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Forum Idol
Join Date: Jan 09, 2001
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3rd Rock from the Sun Boned the Fish...
http://www.bonethefish.com/viewtopics.php?519
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A group of aliens comes to Earth to study humans and attempts ineptly to 'blend in'.
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https://web.archive.org/web/20070225...ptheshark.com/
- Other Thoughts:
When Sally went from pants to mini dresses. They took a feminist character and turned her into a typical TV sex kitten
i think it jumped when dick finally got jane curtain's character in the sack.for the next chunk of shows thats all the show dealt with. it reminds me of cheers when sam finally gets rebecca.
I'm still trying to fathom the appeal of this show: it seems like a ******** version of SNL's "The Coneheads".
Third Rock is a very funny show and I luv it but I think they are starting to run low on ideas.
It IS a bad ripoff of the Coneheads. Low brow, quasi-science fiction at best. Another show working hard to dumb down an entire genre.
It hasn't jumped yet, but it seems to be right on the borderline of doing so. This show is pretty good, but they could do SO much more with it. For example, when John Lithgow became the "evil" Dick, why couldn't they have gone with that concept for several episodes rather than just the two parter? Imagine what could have happened if both the "good" and "evil" Dicks were running around, chasing after Mary! Or when Dick and Sally changed bodies? That would have provided tons of fertile ground for humor. But instead, they continually wimp out and rely on the "let's resolve everything in 30 or 60 minutes" syndrome. As good as it is, it could be even better if the writers had any guts.
First of all, 3rd Rock is still a wonderful show. However, there was a minor shark jump in the episode "Just Your Typical Dick" that seems insignificant but when I think about it, after looking over all of the episodes throughout the years, that seems to be sort of big. "Just Your Typical Dick" is the episode that reveals Tommy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) minus his lovely beyond-shoulder-length locks. In a couple of previous episodes to that, it appears obvious that JGL was wearing a wig, and the producers felt they needed to wait a couple of episodes before revealing this dramatic appearance change. That kind of boggles my mind. I can't really call it JTS because overall its still the same character, and also puberty seems to have been rather kind to JGL (which is more than I can say for some actors).
This show is great! To the first post: I think Kristen Johnston in those outfits is a statement! In this day of anorexic supermodels, it's cool to see a six foot tall woman curves out to there actually flaunting them rather than keeping them hidden!
This show is so typical of the trip that NBC forces down our throats nowadays. Nothing funny about it, poor acting, poor writing, poor us! Jane Curtin and Wayne Knight should be ashamed after having been on two great shows, "Kate and Allie" and "Seinfeld".
this show jumped the shark when they brought in roseanne as dick's wife form his home planet. I've rarely watched it since then and never bother taping it...it just seemed too desparate!
William Shatner and the alien Baby... HELLOOOOOOO??!?!?!?!
This show is stupid.
The show jumped when vicki had the alien baby. That was just plain stupid.
When that guest came on, who played the head commander over all four of them and he took back the woman who he had a child with to his spaceship forever.
Never! It is, next to The Simpsons, the funniest, most absurd show on television!
when they ran out of quirky things to realize about earth.
I just have one question. When the cast of the show first got together for first reading of the pilot episode, did the show's producers tell them that they all had to be super-quirky and overact their roles or they would be fired? (The threat, I would assume, would be very effective against these actors since their careers were either over or non-existent.) This would also explain the addition of Shatner and the fat guy from Seinfeld. 'Nuff said.
That young boy is pretty ugly. As a child and as a teenager. I guess they figured they could slap a Hanson hairdo on him to make him cute. Wrong. It was the most unflattering thing they could have done. He looked like the son of Neil from "the Young Ones".
This show is definitely reaching it's life expectancy. I mean, how long can a college professor teach the same students? I have friends that can get a physics degree after only four years...
The first show after the birth of the alien baby was definitely a shark jumper, and to rub it in, the producers brought in a new bad music intro format to herald this new shark plunging status. True, hiring Roseanne for a bit part earlier in the show was a big mistake, but they were able to overcome this blunder with some other funny shows. The series peaked with two episodes, introducing the drunken Big Giant Head, William Shatner, in a two part season finale, and then tanked with the very next show, in the new season premiere with the actual birth of Vicki's alien baby, plus the new bad muzak-like format. I only wish that 3rd Rock could have developed the character that Phil Hartman played for one episode, but that tragedy was far more profound than the future of one TV show.
The start of the 2000 season. Corky alien ideas have climaxed. Although rating will remain strong, since between Kramer and frasier. Used to like it.
I absolutely love the show... but this season better get with it fast.
