''3rd Rock from the Sun'' is an American television

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

created by

Bonnie and Terry Turner Bonnie and Terry Turner are an American husband-and-wife team of screenwriters and producers. They are best known for creating the sitcoms ''3rd Rock from the Sun,'' ''That '70s Show,'' and its Netflix sequel ''That '90s Show''. From 1986 until ...

, which originally aired from January 9, 1996, to May 22, 2001, on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

. The show is about four

extraterrestrials Extraterrestrial life, colloquially referred to as alien life, is life that may occur outside Earth and which did not originate on Earth. No extraterrestrial life has yet been conclusively detected, although efforts are underway. Such life might ...

who are on an expedition to Earth, the third planet from the Sun, which they consider to be a very insignificant planet. The extraterrestrials pose as a human family to observe the behavior of human beings. The show premiered three years after the film ''

Coneheads The Coneheads are a fictional family of extraterrestrials with bald conical heads, created for a series of recurring sketches on ''Saturday Night Live'' (SNL). They first appeared on the January 15, 1977 episode hosted by Ralph Nader (episode 3 ...

'', which was also written by the couple and featured a similar premise of aliens arriving on Earth and assimilating into American society. ''Coneheads'' also starred

Jane Curtin Jane Therese Curtin (born September 6, 1947) is an American actress and comedian. First coming to prominence as an original cast member on the hit TV comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' in 1975, she went on to win back-to-back Emmy Awards for ...

as one of the titular alien Coneheads and featured a supporting cast including

Jan Hooks Janet Vivian HooksJan Hooks obituary
liteseyfh.com; accesse ...

Phil Hartman Philip Edward Hartman (; September 24, 1948 – May 28, 1998) was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter and graphic designer. Hartman was born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, and his family moved to the United States w ...

Julia Sweeney Julia Anne Sweeney (born October 10, 1959) is an American actress, comedian, and author, who gained fame as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1990 to 1994. She played Mrs. Keeper in the film ''Stuart Little'' and voiced Brittany in ' ...

and

Laraine Newman Laraine Newman (born March 2, 1952) is an American actress, writer and comedian. She was part of the original cast of NBC's ''Saturday Night Live''. She took an interest at improv in high school. After graduating, she studied mime with Marcel M ...

, all of whom appeared as guest stars on ''3rd Rock from the Sun''.

Overview

The premise of the show revolves around an extraterrestrial research expedition hailing from a planet in a

barred spiral galaxy A barred spiral galaxy is a spiral galaxy with a central bar-shaped structure composed of stars. Bars are found in about two thirds of all spiral galaxies, and generally affect both the motions of stars and interstellar gas within spiral galaxi ...

on the Cepheus-

Draco Draco is the Latin word for serpent or dragon. Draco or Drako may also refer to: People * Draco (lawgiver) (from Greek: Δράκων; 7th century BC), the first lawgiver of ancient Athens, Greece, from whom the term ''draconian'' is derived * ...

border attempting to live as a normal human family in the fictional city of Rutherford,

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, said to be outside of

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

where they live in an attic apartment. The show's humor is principally derived from the aliens' attempts to study

human society A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...

and understand the

human condition The human condition is all of the characteristics and key events of human life, including birth, learning, emotion, aspiration, morality, conflict, and death. This is a very broad topic that has been and continues to be pondered and analyzed fr ...

, while living as humans on Earth, reflecting on human life from the perspective of aliens. Most of the episodes are named after the protagonist, Dick. In later episodes, they have become more accustomed to Earth and are often more interested in their human lives than in their mission. The show also takes humor from its mirroring of all human anthropological expeditions and their assumptions of superiority to the "natives", as well as their inability to distinguish themselves from the natives. Dr.

Mary Albright Mary Margaret Albright is a fictional character who was played by former Saturday Night Live, SNL cast member Jane Curtin in the United States, American situation comedy ''3rd Rock from the Sun''. She serves as a straight foil and love interest fo ...

(

) is a professor of

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

at fictional Pendelton State University, and many of the issues with which the four aliens struggle appear in her conversation and work. Furthermore, these four alien researchers end up looking approximately like joyriders as they get drawn increasingly further into human life.

Dick Solomon Dr. Dick Solomon is a character played by John Lithgow in the late-1990s 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. His crew is made up o ...

(

John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. Lithgow studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his work on the stage and screen. He has been the recipient of numerous ...

