Official Synopsis:
It’s the fourth hilarious season for TV’s favorite alien investigators as Dick Solomon (John Lithgow) and ‘family’ – Sally (Kristen Johnston), Harry (French Stewart), Tommy (Joseph Gordon- Levitt) and Dr. Albright (Jane Curtin) – discover break-ups, engagements, chain letters, the junior prom, collecting ‘Fuzzy Buddies’ and more. There are battles with alien hunters and IRS audits, plus new loves, family reunions, gender reassignment, one very strange birth, a Neil Diamond impersonator and even the return of The Big Giant Head, all in the unforgettable year that fans call one of the funniest ever! Wayne Knight co-stars in this smash season that was nominated for 7 Emmy® Awards – including wins for Lithgow and Johnston – and featured such guest stars as Jan Hooks, William Shatner, Kathy Bates, Laurie Metcalf, Larry Miller, Jack Carter, Kurtwood Smith, Bryan Cranston, Kevin Nealon and more!
Our Take:
Most great comedies have two things in common; the first is that they almost always involve a family of some sort. Whether it’s people who are blood related, or people who have been brought together by a common bond, they in some way or another are a family. The other is that they always have a great ensemble cast. As funny as a classic comedy like All in the Family is, would it still have had the same charm without Jean Stapleton or Rob Reiner? I don’t think so. Every actor has their strengths and weaknesses, and what an ensemble does is play off each other’s strengths, and support each other’s weaknesses.
3rd Rock from the Sun is a perfect example of an ensemble cast working well together. When you think of the cast, there is really nobody that stands out above the rest. Jane Curtin, French Stewart, Kristen Johnston, and Joseph Gordon Levitt all play very well together, and even the secondary characters like Wayne Knight’s Officer Orville and the nosy landlord Mrs. Dubcek help to round things out. Of course, there is that Dick, John Lithgow. While the ensemble cast makes the show work, his performance is really the glue that holds everything together. His departure from more serious dramatic roles as lunatics and bad guys (think Raising Cain or Cliffhanger) is what makes his role as the extra terrestrial who knows too little even funnier.
The new Season Four DVD collection doesn’t boast that many special features, which is a little disappointing, but the prior seasons’ collections do hold more in terms of interviews and such. Each season seems to be focusing in on a certain actor; with season one featuring interviews from all of the actors, season two focusing on John Lithgow, and season three focusing French Stewart. While this set doesn’t include as much as some of the previous seasons, what is included is something at least!
* Featurette: “Mary is Just Albright With Me” (7 minutes) - Features an interview with Jane Curtin along with clips from episodes. An interesting watch, but it leaves you wanting more.
* Bloopers (4 minutes) – A gag reel featuring some funny outtakes.
* Season 4 highlights (5 minutes) - Features clips spliced together of the funniest moments of the season. It’s a little redundant to have a highlight reel of a season you’ve already bought, but it’s something at least.
3rd Rock From the Sun was a show that never had to rely too much on its own gimmick. While I do think that in the later seasons the show started to get a little tired, in its fourth season, 3rd Rock was at its best. Drawing on all different styles of humor, from silly to sophisticated, it’s all here!
Overall Picture:
Show: B+
DVD: B-
- Chris Lawrence
Staff Writer
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