When they did *two* shows on living alternative lives in NYC with everyone being the opposite of what they normally were--desperation is definitely showing....
I have been trying to find the moment when Harry went from a cute dumb alien to a cool sort of dumb alien. I found it. It was when he went to high school. He changed. He was best before he went to school, but not the very beginning. He was too weird in the first few episodes. I miss the old Harry. I still find this show okay because some of the old Harry lives on in the new one, and the GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT acting of John Lithgow. I mean it, he's a GREAT actor!!!
I used to be a big fan of "Third Rock" but over the past two seasons, the show has been losing some of its edge. Although "Third Rock" hasn't made a full jump, it has made several small ones that have diminished its comedic effectiveness. Two episodes come to mind in that regard, namely, the one where the aliens deal with the issue of racism and when Vicki delivers the Big Giant Head's baby. Of the two, the one about racism was very awkward if not embarrassing and the alien baby episode was long on hype but short on substance. William Shatner's second appearance was also something of a shark jump when the BGH announced he was Dick's father. A rip-off from "Star Wars" if there ever was one! I haven't watched the show lately mainly because it seems to be running out of ideas and the show's writers have milked it for all it's worth. At this point, I think it's safe to say that Dick, Harry, Sally and Tommy's mission here on earth is over and it's time for them to head back to their planet.
How could a show appearing in (a record) 18 different time slots ever have a chance of maintaining an audience? The first four years of the show are real funny yet I never saw them on NBC - I saw most of those episodes in syndication because I KNEW when to look for it!
Shatner, that obnoxious unfunny limelight-stealer. All cast members are funny. He is no comedian. Ruined it. I keep waiting for him to say Beam Me Up Scotty.
When Jane Curtain farted. John Lithgow was in the room with her. It wasn't just Third Rock that jumped the shark at this point, I think it was television. Something like that is just the last taboo that was left to be broken.
I think this show was awesome the first three and a half years,but there was no way this show could've survived with all those time slots they had.Plus,this show was just running out of material,you could totally tell the last two years.
I still don't think 3rd Rock ever jumped -- this is some of the best acting and writing ever in a sit-com. It's so smart -- what sit-com incorporates allusions like they do (Heart of Darkness/Apocalypse Now, Gone with the Wind, Golden Pond, Chinatown, the Village People, etc. etc.) Sometimes you really have to be paying attention to it or you miss these cool details. I think it's funny that Dick's students never graduate or move on -- you can't take this show too seriously; just enjoy it! The one where Dick and Sally switch bodies is awesome!
i love third rock but not the last episode? chimps? come on! it could have really gone out with a bang and it just blew it
The show never jumped the shark. It is an absurd show where anything can happen.There is really no way it could. Near the end it wasn't as funny, but most tv shows are not near the end. The acting was great dispite what anyone previous to me has stated. John Lithgow (Dick Salomon) was nominated for an Oscar!He does alot of work on Broadway, and has been in many movies.That just shows that he is a very talented and versitile actor. Anyone who says otherwise doesn't know there stuff.The show has alot of commentary on society. It is filled with satire, but doesn't shove it in your face.That shows that it is smart and well written. It is very humorous.Both with realism and in off the wall humor.(mostly in off the wall humor)This show is one of the best shows ever.
Next to "Saturday Night Live", this show is my favorite one of all time, and I'm really going to miss it, especially the wonderful scenes between John Lithgow and Jane Curtin. Long may "3rd Rock" live in syndication; I know that _I'll_ be tuning in each day. And, by the way, damn NBC to the pits of hell for canceling it in the first place.
This show jumped when they had "Roseanne & William Shatner" on as special guest stars. I didn't even watch all of these episodes because I don't care for these actors and it wasn't funny. The writers dropped the ball!
This show totally sucks. It's not funny, just dorky. Painful to watch and a sign that the writers of today's sitcoms are awful losers who should be caretakers of mortuaries, not people who hold our laughter in their hands.
This show never jumped. It's always been my favorite show (next to the Simpsons), and just as it was reaching what might have been the peak of it's popularity, they cancelled it. What gives, NBC??? Dumbasses. I loved that show, it was great!!!
The humor is bad, the acting is even worse. The alien concept was good in the 70's, but 30 years later, it is well, bad. It is horribly written, and none of the actors even act believable.
nothing indicates a shark jump more than the episode of third rock that was on after the superbowl, (alien?) supermodels take over earth? Oh hello mr Sharky!
Possibly the WORST show ever made. Only notable possible exception being "Small Wonder".
Sad enough, it took them 2 episodes to milk this (bad) idea, and they left some questions unanswered: Why did our 4 aliens have memories of the universe they came from? What happened with the 4 people they became the replacement of in NY?
