'The Addams Family' and 'The Munsters' - Which Came First

STREAM AND SCREAM
‘The Addams Family’ and ‘The Munsters’: Which Is TV’s True First Family of
Fright?
By Brett White

@brettwhite |
Oct 14, 2019 at 8:30am 1066 Shares
Photos: Getty Images ; Illustration: Dillen Phelps
Star Wars or Star Trek ? Beatles or Stones? Marvel or DC? Many an identity is built around picking a side
in these pop culture debates. You might bond with a co-worker over spending high school learning the
MORE FROM DECIDER
steps to “Bye Bye Bye” instead of “I Want It That Way,” or form a low-key resentment of someone for
New On Netflix New On Disney+ New On HBO Max
choosing Friends over Seinfeld

November 2021, Plus
What’s Coming Next

November 2021 November 2021, Plus
(or vice versa). Is any of this healthy? No! Is it fun? Sometimes! Can any
What's Coming Next
of us help it? Not at all! And when October rolls around, there’s one dreadful dichotomy that people
can’t stop debating: are you an Addams Family person or a Munsters person?
With a new Addams Family animated feature in theaters right now, this question feels spookily relevant
in 2019. You can’t think of one without thinking of the other, and I’m sure there are plenty of confused
parents out there looking for tickets to a Munsters movie right now. It’s no wonder the two have always
been paired; they both debuted within a week of each other on TV in 1964, aired for two seasons, and
then came crawling out of the grave every few years/decades with another TV show, cartoon, or
feature film.
But—and here’s the question I personally wanted to answer—which came first? Did The Munsters ripoff
The Addams Family ? Was it the other way around? Was this just another instance of weird pop culture
confluence?
Seriously—which came first, The Addams Family or
The Munsters?
To answer that question, you have to go back in time 80 years and meet two cartoonists: Charles
Addams and Bob Clampett. While working as a cartoonist for The New Yorker , Charles Addams
introduced what would become the Addams Family (a name he never gave to them, by the way) in
1938. The cartoon was meant to be a one-off, a one-panel gag of a salesman cluelessly trying to sell a
vacuum cleaner to a gothic woman and her lumbering, fur-faced companion.
MORE FROM DECIDER
November 2021, Plus November 2021 November 2021, Plus
What’s Coming Next What's Coming Next

The 1973 ‘Addams Family’ cartoon was inspired by Charles Addams’ original art. ©Hanna-Barbera/Courtesy Everett Collection
Addams’ work was generally macabre, so he’d return to these unnamed characters time and time
again, rounding out the cast with a pudgy companion in a chalk stripe suit (eventually named Gomez)
in 1942 and two morose children, an old witch, and a bald weirdo. So The Addams Family came first.
Or did they?
If you take a broad look at pop culture history, you could say that the Munsters ‘ origin begins in 1931
with the release of two Universal monster movies: Dracula and Frankenstein . Both of those films
dragged those literary monsters out of the 19th century and gave them iconic iterations that would be
mimicked in everything from classroom decor to store bought costumes.
MORE FROM DECIDER

Grandpa and Herman Munster, before they were TV stars? Photos: Everett Collection
But unlike the off-brand knickknacks you can find of a green-skinned corpse monster at any store, The
Munsters actually have a legit connection to the Universal monsters: The Munsters is a Universal
production. In fact, Looney Tunes animator Bob Clampett pitched a cartoon about a monster family to
Universal in 1943, just as Addams was building out a frightful family of his own in the pages of The New
Yorker . Nothing came of Clampett’s pitch and production on classic monster movies slowed down in
the 1950s while Charles Addams published collections of his New Yorker cartoons, including 1954’s
Homebodies (more on that world-changing tome in a bit).
How did The Munsters and The Addams Family end
up on TV at the exact same time?
The early-to-mid ’60s were a wild time for TV. After a decade dominated by the wholesome family
comedy like Father Knows Best and the domestic slapstick brilliance of I Love Lucy , sitcoms got weird.
The Addams Family

