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Popular music
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For the musical genre, see Pop music.
"Popular song" redirects here. For other uses, see Popular Song (disambiguation).
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Popular music is music with wide appeal[1][2][3] that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.[1] It stands in contrast to both art music[4][5][6] and traditional or "folk" music. Art music was historically disseminated through the performances of written music, although since the beginning of the recording industry, it is also disseminated through recordings. Traditional music forms such as early blues songs or hymns were passed along orally, or to smaller, local audiences.[4][5][6]
The original application of the term is to music of the 1880s Tin Pan Alley period in the United States.[1] Although popular music sometimes is known as "pop music", the two terms are not interchangeable.[7] Popular music is a generic term for a wide variety of genres of music that appeal to the tastes of a large segment of the population,[8] whereas pop music usually refers to a specific musical genre within popular music.[9] Popular music songs and pieces typically have easily singable melodies. The song structure of popular music commonly involves repetition of sections, with the verse and chorus or refrain repeating throughout the song and the bridge providing a contrasting and transitional section within a piece.[10]
In the 2000s, with songs and pieces available as digital sound files, it has become easier for music to spread from one country or region to another. Some popular music forms have become global, while others have a wide appeal within the culture of their origin.[11] Through the mixture of musical genres, new popular music forms are created to reflect the ideals of a global culture.[12] The examples of Africa, Indonesia, and the Middle East show how Western pop music styles can blend with local musical traditions to create new hybrid styles.[clarification needed]
Contents
1 Definition
2 Form of Western popular music
3 Development in North America and Europe
3.1 Industry
3.2 Criticism
4 Global perspective
4.1 Africa
4.2 Asia
4.2.1 Indonesia
4.2.2 China
4.2.3 Middle East
5 See also
6 References
7 Further reading
8 External links
Definition[edit]
Further information: Folk music
See also: Art music § Popular music
Scholars have classified music as "popular" based on various factors, including whether a song or piece becomes known to listeners mainly from hearing the music (in contrast with classical music, in which many musicians learn pieces from sheet music); its appeal to diverse listeners, its treatment as a marketplace commodity in a capitalist context, and other factors.[6] Sales of 'recordings' or sheet music are one measure. Middleton and Manuel note that this definition has problems because multiple listens or plays of the same song or piece are not counted.[2] Evaluating appeal based on size of audience (mass appeal) or whether audience is of a certain social class is another way to define popular music, but this, too, has problems in that social categories of people cannot be applied accurately to musical styles. Manuel states that one criticism of popular music is that it is produced by large media conglomerates and passively consumed by the public, who merely buy or reject what music is being produced. He claims that the listeners in the scenario would not have been able to make the choice of their favorite music, which negates the previous conception of popular music.[13] Moreover, "understandings of popular music have changed with time".[2] Middleton argues that if research were to be done on the field of popular music, there would be a level of stability within societies to characterize historical periods, distribution of music, and the patterns of influence and continuity within the popular styles of music.[14]
Anahid Kassabian separated popular music into four categories; "popular as populist," or having overtones of liberation and expression; "popular as folk," or stating that the music is written by the people, for themselves; "popular as counterculture," or empowering citizens to act against the oppression they face; and "popular as mass," or the music becomes the tool for oppression.[15] A society's popular music reflects the ideals that are prevalent at the time it is performed or published.[16] David Riesman states that the youth audiences of popular music fit into either a majority group or a subculture. The majority group listens to the commercially produced styles while the subcultures find a minority style to transmit their own values.[14] This allows youth to choose what music they identify with, which gives them power as consumers to control the market of popular music.[14]
Form of Western popular music[edit]
Main article: Song structure
Form in popular music is most often sectional, the most common sections being verse, chorus or refrain, and bridge. Other common forms include thirty-two-bar form, chorus form *(Middleton pg 30), and twelve-bar blues. Popular music songs are rarely composed using different music for each stanza of the lyrics (songs composed in this fashion are said to be "through-composed").[10]
The verse and chorus are considered the primary elements. Each verse usually has the same melody (possibly with some slight modifications), but the lyrics change for most verses. The chorus (or "refrain") usually has a melodic phrase and a key lyrical line which is repeated. Pop songs may have an introduction and coda ("tag"), but these elements are not essential to the identity of most songs. Pop songs that use verses and choruses often have a bridge, which, as its name suggests, is a section which connects the verse and chorus at one or more points in the song.[10]
The verse and chorus are usually repeated throughout a song, while the bridge, intro, and coda (also called an "outro") tend to be used only once. Some pop songs may have a solo section, particularly in rock or blues-influenced pop. During the solo section, one or more instruments play a melodic line which may be the melody used by the singer, or, in blues- or jazz-influenced pop, the solo may be improvised based on the chord progression. A solo usually features a single instrumental performer (e.g., a guitarist or a harmonica player) or less commonly, more than one instrumentalist (e.g., a trumpeter and a sax player).[10]
Thirty-two-bar form uses four sections, most often eight measures long each (4×8=32), two verses or A sections, a contrasting B section (the bridge or "middle-eight") and a return of the verse in one last A section (AABA).[17] Verse-chorus form or ABA form may be combined with AABA form, in compound AABA forms. Variations such as a1 and a2 can also be used. The repetition of one chord progression may mark off the only section in a simple verse form such as the twelve bar blues.[10]
Development in North America and Europe[edit]
Industry[edit]
Main article: Music industry
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The 19th century singer Jenny Lind depicted performing La sonnambula
"The most significant feature of the emergent popular music industry of the late 18th and early 19th centuries was the extent of its focus on the commodity form of sheet music".[18] The availability of inexpensive, widely available sheet music versions of popular songs and instrumental music pieces made it possible for music to be disseminated to a wide audience of amateur, middle-class music-makers, who could play and sing popular music at home. Amateur music-making in the 19th century often centred around the piano, as this instrument could play melodies, chords and basslines, thus enabling a pianist to reproduce popular songs and pieces. In addition to the influence of sheet music, another factor was the increasing availability during the late 18th and early 19th century of public popular music performances in "pleasure gardens and dance halls, popular theatres and concert rooms".[18]
The early popular music performers worked hand-in-hand with the sheet music industry to promote popular sheet music. One of the early popular music performers to attain widespread popularity was a Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind, who toured the US in the mid-19th century. In addition to living room amateur music-making during the 19th century, more people began getting involved in music during this era by participating in amateur choirs, joining brass bands or playing in amateur orchestras.[citation needed]
The centre of the music publishing industry in the US during the late 19th century was in New York's 'Tin Pan Alley' district. The Tin Pan Alley music publishers developed a new method for promoting sheet music: incessant promotion of new songs. One of the technological innovations that helped to spread popular music around the turn of the century was player pianos. A player piano could be used to record a skilled pianist's rendition of a piano piece. This recorded performance could be "played back" on another player piano. This allowed a larger number of music lovers to hear the new popular piano tunes.[18] By the early 1900s, the big trends in popular music were the increasing popularity of vaudeville theaters and dance halls and a new invention—the gramophone player. The record industry grew very rapidly; "By 1920 there were almost 80 record companies in Britain, and almost 200 in the USA".[18] The availability of records enabled a larger percentage of the population to hear the top singers and bands.[citation needed]
