User reviews

I rewatched it a few years ago and it's still funny. Honestly one of the best sitcoms ever made. It's no wonder John Lithgow and Joseph Gordon levitt are still making great things today.

It's TV shows like this that make me sad for the state of TV today. Not saying that there are bad shows out there but they're just missing something.

3rd Rock from the Sun was a broad comedy about 4 aliens who have come to Earth to explore humanity and what it means to be human. You had the Information officer who was the oldest and wisest of the group who is now stuck in the body of a pubescent teen played wonderfully by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He showed that even at such a young age that he'd become a great actor. There was the security officer who was a no nonsense military man who found himself in the body of a statuesque blonde bombshell. You had the high commander played in a wonderfully over the top way by the great John Lithgow. And finally you had the receiver of the group, a dimwit who's only purpose was to transmit and receive information from their boss "the Big Giant Head". The entire cast was amazing and most of the humor came from them not understanding humans and trying desperately to fit in.

I knew it was going to be a great sitcom from the very start. Harry, the dimwit with the radio in his head, wanders into the room crying out, "I'm blind! I can't see!" One of them, I think Sally the bombshell, responds with, "your eyes are closed". He takes a moment, opens his eyes and realization dawns on him, "ohhhhhh! They're manual!" and he wanders off.

During their run they explored many different things about what it means to be human but they never lost their alienness. It was sad when they finally said goodbye but like all good things, it's best to go out on a high note than to stay around too long and have it get stale.

You can find the episodes in syndication or online so there's really no excuse not to take a look.

Pure brilliance is all I can say!!! Pure brilliance! Every time I watch this show, I laugh out loud over and over again. Even episodes I've seen before. Hysterical.

The absolutely perfect cast is part of what makes it so good. John Lithgow is, of course, hilarious. He hits every one of his jokes spot on. Jany Curtin, Symbhi Kali, French Stewart, and even Joseph Gordon-Levitt are all great. But it's Kristen Johnston who really steals the show! She is one of the funniest people I've ever seen, and I only hope I get to see more and more of her.

A great script, done well by great actors. What more can you want? Impossible not to laugh- Really!!! 8/10 stars!!!

Jay Addison

This comedy is one of the funniest to grace the tube. These people are TOO FUNNY and I wish it was still in first run but glad to see it in syndication! John Lithgow and Jane Curtin are BOTH great comics and I would love to see a 3rd Rock reunion someday, a definate +10 on my scale! Definate must see TV!

"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.

I fell in love with Third Rock when it was on daily in syndication. I just didn't know what it was about until the last season it was on. Can you believe that? I'm a huge fan now. I love the extras offered in the DVD collection. You learn all about the production and plots. I love all the characters. Some recurring characters (look for Jan Hooks and John Cleese!) are just roll-on-the-floor-laughing funny. If you've never seen this series, please start with show number 1 from season 1. You have to meet these characters from the very beginning to understand a lot of the comments. I didn't understand "Sally" until I saw the first episode. Then I got it. The casting is perfect. The characterizations are hilarious. I honestly can't see this show too much. I'm glad they are on DVD so they won't wear out like VHS would (for those of you over 30). By the way, if you know anyone who has Asperger's Syndrome/Autism, it is likely they will love this show, too. (My son has AS) They can really relate to these characters trying to figure out how to be human. (You do know they are aliens, right?) Buy it, watch it, fall in love with it. I'm just disappointed they didn't make 10 seasons!

NBC has sinned much. They canceled "Joey," "Four Kings," and "Committed." They let Seinfeld run for nine years (if I'm not mistaken), which felt like an *eternity*. However, this cosmic sitcom almost absolves them... for "Joey," anyway.

