3rd Rock from the Sun: Season 1 DVD: Review By Dodd

Funny the way television shows work in mysterious ways. In fact, I remember years ago when I was on Christmas vacation during high school seeing previews for a midseason series called 3rd Rock from the Sun. First of all, mid-season premieres generally don't stand a chance in lasting long compared to fall newbies. Midseason shows are generally desperate attempts to make up for the fall failings that left void some time slots. Second of all, the premise sounded ridiculous! A group of four aliens join society on planet earth? Frankly, I thought 3rd Rock would be the makings for one of the biggest flops on television. Little did I know it would become one of my favorite, most beloved sitcoms on television.

Indeed, 3rd Rock ended up being a success. Plus it was actually hilarious during its run. Unfortunately, NBC pulled the plug on the series a couple of years ago. But low and behold the power of TV on DVD. The entire season of 3rd Rock From The Sun is now available on DVD from Anchor Bay!

The basic premise is, like a mentioned in my intro, about aliens that come to live amongst the people of planet Earth. Their leader takes on the alias of Dr. Dick Salamon (John Lithgow) and poses as a college professor. The military expert takes female form and poses as Dick's sister Sally (Kristen Johnston). Serving as their communication transmitter is Harry (French Stewart). Then there is Tommy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), an alien life form that once had superiority on his home planet and is now lowered to posing as Dick's son.

Every episode rarely runs with a serial narrative. This is the type of show one can tune in halfway through an episode and still get a rise from the quality gags. Though there are a few continuous subplots such as Dick's infatuation/love/odd chemistry with his co-worker Dr. Mary Albright (Jane Curtain). Even though Dick is a complete eccentric nut job that stands out like a sore thumb to the viewers, Dr. Albright just sees Dick's behavior as the odd ramblings of any brilliant scholar.

3rd Rock from the Sun is one of those sitcoms that had me roaring with laughter during its run on NBC, and after watching the first season on DVD I can proudly say it has not lost its magic touch. From the creators of That 70's Show, 3rd Rock has that same "anything goes" brand of humor that aims to be off the wall as much as possible just to make us laugh. Some would probably think the jokes are stupid, but I beg to differ. While the brand of comedy is slapstick in nature, the aliens' commentary on Earth life is some of the smartest writing on television.

What really gave this show life season after season was the ensemble cast. It is a treat to see sitcom characters getting their fair share of fun time in front of the camera. Everyone in this show exhibits the highest caliber of talent. Lithgow, who took home a few Emmy's for his performance, is a showstopper as the befuddled Dr. Salomon. Johnston is priceless as the voluptuous tomboy sister. Even Jane Curtain is at the top of her game filling the shoes of the straight person surrounded by confusion and chaos.

The fourth disc of the DVD is chock full of extras. Though the bulk of these extras are separate interviews from the cast members. John Lithgow, Kristen Johnston, French Stewart, Joseph Levitt, and Jane Curtain. As well, supporting actors for the show such as Wayne Knight are interviewed. These are all very lengthy and are the best part of the special features. Every actor sits down on the set to give serious interviews about their roles. Even Lithgow gets out of "goof" mode to get down to business. Man! I still can't believe this is the same actor that scared the piss out of me as sadistic villains in Ricochet and Cliffhanger. Though I can tell these interviews were recorded when the show was past a few seasons. Even Wayne Knight, who did not become a permanent fixture on the show until past the first season, is given the interview treatment. I cant' help but wonder if anything will be left for the seasons to follow on DVD.

There are two featurettes, 3rd Rock Behind the Scenes and Season One Highlights. Both of these are montages. The only difference is that Behind the Scenes covers scenes from the entire run of the series, and Highlights covers just the first season.

Then there are the bloopers. I think these are pretty self-explanatory. Though this reel is a little funnier than average just because the performers are priceless.

As well, there are teleplays from four episodes on PDF format. Not bad if one wants to research the teleplays, but other than that, I could care less.

Fullscreen Format. The show did not require too much tweaking for DVD considering its recent run on television. It looks just as it did when I watched it every week on NBC. If anything it looks better without the occasional interferences from cable television getting in the way.

Stereo Sound. No Dolby, no problem! Television shows are meant to be played in stereo, and the show sounds perfectly fine. If I can hear the clever jokes, then I am one content guy.

Four discs are contained in a foldout case, which comes packed in a slipsleeve. This is a campy packing job. The best part is an enclosed booklet with info on the show as well as alien humor.

TV on DVD once again comes through successfully. 3rd Rock from the Sun was one of the funniest shows on television in recent years. With the networks axing sitcoms for reality TV and crime dramas, I am glad we can still resort to DVD to remind us that television was once dominated by laughter. I could recommend the first season to anyone, but it depends on prior experience with the show. If you are a fan of the show, then don't waste anymore time. You know you want to add this DVD to your collection. If you haven't seen the show, then either catch a rerun to sample the goods, or take a blind buy risk if wacky slapstick and sci-fi humor is your cup of tea. I , myself, am extremely pleased to add this DVD to my collection.

Questions? Comments? Just want to talk movies? Drop me a line at dodd@movieweb.com