Radio broadcasting of music, which began in the early 1920s, helped to spread popular songs to a huge audience, enabling a much larger proportion of the population to hear songs performed by professional singers and music ensembles, including individuals from lower income groups who previously would not have been able to afford concert tickets. Radio broadcasting increased the ability of songwriters, singers and bandleaders to become nationally known. Another factor which helped to disseminate popular music was the introduction of "talking pictures"—sound films—in the late 1920s, which also included music and songs. In the late 1920s and throughout the 1930s, there was a move towards consolidation in the recording industry, which led several major companies to dominate the record industry.[18]
In the 1950s and 1960s, the new invention of television began to play an increasingly important role in disseminating new popular music. Variety shows regularly showcased popular singers and bands. In the 1960s, the development of new technologies in recording, such as multitrack recorders gave sound engineers and record producers an increasingly important role in popular music. By using multitrack recording techniques, sound engineers could create new sounds and sound effects that were not possible using traditional "live" recording techniques,[18] such as singers performing their own backup vocals or having lead guitarists play rhythm guitars behind their guitar solo. During the 1960s era of psychedelic music, the recording studio was used to create even more unusual sounds, in order to mimic the effect of taking hallucinogenic drugs, some songs used tapes of instruments played backwards or panned the music from one side to the other of the stereo image.[citation needed]
In the 1970s, the trend towards consolidation in the recording industry continued to the point that the "... dominance was in the hands of five huge transnational organizations, three American-owned (WEA, RCA, CBS) and two European-owned companies (EMI, Polygram)".[according to whom?] In the 1990s, the consolidation trend took a new turn: inter-media consolidation. This trend saw music recording companies being consolidated with film, television, magazines, and other media companies, an approach which facilitated cross-marketing promotion between subsidiaries. For example, a record company's singing star could be cross-promoted by the conglomerate's television talk shows and magazine arms.[18]
The "introduction of digital equipment (mixing desks, synthesizers, samplers, sequencers)" in the 1990s resulted in what Grove Dictionary of Music dubbed the creation of "new sound worlds", as well as facilitating DIY music production by amateur musicians and "tiny independent record labels".[18] In the 1990s, the availability of sound recording software and effects units software meant that an amateur indie band could record an album—which required a fully equipped recording studio in previous decades—using little more than a laptop and a good quality microphone.[citation needed] That said, the audio quality of modern recording studios still outstrips what an amateur can produce.[19]
Criticism[edit]
Main article: Music journalist
See also: Rockism and poptimism
Global perspective[edit]
In contrast to Western popular music, a genre of music that is popular outside of a Western nation, is categorized into World music. This label turns otherwise popular styles of music into an exotic and unknown category. The Western concept of 'World Music' homogenizes many different genres of popular music under one accessible term for Western audiences.[15] New media technology has led urban music styles to filter into distant rural areas across the globe. The rural areas, in turn, are able to give feedback to the urban centers about the new styles of music.[14] Urbanization, modernization, exposure to foreign music and mass media have contributed to hybrid urban pop styles. The hybrid styles have also found a space within Western popular music through the expressions of their national culture.[13] Recipient cultures borrow elements from host cultures and alter the meaning and context found in the host culture. Many Western styles, in turn, have become international styles through multinational recording studios.[13]
Africa[edit]
See also: African popular music
Senegalese rapper, Didier Awadi
Popular African music styles have stemmed from traditional entertainment genres, rather than evolving from music used with certain traditional ceremonies like weddings, births, or funerals.[13] African popular music as a whole has been influenced by European countries, African-American and Afro-Latin music, and region-specific styles that became popular across a wider range of people. Although due to the significance and strong position of culture in traditional African music, African popular music tends to stay within the roots of traditional African Popular Music.[20][13] The genre of music, Maskanda, is popular in its culture of origin, South Africa. Although maskanda is a traditional music genre by definition, the people who listen to it influence the ideals that are brought forth in the music.[21] A popular maskandi artist, Phuzekhemisi, had to lessen the political influence within his music to be ready for the public sphere. His music producer, West Nikosi, was looking for the commercial success in Phuzekhemisi's music rather than starting a political controversy.[21]
Political songs have been an important category of African popular music in many societies. During the continent's struggle against colonial rule, nationalistic songs boosted citizens' morale. These songs were based on Western marches and hymns reflecting the European education system that the early nationalistic leaders grew up in. Not all African political songs were based on Western styles. For example, in South Africa, the political songs during the Anti-Apartheid Movement were based on traditional tribal styles along with hybrid forms of imported genres.[13] Activists used protest and freedom songs to persuade individuals to take action, become educated with the struggle, and empower others to be politically conscious.[22] These songs reflected the nuances between the different classes involved in the liberation struggle.[13]
One of the genres people of Africa use for political expression is Hip hop.[23] Although hip hop in Africa is based on the North American template, it has been remade to produce new meanings for African young people. This allows the genre to be both locally and globally influential.[23] African youth are shaped by the fast-growing genre's ability to communicate, educate, empower, and entertain.[23] Artists who would have started in traditional music genres, like maskanda, became hip hop artists to provide a stronger career path for themselves. These rappers compare themselves to the traditional artists like the griot and oral storyteller, who both had a role in reflecting on the internal dynamics of the larger society.[23] African hip hop creates youth culture, community intelligence, and global solidarity.[23]
Asia[edit]
Indonesia[edit]
See also: Music of Indonesia
KRAS, also known as Heavy Metal Punk Machine, is an Indonesian heavy metal band
Popular music in Indonesia can be categorized as hybrid forms of Western rock to genres that are originated in Indonesia and indigenous in style.[13] The genre of music, Dangdut, is a genre of popular music specifically found in Indonesia. Dangdut formed two other styles of popular music, Indo-pop and Underground,[24] together to create a new hybrid or fusion genre. The genre takes the noisy instrumentation from Underground, but still makes it easy to listen to like Indo-pop. Dangdut attempts to form many popular music genres like rock, pop, and traditional music to create this new sound that lines up with the consumers' tastes.[25] This genre has formed into a larger social movement that includes clothing, youth culture, the resurgence of Islam, and the capitalist entertainment industry.[13]
Another music scene that is popular in Indonesia is Punk rock. This genre was shaped in Indonesia by the local interpretations of the media from the larger global punk movement.[24] Jeremy Wallach argues that while Green Day was seen as the "death of punk," in Indonesia they were the catalyst for a larger punk movement.[24] Punk in Indonesia calls on the English-speaking world to embrace the global sects of the punk culture and become open-minded to the transnational genre.[24]
China[edit]
In a 2015 study involving young students in Shanghai, youths stated they enjoyed listening to both Chinese, other Asian nationalities, and Anglo-American popular music. There are three ways that young people of China were able to access global music.[16] The first reason was a policy change since the late 1970s where the country was opened up to the rest of the world instead of being self-contained. This created more opportunities for Chinese people to interact with people outside of their country of origin to create a more globalized culture. The second reason is that the Chinese television and music industry since the 1980s has broadcast television shows from their neighboring Asian societies and the West. The third reason is the impact of the internet and smartphones on the accessibility of streaming music.[16]
In 2015, students in China accounted for 30.2% of China's internet population and the third and fifth most popular uses of the internet were respectively, internet music and internet video use. The youths described being able to connect to the emotions and language of the Chinese music, but also enjoyed the melodies found within Anglo-American music. The students also believed that listening to the English music would improve their English language skills.[16]
Middle East[edit]
Iranian rock band Kiosk, live in 2007
Modernization of music in the Arab world involved borrowing inspiration from Turkish music and Western musical styles.[26] The late Egyptian singer, Umm Kulthum, stated,
"We must respect ourselves and our art. The Indians have set a good example for us - they show great respect for themselves and their arts. Wherever they are, they wear their native dress and their music is known throughout the world. This is the right way."
