3rd Rock from the Sun is an American sitcom that aired from 1996 to 2001 on
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. The show is about four
extraterrestrialsExtraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
who are on an expedition to Earth, which they consider to be a very insignificant planet. The extraterrestrials pose as a human family in order to observe the behavior of human beings.
Basic premise
"As many intelligent people know, aliens are all around us. This is a story of a band of four such explorers. In order to blend in, they have assumed human form. This is the High Commander (Dick SolomonDr. Richard Solomon, usually known as Dick Solomon, is a character played by John Lithgow in the late '90s NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. Solomon is the High Commander of a highly trained alien unit, sent to Earth by their leader, The Big Giant Head...
). He has assembled an elite team of experts: A decorated military officer (Sally SolomonSally Solomon is a fictional character from the television sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun.-Role as female:Prior to arriving on Earth, the Solomons had some sort of contest to determine who would be male or female...
), a seasoned intelligence specialist (Tommy SolomonTommy Solomon is a fictional character created by Bonnie and Terry Turner from the American sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. He was portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.-Ironic age:...
) and, well, they had an extra seat (Harry SolomonHarry S. Solomon is a character in 3rd Rock from the Sun, played by French Stewart. He is the brother of Dick Solomon and Sally Solomon, and the uncle of Tommy Solomon. His middle initial is mentioned in the episode "Dick the Vote." French Stewart said in a 1998 interview, "The way the character...
)."
The premise of the show revolves around an extraterrestrial research expedition attempting to live as a normal human family in the fictional city of Rutherford, Ohio, said to be 52 miles (83.7 km) outside of Cleveland, where they live in a loft apartment. Humor was principally derived from the aliens' attempts to study human society and, because of their living as humans themselves while on Earth, to understand the human condition. In later episodes, they became more accustomed to Earth and often became more interested in their human lives than in their mission.
Dick SolomonDr. Richard Solomon, usually known as Dick Solomon, is a character played by John Lithgow in the late '90s NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. Solomon is the High Commander of a highly trained alien unit, sent to Earth by their leader, The Big Giant Head...
(
John LithgowJohn Arthur Lithgow is an American actor, musician, and author. Presently, he is involved with a wide range of media projects, including stage, television, film, and radio...
), the High Commander and leader of the expedition, is the family provider, and takes a position as a physics professor at Pendelton State University. Information officer
TommyTommy Solomon is a fictional character created by Bonnie and Terry Turner from the American sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. He was portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.-Ironic age:...
(
Joseph Gordon-LevittJoseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt is an American actor whose career as both a child and adult has included television series and theatrical films....
) has been given the body of a teenager and is forced to enroll in high school (later college), leaving security officer
SallySally Solomon is a fictional character from the television sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun.-Role as female:Prior to arriving on Earth, the Solomons had some sort of contest to determine who would be male or female...
(
Kristen JohnstonKristen Johnston is an American stage, film, and television actress. She may be most famous for her role as Sally Solomon in the television series 3rd Rock from the Sun...
) and communications officer
HarryHarry S. Solomon is a character in 3rd Rock from the Sun, played by French Stewart. He is the brother of Dick Solomon and Sally Solomon, and the uncle of Tommy Solomon. His middle initial is mentioned in the episode "Dick the Vote." French Stewart said in a 1998 interview, "The way the character...
(
French StewartMilton French Stewart , better known by his stage name French Stewart, is an American actor, best known for his role as Harry Solomon on the 1990s sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun.-Early life:...
) to spend their lives as thirty somethings hanging out at home and bouncing through short-term jobs.
The family often communicates with their off-world (and usually unseen) boss, the
Big Giant HeadThe Big Giant Head is a fictional character from the American sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun; he is the Solomons' mission leader and king of the galaxy.-Role on the Show:He was an unseen character at first, and even then very rarely referred to...
(
William ShatnerWilliam Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
). His orders are received through Harry, who unexpectedly (and often in inconvenient circumstances) stands up, his arms stiff (acting as the antenna), and proclaims: "Incoming message from the Big Giant Head."
Sources of humour
The show derived much humour from the contrast between the outward appearance adopted by each of the aliens and his or her actual, internal nature. Dick, far from being a wise and fatherly figurehead, is arrogant, self-absorbed, petulant, faddish, and often downright foolish. Inside Sally’s glamorous form lives the weapons and security officer: uncouth, swaggering, and macho. Tommy, the oldest of the group, is disguised as a teenager, his wisdom and life experience at odds with the strange and often humiliating life in which his teenage persona and raging hormones cast him. Only the oddball of the group, Harry, seems comfortable with Earthyet he is the weirdest of them all, particularly when his built-in radio function takes unexpected control over his body, relaying orders from the aliens' home world in an odd, authoritative voice.
Typical episode themes
Almost all the episodes revolve around the Solomons' difficulty integrating themselves into Earth culture and understanding human customs — often their view of Earth realities is distorted by the fact that almost all of their experience of Earth comes through the media, especially television, rather than firsthand experience.
