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Welcome to my humble page dedicated to 3RD Rock from the Sun - a show that has brought me many laughs over the years. Here you will find a brief introduction to the show, what items you can buy and some of my favourite clips!
I have very fond memories of watching the show as a teen and still return to it now and then.
I highly recommend it as an idiotic yet sometimes brilliant look at ourselves and to watch Dick fly off on some crazed crusade which (usually) publicly humiliates his girlfriend is hysterical.
Scroll through and see what you may have been missing or rediscover what you may have forgotten.
Created by Carsey Werner (creators of That 70's show) - 3RD Rock From The Sun is a sitcom about a team of alien scientists sent from a far away galaxy to Earth on an information gathering mission. Set in the fictional town of Rutherford, Ohio they probe deep into the human condition and expose the idiosyncrasies of supposedly the most complex creatures on the planet. They land, assume what they believe to be typical human form and try to act as inconspicuous as possible, concealing their alien identity at all costs and attempt to emulate a "normal" family.
The crew consists of:
The High Commander (Dick Soloman played by John Lithgow) is the pompous leader of the group.
The Security Officer (Sally Soloman played by Kristen Johnston) is the hardened warrior of the unit.
The Information Officer (Tommy Soloman played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is the source of critical knowledge.
and Harry Soloman (Played by French Stewart) who serves no obvious purpose.
The team report directly to the Big Giant Head, their supreme leader on the home planet located in the Barred Spiral galaxy on the Cepheus-Draco border.
Whilst their mission was only to last several weeks, the complexity of the developing emotions that came with their new human bodies demanded further study. Most of this was the result of Dick's pursuit of Dr Mary Albright (Jane Curtin), his office partner. This started a wobbly romance lasting for the entire series.
As a sitcom, the basis for the humour in 3RD Rock is the concept of the outsider looking in. The magic of the show lies in its ability to see things that us self obsessed humans do not. With a clean slate and superior intelligence they analyse each situation they encounter themselves in. Their child like innocence finds them fascinated and often bewildered by some of the simplest things in life and strange rituals which we predominantly take for granted.
Dick, Tommy, Harry and Sally provide is with dangerously realistic conclusions about our most human behaviour.
"There is nothing more alien than the truth"
Whilst the show always suffered from low ratings (cited mostly to seemingly random timeslots!) it managed to find a niece audience enough to keep the show returning. It gained a cult audience in the UK. 3RD Rock aired its last new episode on May 22, 2001 after 6 seasons and 139 episodes. The final episode, "The Thing That Would Not Die" actually two endings. Producers were not sure whether the show would return for a 7th year. The alternative ending was shot without the usual studio audience. Several months after it was clear the show was not returning the alternative ending was shown on US TV as a special. The alternative ending has never been shown in the UK, however, the Season 6 DVD collection contains the alternative ending (all several seconds of it!)
The show did manage to have an impressive array of guest stars. Notable mentions include John Cleese as Dick's arch alien nemesis, David Hasselhoff as a plastic surgeon, Billy Conoly as an actor-come cliché Scotland-Yard Inspector, Cindy Crawford as part of a mob of super models trying to take over the world, Mark Hamil as the harassed and assaulted celebrity with a brilliant recurring performances from William Shatner as the unpredictable Big Giant Head, the groups supreme leader.
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The show was also decorated with numerous awards including multiple Emmy's and several Golden Globes some of which personally awarded to John Lithgow for this portrayal of Dick Solomon.
Since 2001 there has been no news on any future projects so it appears 3RD Rock is officially over and now exists in the hearts of cultists alike.
Across the void we come a warping,
Duh, erm, duh duah dah,
Something, errr dah dah,
......Spaceshiiiiiiiiiip!