When this was first on TV, my family would watch it every single week. We'd then watch it re-run in syndication to rediscover our favorite moments. And now I have some of it on DVD, and, if anything, it's only gained charm as the years have gone by. It's impossible to tell anyone how much I enjoy this show. But here are the basic reasons: a superb premise, a cast with no weak links whatsoever, and the guarantee of something completely and mind-bogglingly funny happening in virtually every episode! John Lithgow is fantastically self-absorbed as High Commander Dick Solomon, a selfish "jackanape" who feels the purpose of the universe is to serve his own needs. Kristen Johnston shines as Sally Solomon, who is *literally* a male trapped in a woman's body ("Next planet, I get to be something big with horns!") Joseph Gordon-Levitt adds another quirky angle as the old man of the crew who is relegated to the task of being a teenager. And French Stewart proves us he can play a loony with his eyes closed... by doing it with his eyes closed. Every episode. As for humans, Jane Curtin gives a fascinatingly nuanced portrayal of Mary Albright, Dick's perpetual object of affection; Elmarie Wendel is simply delightful as landlady Mrs. Dubcek; Wayne Knight lends many interesting facets to the cop who steals Sally's heart; and let's not forget Simbi Khali as Dick and Mary's amazingly sarcastic secretary Nina, who has to be one of the best sitcom characters ever. And who can forget Ileen Getz as the monotone-voiced Judith?

This show deserves to have a rating that's much higher than "7.something". It was one of those rare comedies that was interesting in both concept and execution, while most sitcoms (even the greats!) cash in on making boring concepts entertaining.

Resume normal functions in 3... 2... 1... squeak!

This show, in my opinion, is the best and one of the most original to ever hit the small screen. It's a shame it only went 6 seasons. There are some that were more acclaimed or had better ratings that overstayed their welcome and were overrated to me. I love shows that have off beat characters that one wouldn't consider your average person. Another example is the Big Bang Theory. Their idiosyncracies make for a different level of comedy writing.

The casting of this show was perfect. Every actor essentially became there character. They were so believable and though some of their antics were insane, you still loved them.

Watching John Lithgow as the obsessive, over-the-top, egomaniacal- almost narcissistic, loud mouth Dick is beyond hilarious. If he's not obsessing over Mary-which is almost every waking moment, and in at least one dream- he's, rude, crude, inappropriate, insulting, sometimes racist and sexist. His only saving grace is that he's an alien and here to learn about humans. He's also put in his place for his behavior. In that respect, this is likely not a show for the PC because even though he is brought down many pegs, the fact it's said would offend.

Kristen Johnston is very believable playing what is assumed to be a male as a female on Earth. They are purple tubes in their real forms so I'm guessing she portrayed male warrior types in other incarnations throughout their other assignments. She's beautiful, tall and leggy- like the Amazonian stereotype, but she is brash, ornery, threatening, sarcastic and, well, a badass. When their car broke down at a drive thru, she was the one who got out and pushed!!!

Joseph Gordon Levitt was great as the elder of the team who had the unfortunate assignment of being the teenager in the midst of puberty and all the wonderful things that go with it- hormones, bullies, crushes, etc. He is very intelligent and worldly and he never lets Dick forget that.

Harry...what can you say about Harry. His character is a gem. He's the not-so-bright, timid, docile, sweet as pie alien who's main function is being the transmitter, as it's implanted in his head. He has his moments of profound thought and sarcastic back talk but he's mostly a sweet, gentle soul. The best scene in the entire series is when he and Tommy are feeding Mrs. Dubcek's grandson. The "baby" in the scene is the camera. As revenge to the child's constant food spitting, Harry takes in a spoonful and spits it at the baby (into the camera). Even the audience roars at that one.

The slightly arrogant, self important and sometimes self pitying and naive Mary is so well played by Jane Curtain. Simbi Khali, her oft put upon assistant Nina, is smart, sassy and sarcastic. If anyone can take Dick down a peg or two, it's her. There are no words good enough to describe Elmarie Wendal as Mrs. Dubcek. Their home life wouldn't be the same without the bawdy, intrusive landlady except "very nice"!!!