Details about their alien nature are rarely given and inconsistent, except to reinforce the idea that their former lives were almost barren of emotion and most of the relationships humans have with each other. Their original forms, for example, are described as nonsexual, with reproduction a matter of sending packets of genetic material to each other in the mail. Leaders like The Big Giant Head are unelected and assumed infallible (in fact, it is stated that politicians on their planet are chosen by seeing which one can outrun the giant fireball). The upshot is that living in an Earth culture provides the Solomons with an almost intolerable degree of emotional stimulation and conflict, which they are very ill-equipped to handle.
Some of the episodes seemingly derive their comedy from affectionate send-ups of TV and films. For example, in the episode "Father Knows Dick," when Harry finds out he is a transmitter, he "goes off the rails" (complete with red jacket as worn by Jim in
Rebel Without a CauseRebel Without a Cause is a 1955 American drama film about emotionally confused suburban, middle-class teenagers. Directed by Nicholas Ray, it offered both social commentary and an alternative to previous films depicting delinquents in urban slum environments...
), yells "You're tearing me apart!" and goes off to play "
chickenThe game of chicken, also known as the hawk-dove or snowdrift game, is an influential model of conflict for two players in game theory...
" with a tough guy in a bar (but ends up buying fried chicken from
KFCKFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
instead). In the episode "Dick's Big Giant Headache," both Dick and the Big Giant Head mention seeing something on the wing of the plane after having traveled by airline, a nod to both
John LithgowJohn Arthur Lithgow is an American actor, musician, and author. Presently, he is involved with a wide range of media projects, including stage, television, film, and radio...
and
William ShatnerWilliam Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
having played the same role (one in the original story, and one in a remake) of the passenger who sees a gremlin on the wing in
The Twilight ZoneThe Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
. In another episode, a face-slapping session with Dick and Sally pastiches the
Chinatown sequence: "She's my daughter; my sister; my daughter." In "When Aliens Camp," the Solomons and Mary go on a disastrous camping trip. Dick is captured by a bunch of
boy scoutA Scout is a boy or a girl, usually 11 to 18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split this age group into a junior and a senior section...
s and instantly turns "native", painting his face and sighing "The horror" in a spoof of
Marlon BrandoMarlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
's character in
Apocalypse NowApocalypse Now is a 1979 American war film set during the Vietnam War, produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. The central character is US Army special operations officer Captain Benjamin L. Willard , of MACV-SOG, an assassin sent to kill the renegade and presumed insane Special Forces...
. In a tribute to silent movies, one episode shows Sally holding a plank on her shoulder and turning from side to side as Tommy ducks, and Harry gets hit, in reference to
The Plank, starring
Tommy CooperThomas Frederick "Tommy" Cooper was a very popular British prop comedian and magician from Caerphilly, Wales.Cooper was a member of The Magic Circle, and respected by traditional magicians...
. In "Eleven Angry Men and One Dick", Dick is a jury member and while arguing with other members he says "You want the truth? Well, I can't handle the truth", which is a tribute to
Jack NicholsonJohn Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
's dialogue in
A Few Good MenA Few Good Men is a play by Aaron Sorkin, first produced on Broadway by David Brown in 1989. It tells the story of military lawyers at a court-martial who uncover a high-level conspiracy in the course of defending their clients, United States Marines accused of murder.It opened on Broadway at the...
.
Common mythology
Occasionally references would be made to specific features of the aliens' abilities and of their experiences on their own world, which built up a common mythology for the show. The theme of the
idiot savantSavant syndrome , sometimes referred to as savantism, is a rare condition in which people with developmental disorders have one or more areas of expertise, ability, or brilliance that are in contrast with the individual's overall limitations...
repeatedly resurfaces, since each member of the family makes up for their extreme naïveté with some special skill owing to their alien nature.
Though Dick's understanding of physics is far weaker than his son Tommy's, it is implied that even his basic scientific knowledge makes advanced Earth physics appear rudimentary, leading to his becoming respected in his field despite his childish behavior. A well-known segment from an episode has him reading a passage from
A Brief History of TimeA Brief History of Time is a popular science book written by renown physicist Stephen Hawking and first published by the Bantam Dell Publishing Group in 1988. It became a best-seller and has sold more than 10 million copies...
and laughing hysterically at
Stephen HawkingStephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA is an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist, whose scientific books and public appearances have made him an academic celebrity...
's description of
virtual particleIn physics, a virtual particle is a particle that exists for a limited time and space. The energy and momentum of a virtual particle are uncertain according to the uncertainty principle...
s. Even so, Dick is often shown as the member of the family with the least to recommend in terms of his ability, leading them to question his right to command. Sally, for instance, is depicted as not only having an attractive body (she is sometimes described as being
AmazonianThe Amazons are a nation of all-female warriors in Greek mythology and Classical antiquity. Herodotus placed them in a region bordering Scythia in Sarmatia...
), but being amazingly physically strong and fit, able to fight and defeat large groups of men much larger than she (even when doing so is unnecessary and culturally inappropriate).