), the High Commander and leader of the expedition, is the family provider and a

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

professor at Pendelton (with Lithgow's eldest son

Ian Ian or Iain is a name of Scottish Gaelic origin, derived from the Hebrew given name (Yohanan, ') and corresponding to the English name John. The spelling Ian is an Anglicization of the Scottish Gaelic forename ''Iain''. It is a popular name in Sc ...

playing Leon, one of his less-successful students). Information officer and oldest member of the crew

Tommy Tommy may refer to: People * Tommy (given name) * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...

(

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt (; born February 17, 1981) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his leading performances ...

) has been given the body of a

teenager Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...

and is forced to enroll in high school (later college), leaving security officer

Sally Sally may refer to: People *Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name Military *Sortie (siege warfare), Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port *Sally, ...

(

Kristen Johnston Kristen Angela Johnston (born September 20, 1967) is an American actress. Best known for her work on television sitcoms, she twice won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Sally Solomon in ...

) and "the one with the transmitter in his head",

Harry Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

(

French Stewart Milton French-Stewart IV (born February 20, 1964), known professionally as French Stewart, is an American actor, best known for playing Harry Solomon on the NBC sitcom ''3rd Rock from the Sun''. He also played Marv Murchins in ''Home Alone 4'', In ...

), to spend their lives as 20-somethings hanging out at home and bouncing through short-term jobs. The show also involves their relationships with humans, mostly their love interests. The family often communicates through Harry with their off-world (and usually unseen) boss, 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 universe. Role on the show He was an unseen character at first, and even then very rarely referr ...

, who when he finally visits Earth, is played by

William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...

. Harry unexpectedly (and often in inconvenient circumstances) stands up, his arms stiff (acting as the antenna), and proclaims: "Incoming message from the Big Giant Head!"

Cast

Main characters

Sally Solomon Sally Solomon (played by Kristen Johnston) 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 or a bet to determine who would be male or ...

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 ...

as Tommy Solomon *

Simbi Khali Simbi Khali (born April 28, 1971), sometimes credited as Simbi Kali Williams, is an American actress and singer best known for her role as Nina Campbell on the NBC sitcom ''3rd Rock from the Sun''. Her credits include the television show ''Mar ...

as Nina Campbell (seasons 3–6, recurring previously) *

Elmarie Wendel Elmarie Louise Wendel (November 23, 1928 – c. July 21, 2018) was an American actress and singer best known as Mamie Dubcek on the NBC sitcom '' 3rd Rock from the Sun''. Early life Born on a farm in Howard County, Iowa, one of five siblings, ...

as Mamie Dubcek (seasons 3–6, recurring previously) *

Wayne Knight Wayne Elliot Knight (born August 7, 1955) is an American actor. In television, he played Newman on '' Seinfeld'' (1992–1998) and Officer Don Orville on '' 3rd Rock from the Sun'' (1996–2001). He also voiced Igor on ''Toonsylvania'' (199 ...

as Officer

Don Orville Officer Donald Leslie "Don" 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 referre ...

(seasons 3–6, recurring previously)

Recurring characters

David DeLuise David Dominick DeLuise (born November 11, 1971) is an American actor and television director. He has appeared on numerous television shows as well as films. He is known for Coop in the animated show ''Megas XLR'' and Jerry Russo in ''Wizards of W ...

as Bug Pollone, one of Dick's students * Ian Lithgow as Leon, one of Dick's students *

Danielle Nicolet Danielle Nicolet (born Danielle Diggs; November 24, 1973) is an American actress. She has made appearances on shows such as ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' (1996–2001), ''Second Time Around (TV series), Second Time Around'' (2004–05), ''The Starte ...

as Caryn, one of Dick's students * Chris Hogan as Aubrey Pitman, one of Dick's students *

Ileen Getz Ileen Getz (August 7, 1961 – August 4, 2005) was an American actress, most recognized for her role as Dr. Judith Draper in the television series '' 3rd Rock from the Sun.'' Professional life Getz began working professionally at The Practical ...

as Dr. Judith Draper, professor at Pendelton and colleague of Mary *

Shay Astar Shay Astar (born September 29, 1981) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter best known for portraying the teenage feminist August Leffler, a semi-regular character on the sitcom '' 3rd Rock from the Sun''. Career Astar played Elizab ...

as August Leffler, Tommy's first girlfriend (seasons 1–3, sparsely appears in seasons 3 and 4) *

Larisa Oleynik Larisa Romanovna Oleynik (; born June 7, 1981) is an American actress who became a teen idol in the 1990s. Born in Santa Clara and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, Oleynik began her career as a child actor, first appearing ...