She discussed this to explain why Egypt and the Arab world needed to take pride in the popular music styles originating in their culture so the styles were not lost in the modernization.[26] Local musicians learned Western instrumental styles to create their own popular styles including their native languages and indigenous musical features.[26] Communities in throughout the Arab world place high value on their indigenous musical identities while assimilating to new musical styles from neighboring countries or mass media.[26] Through the 1980s and 1990s, popular music has been seen as a problem for the Iranian government because of the non-religious meanings within the music and the bodily movements of dancing or headbanging.[27] During this time period, metal became a popular underground subculture through the Middle East. Just like their Western counterparts, Middle Eastern metal followers expressed their feelings of alienation. But their thoughts came from war and social restrictions on youth.[28]
In interviews of Iranian teenagers between 1990 and 2004, the youth overall preferred Western popular music, even though it was banned by the government.[27] Iranian underground rock bands are composed of members who are young, urban-minded, educated, relatively well-off, and global beings. Iranian rock is described by the traits that these band members possess.[27] The youth who take part in underground music in the Middle East are aware of the social constraints of their countries, but they are not optimistic about social change.[28] Iranian rock bands have taken up an internationalist position to express their rebellion from the discourses in their national governments.[27]
See also[edit]
Music radio
Popular culture
List of popular music performers
List of popular music genres
Popular music pedagogy
List of honorific titles in popular music
Music popularity index
Volume!
References[edit]
^ Jump up to: a b c Popular Music. (2015). Funk & Wagnalls New World dedicace l fadda Aloumari et Hamane Encyclopedia
^ Jump up to: a b c Middleton, Richard; Manuel, Peter (2001). "Popular Music". Grove Music Online. Oxford Index. ISBN 9781561592630.
Jump up ^ "Definition of "popular music" | Collins English Dictionary". www.collinsdictionary.com. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
^ Jump up to: a b Arnold, Denis (1983). The New Oxford Companion Music, Volume 1: A-J. Oxford University Press. p. 111. ISBN 0-19-311316-3.
^ Jump up to: a b Arnold, Denis (1983). The New Oxford Companion to Music, Volume 2: K-Z. Oxford University Press. p. 1467. ISBN 0-19-311316-3.
^ Jump up to: a b c Tagg, Philip (1982). "Analysing popular music: theory, method and practice". Popular Music. doi:10.1017/S0261143000001227.
Jump up ^ Lamb, Bill. "Pop Music Defined". About Entertainment. About.com. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
Jump up ^ Allen, Robert. "Popular music". Pocket Fowler's Modern English Usage. 2004.
Jump up ^ Laurie, Timothy (2014). "Music Genre As Method". Cultural Studies Review. 20 (2), pp. 283-292.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e Sadie, Stanley, ed. (2001). "Popular Music: Form". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 20. New York: Grove. pp. 142–144. ISBN 0333608003.
Jump up ^ Lashua, Brett (2014). Sounds and the City: Popular Music, Place and Globalization. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 19. ISBN 9781137283115.
Jump up ^ Furlong, Andy (2013). Youth Studies: An Introduction. London: Routledge. p. 237. ISBN 9780203862094.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Manuel, Peter (1988). Popular Musics of the Non-Western World. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 7, 11–12, 20, 85–86, 88, 205, 210, 212, 220. ISBN 0195053427.
^ Jump up to: a b c d Middleton, Richard (1990). Studying Popular Music. Philadelphia: Open University Press. pp. 46, 136, 155, 249, 293. ISBN 0335152759.
^ Jump up to: a b Eisentraut, Jochen (2012). The Accessibility of Music: Participation, Reception and Contact. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 41–42, 197–198. ISBN 9781139616294.
^ Jump up to: a b c d Law, Wing-Wah; Ho, Wai-Chung (2015-08-01). "Popular music and school music education: Chinese students' preferences and dilemmas in Shanghai, China". International Journal of Music Education. 33 (3): 304–324. doi:10.1177/0255761415569115. ISSN 0255-7614.
Jump up ^ Middleton, Richard (1990). Studying Popular Music. Philadelphia: Open University Press. p. 46. ISBN 0335152759.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Middleton, Richard and Peter Manuel. "Popular music" in Grove Music Online.
Jump up ^ Kane, K. (1999, 11). Recording: Recording options for the indie artist. Canadian Musician, 21, 62.
Jump up ^ Emielu, Austin (October 2011). "Some theoretical perspectives on African popular music". 30: pp. 371–388. JSTOR 23359909. CS1 maint: Extra text (link)
^ Jump up to: a b Olsen, Kathryn (2014). Music and Social Change in South Africa: Maskanda Past and Present. Phildephia: Temple University Press. pp. 61–62, 64. ISBN 9781439911389.
Jump up ^ Rojas, Eunice (2013). Sounds of Resistance: The Role of Music in Multicultural Activism. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. pp. 266–267. ISBN 9780313398063.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e Saucier, Paul Khalil (2014). "Continental Drift: The Politics and Poetics of African Hip Hop". In Lashua, Brett. Sounds and the City: Popular Music, Place and Globalization. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 196–197, 199, 201, 203–204, 206. ISBN 9781137283108.