Tommy, similarly, has been trained with the ability of near-instant recall and has an encyclopedic knowledge about Earth society, which unfortunately seems useless in terms of helping him make appropriate decisions, but ensures that he remains a
straight-AAcademic grading in North America varies from country to country and even within countries.-United States:The most commonly used index in the U.S. educational system uses five letter grades. Historically, the grades were A, B, C, D, and F—A being the highest and F, denoting failure, the lowest...
student.
Harry is most fascinating, since his behavior is bizarre, unstable and borderline mentally disabled even for a Solomon (a condition, it is implied, engendered by the
chipAn integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
in his brain that allows him to communicate with the home planet), yet somehow this mental condition gives him an inexplicable sex appeal for women and makes him the only Solomon with any talent in the arts — Harry often seems to have a knack for all
fine artFine art or the fine arts encompass art forms developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than practical application. Art is often a synonym for fine art, as employed in the term "art gallery"....
s, including music and theater, and is consistently shown as being an incredibly talented painter, especially as a portraitist and caricaturist, though his inability to verbally articulate his artistic ideas in an intelligent fashion sinks his efforts at making a living through his talent.
One of Dick's driving motivations becomes his desire to master drawing, acting, music, or other pursuits — all of which he fails at miserably because of his lack of understanding of how the clearly less intelligent Harry could possibly possess talents Dick does not.
Relationships with humans
Each alien became involved in various relationships with humans throughout the course of the series, primarily focusing on Dick's infatuation – at first met with disgust and then, finally, reciprocation – with
anthropologyAnthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
professor
Dr. Mary AlbrightMary Margaret Albright, Ph.D is a fictional character who was played by Jane Curtin in the American situation comedy 3rd Rock from the Sun. She serves as a straight foil and love interest for the eccentric Dick Solomon.-Casting:...
(
Jane CurtinJane Therese Curtin is an American actress and comedienne. She is commonly referred to as Queen of the Deadpan.First coming to prominence as an original cast member on Saturday Night Live in 1975, she went on to win back-to-back Emmy Awards for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series on the 1980s...
), who shares an office with him. Much is often made of Mary's angst, insecurity, and neuroses brought on by a lifetime of studying the human condition as well as an unstable relationship with her parents, and the cheerful, childlike naïveté displayed by Dick, the primary factor in him that attracts her.
Sally similarly acquires a long-term boyfriend,
Officer Don OrvilleOfficer Donald 'Don' Leslie Orville is a fictional character in the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. He is portrayed by Wayne Knight and works as a Police Sergeant in the fictional town of Rutherford, Ohio, though he is consistently referred to as "Officer" throughout the series, much like...
(
Wayne KnightWayne Eliot Knight is an American actor, comedian, and voice actor perhaps best known for his role as Newman in the TV sitcom Seinfeld...
), an overweight and incompetent police officer who becomes attracted to her after several incidents in which he is forced to confront or arrest the Solomons for various crimes. The two generally have conversations while speaking in a manner similar to an old 1930s crime drama.
Tommy manages an
on-again/off-again relationshipAn on-again, off-again relationship is a form of casual relationship, usually sexual, between two people. It is where the couple concerned do not see their discontinuous affair as an ongoing or formal relationship...
with August Leffler (
Shay AstarShay Astar is an American actress, singer, and songwriter, perhaps best known for her work in the late 1990s, portraying August Leffler, a semi-recurring character on the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun...
), a reserved
ice queen"Ice Queen" is the second single of Dutch symphonic metal band Within Temptation from their second studio album Mother Earth.The song is one of Within Temptation's most successful songs to date in Europe....
teenager and later the more bubbly Alissa Strudwick (
Larisa OleynikLarisa Romanovna Oleynik is an American actress. She came to fame in the mid-1990s, after starring in the title role of the popular television series, The Secret World of Alex Mack, and has also appeared in theatrical films, including The Baby-Sitters Club and 10 Things I Hate About You...
).
Harry has a relationship with his landlord Mrs. Dubcek's (
Elmarie WendelElmarie Louise Wendel is an American actress, perhaps best known for her role as Mrs. Dubcek in the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun....
) daughter Vicki (played by
Jan HooksJanet V. "Jan" Hooks is an American actress and comedienne best known for her work on NBC's Saturday Night Live , on which she appeared from 1986 to 1991...
), in an on-screen relationship that often features overly melodramatic scenes. Harry, despite no apparent skills in the art of seduction, also manages to foil a plot to dissolve the Earth by seducing Mascha (
Cindy CrawfordCynthia Ann "Cindy" Crawford is an American model. Known for her trademark mole just above her lip, Crawford has adorned hundreds of magazine covers throughout her career. She was named #3 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of the 90s...
), one of a coven of strikingly beautiful Venusians who tried to overthrow the Earth by seducing its men into giving them everything of value.