The whole supermodel thing was ridiculous.
I can't believe that people complain about the supermodel/superbowl episode. It makes sense that aliens are living on earth, but supermodels invading doesn't make sense? Who watches the superbowl? Men, lots of men, men in bars, who can't here the program. What should NBC follow the superbowl with, a show with witty one liners or a show that looks good with the sound off. Anytime you get tall, busty women in leather and boots, its a good show.
The fact that John Lithgow keeps getting jobs, and the fact that he's fooled the industry into giving him Emmys and other awards.....proves the gaywad has a pact with satan himself. Third Rock was the stupidest, most silly show ever. It should have been on daytime TV so their true target audience could be appeased: 11 year old drooling, home-schooled mongoloid children.
While this show was on the air I never watched it all those years because I personally thought it was a stupid concept. I started watching it in reruns though late last year and I have to admit that it's a very funny show. I can see now why it lasted so long, I was wondering why it hadn't been cancelled while it was on the air but now I know they would have been crazy to cancel it because it's a great show. Sometimes it was funnier then others but all shows are that way at some point. I don't think the show ever really jumped but the last season was running out of ideas and you could clearly tell. I wasn't to fond of all the characters either, some of them were annoying and not funny at all but for the most part it worked well. The problem with a show like this though is that you can only go for so long with this style, I don't agree with comments on here comparing this show to Small Wonder or Out of This World because this show was much funnier then those two and also on a decent time slot for everyone to watch. This style of show runs out of gas at some point though, I think a better comparisent was ALF. ALF was similar to this show but didn't last as long, but it was loved by allot of people and was very funny.
What did John Lithcow [sic] do to make himself so horribly desperate for money. This show was so stupid, predictable, and horribly un-funny...I want to kill my annoying ex-roommate who made me watch reruns every single day.
The first season, it was good. Watching the "aliens" figure out earth things was pretty cool. Notably, I remember: Family heritage, Harry and the CD club, and the like. But soon it became like every other show (esp. that stupid relationship between Dick and Mary). They ended up becoming a somewhat normal family, except for the few cases where they came across something big they didn't understand. The show had lost its intial appeal and idea. Too bad. If the writers had stuck with the ideas that made the show good, it would have done better, and I wouldn't have stopped watching it. The first season, it was good. Watching the "aliens" figure out earth things was pretty cool. Notably, I remember: Family heritage, Harry and the CD club, and the like. But soon it became like every other show (esp. that stupid relationship between Dick and Mary). They ended up becoming a somewhat normal family, except for the few cases where they came across something big they didn't understand. The show had lost its intial appeal and idea. Too bad. If the writers had stuck with the ideas that made the show good, it would have done better, and I wouldn't have stopped watching it.
"3rd Rock From The Sun" is just a fun show to watch. Many reasons; its zaniness, and likeability of the characters (what character don't you like ?). But also important part is the "dancing planets" and absolutely great guitar music.
I don't get the premise of this show...Aliens intelligent enough to travel to earth, yet so dumb they have trouble grasping the simplest concepts? What's up with all the overacting? Are the actors forced to snarf up lines of crystal meth before taping? Poor Jane Curtin...times must be tough out there.
To the above poster... The premise is that aliens who are intelligent enough to travel through space can't grasp the simplest concepts... TO YOU. You'll find out that any new place you go has different ways of doing things. The whole idea of the show was that they came here to learn about how humans live and interact. Everyone here knows how to use a can opener. An alien would have no idea what the machine was for or even that it was a tool. I think the show had great writing (especially in the beginning, when the characters were learning about humanity). After they settled onto Earth, they understood too much for the show to be funny or new.
I think what killed this show in general was what I refer to as the "Balki Factor." Basically, the show worked as long as the main characters were feeling their way through our world. Once they were fully adapted to living here, the show got really pedestrian and really outlandish all at the same time, like Perfect Strangers before it. By that point, it was a bit of a franchise, so it was continued for a few years longer, mutating far out of its original shape. Of course, the joke of the show does have a limited life span. I know I lost interest in it on the first Thanksgiving episode, where the Solomons assume there is some sort of emergency coming when they see people swarming the supermarket to buy turkey, stuffing and cranberries. At that point I said to myself "OK, I get the joke; they're aliens and they don't understand our society." Since that was the point of the whole show, there was no more reason to watch.
i loved this show in the beginning. But, NBC switched this show around too many times and i never could figure out when it was on.
