12 Out-Of-This-World Facts About "3rd Rock From The Sun"

3rd Rock from the Sun was the perfect mix of high and low-brow entertainment. It combined bawdy comedy with biting wit and dexterous physical humor, and over six seasons won eight Emmys, two Golden Globes, and two SAG awards. Not bad for a show about four aliens posing as humans while on a fact-finding mission to our “third rate planet”.

Starring John Lithgow, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, French Stewart, and Kristen Johnston, 3rd Rock started off in 1996 as a ratings hit, but NBC couldn’t find a permanent place for it on their schedule and by season six, audiences had dropped off and the show was canceled.

”It almost takes ingenuity to do away with a show like this,” Lithgow said. “Not even NBC’s precious Seinfeld could have survived the moves we went through.”

Every year there are calls to bring it back. But while we wait for an announcement, let’s look at some of its more mind-bending facts. 

1. When the Casey Werner company approached Bonnie and Terry Turner to make a show about extraterrestrials on a field trip to Earth, the husband and wife writing team were reluctant. “We said, ‘Wow. Aliens. Cool. Bye,’’ said Bonnie. “But [the producers] were really persistent.” 

2. Before the show aired, critics were either damning about the material being too smutty, or that it was too middle of the road (“No one will mistake this for cutting-edge comedy”).

3. But when 3rd Rock premiered, it won its 8:30 pm time slot. It would go on to run for 139 episodes over six seasons despite 13 time slot changes. 

4. 3rd Rock producers and cast fell in love with the distinctive squint that French Stewart brought to his first audition for Harry. The look would become part of the character’s massive appeal. “It seems to give him the dull, uncomprehending look that is required of him,” Stewart said. 

Which cast member battled depression throughout the show’s six year run?