^ Jump up to: a b c d Wallach, Jeremy (2014). "Indieglobalization and the Triumph of Punk in Indonesia". In Lashua, Brett. Sounds and the City: Popular Music, Place and Globalization. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 149, 151–152, 157. ISBN 9781137283108.
Jump up ^ Wallach, Jeremy; Clinton, Esther (2013-01-01). "History, Modernity, and Music Genre in Indonesia: Popular Music Genres in the Dutch East Indies and Following Independence". Asian Music. 44 (2): 3–23. doi:10.1353/amu.2013.0020. ISSN 1553-5630.
^ Jump up to: a b c d Danielson, Virginia (1988). "The Arab Middle East". In Manuel, Peter Lamarche. Popular Musics of the Non-Western World. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 151, 156–158. ISBN 0195053427.
^ Jump up to: a b c d Nooshin, Laudan (2005-09-01). "Underground, overground: Rock music and youth discourses in Iran". Iranian Studies. 38 (3): 463–494. doi:10.1080/00210860500300820. ISSN 0021-0862.
^ Jump up to: a b Wagg, Stephen (2014). "'How Many Divisions Does Ozzy Osbourne Have?' Some Thoughts on Politics, Heavy Metal Music, and the 'Clash of Civilizations'". In Lashua, Brett. Sounds and the City: Popular Music, Place and Globalization. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 136, 141. ISBN 9781137283108.
Further reading[edit]
T.W. Adorno with G. Simpson: ‘On Popular Music’, Studies in Philosophy and Social Science, ix (1941), 17–48
R. Iwaschkin: Popular Music: a Reference Guide (New York, 1986)
P. Hardy and D. Laing: The Faber Companion to 20th-Century Popular Music (London, 1990/R)
Larry Freeman: The Melody Lingers on: 50 Years of Popular Song (Watkins Glen, N.Y.: Century House, 1951). 212 p. N.B.: Includes a chronology, "50 Years of Song Hits", on p. 193-215.
Haddix, Chuck. Rags to Be-bop: the Sounds of Kansas City Music, 1890-1945. [Text by] Chuck Haddix (Kansas City, Mo.: University of Missouri at Kansas City, University Libraries, Marr Sound Archives, 1991). Without ISBN
J. Kotarba, B. Merrill, J. P. Williams, & P. Vannini Understanding Society through Popular Music. NY:Routledge, 2013 (second ed.) ISBN 9780415 641951
R. Middleton: Studying Popular Music (Milton Keynes, 1990)
P. Gammond: The Oxford Companion to Popular Music (Oxford, 1991)
D. Brackett: Interpreting Popular Music (Cambridge, 1995)
M. Sorce Keller: “Continuing Opera with Other Means: Opera, Neapolitan song,and popular music among Italian immigrants overseas”, Forum Italicum, Vol. XLIX(2015), No 3, 1- 20.
External links[edit]
Look up popular music in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Library resources about
Popular music
Resources in your library
Resources in other libraries
Genres of popular music - Interactive relationships diagram
Famous Music Videos - Music Video Databases I have not seen a thing of my favorite song base - YouTube, Google Video, MySpace TV, MetaCafe, DailyMotion, Veoh, Current.com, ClipFish.de, MyVideo.de, Break.com and EyeSpot
The 1950s-2000's Week-By-Week - Looks at pop music/albums/radio and music news through these decades.
Pop Culture Madness Features the most requested pop songs 1920s through today
The Daily Vault music reviews
Yale Music Library Guide to Pop Music Research
Volume! the French academic journal dedicated to the study of popular music
Éditions Mélanie Seteun ! a French publisher dedicated to popular music studies - publishes Volume!, the French journal of PMS.
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3rd Rock from the Sun
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the American sitcom. For the Joe Diffie album, see Third Rock from the Sun. For the album's title song, see Third Rock from the Sun (song). For the Jimi Hendrix song, see Third Stone from the Sun.
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3rd Rock from the Sun
Genre
Sitcom
Science fiction
Created by
Bonnie Turner
Terry Turner
Starring
John Lithgow
Kristen Johnston
French Stewart
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Jane Curtin
Simbi Khali
Elmarie Wendel
Wayne Knight
Theme music composer
Ben Vaughn
(seasons 1–3)
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
(seasons 4-5)
Ben Vaughn & Jeff Sudakin
(season 6)
Composer(s)
Quincy Jones III
(seasons 1-3)
Jonathan Wolff
(seasons 4-5)
Paul Buckley
(seasons 4-5)
Jeff Sudakin
(season 6)
Country of origin
United States
Original language(s)
English
No. of seasons
6
No. of episodes
139 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
John Lithgow
Bonnie Turner
Terry Turner
Marcy Carsey
Tom Werner
Caryn Mandabach
Linwood Boomer (season 1)
Bill Martin
Mike Schiff (seasons 4–5)
David Sacks (seasons 4–5)
Bob Kushell
Christine Zander (seasons 5–6)
David Goetsch
Jason Venokur (season 6)
Producer(s)
Patrick Kienlen
David Goetsch
Jason Venokur
David M. Israel
Jim O'Doherty
Andrew Orenstein
Michael Glouberman
Gregg Mettler
Tim Ryder
Aron Abrams
Gregory Thompson (co-producer)
Camera setup
Film; Multi-camera
Running time
22 minutes
Production company(s)
You're a Jackass! Productions
Bonter Productions
The Carsey-Werner Company
Distributor
Carsey-Werner Distribution
The Program Exchange
Release
Original network
NBC
Original release
January 9, 1996 (1996-01-09) – May 22, 2001 (2001-05-22)
External links
Website
www.3rdrock.com
3rd Rock from the Sun (sometimes referred to as simply 3rd Rock) is an American sitcom that aired from 1996 to 2001 on NBC. The show is about four extraterrestrials who are on an expedition to Earth, which they consider to be a very insignificant planet. The extraterrestrials pose as a human family to observe the behavior of human beings.
Contents
[hide]
1 Overview
1.1 Basic premise
1.2 Typical episode themes
1.3 Common mythology
1.4 Relationships with humans
1.5 Alien quirks
2 Cast
2.1 Main characters
2.2 Recurring characters
2.3 Guest stars
3 Production
3.1 Theme music
3.2 Title sequence
4 Distribution
4.1 Broadcast
4.2 Syndication
4.3 DVD releases
5 Reception
5.1 Nielsen rankings
5.2 Awards and nominations
6 Other media
7 See also
8 References
9 External links
Overview[edit]
This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Basic premise[edit]
The premise of the show revolves around an extraterrestrial research expedition attempting to live as a normal human family in the fictional city of Rutherford, Ohio, said to be 52 mi (84 km) outside of Cleveland, where they live in an attic apartment. Humor was principally derived from the aliens' attempts to study human society and, because of their living as humans themselves while on Earth, to understand the human condition. This show reflects human life from the perspective of aliens and many sources of humor are from the learning experiences the alien characters have. Most of the episodes are named after the protagonist "Dick". In later episodes, they are more accustomed to Earth and often are 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 (Jane Curtin) is a professor of anthropology 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 more or less like joyriders as they get drawn further and further into human life.