When Dick and Mary got together at the end of the first season, I knew it was the beginning of the end for the series. All of the episodes after the enjoyable two-parter "Evil Dick" episode were pure trash; I stopped watching altogether in late 1996. Dick's involvement with Mary really shows that the writers were out of ideas, and had nowhere else to go with the storyline. There were a total of three episodes in the first season which never featured Mary, and those turned out just fine (too bad there couldn't have been more like that). Mary was definitely an unneeded yet much overused character in the series, and her relationship with Dick killed the show.
This show NEVER jumped...it is a classic...the fabulous ensemble cast lead by the genius comic, John Lithgow, was absolutely perfect. It's a disgrace how the show was moved around and then just abruptly cancelled..even John Lithgow seemed bewildered but remained classy in his comments. I want to KNOW why it was cancelled...I've never heard the full story...and good grief Lithgow continued to be nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy on every award show, yet the idiots who run the show still cancelled it!!! I was a Fan from day one and will continue to be!!
When The big giant head became dicks dad "Dick, I am your father" That only gave them one good joke to work with, and they overworked it. 'Sally: But wait... if your dad is the big giant head... and your first name is dick... that makes you... Dick: Dick... !!! HEAD!! NO!' And when each alien character and Mary realized it... It got old after Tommy kept making jokes. Maybe thats why they ended the show soon after that...?
Third Rock has great writing, and as far as I'm concerned, John Lithgow is both pants-pissingly funny and a brilliant actor. His character is AMAZING! Its just the right amount of off-the-wall. Wayne Knight is another brilliant actor. May 3rd rock live on.
A huge fan base, stellar syndication ratings, and major awards cement the fact that "3rd Rock from the Sun" has never jumped the shark. No other alien/and or sci-fi sitcom has ever enjoyed the popularity and recognitions of 3rd Rock. NBC used the show as a lead in to help ratings for such underdeveloped mindless dribble like "Working" and "The Tony Danza Show." Had NBC given 3rd Rock a permanent home, on any night of the week, it would still be on the air today, guaranteed. A show doesn't drop from top ten ratings for a season straight all the way down to #98 during the PRIME of it's run. The ensemble cast was masterful; to see the show live was an experience not to be forgotten!!! All in all, this show was awesome.
Overall this is an extremely amazing show - funny and stupid and unrealistic and entertaining as all get-out. The ensemble is the most talented group of actors to click on the small screen in decades. This wasn't a show destined for numerous seasons. Tommy had to grow up. The mission had to end. Lithgow is so very talented and multi-faceted. French Stewart was great as "Harry" but what's next for him. Loved the Irish dancing. I was rolling on the floor laughing. Only liked the Shatner character when he alluded to the Twilight Zone episode that he was in and Lithgow recreated later on. "there was something on the wing" I wish the re-runs were back.
NEVER JUMPED...PERIOD. The only thing that pisses me off about this show is the fact that I never really got to see it until it was in re-runs. It has since become, hands down, my favorite show of all time. Before it, I never cared for John Lithgow, but I respected his talent. It would always piss me off when he won the Golden Globe or the Emmy for "3rd Rock" or Kirsten Johnston would because I was rooting for the "Friends" actor that year. Also, the few times I watched it I just found it to be too over-the-top for me and was turned off by all the hype it had generated which was (at least I thought so at the time) being capitalized on by NBC. Now that I've seen it, I realize what a fool I was to ever root for a "Friends" actor or to ever find that show to be funny. "3rd Rock" is just so....awesome. (I know how little my opinion must be to those intellectuals out there who may happen upon this seeing as how I've found no other word to describe the show with than awesome). My only complaint with the show is the fact that in that last season Tommy suddenly became a re-curring character other than a full-time cast member. We were just left to assume he was off at college when he wasn't there and when he was there, we were given no reason as to why he was. Also, the disparity between the Sally in the first season and then the Sally who dated Don for all of those years is pretty big. (Isn't it funny that out of all of those Seinfield cast members...Newman is the only one who went on to be in another successful tv show?) All in all, this is the best tv comedy I've ever seen (I actually hold in higher personal regard than "Cheers"). It also holds the best episode I've ever seen on any sitcom: "Fear and Loathing in Rutherford" (the 2nd episode of the 6th season). When Harry does his "eery dance of death" while sporting pantyhose over his head and waving a weedeater around to try and scare Alyssa into Tommy's arms....gold. You have to see it to know what I'm talking about.
That whole rivalry was just stupid, and was played out for far too long. Also they never milked the idea that Tommy's girlfriend was Strudwick's daughter for any of the Romeo and Juliet humor it presented. The guest appearances of Roseanne and William Shatner were bearable cause they were temporary. And they did produce some good, funny moments. The Strudwick rivalry never produced any good laughs, after that I never watched the show again. I even missed the finale.