It’s actually not surprising that The Munsters
and debuted at the exact same time
when you step back and realize that Bewitched also debuted that same week, and that My Favorite
Martian debuted a year before and I Dream of Jeannie a year later. TV was filled with witches, genies,
aliens, talking horses, possessed automobiles—this was just the thing (but not Thing, not yet).
MORE FROM DECIDER

My Favorite Martian Bewitched
, , and I Dream of Jeannie were all part of a wave of supernatural ’60s sitcoms. Photos: Everett Collection
That’s probably why a pair of writers approached Universal with a pitch eerily similar to the one
Clampett made almost 20 years earlier. Accounts differ across various sources as to who those writers
were. Either Gene L. Coons ( Star Trek ) and Les Colodny ( Get Smart ) made the pitch first, or Rocky and
Bullwinkle writers Allan Burns and Chris Hayward did. Either way, one pair pitched the idea of a
monstrous take on The Donna Reed Show and the other fleshed it out (Burns and Hayward ultimately
got creator credit). Universal head Lew Wasserman wanted to bring back the studios’ classic monsters
on the small screen—and this monster family pitch seemed like the right way to do it. Writing team
Norm Liebmann and Ed Haas, who actually wrote for The Donna Reed Show , were hired to write a pilot
script titled Love Thy Monster and a pilot presentation was filmed for CBS in early 1964—in color! The
show was ultimately shot in black and white to save money.
The Munsters Unaired Pilot
MORE FROM DECIDER

So The Munsters came first… sorta?
It depends on what David Levy knew and when he knew it. Levy, formerly the VP in charge of
programming at NBC, peaced out of the TV biz in the early ’60s because he was sick of all the sex and
violence on TV at the time. It’s a good thing David Levy did not live to see Real World: Las Vegas .
According to Addams Family lore, though, he was pulled back into the fray after taking a stroll down
Fifth Avenue in Manhattan and seeing the cover for Addams’ 1954 cartoon collection Homebodies .
Levy then met with Addams, determined that these disparate-ish characters were all a family, and had
Addams himself give them all names (except Wednesday, who was named by a toy manufacturer
ahead of the show’s debut). It was even Levy’s idea to take a disembodied hand that had appeared in
one cartoon from 1954 and make him a character—Thing—and Levy, not Addams, came up with fan-
favorite Cousin Itt.
Cousin Itt, Fester in Addams Family Values
©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection
MORE FROM DECIDER
It’s appropriate that Cousin Itt’s creation is where dates get fuzzy. It’s undisputed that Levy created Itt

while brainstorming with Addams (Levy actually sued Paramount in 1992 after they used Cousin Itt,
Thing, and various other elements from the TV series he co-created in the feature film; it was settled out
of court). After Levy came up with Itt, Addams worked the hirsute cousin into a New Yorker cartoon in
October 1963, well over a year before Itt debuted on the TV show in early 1965. In fact, we know Itt
had to have appeared in The New Yorker before the show debuted because magazine editor William
Shawn banned the Addams Family from appearing in the high-class publication because he didn’t
want it to be associated with a mainstream sitcom. So if Levy and Addams were working on an Addams
Family pitch in 1963, that means they most likely came up with the idea independently of what
Universal was doing with The Munsters (CBS didn’t announce The Munsters until early 1964). Of course,
another source claims that Levy heard CBS was developing the Munsters and then reached out to
Addams, but I don’t know if those dates line up with the stone cold facts about Cousin Itt.
So The Munsters and The Addams Family have
nothing to do with each other?
Not exactly. It’s been said that Levy initially pitched The Addams Family to CBS, who passed on the idea
because they were already working on the Munsters(other sources say they started work on The
Munsters after the pitch, but I don’t know if thosedates line up either). And then when Levy pitched
ABC on The Addams Family , it’s said that they were game because they knew CBS had picked up The
Munsters . So that’s why there’s not a clearcut answer as to which came first, The Munsters or The
Addams Family , because depending on which source you find, they both influenced the other network
to develop or green light the other show. What does seem accurate is that Universal and David Levy
came up with the ideas independently.
Which debuted on TV first?
After shooting a pilot presentation in March 1964 (probably just after The Munsters shot theirs?), The
Addams Family debuted first on ABC on September 18, 1964. The Munsters followed on CBS on
September 24, 1964.
MORE FROM DECIDER