Dick Solomon (John Lithgow), the High Commander and leader of the expedition, is the family provider as a physics professor at Pendelton (with Ian Lithgow, John Lithgow's oldest son, playing one of his less successful students). Information officer and oldest member of the crew Tommy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) has been given the body of a teenager and is forced to enroll in high school (later college), leaving security officer Sally (Kristen Johnston) and "the one with the transmitter in his head", Harry (French Stewart) 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, who when he finally visits Earth, appears in the body of William Shatner. 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."
Typical episode themes[edit]
Almost all the episodes stem from the Solomons' difficulties, and successes, in integrating themselves into Earth culture and understanding human customs — they are always desperately trying to "read" humans correctly, and when they succeed (or think they succeed), they are ecstatic.
Details about their alien nature are rarely given and inconsistent, except to reinforce the idea that their former lives were almost barren of emotion, unlike most of the relationships humans have with each other. Their original forms, for example, are described as nonsexual, with reproduction a matter of sending packets of genetic material to each other in the mail. Leaders like the Big Giant Head are unelected and assumed infallible (in fact, it is stated that politicians on their planet are chosen by seeing which one can outrun the giant fireball). The upshot is that living in an Earth culture provides the Solomons with an almost intolerable degree of emotional stimulation and conflict. Although they are ill-equipped to handle such an emotional maelstrom, they love it.
Several episodes feature send-ups of TV and films. For example, in the episode "Dick's Big Giant Headache", both Dick and the Big Giant Head mention seeing something on the wing of the plane after having traveled by airline. That was a nod to both Lithgow and Shatner having played the same role of the passenger who sees a gremlin on the wing in The Twilight Zone (Shatner in Nightmare At 20,000 Feet and Lithgow in the film remake).
Common mythology[edit]
Occasionally, references would be made to specific features of the aliens' abilities and of their experiences on their own world, which built up a common mythology for the show. The theme of the idiot savant repeatedly resurfaces, since each member of the family makes up for their extreme naïveté with some special skill owing to their alien nature.
Though Dick's understanding of physics is far weaker than his "son" Tommy's, it is implied that even his basic scientific knowledge makes advanced Earth physics appear rudimentary, leading to his becoming respected in his field despite his childish behavior. A segment from an episode has him reading a passage from A Brief History of Time and laughing at Stephen Hawking's description of virtual particles quipping, "These Earth people will swallow 'anything'." Even so, Dick is often shown as the member of the family with the least to recommend in terms of his ability, leading them to question his right to command. Sally, for instance, is amazingly physically strong and fit, able to fight and defeat large groups of men much larger than her (even when doing so is unnecessary and culturally inappropriate).
Tommy, although 14 years old at the show's beginning, is actually the oldest of the four and was assigned the role of teenager because it was felt he was the only one who could handle its stress. He has the ability of near-instant recall and has an encyclopedic knowledge about Earth society, which often seems useless to his colleagues, but ensures that he remains a straight-A student.
Harry's behavior is naive, endearing, and bizarre. Somehow, this mental condition gives him an inexplicable sex appeal for women and makes him the only Solomon with any talent in the arts – Harry often seems to have a knack for all fine arts, including music and theater. He is consistently shown as being a very talented painter, especially as a portraitist and caricaturist. He often seems like the "wise fool" of folk narratives – the one everyone calls stupid who ends up knowing what is really important.
Relationships with humans[edit]
Each alien becomes involved in various relationships with humans throughout the course of the series, primarily focusing on Dick's infatuation– at first met with disgust and then, finally, reciprocation– with anthropology professor Dr. Mary Albright (Jane Curtin), who shares an office with him. Much is often made of Mary's angst, insecurity, and neuroses brought on by a lifetime of studying the human condition, as well as an unstable relationship with her parents, and the cheerful, childlike naïveté displayed by Dick, the primary factor in him that attracts her.
Sally similarly acquires a long-term boyfriend, Officer Don Orville (Wayne Knight), an overweight and incompetent police officer who becomes attracted to her after several incidents in which he is forced to confront or arrest the Solomons for various crimes. Sally's attraction to him has little to do with his physical appearance and more to do with his perceived power and authority as a police officer (and in particular, his uniform). The two generally have conversations while speaking in a manner similar to an old 1930s crime drama. One joke that is used between Don and Sally quite a bit is their greeting to each other when Don comes over to their apartment. Don will walk in, stop dead in his tracks, give Sally a seductive look, and say, "Hello, Sally," to which Sally responds, nearly melting, by seductively answering, "Hi, Don." This is also in sharp contrast with Knight's other well-known character, Newman from Seinfeld, in which Jerry always greets him with a disdainful "Hello, Newman."
Tommy manages an on-again, off-again relationship with classmate August Leffler (Shay Astar), a reserved ice queen teenager and later with the more bubbly Alissa Strudwick (Larisa Oleynik).
Harry has a relationship with his landlady Mrs. Dubcek's (Elmarie Wendel) daughter Vicki (played by Jan Hooks), in an on-screen relationship that often features overly melodramatic scenes. Harry, despite no apparent skills in the art of seduction, also manages to foil a plot to dissolve the Earth by seducing Mascha (Cindy Crawford), one of a coven of strikingly beautiful Venusians who tried to overthrow the Earth by seducing its men into giving them everything of value.
Some humor comes from the fact that at some point in the show, most of the character relationships have been mixed up — a strange attraction is briefly shown between Mary and Tommy because of their similar passion for the social sciences and the study of humanity, in which Tommy chooses to step aside and let Dick pursue her instead. Nina (Simbi Khali), Dick's assistant who primarily serves as his straight man and comic foil, is seen briefly having a fling with Harry. Mrs. Dubcek, who is at first merely a source of comic relief, her own bizarre foibles and imperceptibly causing her to be a terrible role model for proper human behavior to the Solomons, is also revealed to have had a fling with Harry.
Alien quirks[edit]
Initially, the only reference to the aliens' true forms is a comment made in the first episode, when upon discovering that human heads cannot swivel to 180°, Dick asks: "Then how do they lick their backs?". As time went on, the show began to intersperse concrete references to the aliens' nature and their home world which played a role in affecting the show's plot. They usually described their original bodies as "gelatinous purple tubes" that lacked sex organs or most of the forms of physical definition that humans possess. In fact, when Sally asks why she had to be the woman, Dick reminds her why, telling her, "It's because you lost."