When it was accepted by NBC. How two excellent actors - John Lithgow and Jane Curtain could look at this premise and sign either speaks to a character flaw, lack of judgment, or just fear of unemployment.
OK, I've seen John Lithgow in other?more serious?roles, and he's a *GREAT* actor. However, when "3RD Rock From the Sun" comes on, I have to leave the room, because I can't stand the show, the other's in my family do! As far as Harry is concerned, the only thing I can say about him, is they didn't use his "talent" as a radio as much as they should. He's kind of funny in that, and maybe when he and Dick teach Sally to dance. Other than that, he's useless. Nina and Dr Albright are the only realistic characters on the show!
After the '98 season. I don't know why but I just stopped watching the show. Maybe it was because they kept moving it. Maybe my television habits started to change (I also kind of stopped watching Friends at that point). I just know that from about mid-96 to the end of the '98 3rd Rock was the funniest show on television. I actually thought NBC would make the show their new "must see tv" show after Seinfeld went off the air. I thought it was in its prime and then boom! I just stopped watching it. I can't point to any character change, anything at all. For some reason, I just stopped. Mystery.
I thought it was refreshing to finally see a sitcom that had a far-out premise, compared to today’s sitcoms. I reminded me of the times when you saw rich Hillbillies in Beverly hills or an astronaut who finds a genie or a family of monsters etc etc.(I guess that’s just not in “vogue” these days). It now seems like most sitcoms are based on some comedian who lands himself a TV show about him and his family… or even WORSE, shows about “the office”. I get enough about office life at work everyday! This is TV and the possibilities should be endless. Realism isn’t always necessary.
One could have predicted that, like most shows that depend on a gimmick, the quality of _3d Rock_ would eventually start to slide, as the writers run out of ways of wringing new material out of the premise. That means that such a show (and _3d Rock_ was such a show) might start being bad without ever having a single defining moment after which things are never the same. _3d Rock_ actually had many opportunities to Jump the Shark -- "They Did It" (several different couples), "Birth" (Vicki's Baby), "Singing" (fortunately, the song was well-written by Randy Newman and well- performed by French Stewart), "Hair Care" and "Puberty" from Joseph Gordon-Levitt, "Special Guest Star" (Roseanne, William Shatner), "New Kid in Town" (Alissa Strudwick). I would argue that in each of these cases, the show managed to dodge a bullet. But to me, the moment at which the show began to fall apart was when Phil Hartman died. He had guest starred as Vicki's psycho ex-boyfriend who kidnaps Harry in the third season's finale -- and then he (Hartman) was murdered during the season break. When the show came back, there was something missing. What had been occasionally clever and usually hilarious social commentary became frenetic silliness that became painful to watch. The show probably would have sunk anyway -- but somehow, it never recovered from having to figure out how to "un-kidnap" Harry without Phil Hartman.
A disturbing symptom of a stagnating culture. Frankly it's depressing that a show this bad was ever made. Every time I saw a commercial for it I felt like I was the little kid staring at the emperor's new clothes: doesn't anyone else notice that he's naked? Or that this show is horrible? Hang the f**king tailor!
It jumped when William Shatner guest starred as the Big Giant Head (the first time). The Big Giant Head was much better when he was only referred to. The quality declined after that, and a lot of bad plots resulted, such as: Vicky getting pregnant, Mary becoming the dean of Pendleton U., and the Big Giant Head being Dick's father. I also didn't like it when Tommy graduated and became a secondary character. He was 1/4 of the show! This show had great lines and plots in seasons 1-4, but seasons 5-6 were mediocre. The series finale was pretty good though. It was a fitting end to this wonderful show.
I don't think this show ever jumped the shark in one particular episode, it was the whole last season. But it was a very funny and original show when everything else on NBC was a "Friends" or "Seinfeld" rip-off at the time and I am happy that it lasted as long as it did. I think it ended when it was time, it was true they had run out of things to do with it. I would also like to comment on an above posting: "He has been teaching the same students for four years." In the last season they made an episode about that. You should watch it sometime  It's good.