The Addams Family and The Munsters casts
Photos: Everett Collection
Even though both families were spooky AF, they had noticeably different tones. The Munsters came
from the producers of Leave It to Beaver and you could tell from the more traditional, slapsticky plot
lines. The Addams Family , however, was run by Nat Perrin, a frequent collaborator with the Marx
Brothers who ensured his monster show had an undercurrent of bizarre satire to it. Both shows did well
at first, with The Munsters ending the season ranked #18 in the ratings and the Addamses coming in at
#23. Plenty of merchandise followed, as monster-mania hit its pop culture peak.
Why did The Munsters and The Addams Family both
end after two seasons?
You can blame Nazis and Batman. I’m actually not joking! It’s theorized that both shows became too
hot too fast, and adults burned out on overtly spooky sitcoms ( Bewitched was likely spared because
Samantha was all about assimilating). But on top of that, both shows faced stiff competition in their
time slot—from the others’ network! ABC’s newly-launched Batman soundly beat CBS’ The Munsters ,
and CBS’ new WWII comedy Hogan’s Heroes defeated ABC’s Addams Family . They both aired their
last episodes in Spring 1966. What a world!
MORE FROM DECIDER
November 2021, Plus November 2021

To sum up, Charles Addams created the Addams Family characters in 1938 while the Munsters
November 2021, Plus
were
inspired by characters that were re-introduced in 1931. The shows were pitched roughly around the
same time around 1963 and probably helped each other get made. And The Addams Family literally
debuted on TV first in 1964, although The Munsters lasted slightly longer.
That’s where the similarities end, right?
Wrong! Neither family would remain six feet under for long since the shows remained popular with
kids. That led to the families coming back over and over again in strangely similar ways. They’ve both
had:
Feature films: Munster, Go Home! (1966); The Addams Family (1991), Addams Family Values
(1993), The Addams Family (2019)
Animated specials: The Addamses in The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1973); The Mini-Munsters
(1973)
TV movies: Halloween with the New Addams Family Addams Family Reunion
(1977), (straight-to-
video, 1998); The Munsters’ Revenge Here Come the Munsters

(1981), The Munsters’ Scary
(1995),
Little Christmas (1996)
And, the most stunning coincidence of all, both shows had revival series that lasted longer than the
The Munsters Today

1964 originals! (1988-1991) lasted 73 episodes compared to the original’s 70, and
The New Addams Family (1998-1999) lasted 65 episodes compared to the original’s 64.
MORE FROM DECIDER

The New Addams Family and Munsters Today casts
Photos: Everett Collection
Also, I have to mention that Butch Patrick was both the original Eddie Munster and the second Pugsley
in the 1973 variety special The Addams Family Fun-House . My jaw dropped.
What’s next for The Addams Family and The
Munsters?
The Addamses have a movie in theaters right now, which is their first foray into TV or film in 20 years.
The Munsters tried to make a comeback in 2012 with the highly-stylized hourlong dramedy pilot
Mockingbird Lane from super producer Bryan Fuller (NBC didn’t pick it up). But since the Addams
Family has an animated feature film, the first of either franchise to have such, it’s probably a safe bet
Munsters
that there’s a cartoon feature pitch floating around Universal right now. You can’t have one
without the other, such is their delightful curse.
STREAM THE ADDAMS FAMILY (1964) ON PRIME VIDEO
MORE FROM DECIDER
WHERE TO WATCH THE MUNSTERS


WHERE TO WATCH THE ADDAMS FAMILY (1991)
WHERE TO WATCH ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES (1993)
Halloween Prime Video Stream and Scream The Addams Family
WHERE TO STREAM:
THE ADDAMS FAMILY
MORE
OPTIONS
Powered by Reelgood
MORE ON:
STREAM AND SCREAM
'I Know What You Did Last Summer' Season 1 Finale Recap: "Your Next Life Could Be So Much Happier"
Stream It Or Skip It: 'Great White' on Shudder, A Toothless Flick Where Sharks Stalk Swimmers
The Gleefully Madcap 'Chucky' Series Proves 'Child's Play' Was Worth Reviving ... Again
The Problematics: 'Carrie' Explores Teen Sexuality Through Brian De Palma's Overtly Male Gaze (And Lots Of Pig
Blood)
SPONSORED STORIES
MORE FROM DECIDER