as Alissa Strudwick, Tommy's second girlfriend (seasons 4–6) * Ron West as Dr. Vincent Strudwick, Alissa's father and rival to Dick (seasons 2–6) *

as The

, the aliens' boss *

Jan Hooks Janet Vivian HooksJan Hooks obituary
liteseyfh.com; accesse ...

as Vicki Dubcek, daughter of Ms. Dubcek, Harry's on-and-off girlfriend and later the wife of the Big Giant Head and the mother of his child *

John Cleese John Marwood Cleese ( ; born 27 October 1939) is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Emerging from the Cambridge Footlights in the 1960s, he first achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and ...

as Dr. Liam Neesam, a professor who briefly has a relationship with Mary, and is later revealed to be an evil alien (seasons 3 and 6) *

Chyna Chyna (born Joan Marie Laurer; December 27, 1969 – April 17, 2016) was an American professional wrestler, bodybuilder and television personality. She first rose to prominence in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 1997, where sh ...

as Janice, a muscular female police officer who is briefly Harry's girlfriend *

Michael Milhoan Michael Milhoan (born December 19, 1957) is an American actor. Best known as Dante Pacino in '' Something So Right'' (1996-1998). Early life Milhoan was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida. He studied jazz music in his early days, then w ...

as Coach Strickland, a high school physical education teacher at Tommy's high school

Guest stars

Production

Theme music

The show's opening theme music, composed by Ben Vaughn, was originally a 1950s-style rock-and-roll instrumental piece for the first four seasons; 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. During season one,

James Earl Jones James Earl Jones (born January 17, 1931) is an American actor. He has been described as "one of America's most distinguished and versatile" actors for his performances in film, television, and theater, and "one of the greatest actors in America ...

provided a voice introduction describing the crew. For Christmas episodes, jingle bells were added to the theme. 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 Daddy Big 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 (Baby)", and "Mr. Pinstripe Suit". The band played at the Super Bowl XXXIII ha ...

, and was only used during that season. For the sixth and final season, the original theme returned and a modern jazz underline version of the theme was used for two episodes.

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 sixth and final season only, the typeface of the cast and creators' names was altered.

Episodes

Of the series' 139 episodes, 108 contained "Dick" in the title (referencing John Lithgow's character). While some of the episode titles with "Dick" in them are innocent (i.e., "Tom, Dick and Mary", "Dick Is From Mars, Sally Is From Venus"), others are more risqué and often are double entendres (i.e., "Sensitive Dick", "A Dick Replacement", "Frozen Dick", "Shall We Dick"), because the word "Dick" is both a short form of Richard and a slang term for penis. One episode from season six used an abbreviation for a title, "B.D.O.C.", since the full title ("Big Dick on Campus") was deemed too risqué. During the show's sixth and final season, John Lithgow commented to several media outlets that ''3rd Rock'' had been moved to more than 15 different time slots in six years, causing its ratings to decrease substantially.

Broadcast

Syndication

In the United States, the series is distributed for syndication by Carsey-Werner Distribution, and entered broadcast syndication in September 1999, where it continued until the fall of 2004, when the show moved into limited-run barter syndication, where it remained until 2016;

The Program Exchange The Program Exchange was a syndicator of television programs. It was founded as DFS Program Exchange in 1978, which became elongated to the DFS-Dorland Program Exchange from 1986 to 1987. From 1986 to 2008, it was a division of Saatchi & Saatchi ...

handled distribution for Carsey-Werner.

ABC Family The American cable television, cable and satellite television network that is now known as Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through several different owners (and s ...

aired reruns between 2002 and 2006. Reruns of the series aired on

TV Land TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division. Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and cla ...

from 2008 through 2010. In the fall of 2010,

ReelzChannel Reelz (formerly known as Reelz Channel) is an American digital cable and satellite television network owned by Hubbard Broadcasting. The network's programming was formerly devoted to entertainment-oriented programming focusing on the Hollywood ...

began airing the series. The series made its debut on digital broadcast network

Laff Laff (legal name: Laff Media, LLC) is an American digital multicast television network headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and is owned by the Katz Broadcasting subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company. The network specializes in comedy programmi ...

on July 16, 2018, until May 16, 2021, when it moved to IFC as well on

Cozi TV Cozi TV (stylized on-air as COZI TV) is an American free-to-air television network owned by the NBC Owned Television Stations division of NBCUniversal. The network airs classic television series from the 1960s to the 2000s. The network origina ...