3rd Rock has always been one of my favorite sitcoms. However, the show clearly jumped in the sixth season when the four go to New York (an alternate reality) through their shower. It was contrived, unfunny, pointless, and worst of all, a TWO part episode! That's always been one of 3rd Rock's flaws is its ungodly amount of cliffhanger episodes, but atleast the earlier ones had a PLOT. It just got worse from then on- Tommy moved to college and was basically off the show, the Big Giant Head was in every other episode it seemed, and the plots got too simple and unfunny. In short, 3rd Rock ran out of steam. And the four part finale was pure garbage! We find out Don's a total wimp and Sally has to train him to be a tough cop, Mary wants to go with the Solomons to their home planet (come on- any normal human would be in total shock when they found out), a going away party? Please. While many people would probably say the show jumped when Vicki became pregnant with an alien baby, I'd disagree, because atleast the show was still funny for a season. No, it jumped at the beginning of the last season.
3rd rock was one of the most underappreciated, mistreated show in recent history. While I applaud NBC for saving the show when ABC originally turned it down (who had also turned down another Carsey-Werner show- The Cosby Show - back in 1984), they did everything but nurture it. It belonged in the Thursday night schedule. Although it did make a nice fit with Newsradio on Tuesday nights, it was too late. Thankfully, I taped every episode while I had a chance. Jeff Zucker should be ashamed of himself for dumping this show for Good Morning Miami and keeping Just Shoot Me. That is just pathetic
There were fewer laughs in the last series, and Tommy being absent for much of the series didn't help, although there was a reason for it. And the parallel universe episode did seem a bit desperate, but at least they only did it once. But the last episode was a fitting end, and so Third Rock didn't jump the shark
I still like this show a lot but I would have to say it jumped when Mary Albright got even blonder. Before the last season she was kind of a dull blonde, but in the last season it was like she was wearing a blonde wig with a giant lightbulb underneath it. That's when 3rd Rock officially "jumped the shark".
This show never jumped the shark. I watch every night on Fox, the show is awesome and I'm horrified that I didn't discover it when it was on NBC. To all you people who seem to think the show is absurd and the characters overacting...grow up you *******, the show isn't a serious show designed to convince you that there are aliens somewhere in Ohio. The very absurdity and overacting are what make it so great, Dick Soloman taking himself so seriously and being so vain, Sally taking herself so seriously as a commander. If the characters were bland and believable they wouldn't be funny, they would be HUMANS not ALIENS. If you want to watch an alien drama watch reruns of Home Improvement, because I don't think anyone on that show is human, and I know none one on there is funny. The show is a riot, although I can agree that the whole New York concept was lame, I think people who are upset that the show isn't convincing enough need to get a clue, the show is an absurd comedy that can actually present a view on social issues in a comedic sense because the characters are so unreal and so funny.
I felt the show never lost it's edge however, it became increasingly hard to locate. John Lithgow was hysterical is Dick the pompous ass, that role was tailor made for him. The supporting cast was also excellent. It was a great show and funny as hell.
This show was very good up til about 1999, after 99 it just became way too much about sex. Some of the episodes were still good though--my kids love that one where Dick discovers what a bad teacher is, and the one where they go camping. However, the one where the Big Giant Head seduces Vicky I wouldn't let them watch.
I reside in Brazil, where syndication slots are all that exist with this type of show. (Sony Channel) 3rd Rock was by far the best show on air on this channel, in the beginning, anyway. (Shows like them poking at the jello mold wondering what it was, deciding what race they should be, etc.) That was the line they should have followed - Perplexed aliens trying to act natural in all situations. Overacting - perhaps, but that's what made it such a great show (thanx to J. Lithgow) I cannot fairly say if it had not jumped at any point as I have not seen all episodes, but hats off to a truly great idea.
3rd Rock is an hilarious show! Even though some episodes are cheezy but it talks about how Alien would react in Earth and lots of the stunts they pull are funny also. It never jumps!
3rd Rock has a premise that sounds like its from the 60's, but they really pulled it off by having decent writing and one of the best sitcom casts ever. Lithgow, Curtin, Kirsten Johnson, Jan Hooks, French Stewart and Wayne Knight were great in their roles. The show is so crazy and entertaining that it kept from being shark bait, the jokes and delivery were great. Very hammy acting, you can tell the actors were having fun. The show never had very special episodes or drama, just hilarity. It's a testament to this shows popularity that it stayed on as long considering NBC bounced it around like a ping pong ball. Friends, Seinfeld, ER, Law And Order and Frasier get the credit for making NBC big, but 3rd Rock was the workhorse backing up all kinds of new shows. Too intentionally goofy and campy to jump.
It completely ripped off Mork and Mindy, down to having the attic being an integral part of show!
This show meandered around the shark before leaping it in the second last season. Way too much Tommy and Harry. John Lithgow is a comic genious! The moments when he'd stand up, shocked, and blurt out something outrageous were the funniest. Example; "That back-stabbing bitch!". There were really racy elements to the dialogue which I enjoyed. When Mary is haggling for a new parking spot and Dick momentarily doesn't know what she's talking about - Dick: "Oh, I get it...you have a CAR!" Mary: "Yes, I have a red Volvo." Dick (shocked): "Mary, I don't think that's appropriate!"