Why Millennials Are Using Their Phones To inPixio Photo Studio 11 - Photo Editing made
Learn A Language In 3 Weeks? easy!
Babbel.com InPixio
Pick your Card and Discover now! Doctors Baffled: Simple Tip Relieves [Pics] Photos Show The Difference
Years of Joint Pain and Arthritis (Try Between Meghan & Kate's Parenting
m.blancheofsaintandre.com
Tonight)
ArticleSkill
Health News Worldwide
What Time Does ‘Yellowstone’ Come On Tensions Brew at ‘The View’ As Guest Host
MORE FROM DECIDER

Tonight? How To Watch ‘Yellowstone’ Morgan Ortagus Ignites Multiple Spats
Season 4, Episode 3 Live on Paramount


Recommended 4/5
Senior Living Homes | Sponsored Listings - Sponsored

Read More
[Pic] Remember Him Wait Till Treat Yourself to Everyday [Gallery] Mom Kicked Out Of
You See Him Now Comfort Water Park For Her Bikini
Housediver Soft&Comfy Material to Wear All Day Cleverst
AROUND THE WEB
MORE FROM DECIDER

An Erotic Thriller Is Crushing It On Netflix White House Press Sec. Reveals The Reason She's
Wegotthiscovered.com Stepping Down
Aol.com
Five Child Actors Who Have Surprising Adult Careers Something About Chelsea Clinton's Marriage Never
Tvovermind.com Added Up
NickiSwift.com
The Transformation Of Matthew Gray Gubler When You Start Sleeping Naked, This Is What Will
NickiSwift.com Happen
Healthdigest.com
MORE FROM DECIDER

The Truth About Donald And Melania's Marriage Is Out A Great Ryan Reynolds Movie Is No Longer Getting A
In The Open Sequel
TheList.com Wegotthiscovered.com
Recommended by ZergNet
MORE FROM DECIDER

JINGLE BINGE
Stream It or Skip It: 'A Picture Perfect Holiday' on Lifetime, Where Love Develops Between
Photographers
Stream It or Skip It: 'One December Night' on Hallmark, Where Bruce Campbell and Peter
Gallagher Play Retired Singers
The 12 Best Kids Christmas Movies the Whole Family Will Love
Stream It or Skip It: 'An Ice Wine Christmas' on Lifetime, Where a Sommelier Meets Her Mortal
Enemy: Science
MORE FROM DECIDER
New On Netflix
Stream It or Skip It: 'Home Sweet HomeNew On Disney+
Alone' on Disney+ Flips the Script on theNew On HBOClassic
Christmas Max

MORE FROM DECIDER
What Time Does 'Yellowstone' Come On Tonight? How To Joy Behar's Comments About Paul Rudd as Sexiest Man Alive
Watch 'Yellowstone' Season 4, Episode 3 Live on Paramount Send 'The View' Into Hysterics
Network
MORE FROM DECIDER

'The Addams Family' and 'The Munsters' - Which Came First

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

'The Addams Family' and 'The Munsters' - Which Came First

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

STREAM AND SCREAM

Photos: Getty Images ; Illustration: Dillen Phelps

choosing Friends over Seinfeld

What’s Coming Next

Seriously—which came first, The Addams Family or

vacuum cleaner to a gothic woman and her lumbering, fur-faced companion.

MORE FROM DECIDER

New On Netflix New On Disney+ New On HBO Max

November 2021, Plus November 2021 November 2021, Plus

What’s Coming Next What's Coming Next

mimicked in everything from classroom decor to store bought costumes.

MORE FROM DECIDER

New On Netflix New On Disney+ New On HBO Max

November 2021, Plus November 2021 November 2021, Plus

What’s Coming Next What's Coming Next

Homebodies (more on that world-changing tome in a bit).

How did The Munsters and The Addams Family end

up on TV at the exact same time?