A Modern Classic: 3rd Rock From The Sun (1996)

In the grand tradition of Mork & Mindy and My Favorite Martian, 3rd Rock From The Sun continued the idea of aliens on earth as fish out of water. The difference is, these aliens are a little more advanced.

High Commander Dick Solomon (John Lithgow) finds employment as a college professor. Tommy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) winds up in a teenager's body, and goes through high school, then college, all the while acting as an analogue for the era's generation of teenagers, the target demo for the series. Sally (Kristen Johnston) and Harry (French Stewart) mind the store, if ya will, although Harry's no smarter than a bag of hammers.

3rd Rock lasted six seasons, as opposed to Mork's four and Martian's three. Bolstered by veteran writer-creators-producers Bonnie & Terry Turner and the presence of Jane Curtin (ex-Kate & Allie, Saturday Night Live) as a romantic interest for Dick, and, later, Wayne Knight (ex-Seinfeld), in a similar capacity for Sally, and, much later, the casting of William Shatner as the aliens' boss, 3rd Rock also had the benefit of being in the right place at the right time. NBC wasn't the dregs of network television anymore.

Worth noting, too, is the fact that Linwood Boomer (ex-Little House on The Prairie) served as executive producer, in what was one of his first gigs in that capacity.

Pop culture mavens will note that wrestler Joanie "Chyna" Laurer joined the cast for a brief time as a romantic interest for Harry. Now, that was an odd couple.

Edit, 2/4/24: Had to change the video. Here's the intro:



Rating: B.