This show was hilarious when the focus was on their being "newbies" to the planet and not getting things quite right. Unfortunately, in the last season or two - and isolated episodes throughout - they segued away from that premise and the result was that the characters, particularly Dick, were just acting like not-too-bright Earth people. One of the best examples was the episode where Dick first learns about tipping - he develops tricks to get out of tipping Domino's pizza delivery people, etc. that anyone who has ever worked for tips would recognize as cheapskate gimmicks that have been around forever. Maybe that was the point; but made the character just obnoxious and not funny. Also, the on-again-off-again affair with Mary was overdone; those episodes got way too predictable. The one exception was when Dick went to Mary's women's support group in drag; but as I recall, that was one of the earlier episodes.
It may have lost some or original edge in the latter years (they could only be totally naive for so long) but I still don't think it ever jumped, despite a few close calls (guest appearances by Shatner and Rosanne.) It was meant to be pure, silly entertainment along the same vein as shows like Night Court and in that regard it excelled. Great writing, GREAT acting and good development of character relationships (Dick and Mary were of course great, but I always enjoyed Sally and Don's melodramatic dialog even more.) The biggest factor that kept this show from becoming a major hit during its run was NBC's constant manipulation of its timeslot. I never knew when it would be on. But now that it's on in syndication (for my local station) I no longer have to deal with that. It's the perfect late night, comedy to wind down to before you go to bed. Bring on the DVDs!
The whole Big Giant Head plot was stupid, William Shatner was great, but the premise didn't hold up. And it seems after that, the writing went to hell. It's a clear cut jump. Writers ran out of ideas, use a farfetched one like an alien baby to try and put life back into the show, but where do you go from there? Right into the shark's mouth.
Sometime around the arrival of the Big Giant Head, Vicki giving birth to the alien baby and the weird new theme music, you could tell the show had jumped. Sally becoming High Commander and William Shatner's hilarious antics were the highest point of the series; after that it just became bizarre. The writing remained top-notch, but all of a sudden it seemed like the four seemed to forget that they weren't just weird humans on a daily basis. I liked it as a bunch of strange aliens baffled by the way humans acted, and they never did lose that, but something was terribly different. I applaud this show for going off the air when it did, I can't imagine it lasting another season. Some shows are just too good, and there was no way the show could top the 2000-2001 season premiere. This is one of them. Always loved Don and Sally.
The show jumped with vicki and harry trying to have a baby. The writing on this show is gaspingly hilariuos! Like when Sally is trying to impress Don. Sally asks if Don noticed anything different this morning. Don responds 'no'. Sally tells him she had a cropduster spray their names over Don's house with pesticides. Don, looking forlorn, responds "That would explain the vomiting." When Dick is about to undergo plastic surgery to make himself 'gorgeous', he reminisces about going on a picnic with Mary that ended up rained out, forcing them to "eat wet tuna sandwiches in an outhouse." This line still cracks me up.
Never jumped. Jumping the Shark is not having a lame episode now and then. It is a definitive point after which all is lost. This never happened to 3rd Rock. Like several other posters at first I only saw ads and thought it looked stupid. A few years later I started catching reruns and was surprised at how witty the writing and great the acting was. Lithgow really steals the show with Dick Solomon. What a great character! Arrogant and brilliant, yet ignorant and foolish, all at the same time (Teaching class: "As Albert Einstein once said..." then launching into this long quote in German to a bewildered room of students - fantastic). Officer Don and Sally doing that overly dramatic dialog like they used in films from the 40s. Wayne Knight did a bit of that in Seinfeld, too. It's hilarious. French Stewart's comedic delivery is unique. I wish he could find some more work of this type. Of all the TV trends I hate, it is sitcoms that exist to show how "cool" and "hip" the characters are. That we should aspire to dress, act and talk like them (yes, 'Friends' and its ilk). I like true entertainers with talent that aren't afraid to be smart, zany, nerdy, and over the top (it's amazing how many of them will never be in People's 'most' sexy list). 3rd Rock entertains on many levels. Someone brought up the Riverdance. That was hilarious because the idea of the characters doing the dance is patently absurd but they play it straight and actually do a pretty good job. You could go on and on. I'll end by saying if you are turned off simply by the premise of the show, you are missing a lot. Try to watch 3 of 4 episodes all the way through and you will probably be surprised.
