"3rd Rock from the Sun" (1996)TV series 1996-2001

Creators:

Bonnie Turner
Terry Turner

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

Release Date:

9 January 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

Plot:

A group of aliens have come to Earth to learn about its population, customs, etc. To avoid detection...

Plot Keywords:

Fart Scene | Police Officer | Disembodied Head | Flatulence | Extraterrestrial

Awards:

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 23 wins & 50 nominations

Cast

French Stewart	...	Harry Solomon / ... (139 episodes, 1996-2001)
John Lithgow	...	Dr. Dick Solomon (139 episodes, 1996-2001)
Kristen Johnston	...	Sally Solomon (139 episodes, 1996-2001)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt	...	Tommy Solomon / ... (133 episodes, 1996-2001)
Jane Curtin	...	Dr. Mary Albright (114 episodes, 1996-2001)
Simbi Khali	...	Nina Campbell / ... (93 episodes, 1996-2001)
Elmarie Wendel	...	Mrs. Mamie Dubcek (64 episodes, 1996-2001)
Wayne Knight	...	Officer Don Orville / ... (58 episodes, 1996-2001)

Also Known As:

3rd Rock (USA) (promotional abbreviation)
Life As We Know It
Third Rock from the Sun (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

25 min (124 episodes) | 60 min (7 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

Hungarian | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:PG | Argentina:Atp | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Republic Studios/CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Carsey-Werner Company

Trivia:

In the episode in which Dick ('John Lithgow') accidentally hits a chipmunk and rushes it to the vet, he has a very dramatic scene next to the examining table where he rants about his chipmunk being in pain. He yells "Give my chipmunk his shot!", a reference to Terms of Endearment (1983), in which Lithgow also appeared.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Harry brings home a dog in the episode "Green Eyed Dick", the dog runs towards Dick. When he bends down to pick up the dog, you can see the treat in his hand used to draw the dog over.

Quotes:

Harry Solomon: The manual said hair below the shoulders but not above the head. I don't think anyone is going to look down there.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Norm Macdonald/Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg (#25.3)" (1999)

Very funny

"3rd Rock from the Show" is a very funny comedy series about a group of aliens disguised as humans. John Lithgow (one of the most underrated actors of all-time) is fabulous as Dick, the confused and overly dramatic alien posing as a college professor (I think - it's been so long since I've seen this on TV!). Sally (Kristen Johnson), Tommy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Harry (French Stewart) all join in on the fun as his clueless, bumbling pals - Tommy is an old alien in a teenager's body, Sally is a male in a female's body (or so we are led to believe). Harry is a walking radio who receives incoming transmissions from their home planet.

It may sound silly but that's the entire point! It has some very funny quotes like, "Last week I didn't even know the difference between Bill Pullman and Bill Paxton!" Dick: "Pullman is the fat one." "I know that now!" (or something like that). A lot of it has to do with pop culture and as a result you may have to be American to "get" some of the jokes.

One of the top ten greatest television shows of all time. Miserably underrated. It gained a strong cult following while on TV and was awarded with many Emmy nominations but never really become as successful or popular as "Seinfeld," etc. Too bad.