Some humor comes from the fact that at some point in the show most of the character relationships have been mixed up — a strange attraction is briefly shown between Mary and Tommy because of their similar passion for the
social sciencesSocial science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
and the study of humanity, in which Tommy chooses to step aside and let Dick pursue her instead. Nina (
Simbi KhaliSimbi Khali is an American actress, known for her role as Nina Campbell on the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun.Born in Jackson, Mississippi, Khali was raised in Chicago, Illinois, the youngest of seven children...
), Dick's assistant who primarily serves as his
straight manA double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...
and comic foil, is seen briefly having a fling with Harry. Mrs. Dubcek also, who is at first merely a source of comic relief, her own bizarre foibles and imperceptibly causing her to be a terrible role model for proper human behavior to the Solomons, is revealed to have had a fling with Harry.
Plot twists
Initially, the only reference to the aliens' true forms is a comment made in the first episode, when upon discovering that human heads cannot swivel to 180 degrees, Dick queries: "How do they lick their backs?". As time went on, the show began to intersperse concrete references to the aliens' nature and their home world which played a role in affecting the show's plot. They usually described their original bodies as "gelatinous purple tubes" that lacked sex organs or most of the forms of physical definition that humans possess. In fact, when Sally asks why she had to be the woman, Dick reminds her why, telling her "it's because you lost." Evidently, individuals in their species are so near-identical to each other that the Solomons were unaware of the concept of race or ethnicity, and had never invented one for themselves, leading them to attempt to choose one (a source of humor since the Solomons all appear quite white), eventually deciding that they are Jewish because of their surname, which they had taken from the side of a truck; and in one episode, they said that they come from
PeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
in
South AmericaSouth America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
Occasionally, the Solomons would encounter or think they encountered other extraterrestrials — the most long-lasting such gag being the Solomons' belief that
Jell-OJell-O is a brand name belonging to U.S.-based Kraft Foods for a number of gelatin desserts, including fruit gels, puddings and no-bake cream pies. The brand's popularity has led to it being used as a generic term for gelatin dessert across the U.S. and Canada....
is an offshoot of a hostile, amorphous, carnivorous species they have often encountered, prompting them to go into hysterics whenever they see it served and attempt to destroy it. Their first brief encounter with snow was believed to have been attacks from a swarm of albino brain chiggers.
The name of the Solomons' home planet (if they indeed have one) is never revealed throughout the course of the series; in the show's dialogue, it is referred to as simply "The Home Planet." It is located in a
barred spiral galaxyA barred spiral galaxy is a spiral galaxy with a central bar-shaped structure composed of stars. Bars are found in approximately two-thirds of all spiral galaxies...
on the
CepheusCepheus is a constellation in the northern sky. It is named after Cepheus, King of Aethiopia in Greek mythology. It was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and remains one of the 88 modern constellations.-Stars:...
-
DracoDraco is a constellation in the far northern sky. Its name is Latin for dragon. Draco is circumpolar for many observers in the northern hemisphere...
border. Major twists in the plot, often shown in the various
season finaleA season finale is the final episode of a season of a television program...
s, tended to involve contact with the home planet, involving their superiors' ongoing disapproval at the Solomons' antics and their becoming a laughingstock among their peers.
Cast
3rd Rock maintained a constant
ensemble castAn ensemble cast is made up of cast members in which the principal actors and performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance and screen time in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on...
, the four main characters: Dick, Sally, Tommy, Harry. Several other main characters who left or joined the show through its original run supplemented these four, and numerous guest stars and one-time characters supplemented all of them. The three male aliens' names are a play on the phrase "
Tom, Dick and HarryThe phrase "Tom, Dick and Harry" is a placeholder for multiple unspecified people; "Tom, Dick or Harry" plays the same role for one unspecified person. The phrase most commonly occurs as "every Tom, Dick and Harry", meaning everyone, and "any Tom, Dick or Harry", meaning anyone, although Brewer...
" which is a placeholder for multiple unspecified people. (When Don eventually notices this, they look uncomfortable and Tommy says "Well, it's not like it's a deliberate attempt on our part to seem average," which is of course exactly what it is.)
Main characters
- Dick Solomon
Dr. Richard Solomon, usually known as Dick Solomon, is a character played by John Lithgow in the late '90s NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. Solomon is the High Commander of a highly trained alien unit, sent to Earth by their leader, The Big Giant Head...
(John LithgowJohn Arthur Lithgow is an American actor, musician, and author. Presently, he is involved with a wide range of media projects, including stage, television, film, and radio...
): The High Commander and head of the expedition to Earth. Is often the most childlike member of the group, being, ironically, the youngest of the crew, despite being the oldest family member. Much of the behavioral or societal-based troubles faced by the crew in their mission while on Earth frequently arise from some juvenile act perpetrated by Dick, troubles which in turn are forced to be overcome by the entire troupe with a great deal of reluctance.
- Sally Solomon
Sally Solomon is a fictional character from the television sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun.-Role as female:Prior to arriving on Earth, the Solomons had some sort of contest to determine who would be male or female...