I have never liked situational comedies and i never really will, but this show was funny. it got old through the years, however, and it started to lose it's edge. never did jump the shark, but it was ended at a good time.
It was a really funny show until it became sexual then it just jumped the shark.
One of the Best Sitcoms Ever, 3rd Rock From the Sun never ever jumped the shark! It was consistently -- almost always -- witty, zany, crazy Over The Top nuttiness. John Lithgow's performances are a treasure, and it was a joy to watch Kristen Johnston act like a manic depressive moose. If you didn't like this show, you have mental problems. NBC jumped the shark when they cancelled the 3rd Rock. So. There.
The overhyped episode that followed one the super bowls was close to jumping the shark but, it was really just a weak episode. Other wise this was a greatly under appreciated show. The writing was clever, the characters were great and wonderfully ironic, and the acting was excellent. John Lithgow was a tour de force. Jane Curtain being able to keep up w/ Lithgow and the rest of the cast is a testament to her talent as well. This show should be regarded as just missing all time great show status.
I'd REALLY like to say that this show never jumped, But I think it went downhill when the characters lost their special roles and became just ordinary sitcom characters. Like when Tommy stopped being a secret-service type guy, Harry stopped being an abnormal geek without a clue, etc. I don't think it was a single moment, but it did lose its comic edge in the later seasons, and became the regular same old same old stuff.
Never jumped. This was one of those great shows that you are truly sad about they are not longer on, at least not where I live. 3rd Rock had its lesser moments, but overall it remained the fresh, extremely funny show it had always been. Also notice that there are very few ´downer´ posts like ‘ THIS SHOW SUCKS’ on this page about 3rd Rock ? Just goes to show that is almost impossible not to like 3rd Rock of the Sun and how GOOD, rephrase DAMN GOOD it was.
This show was one of the most underrated shows of my lifetime! John Lithgow was super as Dr. Solomon. I mean he was an lien trapped inside a middle-aged man's body. He experienced everything as if it were the first time, because to him it was. The best episode was when Dick went on spring break with Mary and he ended up getting drunk with his own students.
One of the few sitcoms that actually didn't jump. Sure the William Shatner guest role and the birth of the alien baby seemed like a jump, but it actually improved again after that and was a good show right to the end. Episodes in the last season were just as good as previous seasons- and that is rare. There were weak episodes like when they dwelled on some stupid discovery like a laundromat, but this show was under appreciated. There was a fair point made once that it did end at a good time because the aliens were getting too comfortable being human and knew too much. But the show would do really well with a TV special/reunion/movie. Yes, that could invite a jump but because of its concept it could really play around with it. Besides, the final episode (while being very good) was actually pretty low-key.
I disagree with those who say that this show ever jumped the shark. I grew up watching My Favorite Martian and Mork & Mindy, and so I've always viewed 3rd Rock from that angle. My Favorite Martian was good, especially for its time, and it was always a fun show to watch, but it was never side-splittingly funny. Then along came Mork & Mindy 12 years later, and that show had me laughing my ass off with every episode of the first season. The problem with Mork & Mindy, however, was that the writers had Mork gradually assimilate to Earth culture, which resulted in the show being less and less funny with each season. The writers for 3rd Rock seem to have learned from that error and made sure that there was always something that would be unfamiliar to the Solomons, and it also helped that there were four aliens instead of just one, and that's what kept the show rolling with plenty of laughs for 5 seasons. That's just my 2 cent's worth.
I don't think it every jumped the shark exactly, though there were some pretty feeble episodes in the later series, and most of the last series was not as funny as the earlier ones (I love the episode where they all become very patriotic though). I thought the show overall was marvellous though, the whole cast was so funny. Most of my favourite episodes are in the first series though. I did think it stretched credibility a bit that they should still be so ignorant about earth life after four years or whatever it is (they've had a car all that time and only then discover car insurance, come now). But who cares really, it was still funny.
My mom became a fan of this show late in it's run and I have been watching the first 4 season DVDs with her. It jumped with the big special Super Model/Super Bowl show. NBC gets the producers to incorporate that years' Super Bowl in a story that results in an hour episode without a single laugh or ounce of wit in it! Great introduction to new viewers coming out of the Super Bowl? No, instead it's time to cue up Bruce and the Jaws movie theme again.
This show was an absolute scream in the first 2-3 years. It was still funny after that, but not nearly as much. The great comedy of the first few years what that the aliens were so clueless about society, everyday life, tissue boxes (Dick: This is brilliant!). Dick Solomon has to be one of the funniest characters of all time. But when the characters ceased to really be aliens and became just another bunch of quirky people, it definitely lost some of its punch.
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10-07-2013, 05:34 PM
