..... but Though i still prefer The Adams Family... I do appreciate The munsters much more now. I especially love "Grandpa" Al Lewis... a Vaudvillian originally. He was a true gem on the show
Adams family the whole premise was a lot more subtle. Caroline Jones as Morticia was perfect and "Uncle Fester" Jackie Coogan... A child star of the silent era and cousin It stole the show:)

The Munsters. I like the Addams Family, but for some reason the only characters I found amusing on that show were Lurch, Thing, and Cousin Itt. Don't ask me why! The Munsters were much warmer than The Addams Family and I think the show was, overall, better than TAF. I also liked Eddie much more than the Wednesday and Pugsley.

Obviously, I like the Munsters. I do occasionally watch the Addams Family, too. I like the show, but didn't watch it much as a kid. Later when it was syndicated, after school I watched it off and on. I watched the Munsters from day one.

The Munsters were loosly based on Universal movie monsters, of which Frankenstein and Dracula were released in 1931. :D

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The Munsters had the coolest cars (the Munster Coach and Grandpa's
"Dragula" race car). Of course, in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon version, the
Addams family did have a very unique (to say the least) mobile home!

I have always loved the Munsters from day one also, the Munsters had something The Addams' didn't and that's a full feature film in color! I also liked the Munsters pets the Raven, a cat that roared, igor the bat, and spot the Dinosaur. I liked Grandpa's lab in the dungeon better than the Addams' playroom.

Universal Studios and
Kayro-Vue Productions put more money into the actual production of 'The
Munsters' than Filmways Productions doled out with their show filmed at
General Service Studios."

Filmways studios were cheap they didn't have facades and used a painting for the house in the Addams case. Although Filmways used real houses for the exterior shots, like for the Beverly Hillbillies.

I'm gonna go with The Munsters. However, after watching the DVD, I have to say, The Addams Family is a great sitcom and I'm glad it's finally coming to DVD. It's a classic and deserves whatever praise it gets. I just like the broader humor of The Munsters better, and I love the comic pairing of Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis.

I also wanted to say that it doesn't matter which show debuted first, or which had the higher ratings or which had more episodes. Maybe one day, The Munsters and The Addams Family will be looked upon as equals and not as competitors. lol

Also, I just wanted to mention, that The Munsters didn't copy off of The Addams Family. Both show were created around the same time. The Addams Family was based off the comic strips, and The Munsters was based on the classic monster movies. They are actually quite different, except for the fact that both familes are creepy and kooky (and altogether ooky).

I like both families, but I enjoyed the Munsters tv show better than The Addams Family. The sets for The Munsters puts it over the top for me. They were very well done and they had an actual facade that they used often (I saw the house earlier this year and it was retooled as the home of Desperate Housewives' Betty Applewhite). The Addams Mansion, aside from the odd statues and such, was a regular house (and it was immaculately clean). On the other hand, I liked the Addams Family movies more than The Munsters tv show. My favorites on both shows are the matriarchs, Morticia and Lily.

The Addams Family ... all the way. I grew up with the Addams Family. What's strange is, The Munsters was never on when I was growing up in the late 80's and early 90s in Wisconsin. I actually never really watched The Munsters until 1997 when it first came to TV Land.

Besides that, the Addams Family was just more classy and funny. The writing was better and more clever. Also, I loved the use of the painting for their home, which by far surpasses The Munsters. The Munsters basically lived in a run down, house, while The Addams family lived in a awesome mansion filled with cool decorations. Plus, Morticia, Lurch, Thing and Cousin Itt surpassed all of the characters on the Munsters, humor wise.

I always choose the Munsters over the Addams family. I think the Addams Family had a more macarbe (sp)? or sinister side to them. The Munsters were more of a lighthearted family. Herman, in the second season, was more goofy. Gomez, he was just strange. But, my favorite Addams Family episode will always be "Lurch, the teenage idol".