Evidently, individuals in their species are so near-identical to each other that the Solomons were unaware of the concept of race or ethnicity, and had never invented one for themselves, leading them to attempt to choose one (a source of humor since the Solomons all appear quite white). Mrs. Dubcek enlightens them when she refers to her second husband as "one of you people ... you know, Jewish." She figured this out from their surname, Solomon. Amazed, Harry exclaims, "Mazel tov!"
The Solomons encounter other seemingly alien beings, most notably, Jell-O, or when in one episode Dick and a friend of Mary's remain confused throughout—they know they are "different"—but Dick thinks "alien" and the friend thinks "gay". Their first encounters with snow and dreaming cause general hysteria.
Cast[edit]
Main article: List of 3rd Rock from the Sun characters
3rd Rock maintained a constant ensemble cast; the four main characters are Dick, Sally, Tommy, and Harry. Several other main characters who left or joined the show through its original run supplemented these four, and numerous guest stars and one-time characters supplemented all of them. The three male aliens' names are a play on the phrase "Tom, Dick and Harry" which is a placeholder for multiple unspecified people. (When Don eventually notices this, they look uncomfortable and Tommy says, "Well, it's not like it's a deliberate attempt on our part to seem average," which is of course exactly what it is.)
Main characters[edit]
From left to right: John Lithgow as Dick, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (top) as Tommy, Jane Curtin (bottom) as Mary, Kristen Johnston as Sally, and French Stewart as Harry
John Lithgow as Dick Solomon: Though the High Commander and head of the expedition to Earth, he is often the most childlike member of the group, being, ironically, the youngest of the crew, despite being the oldest family member (at least appears to be the oldest due to his body). Much of the behavioral or societal-based troubles faced by the crew in their mission while on Earth frequently arise from some juvenile act perpetrated by Dick, troubles which in turn are forced to be overcome by the entire troupe with a great deal of reluctance.
Kristen Johnston as Sally Solomon: With a rank of lieutenant, she is the security officer and second-in-command. She has been called Dick's sister, but was sometimes introduced as Tommy's sister earlier in the series, and, on one occasion, claimed to be his mother, although never Dick's daughter and certainly not his spouse; failure to clarify the exact relationship between Tommy, Harry, and Sally led to humorous confusion whenever either Harry or Sally attempted to act as Tommy's guardian. Sally was chosen to be the woman because she apparently lost some sort of contest and was not too thrilled about it; while the alien species is described as asexual, Sally seems to have a harder time trying to figure out womanhood than the others do manhood. She files a request to be made male early in the mission, though later decides she liked being a woman. A later episode had Dick and her switching bodies on orders from the Big Giant Head, which caused much confusion both on their parts, as they had gotten used to their respective genders while on Earth, and the other characters, as they could not get used to Sally acting like Dick and vice versa.
French Stewart as Harry Solomon: Originally, he was not part of the mission, but just happened to go for the ride because an extra seat was available. Later, it becomes known that a chip is in his head, and he becomes the Communicator or Transmitter. Occasionally, he gets a message from the Solomons' leader, the Big Giant Head, and shakes violently in the middle of a sentence and squats down, with his arms at 90° angles, declaring "Incoming message from the Big Giant Head!", before going through the motions of delivering the message, which always ends with a violent sneeze. He poses as Dick and Sally's brother, and Tommy's uncle. Harry is often known to be the simplest family member, is occasionally impulsive and misunderstands people. He is also prone to misfortune. Though he seems to fit in on Earth with the earthlings better than anyone else, this is implied because he is seen as dimwitted. Whether he is really dimwitted or just more sensitive to his surroundings is unclear, however.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Tommy Solomon: Information officer and third-in-command behind Sally, Tommy plays the role of Dick's adolescent son, yet he is the oldest and smartest of all the aliens. Throughout the series, Tommy continually reminds the others of his superior intelligence and greater age. Gordon-Levitt left the series (after the fifth season concluded) as a primary character, only appearing as a recurring character in just over half the episodes of season six. In the show, this is explained by Tommy's graduating from high school and moving out to college.
Jane Curtin as Dr. Mary Albright: Dick's colleague and on-and-off girlfriend, Mary is aware that Dick is an insensitive idiot, but appreciates his joie de vivre and quirkiness. Reference is often made to the insecurity caused by her bad parenting, and the fact that before Dick arrived, she was known for sleeping around, and had even been nicknamed "Dr. Slutbunny".
Simbi Khali as Nina Campbell (seasons 3-6, recurring previously): Dick's and Mary's administrative assistant, she finds Dick beyond the pale.
Elmarie Wendel as Mrs. Mamie Dubcek (seasons 3-6, recurring previously): Mrs. Dubcek is a "blast from the past", namely the '60s. She boasts of having danced naked with Jack Kerouac in a cage. In addition to being the landlady, she is a friend to the Solomons.
Wayne Knight as Officer Don Leslie Orville (seasons 3-6, recurring previously): As Sally's boyfriend, he is an underachieving, spineless police officer, who has a talent for romanticizing his rather mundane job. Sally is completely enraptured by his stories, and is reduced to simpering and giggling around him.
Recurring characters[edit]
David DeLuise as Bug Pollone: one of Dick's students (DeLuise's father Dom appears as Bug's father in one episode)
Ian Lithgow as Leon: one of Dick's students, played by John Lithgow's oldest son
Danielle Nicolet as Caryn: one of Dick's students
Chris Hogan as Aubrey Pitman: one of Dick's students
Ileen Getz as Dr. Judith Draper: professor at Pendelton and colleague of Mary
Shay Astar as August Leffler: Tommy's first girlfriend (in seasons 1–3, sparsely appears in seasons 3 and 4)
Larisa Oleynik as Alissa Strudwick: Tommy's second girlfriend (in seasons 4–6)
Ron West as Dr. Vincent Strudwick: Alissa's father and rival to Dick (in seasons 2–6)
William Shatner as The Big Giant Head: the aliens' boss, he goes by the name Stone Philips on the Earth (in seasons 4 and 5), and is later revealed to be Dick's home planet biological father
Jan Hooks as Victoria Marie "Vicki" Dubcek daughter of Ms. Dubcek, Harry's on-and-off girlfriend (seasons 2-4) who ends up having a child with the Big Giant Head (in season 5)
John Cleese as Dr. Liam Neesam: a professor who briefly has a relationship with Mary, and is later revealed to be an evil alien (in seasons 3 and 6)
Chyna as Janice: a muscular female police officer who is briefly Harry's girlfriend
Michael Milhoan as Coach Strickland: high school PE teacher at Tommy's high school, enjoys picking on Tommy and other unathletic students
Guest stars[edit]
Main article: List of guest stars in 3rd Rock from the Sun
Production[edit]
Theme music[edit]
The show's opening theme music was composed by Ben Vaughn, and for the first three seasons, it was originally a 1950s-style rock-and-roll instrumental piece; 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. Only one alternate version of the theme was used during the course of the show's run. For Christmas episodes, jingle bells were added to the theme. For the sixth and final season, a modern jazz underline version of the theme was used during that season. The only major change to the theme was in season four through 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, and was only used during that season. During season one, James Earl Jones provided a voice introduction describing the crew.