(Kristen JohnstonKristen Johnston is an American stage, film, and television actress. She may be most famous for her role as Sally Solomon in the television series 3rd Rock from the Sun...
): With a rank of Lieutenant, she is the security officer and second-in-command. She has been called Dick’s sister, but was sometimes introduced as Tommy's sister earlier in the series, and, on one occasion, claimed to be his mother, although never Dick's daughter and certainly not his spouse; failure to clarify the exact relationship between Tommy, Harry, and Sally led to humorous confusion whenever either Harry or Sally attempted to act as Tommy's guardian. Sally was chosen to be the woman because she apparently lost some sort of contest and was not too thrilled about it; while the alien species is described as asexual, Sally seems to have a harder time trying to figure out womanhood than the others do manhood. She filed a request to be made male early in the mission, though later decided she liked being a woman.Sally has shown to be have male and female traits she is very interested in men, sensitive at times and cares about fashion but is also assertive and has several leadership skills, as well as clealry being capable of fighting on several occasions
- Harry Solomon
Harry S. Solomon is a character in 3rd Rock from the Sun, played by French Stewart. He is the brother of Dick Solomon and Sally Solomon, and the uncle of Tommy Solomon. His middle initial is mentioned in the episode "Dick the Vote." French Stewart said in a 1998 interview, "The way the character...
(French StewartMilton French Stewart , better known by his stage name French Stewart, is an American actor, best known for his role as Harry Solomon on the 1990s sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun.-Early life:...
): Originally he was not part of the mission, but just happened to go for the ride because an extra seat was available. Later, it became known that a chip was in his head, and he became the Communicator or Transmitter. Occasionally, he would get a message from the Solomons' leader, the Big Giant HeadThe Big Giant Head is a fictional character from the American sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun; he is the Solomons' mission leader and king of the galaxy.-Role on the Show:He was an unseen character at first, and even then very rarely referred to...
, and shake violently in the middle of a sentence and squat down, with his arms at 90-degree angles, declaring "Incoming message from the Big Giant Head!", before going through the motions of delivering the message. He posed as Dick and Sally's brother, and Tommy's uncle. Harry was often known to be the simplest family member, was occasionally impulsive and misunderstood people. He was also sometimes prone to misfortune.
- Tommy Solomon
Tommy Solomon is a fictional character created by Bonnie and Terry Turner from the American sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. He was portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.-Ironic age:...
(Joseph Gordon-LevittJoseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt is an American actor whose career as both a child and adult has included television series and theatrical films....
): Information Officer and next-in-command. Tommy plays the role of Dick's adolescent son, yet he is the oldest and smartest of all the aliens. Throughout the series, Tommy continually reminded the others of his superior intelligence and greater age. Gordon-Levitt left the series (after the fifth season concluded) as a primary character, only appearing as a recurring character in just over half the episodes of season six.
- Dr. Mary Albright (Jane Curtin
Jane Therese Curtin is an American actress and comedienne. She is commonly referred to as Queen of the Deadpan.First coming to prominence as an original cast member on Saturday Night Live in 1975, she went on to win back-to-back Emmy Awards for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series on the 1980s...
): Dick's colleague and on-and-off girlfriend. Mary felt that Dick was an insensitive idiot, but she could not avoid the infatuation of his quirkiness or childlike actions. Reference is often made to the insecurity caused by her bad parenting, and the fact that before Dick arrived, she was known for sleeping around, and had even been nicknamed "Dr. Slutbunny." It's also shown on some occasions that though Mary isn't necessarily an alcoholic she does resort to alcohol to get rid of her problems
- Nina Campbell (Simbi Khali
Simbi Khali is an American actress, known for her role as Nina Campbell on the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun.Born in Jackson, Mississippi, Khali was raised in Chicago, Illinois, the youngest of seven children...
): Dick's and Mary's administrative assistant, who often has to put up with Dick demanding things of her that she isn't paid to do (such as taking his car to have its tires rotated) to which she takes a no-nonsense stance. Nina is very assertive and often has a sarcastic sense of humour usually aimed in Dick's direction. Generally, Nina considers Dick to be an idiot, sexist, and a jerk, and sometimes wonders why Mary dates him. However, there are moments when this pair does appear to actually get along.
- Mrs. Mamie Dubcek (Elmarie Wendel
Elmarie Louise Wendel is an American actress, perhaps best known for her role as Mrs. Dubcek in the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun....
): The Solomon's loose, clueless, and carefree landlady who has a very active love life and often makes reference to her sexual escapades (once bringing the Solomons a letter that "the mailman accidentally left in [her] bedroom"). Miss Dubcek has been married several times and has cheated on some of her husbands (in one episode she mention that her boyfriend was beaten up in her living room by her husband). She is usually seen smoking and is sometimes seen holding a Bloody MaryA Bloody Mary is a popular cocktail containing vodka, tomato juice, and usually other spices or flavorings such as Worcestershire sauce, Peri-Peri Sauce, Tabasco sauce, beef consomme or bouillon, horseradish, celery, olive, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and celery salt...