Wayne Knight was a hoot as Officer Don. The poor schlub, allowing himself to be played like a fiddle just to keep his Sally happy. He jumped through more hoops than a circus poodle, exasperatingly trying to keep up with the Solomon's craziness, all the while supposedly on the clock but never really working.

The remaining supporting cast were first rate. Dick's physics students, one being his real life son Ian. After 6 seasons, those underachievers are barely passing and still in his class. Then again, several seasons in, the inimitable John Cleese guest stars and after a few changes to one of Dick's equations on the board, the students finally get it!!!

Ilene Metz as Judith, Jan Hooks as Vicky Dubcek (RIP to both) and, of course, you can't forget William Shatner as the Big Giant Head. That was genius casting. I really enjoyed his 1st scene at the airport, coming off the plane drunk and met by the family. He and Dick had a moment talking about their experiences with seeing something on the wing of the plane, probably one of the most memorable Twilight Zone episodes that both actors starred in, Shatner in the original and Lithgow in the Movie. Then again, you will catch several scenes were Dick's dialogue is a scene from a movie Lithgow appeared in.

A show that is worth seeing if you haven't. So fresh, funny and timeless.

Not many comedies stand the test of time, but, like Dick's leather trousers, this is one show that's managed to grow old disgracefully.

Nothing about it appears dated, especially the humour, and in this.., shall we say..., squeamish, humourless, easily outraged times we live in, that's saying something.

This is old school comedy at its very best. Brilliantly overacted, beautifully timed, and extremely observant of the human condition- much more so than any of the lame, flaccid, pandering garbage being put out now.

THIS holds a candle up to humanity in all its glory, rather than trying to stamp down elements of it "because".

Worthy of its score.

🍄

This wasn't my favorite sitcom but I recognize that it delivered plenty of originality, over the top humor that never got cheesy, and hilarious performances.

John Litgow truly gave the idea of being an alien! I mean, he was always distracted, over the top, wacky, but then suddenly changed his behavior through very funny dialogs and physical comedy. He carried the show on his back.

The show was very entertaining and very popular among teenagers because it captured the "cool" vibe of the mid 90's.

"3rd. Rock from the Sun" is that I would call a bipolar sitcom because it always took you by surprise with all kinds of humor.

When it ended, I felt it deserved way more recognition.

For me. This series is the best comedy series I've ever seen. Some people say as friends some people say is family guy but I think this is number one I really miss this show.

It could be the fact that maybe I'm too young to understand the humour, or I'm biased because of how much I hate laugh tracks, but I don't get the hype. Practically all the reviews for Third Rock From The Sun are glowing, raving about how amazingly hilarious the show is, when I absolutely hated it. Maybe it gets better after a couple episodes, (I finished the second and just couldn't suffer through anymore) but the show just wasn't funny to me. I don't find any of the characters to be overly likeable, and most of the humour is just complaining about how horrible women are. And while I'd say that's due to the fact that yeah, times have changed and humour is different, even now people still love it. I've looked online for just one well written, bad review of the show and cannot find anything. I'll have to try it again in a couple years, when I'm slightly older and I guess more mature. Maybe then I'll find some sort of redeeming quality in Third Rock From The Sun.

err.....grrr....arrgghhh!!! "In Coming Message From The Big Giant Head"

Ever Since Harry (French Stewert) said "You Know Dick....." (In his nasal voice)for the first time I knew that this would be a Brilliant series! When the aliens discovered their human forms (And Sally's Boobs!) They started learning little by little everything that WE take for granted! I say Everyone who appeared on this series were simply BRILLIANT actors and nobody would argue with me! From the first time I saw the high commander salute I salute in no other way!!! My forehead is still sore! Thank you 3rd Rock for 5 wonderful years of bellycramping laughs!! Rock On!!!

This message will end in 5....4.....3....2.... Haaachewww!!!

What did I miss???

I think third rock from the sun is great but is hardly ever mentioned as one on the greatest U.S sitcoms, even though it's way better than the likes of Friends and Everybody Loves Raymond.