Title sequence[edit]
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.
Distribution[edit]
Broadcast[edit]
Main article: List of 3rd Rock from the Sun episodes
The six seasons had 139 episodes in the series.
Season
Episodes
Originally aired
Season premiere
Season finale
1 20 January 9, 1996 (1996-01-09) May 21, 1996 (1996-05-21)
2 26 September 22, 1996 (1996-09-22) May 18, 1997 (1997-05-18)
3 27 September 24, 1997 (1997-09-24) May 20, 1998 (1998-05-20)
4 24 September 23, 1998 (1998-09-23) May 25, 1999 (1999-05-25)
5 22 September 21, 1999 (1999-09-21) May 23, 2000 (2000-05-23)
6 20 October 24, 2000 (2000-10-24) May 22, 2001 (2001-05-22)
Of 139 episodes of the series, 108 contained "Dick" in the title (in reference to 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 risque and often are double entendres (i.e., "Sensitive Dick", "A Dick Replacement", "Frozen Dick", "Shall We Dick"), due to the fact that 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 risque.
During the show's sixth and final season, John Lithgow commented to several media outlets that "3rd Rock" had been moved to more than fifteen different time slots in six years, causing its ratings to decrease substantially.
Syndication[edit]
In the United States, the series is distributed for syndication by Carsey-Warner Distribution, and entered broadcast syndication in September 1999, where it continued until the fall of 2004. In 2004, the show moved into limited-run barter syndication, where it remains; The Program Exchange handles distribution for Carsey-Werner.[1] ABC Family aired reruns between 2002 and 2006. Reruns of the series aired on TV Land from 2008 through 2010. In the fall of 2010, ReelzChannel began airing the series. This series rerun is now also aired on Malaysia's national broadcast TV channel RTM's TV2 in the 12:30am time slot on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. In the United Kingdom, the series originally aired on BBC Two from 1996 to 2001 and ITV2 later repeated the entire series from 2005 to 2006. Cable network Virgin Media currently has 40 episodes from seasons 1 and 2 available 'on demand' from the Comedy Central menu option. The series began airing from the beginning on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom from May 12, 2014.[2] A repeat of Channel 4's episodes are broadcast on 4Seven. In the Republic of Ireland, 3e run reruns of the show during the late night slot after Conan at 12:30 am. Netflix 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, but was removed again exactly two years later. In the fall of 2011, Canada's TVTropolis cable channel began airing the show, and featured a long weekend marathon run of episodes. The entire series is also available in the United States on Hulu Plus. The Hulu Plus streams of the show are presented in a 16x9 aspect ratio and HD. It's also set to air on Laff.
DVD releases[edit]
Region 1
Anchor Bay Entertainment released all six seasons of 3rd Rock from the Sun on DVD for the first time in 2005-2006.[3][4][5][6][7][8] 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.[9] They have subsequently re-released seasons 1-4. These releases contain the unedited, original broadcast versions of the episodes.[10][11] Seasons 5 and 6 were re-released on January 8, 2013.[12][13][14]
On May 14, 2013, Mill Creek released 3rd Rock from the Sun - The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.[15]
Region 2
Network DVD released all six seasons on DVD in the UK. While seasons 1-4 feature unedited versions of the episodes, seasons 5 and 6 feature syndicated, edited episodes. Network re-released the series in 2008 in individual set and a complete collection.
The Complete Season One (released May 17, 2004)[16]
The Complete Season Two (released June 21, 2004)[17]
The Complete Season Three (released August 30, 2004)[18]
The Complete Season Four (released October 25, 2004)[19]
The Complete Season Five (released January 24, 2005)[20]
The Complete Season Six (released January 24, 2005)[21]
The Complete Series (released October 25, 2004)[22]
Series One (re-released November 3, 2008)[23]
Series Two (re-released November 3, 2008)[24]
Series Three (re-released November 3, 2008)[25]
Series Four (re-released November 3, 2008)[26]
Series Five (re-released November 3, 2008)[27]
Series Six (re-released November 3, 2008)[28]
The Complete Series (re-released November 3, 2008)[29]
Region 4
Magna Home Entertainment released all six seasons on DVD in Australia between 2005 and 2007. These releases have been discontinued and are now out of print.
On November 15, 2010, Beyond Home Entertainment re-released all six seasons on DVD in Region 4.[30][31][32][33][34][35] The complete collection was also released three days later, on November 18.[36]
As of January 2012, all seasons are available through Netflix. On February 4, the series was removed, although returned to availability on March 15, 2015. The series has since been removed.[37]
Seasons 1 and 2 were available to download in the UK through iTunes, but are no longer and no episodes or seasons have been made available digitally since.
The entire series is currently available to Amazon Prime users through Amazon Video in the US.
Reception[edit]
Nielsen rankings[edit]
Further information: Nielsen ratings
Season
TV season
Rank
1 1995–1996 22[38]
2 1996–1997 28[39]
3 1997–1998 44[40]
4 1998–1999 77[41]
5 1999–2000 82[42]
6 2000–2001 89[43]
Awards and nominations[edit]
Main article: List of awards and nominations received by 3rd Rock from the Sun
John Lithgow
In 1997, 3rd Rock won the most Primetime Emmy Awards (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
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 Multi-camera Picture Editing for a Series
1999 — Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series — Kathy Bates as Charlotte Everly and Laurie Metcalf as Jennifer
1999 — Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series — William Shatner as the Big Giant Head
2000 — Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-camera 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."[44]
Golden Globe Awards
1997 — Best Actor in a Television Comedy or Musical — John Lithgow
Screen Actors Guild Awards
1996, 1997 — Best Male Actor — Comedy Series — John Lithgow
Other media[edit]
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 Solomon's 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 written by Harry, and Sally's version of a Cosmo 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".