beginning July 18. In Italy, this series aired on

Italia 1 Italia 1 (Italian pronunciation ) is an Italian free-to-air television channel on the Mediaset network, owned by MFE - MediaForEurope. It is oriented at both young and adult people. Italia 1 was launched on 3 January 1982 and, originally, was o ...

under the name '' Una famiglia del terzo tipo'' (''A family of the third kind'') in 1999. This series rerun is now also aired on Malaysia's national broadcast TV channel RTM's TV2 in the 12:30 am time slot on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. In the United Kingdom, the series originally aired on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

from 1996 to 2002, and

ITV2 ITV2 is a British free-to-air television channel owned by ITV Digital Channels, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998. For a number of years, it had the largest audience share after the five analogue terrestrial stations, a ...

later reran the entire series from 2005 to 2006. Cable network

Virgin Media Virgin Media is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, Cable television, television and Internet access, internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, Berkshire, Reading, Engla ...

currently has 40 episodes from seasons one and two available on demand from the

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...

menu option. The series began airing from the beginning on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

from May 12, 2014, but moved to 5Star in January 2019 but was dropped in July 2020. Beginning on March 29, 2021, the series began airing on ''

''. On July 4, 2022, the show returned to Channel 4. In the fall of 2011, Canada's

TVTropolis DTour (styled as DTOUR) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English language specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel was originally established by Canwest in 1997 as Prime, a cable companion to Global Television Network, Glob ...

cable channel began airing the show, and featured a long weekend marathon run of episodes.

Streaming

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

made the complete series available online in March 2011. It was removed several months later in the fall of 2011, but returned on March 15, 2015, and was removed again exactly two years later. The series also was available to stream on

Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...

. As of 2021, the series is currently available to stream on

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...

FilmRise FilmRise is a New York City–based film and television studio and streaming network, which has become one of the largest independent providers of content to ad-supported streaming (AVOD) platforms, in addition to providing the largest free direc ...

, Hoopla,

Tubi Tubi is an American over-the-top content platform and ad-supported streaming service owned by Fox Corporation. The service was launched on April 1, 2014, and is based in Los Angeles, California. In January 2021, Tubi reached 33 million monthly ...

Pluto TV Pluto TV is a free, ad-supported video streaming service owned and operated by the Paramount Streaming division of Paramount Global. Co-founded by Tom Ryan, Ilya Pozin and Nick Grouf in 2013 and based in Los Angeles, California, in the United Sta ...

Crackle Crackle or crackling may refer to: Foods * Cracklings, the tissue remaining after lard and tallow have been extracted from animal fats ** Pork rinds in American English, pork scratchings in British English when served in small pieces as a snac ...

Vudu Vudu is an American digital video store and streaming service owned by Fandango Media, a joint-venture between NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery. The company offers transactional video on demand rentals and digital purchases of films, ...

, IMDb TV and

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...

. In the UK, the first two seasons were available to download through the UK

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

store but are no longer offered. As of 2022, the full series is available on

Sky Go Sky Go is a streaming television service from Sky Group provided free for Sky TV subscribers in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, it complements Sky TV by allowing subscribers to watch live and on demand Sky TV via an internet connec ...

and All4.

Home media

Region 1

Anchor Bay Entertainment Anchor Bay Entertainment (formerly Video Treasures and Starmaker Entertainment) was an American home entertainment and production company. It was a subsidiary of Starz Inc. Anchor Bay Entertainment marketed and sold feature films, television ser ...

released all six seasons of ''3rd Rock from the Sun'' on DVD for the 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 these DVDs, the bloopers segments (on the last disc of each season) are in 16:9 format, indicating the series may have been filmed in 16:9 format. On May 4, 2011, Mill Creek Entertainment announced they had acquired the rights to re-release the series on DVD in Region 1. They have subsequently re-released seasons 1–4. These releases contain the unedited, original broadcast versions of the episodes. Seasons 5 and 6 were re-released on January 8, 2013. On May 14, 2013, Mill Creek released ''3rd Rock from the Sun – The Complete Series'' on DVD in Region 1. Region 2
Network DVD released all six seasons on DVD in the UK. While seasons 1–4 feature unedited versions of the episodes, seasons five and six feature syndicated, edited episodes. Network re-released the series in 2008 in an individual set and a complete collection. * ''The Complete Season One'' (released May 17, 2004) * ''The Complete Season Two'' (released June 21, 2004) * ''The Complete Season Three'' (released August 30, 2004) * ''The Complete Season Four'' (released October 25, 2004) * ''The Complete Season Five'' (released January 24, 2005) * ''The Complete Season Six'' (released January 24, 2005) * ''The Complete Series'' (released October 25, 2004) * ''Series One'' (re-released November 3, 2008) * ''Series Two'' (re-released November 3, 2008) * ''Series Three'' (re-released November 3, 2008) * ''Series Four'' (re-released November 3, 2008) * ''Series Five'' (re-released November 3, 2008) * ''Series Six'' (re-released November 3, 2008) * ''The Complete Series'' (re-released November 3, 2008) Region 4