. Despite being the Solomon's landlady, she has a friend-like relationship with them, and she often appears in their apartment.
- Officer Don Leslie Orville (Wayne Knight
Wayne Eliot Knight is an American actor, comedian, and voice actor perhaps best known for his role as Newman in the TV sitcom Seinfeld...
): Works for Rutherford's police department. He isn't very good at his job as a police officer. Don maintains an on-again–off-again relationship with Sally throughout the series. Don is a very innocent character whose true talent lies in bowling as it's shown in some episodes and is often manipulated by Sally who is often shown charming him in order to get her own way, this almost always works but on one occasion Don steps up to Sally when realizing how much she controls him, and Sally actually seems to respect him for this.
Recurring characters
- Bug Pollone (David DeLuise
David Dominick DeLuise is an American actor and director.-Career:DeLuise was born in 1971 in Los Angeles, California. He is the youngest son of actor and comedian Dom DeLuise and actress Carol Arthur , and the brother of actor, writer, director Peter DeLuise and actor Michael DeLuise.His first...
) — One of Dick's students. (DeLuise's father DomDominick "Dom" DeLuise was an American actor, comedian, film director, television producer, chef, and author. He was the husband of actress Carol Arthur from 1965 until his death and the father of: actor, director, pianist, and writer Peter DeLuise; actor David DeLuise; and actor Michael DeLuise...
appears as Bug's father in one episode.)
- Leon (Ian Lithgow) — One of Dick's students, played by John Lithgow's oldest son
- Caryn (Danielle Nicolet
Danielle Nicolet is an American television and film actress.-Career:Born Danielle Diggs in Ashtabula, Ohio, Nicolet began acting in the 1990s when she appeared in a recurring role in the sitcom Family Matters. In 1996, she landed the role of Caryn on 3rd Rock from the Sun, a role she would reprise...
) — One of Dick's students.
- Aubrey Pitman (Chris Hogan
Chris Hogan is an American comic actor. Hogan is most notable for his membership in the recurring cast of comedians on sketch comedy series MADtv, and for the character of Aubrey Pitman, one of Dick Solomon's students, on the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun.-Biography:Chris Hogan grew up in...
) — One of Dick's students.
- Dr. Judith Draper (Ileen Getz
Ileen Getz was an American actress, most recognized for her role as Dr. Judith Draper in the television series 3rd Rock from the Sun.Getz was born in Bristol, Pennsylvania...
) — Professor at Pendelton and colleague of Mary.
- August Leffler (Shay Astar
Shay Astar is an American actress, singer, and songwriter, perhaps best known for her work in the late 1990s, portraying August Leffler, a semi-recurring character on the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun...
) — Tommy's first girlfriend (in seasons 1–3, sparsely appears in seasons 3 and 4).
- Alissa Strudwick (Larisa Oleynik
Larisa Romanovna Oleynik is an American actress. She came to fame in the mid-1990s, after starring in the title role of the popular television series, The Secret World of Alex Mack, and has also appeared in theatrical films, including The Baby-Sitters Club and 10 Things I Hate About You...
) — Tommy's second girlfriend (in seasons 4–6).
- Dr. Vincent Strudwick (Ron West) — Alissa's father and rival to Dick (in seasons 2–6).
- The Big Giant Head
The Big Giant Head is a fictional character from the American sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun; he is the Solomons' mission leader and king of the galaxy.-Role on the Show:He was an unseen character at first, and even then very rarely referred to...
(William ShatnerWilliam Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
) — The aliens' boss. He goes by the name Stone Philips on the Earth (in seasons 4 & 5).
- Victoria Marie "Vicki" Dubcek (Jan Hooks
Janet V. "Jan" Hooks is an American actress and comedienne best known for her work on NBC's Saturday Night Live , on which she appeared from 1986 to 1991...
) – Daughter of Ms. Dubcek, Harry's on-off girlfriend who ends up having a child with the Big Giant HeadThe Big Giant Head is a fictional character from the American sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun; he is the Solomons' mission leader and king of the galaxy.-Role on the Show:He was an unseen character at first, and even then very rarely referred to...
(in seasons 2–6).
- Dr. Liam Neesam (John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
) — A professor who briefly has a relationship with Mary, and is later revealed to be an evil alien (in seasons 3 & 6).
- Janice (Chyna) - A police officer
Theme music
The show's opening theme music was composed by
Ben VaughnBen Vaughn is an American musician, music producer and a longtime Rambler enthusiast.Vaughn grew up in Collingswood, New Jersey, and his interest in music began at age 6 when his uncle gave him a Duane Eddy record. The "Ben Vaughn Combo" released two albums and toured the U.S. from 1983 to 1988...