See also[edit]
Science fiction portal
Television in the United States portal
1990s portal
2000s portal
My Favorite Martian
Mork & Mindy
ALF
The Neighbors
Invader Zim
Coneheads
References[edit]
Jump up ^ 3rd Rock from the Sun Archived 2015-07-02 at the Wayback Machine. at The Program Exchange. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock from the Sun". channel4.com. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock From The Sun: Season 1 DVD @ DVD Empire". Dvdempire.com. 2005-07-26. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock From The Sun: Season 2 DVD @ DVD Empire". Dvdempire.com. 2005-10-25. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock From The Sun: Season 3 DVD @ DVD Empire". Dvdempire.com. 2006-02-21. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock From The Sun: Season 4 DVD @ DVD Empire". Dvdempire.com. 2006-02-05. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock From The Sun: Season 5 DVD @ DVD Empire". Dvdempire.com. 2006-08-15. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock From The Sun: Season 6 DVD @ DVD Empire". Dvdempire.com. 2006-11-14. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
Jump up ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-28. Retrieved 2013-10-07.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock from the Sun DVD news: Announcement for 3rd Rock from the Sun - The Complete Season 1 and 3rd Rock from the Sun - The Complete Season 2". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock from the Sun DVD news: Announcement for The Complete Season 3 and The Complete Season 4". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock from the Sun - The Complete Season Five (Mill Creek) DVD Review - Sitcoms Online". sitcomsonline.com. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock from the Sun DVD news: Announcement for 3rd Rock from the Sun - Season 5 AND Season 6". TVShowsOnDVD.com. 2007-05-25. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock from the Sun - The Complete Season Six (Mill Creek) DVD Review - Sitcoms Online". sitcomsonline.com. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock from the Sun DVD news: Announcement for 3rd Rock from the Sun - The Complete Series - TVShowsOnDVD.com". tvshowsondvd.com.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock From The Sun - The Complete Season 1 [DVD] [1996]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock From The Sun - The Complete Season 2 [DVD] [1996]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock From The Sun - The Complete Season 3 [DVD] [1996]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock From The Sun - The Complete Season 4 [DVD] [1996]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock From The Sun - The Complete Season 5 [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock From The Sun - The Complete Season 6 [DVD] [1996]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock From The Sun - Complete [DVD] [1996]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
Jump up ^ "Third Rock From The Sun - Series 1 - Complete [1996] [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
Jump up ^ "Third Rock From The Sun - Series 2 - Complete [1997] [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
Jump up ^ "Third Rock From The Sun - Series 3 - Complete [1998] [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
Jump up ^ "Third Rock From The Sun - Series 4 - Complete [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
Jump up ^ "Third Rock From The Sun - Series 5 - Complete [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
Jump up ^ "Third Rock From The Sun - Series 6 - Complete [2001] [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
Jump up ^ "Third Rock From The Sun - Series 1-6 - Complete [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock From The Sun - Season 1 | DVD, DVD Genres, Comedy : JB HI-FI". Jbhifionline.com.au. 2010-11-15. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock From The Sun - Season 2 | DVD, DVD Genres, Comedy : JB HI-FI". Jbhifionline.com.au. 2010-11-15. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock From The Sun - Season 3 | DVD, DVD Genres, Comedy : JB HI-FI". Jbhifionline.com.au. 2010-11-15. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock From The Sun - Season 4 | DVD, DVD Genres, Comedy : JB HI-FI". Jbhifionline.com.au. 2010-11-15. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock From The Sun - Season 5 | DVD, DVD Genres, Comedy : JB HI-FI". Jbhifionline.com.au. 2010-11-15. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock From The Sun - Season 6 | DVD, DVD Genres, Comedy : JB HI-FI". Jbhifionline.com.au. 2010-11-15. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
Jump up ^ "3rd Rock From The Sun: Complete Collection | DVD, DVD Genres, TV : JB HI-FI". Jbhifionline.com.au. 2010-11-18. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
Jump up ^ "New To Netflix March 2015: Patch Adams, Mad Men, Archer". Geeks of Doom.
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Jump up ^ "1997–1998 TV Ratings Archived May 24, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 25, 2008.
Jump up ^ "1998–1999 TV Ratings Retrieved July 24, 2008. Archived 2009-10-22.
Jump up ^ "Top TV Shows for 1999–2000 Season
Jump up ^ "2000–2001 TV Ratings Retrieved July 24, 2008.
Jump up ^ "Academy of Television Arts & Sciences". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on 12 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-18.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 3rd Rock from the Sun.
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3rd Rock from the Sun at Curlie (based on DMOZ)
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The 3rd Rock from the Sun Wiki
Preceded by
The X-Files
1997 3rd Rock from the Sun
Super Bowl lead-out program
1998 Succeeded by
The Simpsons
and
Family Guy
1999 Super Bowl
[show]
v
t
e
3rd Rock from the Sun
Characters
Dick Solomon
Sally Solomon
Harry Solomon
Tommy Solomon
Nina Campbell
Mamie Dubcek
Don Orville
Mary Albright
Big Giant Head
Seasons
1
"Brains and Eggs"
2
3
4
5
"The Loud Solomon Family: A Dickumentary"
6
"The Thing That Wouldn't Die"
Other
Awards and nominations
Guest stars
[show]
v
t
e
Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
The Governor & J.J. (1969)
The Carol Burnett Show (1970)
All in the Family, season 1/season 2 (1971)
All in the Family, season 2/season 3 (1972)
All in the Family, season 3/season 4 (1973)
Rhoda, season 1 (1974)
Barney Miller, season 1/season 2 (1975)
Barney Miller, season 2/season 3 (1976)
All in the Family, season 7/season 8 (1977)
Taxi, season 1 (1978)
Alice/Taxi, season 1/season 2 (1979)
Taxi, season 2/season 3 (1980)
M*A*S*H, season 9/season 10 (1981)
Fame (1982)
Fame (1983)
The Cosby Show, season 1 (1984)
The Golden Girls, season 1(1985)
The Golden Girls, season 1/season 2 (1986)
The Golden Girls, season 2/season 3 (1987)
The Wonder Years, season 1/season 2 (1988)
Murphy Brown (1989)
Cheers, season 8/season 9 (1990)
Brooklyn Bridge (1991)
Roseanne, season 4/season 5 (1992)
Seinfeld, season 4/season 5 (1993)
Frasier, season 1/season 2 & Mad About You (1994)
Cybill (1995)
3rd Rock from the Sun, season 1/season 2 (1996)
Ally McBeal, season 1 (1997)
Ally McBeal, season 1/season 2 (1998)
Sex and the City, season 2 (1999)
Sex and the City, season 3 (2000)
Sex and the City, season 4 (2001)
Curb Your Enthusiasm (2002)
The Office (UK) (2003)
Desperate Housewives, season 1 (2004)
Desperate Housewives, season 1/season 2 (2005)
Ugly Betty, season 1 (2006)
Extras (2007)
30 Rock, season 2/season 3 (2008)
Glee, season 1 (2009)
Glee, season 1/season 2 (2010)
Modern Family, season 2/season 3 (2011)
Girls, season 1 (2012)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine, season 1 (2013)
Transparent, season 1 (2014)
Mozart in the Jungle, season 1 (2015)
Atlanta, season 1 (2016)
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