Magna Home Entertainment Magna Home Entertainment was an 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 subsidia ...

released all six seasons on DVD in Australia between 2005 and 2007. These releases have been discontinued and are now out of print. * Season 1 and Season 2 (released November 11, 2005) * Season 3 (released February 7, 2006) * Season 4 (July 6, 2006) * Season 5 and Season 6 (released February 16, 2007) On November 15, 2010, Beyond Home Entertainment re-released all six seasons on DVD in Region 4. The complete collection was also released three days later, on November 18.

Reception

Nielsen rankings

Awards and nominations

In 1997, ''3rd Rock'' won the most

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

s (five from eight nominations) for a television series: * 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 — Outstanding Lead Actor — Comedy Series — John Lithgow * 1997, 1998, 1999 — Outstanding Supporting Actress — Comedy Series — Kristen Johnston * 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 (born 1961), professionally known as Marguerite Derricks, is a former ballerina and a multi award-winning choreographer from Buffalo, New York.Bob Thompson, "A woman on the Go Go: Catchy Gap ad, Austin Powers' moves mak ...

* 1998 — Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series — Jan Hooks as Vicki Dubcek * 1998 — Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series — John Cleese as Dr. Neesam * 1999, 2000 — Outstanding Multicamera Picture Editing for a Series * 1999 — Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series —

Kathy Bates Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actor and director. Known for her roles in comedic and dramatic films and television programs, she has received various accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, includ ...

as Charlotte Everly and

Laurie Metcalf Laura Elizabeth Metcalf (born June 16, 1955) is an American actress. Often described as a character actor, she's known for her complex and versitile roles across the stage and screen. She has received various accolades throughout her career sp ...

as Jennifer * 1999 — Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series — William Shatner as the Big Giant Head * 2000 — Outstanding Cinematography for a Multicamera 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 dear family."

Golden Globe Awards The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

* 1997 — Best Actor in a Television Comedy or Musical — John Lithgow

Screen Actors Guild Awards Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

* 1996, 1997 — Best Male Actor — Comedy Series — John Lithgow

Other media

A tie-in book, ''3rd Rock from the Sun: The Official Report On Earth'', was released in 1997. It is essentially a report of the Solomons' 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 Couric Katherine Anne Couric ( ; born January 7, 1957) is an American journalist and presenter. She is founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production company. She also publishes a daily newsletter, ''Wake Up Call''. From 2013 to 2017, ...

written by Harry, and Sally's version of a ''

Cosmo Cosmo may refer to: Business and media * Cosmopolitan (magazine), ''Cosmopolitan'' (magazine), a magazine for women, sometimes referred to as "Cosmo" * ''Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure'', a 1992 video game * Cosmo On-Line, a Brazilian generic Intern ...

'' 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'', a foreword written by John Lithgow himself is included in which he explains how he was abducted by the ''3rd Rock'' producers and forced to work on their production. A Post-it note is attached to the foreword, apparently written by Dick Solomon, stating he does not know why the foreword is there, but that Lithgow is an Earth actor who appeared in " some helicopter movie".

References

External links

''3rd Rock from the Sun'' @ Carsey WernerCarsey Werner - 3rd Rock from the Sun
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:3rd Rock From The Sun 1996 American television series debuts 1990s American college television series 1990s American comic science fiction television series 1990s American sitcoms 2000s American college television series 2000s American comic science fiction television series 2000s American sitcoms 2001 American television series endings Best Musical or Comedy Series Golden Globe winners English-language television shows NBC original programming Primetime Emmy Award-winning television series Super Bowl lead-out shows Television series about alien visitations Television series about extraterrestrial life Television series by Carsey-Werner Productions Television shows set in Ohio Television series about families Television series created by Bonnie and Terry Turner Television series about educators Works about higher education