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He is the High Commander of the mission. Upon landing he manages to find a job as a physics professor at the local university. He wants and tries to do the right thing but is prone to quick judgements and is highly spontaneous acting childlike in many situations. He easily becomes jealous and competitive. After some time he finally manages to strike up a relationship with Dr Albright which goes through some bizarre motions. |
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 Poses as Dick's sister. At first she struggles adapting to womanhood having previously been a fearless warrior. She is the security officer with the rank of lieutenant and is second in command. She has a fierce temper, kicking down doors and always ready to start a fight.. A long term relationship with Officer Don leads to her exploration of sex. |
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Is the information officer and has the role of the adolescent although he is the oldest member of the group. He was tasked with providing everybody with false identities and background to appear less alien. He is usually the most level headed and adult acting. We follow his progress through high school with crushes on teachers and several girlfriends. |
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His presence on the mission was not planned and he came along because there was an extra seat. It was later revealed that he is the conduit for communication with the home planet via a transmitter implanted in his head. He poses as Dick's brother. Thinking only with the stem of his brain, he is clumsy and slow though sometimes capable of some surprising independent thought. He has a brief, bizarre and unpredictable relationship with Vicki Dupecheck. |
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Mary is a professor of Anthropology at the university and becomes Dick's long term girlfriend. She met him when he was put in her office at the university. Though she knows him to be an insensitive, self-obsessed idiot she could not avoid infatuation of his bizarre and unpredictable behaviour even if that includes negative consequences for her which usually is publicly humiliated by Dick. She is not aware of Dick (or his family) alien origins. |
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Don is a local police officer who regularly drops by mostly to see Sally, whom he pursues for a long time. Sally is attracted to the idea of law enforcement and they strike up a passionate friendship. He is very human and somewhat dim-witted but provides the experience angle to situations particularly with Sally. He is not aware that Sally (or the rest of her family) are aliens. |
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Is the strong, proud and wise-cracking administration assistant and resident of Mary and Dick's office. She has a very low opinion of Dick and has little time for him and his family. Despite this she occasionally becomes caught up in the machinations of others around her. |
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Mrs Dubcheck is the gang's unsuspecting land-lady. She lives in the house downstairs whilst the Solomans live in the attic. She has a reputation about the town and by all accounts lives a very active social life of men and alchohol. |
The show also has a wealth of other recurring characters. These include Vincent Strudwick - Dick's human nemesis (see the episode Dick Vs Strudwick, Vicki Dubecheck - Mrs Dubecheck's trashy daughter and of course The Big Giant Head calling himself Stone Philips played by the legend, William Shatner.
These are my personal Top 10 episodes. It was very difficult to choose this list of just 10 episodes out of the entire selection but hope you enjoy them also.
Click on any of the titles to see more info and clips. You can also find them in the 3RD Rock From the Sun Episode Guide.
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Dick experiences his first taste of jealosy... |
2 |
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Practical jokes ensue after the sudden breakup |
3 |
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Invasion of the super-models! |
4 |
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The war is on! |
5 |
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Who is this strangely superior guy? |
6 |
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The 'who done it' weekend is ruined by murder |
7 |
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The supreme leader returns for his son and ayr |
8 |
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The search for someone to care for Mary |
9 |
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Sally has her 15 minutes of fame |
10 |
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The Solomons become exposed! |
3RD Rock From The Sun Complete Episode Guide can be found here. These are detailed descriptions of each episode. These are organised by season.
I openly admit I robbed the text from 3rd Rock.com which is now closed. ^_^
![3RD Rock DVD Sets [UK Versions]](images/dvd.gif)
All episodes have now been released on DVD. You can purchase the season box sets separately for around £14 each or the complete series box set for around £50. Check out places like Amazon and Play. The sets come with discs, 3D Glasses for the season 2 ending "A Night Mare on Dick Street" and a glossy episode guides.
The season 6 box set has extra features including, interviews, tv spots, radio spots, photo gallery and the alternative ending to the final episode.
Click on any of the thumbnails to see the larger version.
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The US versions of these season box sets have a slew of extra features and a separate box set entitled "The Best of 3RD Rock".
At this time (March 06) these are still being released at the US. There is no indication of a UK release.
In 1997 3 VHS tapes were released of 3RD Rock as the populatory of the show grew. These were limited edition with very shiny box art (so they don't scan well!) Click on the images for larger versions.
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Contains 3 classic Season 1 episodes; Lonely Dick, The Art of Dick and Ab-Dick-Ted |
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Contains 3 classic Season 1 episodes; Dick's First Birthday, Dick, Smoker and Green Eyed Dick. |
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Has the classic 2 part episode "Nightmare on Dick Street" from Season 2 along with the 3D glasses for watching the episode. |
You can probably still pick these tapes up on Ebay for little cost.
Packed with funny articles and plenty of images this book in an essential for any fan of the show and nice extension now that the show has ended.
Copies of this book float around Ebay for less than £5.
The official website is now closed.
Carsey Werner Website
Official website of the creators of 3RD Rock with a funky flash overview of the series with desktop images and trailers for the new dvd boxsets.
3RD Rock at Epguides
Has information and reviews on episodes including the original air dates. Also has information about the actors.
http://epguides.com/3rdRockFromtheSun/
3RD Rock at Wiki
The obligatory Wiki page with lots of information including all the awards that the show was nominated for and won.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3rd_Rock_from_the_Sun
Click on any of the icons to view the video clip. They link to Youtube videos which tend to go offline.
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Click on any of the images for the larger versions.
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The following sounds are presented in MP3 Format. There are plenty more to come...
Click on the icons to play them
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- Full Version Exploration Song - These are the lyrics for the song the gang can never remember!
"Across the void we come a-warping, across the field of stars we soar. We pledge to land, and ... something, something... spaceship! And when at last our mission's finished, in duty, homeward, shall we fly... Our glory cannot be diminished, back to the heavens in our mighty spaceship!" - 3RD Rock Theme Vs Nasa Voyager 2
Was the theme for 3RD inspired by "Johnny B. Goode," written and performed by Chuck Berry. 2:38 now leaving our solar system on Voyager 2 on the Golden Record. Have a listen on Youtube and see for yourself.