The story starts with four aliens landing on Earth in human disguises; ready to embark on the greatest adventure; humanity. They have an assignment to learn all about humans and the way they live. This really works and it's especially fun at the beginning when they experience things for the first time, like crying, dreaming and falling in love.

John Lithgow is such a great actor and his physical comedy is brilliant, the character Dick is such fun to watch. Sally, Tommy and Harry are great too, each having their own role to play. Sally being the woman, Tommy the teenager and Harry...well i'm not to sure about Harry, he was there because they had an extra seat! The other characters, Mary, Don, Mrs.Dupcheck and Nina are fun too and the predicaments that the Solomon's get themselves into are hilarious. The early series are better, but that's not to say that the later ones aren't good, it's just more fun in the beginning when they knew nothing about the world.

Give this a go, it's definitely deserves more recognition than it receives.

That's right, I've stumbled upon it in 2019. And I watched it 3 times in a row. I'm not gonna tell you what I liked so much about it, to make me watch it over and over again (and I do have HBO, Netflix and so forth in a click away). It's for my personal enjoyment anyway.

But I'm gonna tell you what I do hate about it. I hate the fact that it was canceled way too early, which cannot be said about most of the other successful sitcoms.

I believe that show had an enormous potential, which was not exploited even nearly enough, and it is more than obvious that some powerful figure behind the scenes unplugged/killed it before its time. I wonder why...

Anyway... Thank you Tom, Dick, Harry and Sally for the great fun. You have a special place in my heart.

Absolutely brilliant. Genius is who created this series. And they couldn't have picked better actors. I am speechless about how great they are. Bravo!

One of the only 2 shows ever that genuinly made me laugh until my sides hurt. It was just too good! I still miss the show to this day

Eclectic: deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.

This is how I would describe this show. Since they are aliens that have no sense of being, they have the most broad canvas for comedy, but they hit the punchlines with precision.

John Lithgo is legendary in this show. Larger then life and it pops off the screen like few other actors can. It is worth watching this show because of him alone. But the rest of the cast is so good that it can actually keep up with Lithgo's imagination.

This sitcom is about a group of aliens who land on earth. They settle in suburban Ohio - where they live in an attic apartment, pretending to be a human family. John Lithgow is excellent as the protagonist, the group's high commander, whose human character is Dick Solomon, the father of the family and a physics professor at a university.

I have no idea how some many people adore this show. It just not at all special. I only wanted to see it because of the greatly intriguing synopsis. What really sad though the show does practically nothing with this great idea at all.

The idea of aliens coming to earth disguised as human to learn and understand humanity, earth nature, different culture and so much more could have been so fascinating and engaging with so much great philosophical things to explore and could've offered so much thrills to see.

But instead all it gives is something so cheap, lazy and generic.

Where every character has no real deep personality because it comes at the cost of being pretty much a non stop joke machine.

Where the show doesn't even feel like a sci fi show if you jump into a random episode I guarantee there's nothing done with how they're aliens it's just a cliché super weird sitcom family with silly antics happening. And the show isn't really putting all that much effort into what its doing.

Like for example the Solomon family (the aliens in disguise) talks about how they feel emotion they have never felt before in the first season and implies that they alien race don't have any knowledge or connection of human culture.

But then later on in the show they tell stories of what they and their race did and felt when they were aliens like their race already felt emotions and acted like humans and have connection to human culture with certain references their race makes.

And also brings another big point of why no human find them incredibly bizarre and not be distant towards them when did literally tell them these strange weird stories and things and somehow don't question it at all or act even the tiniest bit suspicious. See what I mean by this show just not putting in that much effort and characters being pretty much a non stop joke machine?

Now the show has some few funny moments really only coming from John Lithgow and only cause of him delightfully chewing the scenery many times. But again the show just does nothing with this great idea for a story and gives just generic shallow one dimensional entertainment. Its so incredibly disappointing to see something with so much potential to be great not be utilized.

5/10 Nothing really special.