, and is a 1950s-style rock-and-roll instrumental piece; the theme was extended slightly in season three, when Simbi Khali, Elmarie Wendel and Wayne Knight were officially made series regulars and added to the opening credits. Alternate versions of the theme were used during the course of the show's run. For Christmas episodes, jingle bells were added to the theme. For the season six two-part episode "Dick'll Take Manhattan", a modern jazz underline version of the theme was used. The only major change to the theme was in season five, when the original Ben Vaughn version was replaced by a big band cover of the theme, performed by the group
Big Bad Voodoo DaddyBig Bad Voodoo Daddy is a contemporary swing revival band from southern California. Their notable singles include "Go Daddy-O", "You & Me & the Bottle Makes 3 Tonight ", and "Mr. Pinstripe Suit". The band played the Super Bowl XXXIII half-time show in 1999.The band was originally formed in Ventura,...
, and was only used during that season.
Title sequence
The opening title sequence, which was produced by the London graphic design firm SVC Television, opens with computerized shots of planets and celestial bodies, some either with the planets dancing or moving in warp speed. It opens and closes with a shot of Earth (which at the open is where the show's title logo appears, after a sunburst appears on the side of Earth). For the episode "Dick'll Take Manhattan" only, the typeface of the cast and creators' names was altered.
Broadcast
There were a total of six seasons and 139 episodes in the series. The first and last seasons were 20 episodes each, and the second through fifth seasons had between 22 and 27 episodes each.
Out of 139 episodes of the series, 108 episodes contain "Dick" in the title (in reference to John Lithgow's character). While some of the episode titles with "Dick" in it are innocent (i.e., "Tom, Dick and Mary", "Dick Is From Mars, Sally Is From Venus"), others are more risque and often are double entendres (i.e., "Sensitive Dick", "A Dick Replacement", "Frozen Dick", "Shall We Dick"), due to the fact that the word "Dick" is both a short form of Richard and a slang term for penis. One episode from season six used an acronym for a title, "B.D.O.C.", since the full title ("Big Dick on Campus") was deemed too risque.
Syndication
In the United States, the series is distributed for syndication by Carsey-Warner Distribution, and entered broadcast syndication in September 2000 where it continued until the fall of 2004. The series continues to air in select large markets, but is not in wide distribution.
ABC FamilyABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
aired reruns between 2002 and 2006. Reruns of the series aired on
TV LandTV Land is an American cable television network launched on April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns Paramount Pictures, and networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon...
from 2008 through 2010. In the fall of 2010, ReelzChannel began airing the series. This series re-run is now also aired on
Malaysia's national broadcast TV channel
RTM's TV2RTM2, also known as TV2 is a television station in Malaysia owned and operated by the Radio Television Malaysia, a division of the Malaysian Government. RTM2 is now broadcasting for 24 hours a day effective January 2006.- History :...
in the 12:30am time slot on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. In the UK, cable network
Virgin MediaVirgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
currently has 40 episodes from seasons 1 and 2 available 'on demand' from the
Comedy CentralComedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
menu option. In Ireland, 3e run re-runs of the show during the late night slot after Conan at 12.30 am. In March of 2011 Netflix made the complete series available on their "Instant Watch" and can now be watched at anytime for paying subscribers. In the fall of 2011, Canada's TVTROPOLIS cable channel began airing the show, and featured a long weekend marathon run of episodes.
DVD releases
In Region 1,
Anchor Bay EntertainmentAnchor Bay Entertainment is a U.S. based home entertainment and production company and is a division of Starz Media, which is a unit of Starz, LLC. It was previously owned by IDT Entertainment until 2006 when IDT was purchased by Starz Media. Anchor Bay markets and sells feature films, series,...
released all 6 seasons of
3rd Rock from the Sun on DVD for the very first time in 2005-2006. Seasons 1&2 contain the edited, syndicated versions of the episodes instead of the original broadcast versions. As of 2010, these releases have been discontinued and are out of print.
On May 4, 2011,
Mill Creek EntertainmentMill Creek Entertainment is a home entertainment company that manufactures movie and television DVD compilation box sets at "value" prices. Nashville's Amity Entertainment is an affiliate to Mill Creek...
announced that they had acquire the rights to re-release the series on DVD in Region 1. Season 1 and 2 are scheduled to be re-released on September 13, 2011.
In Region 2,
Network DVDNetwork DVD is a DVD publishing company that specialises in classic British television. In particular, it has the rights to a number of well-known ITV programmes...
released all 6 seasons on DVD in the UK. All 6 releases contain unedited versions of the episodes.
In Region 4,
Magna Home EntertainmentMagna Home Entertainment is a leading independent home entertainment distributor headquartered in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, operating within Australia and New Zealand. As of February 2009, Magna Home Entertainment became a fully owned subsidiary of Beyond International , one of Australia's...
released all 6 seasons on DVD in Australia between 2005-2007. These releases have been discontinued and are now out of print.
On November 15, 2010, Beyond Home Entertainment re-released all 6 six seasons on DVD in Region 4. The complete collection was also released three days later, on November 18.
As of February 2011 all 6 seasons are available through
NetflixNetflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
Instant service.
Nielsen rankings
| Season |
Rank |
|
|style="background: #eb7a14;"|
|1
|22>
|
|style="background: #ba3339;"|
|2
|28>
|
|style="background: #74bc3f;"|
|3
|44>
|
|style="background: #9b378d;"|
|4
|77>
|
|style="background: #09c2de;"|
|5
|82>
|
|style="background: #d81676;"|
|6
|89>
Awards and nominations
In 1997,
3rd Rock won the most
Emmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s (five from eight nominations) for a television series:
- 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 — Outstanding Lead Actor — Comedy Series — John Lithgow
John Arthur Lithgow is an American actor, musician, and author. Presently, he is involved with a wide range of media projects, including stage, television, film, and radio...
- 1997, 1998, 1999 — Outstanding Supporting Actress — Comedy Series — Kristen Johnston
Kristen Johnston is an American stage, film, and television actress. She may be most famous for her role as Sally Solomon in the television series 3rd Rock from the Sun...
- 1996, 1997 — Outstanding Hairstyling For A Series — Pixie Schwartz
- 1996 — Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series — James Burrows
- 1998 — Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series — Terry Hughes
- 1997 — Outstanding Special Visual Effects — Glen Bennett, Visual Effects Artists; Patrick Shearn, Visual Effects Supervisor; Chris Staves, Visual Effects Artists
- 1997, 1999, 2000 — Outstanding Sound Mixing — Comedy Series
- 1998 — Outstanding Sound Mixing — Comedy Series — "A Nightmare on Dick Street"
- 1997, 1998 — Outstanding Costume Design — Series — Melina Root
- 1997, 1998 — Outstanding Comedy Series
- 1997 — Outstanding Choreography — Marguerite Derricks
Marguerite Pomerhn-Derricks, professionally known as Marguerite Derricks, is a multi award-winning choreographer, ballerina and actress born in Buffalo, New York in 1961....
- 1998 — Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series — Jan Hooks
Janet V. "Jan" Hooks is an American actress and comedienne best known for her work on NBC's Saturday Night Live , on which she appeared from 1986 to 1991...
as Vicki Dubcek
- 1998 — Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series — John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
as Dr. Neesam
- 1999, 2000 — Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing For A Series
- 1999 — Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series — Kathy Bates
Kathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...
as Charlotte Everly; and Laurie MetcalfLauren Elizabeth "Laurie" Metcalf is an American actress. She is widely known for her performance as Jackie Harris on the ABC sitcom Roseanne, Mary Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, the voice of Mrs. Davis in the Toy Story film series and as Debbie Salt in Scream 2...
as Jennifer
- 1999 — Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series — William Shatner
William Alan Shatner is a Canadian actor, musician, recording artist, and author. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T...
as The Big Giant Head
- 2000 — Outstanding Cinematography For A Multi-Camera Series
John Lithgow received an Emmy Award nomination for
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for each year the show was broadcast, winning the Emmy in 1996, 1997, and 1999. Accepting the 1999 award he said "Many wonderful things have happened to me in my life, but the two best are
3rd Rock and my family."
Golden Globe Awards
- 1997 — Best Actor in a Television Comedy or Musical — John Lithgow
John Arthur Lithgow is an American actor, musician, and author. Presently, he is involved with a wide range of media projects, including stage, television, film, and radio...
Screen Actors Guild AwardsA Screen Actors Guild Award is an accolade given by the Screen Actors Guild to recognize outstanding performances by its members. The statuette given, a nude male figure holding both a mask of comedy and a mask of tragedy, is called "The Actor"...
- 1996, 1997 — Best Male Actor — Comedy Series — John Lithgow
John Arthur Lithgow is an American actor, musician, and author. Presently, he is involved with a wide range of media projects, including stage, television, film, and radio...
Other media
A tie-in book,
3rd Rock from the Sun: The Official Report, was released in 1997. It is essentially a report of the Solomon's findings during their stay on Earth. Primarily a source of humor, the book includes such features as "What to do if you encounter Jell-O", a fan biography of
Katie CouricKatherine Anne "Katie" Couric is an American journalist and author. She serves as Special Correspondent for ABC News, contributing to ABC World News, Nightline, 20/20, Good Morning America, This Week and primetime news specials...
written by Harry, and Sally's version of a
Cosmo quiz. Portions of the book are included in the booklets inside each season set of the series.
Despite the report's being set within the fictional world of
3rd Rock, there is a foreword written by
John LithgowJohn Arthur Lithgow is an American actor, musician, and author. Presently, he is involved with a wide range of media projects, including stage, television, film, and radio...
himself in which he explains how he was abducted by the
3rd Rock producers and forced to work on their production. There is a Post-it note attached to the foreword, apparently written by Dick Solomon, stating that he doesn't know why the foreword is there, but that Lithgow is an Earth actor who appeared in "
some helicopter movieCliffhanger is a 1993 American action film directed by Renny Harlin and starring Sylvester Stallone and John Lithgow. Stallone plays a mountain climber, who becomes embroiled in a failed heist set in a U.S. Treasury plane flying through the Rocky Mountains...
".
External links
- The 3rd Rock from the Sun Wiki