The Munsters Today
The Munsters Today is an American sitcom and a revival of the original 1964–66 sitcom The Munsters that aired in syndication from October 8, 1988 to May 25, 1991.[2][3]
| The Munsters Today | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Sitcom |
| Directed by | Norman Abbott Bob Claver Bonnie Franklin[1] Peter Isacksen Marlene Laird Lee Lochhead Russ Petranto Scott Redman Doug Rogers |
| Starring | John Schuck Lee Meriwether Howard Morton Jason Marsden Hilary Van Dyke |
| Theme music composer | Jack Marshall |
| Composers | Bill Fulton Larry Groupé |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 73 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Arthur L. Annecharico Bryan Joseph Lloyd J. Schwartz |
| Producer | Bryan Joseph |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 22–24 minutes |
| Production companies | The Arthur Company MCA TV |
| Distributor | MCA TV (1988-1991) NBCUniversal Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | Syndication |
| Original release | October 8, 1988 – May 25, 1991 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | The Munsters |
Plot
The series concerns the day-to-day life of a family of benign monsters, with married couple Herman Munster and vampire Lily Munster. Lily's Father Grandpa, who is also a vampire, lives with the family. Herman and Lily have a son named Eddie, who is a werewolf, and their niece, Marilyn, whom the family deems as strange, but is the only “normal” member of the family, also lives with them.
This sequel series starts with Grandpa creates "Sleeping Chambers," coffins which make the user fall asleep for a selected amount of time, and insists the entire family try them out. After Grandpa sets the dial for 30 minutes and shuts the door, a flash of light and a falling beam change the dial to "Forever." 22 years later, a man named Mr. Prescott and his assistant explore the Munsters' house with plans to turn it into a parking lot when they unknowingly awaken the Munsters from their Sleeping Chambers. Finding themselves in the 1980s, the Munsters work to adjust themselves to the current time period.
Cast
Main cast
The cast of "The Munsters Today."
Recurring cast
- Mary Cadorette as Dee Dee Nelson
- Richard Steven Horvitz as Howie Buchanan
- Greg Mullavey as Roger Nelson
- Scott Reeves as Dustin Nelson
Special guest stars
- Kaye Ballard as Mother Earth
- Billy Barty as Genie
- Shelley Berman as Sam Hawkins
- Jonathan Brandis as Matt Glover
- Dr. Joyce Brothers as Mrs. Cousins
- Ruth Buzzi as Dracula's Mother
- Gordon Cooper as Himself
- Bill Daily as Count Strimpkin
- Dustin Diamond as Rob
- Moosie Drier as Andy Graves
- Nancy Dussault as Dr. Sandra Brown
- Nanette Fabray as Dottie
- Norman Fell as Mr. Maurice
- Christopher Fielder as Damien
- Lucy Lee Flippin as Natasha Jones
- Kathleen Freeman as Grandma
- George Furth as Dr. Carver
- Zsa Zsa Gabor as Herself
- Kip King as Burt Fearman
- Dave Madden as Mr. Preston
- Eddie Mekka as Mr. Sweetzer
- Richard Moll as Genghis Khan
- Pat Morita as Mr. Watanabe
- Don Most as Barney Morley
- Lois Nettleton as Jessica Brown
- Daniel Riordan as Headlock Henderson
- Marcia Wallace as Dr. Susan Evans
- Jo De Winter as Katja Dracula
- Yetta as Shirley
Production
Development
This color revival of The Munsters starred John Schuck (Herman), Lee Meriwether (Lily), Howard Morton (Grandpa), Hilary Van Dyke (Marilyn) and Jason Marsden (Eddie), and broadcast 73 episodes from October 8, 1988, to May 25, 1991, giving it more first-run episodes than the original series. The pilot explained the 22-year gap following the original series by showing the family as they were in 1966. They were testing out a machine that Grandpa had created. The machine allows someone to sleep for ages without aging. But then an accident took place; the family then proceeds to sleep for years, only to wake up in 1988.[4]
It was created following a failed attempt to revive the show with most of the original cast (Fred Gwynne, Al Lewis and Yvonne De Carlo) in the 1981 NBC telefilm The Munsters' Revenge.
Episodes
Pilot
| Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Still the Munsters After All These Years" | John Robins | Lloyd J. Schwartz | Unaired | |
| Series pilot: Grandpa creates "Sleeping Chambers," coffins which make the user fall asleep for a selected amount of time, and insists the entire family try them out. After Grandpa sets the dial for 30 minutes and shuts the door, a flash of light and a falling beam change the dial to "Forever." Twenty-two years later, a developer named Mr. Preston (Dave Madden) and his assistant want to buy the Munsters' home and turn it into a parking lot. While Mr. Preston and his assistant are exploring the house, down in Grandpa's lab, the assistant gets tangled in spider webs and knocks the dial to "off." The Munster family awakens to the world of 1988 and have to figure out a way to buy back their own house which is being foreclosed upon due to 22 years of missed taxed payments and fines. | ||||
Season 1 (1988–89)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Vampire Pie" | Norman Abbott | Barbara Berkowitz | October 8, 1988 | |
| Herman decides to enter a baking contest, using an old family recipe. Too bad there was an ingredient Grandpa forgot... | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "A Little Russian Dressing" | Dick Harwood | Hope Juber & Lloyd J. Schwartz | October 15, 1988 | |
| 3 | 3 | "Flyweight Champion of the World" | Bob Claver | Bryan Joseph | October 22, 1988 | |
| After being bullied, Grandpa mixes Eddie a strong-man formula that inflates Eddie's ego as well as his muscles. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Magna Cum Munsters" | Bob Claver | Ann Gibbs & Joel Kimmel | October 29, 1988 | |
| After feeling useless for not being asked questions in his home, Herman takes night school, which leads him to the fourth grade: in Eddie's class. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Designing Munsters" | Peter Isacksen | Bill Rosenthal & Noah Taft | November 5, 1988 | |
| 6 | 6 | "Farewell, Grandpa" | Peter Isacksen | Elroy Schwartz | November 12, 1988 | |
| Grandpa is in big trouble when the family finds out he forgot to get a green-card when he came to the country. After Herman breaks him out, only an invisibility potion can save them. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Corporate Munsters" | Bonnie Franklin | Bill Rosenthal & Noah Taft | November 19, 1988 | |
| Stock that Herman bought many years ago has accumulated so much that he holds a position in the business. However, he debates keeping the job when it conflicts with Eddie and Father/Son Day. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Herman the Astronaut" | Doug Rogers | Danny Morris | November 26, 1988 | |
| 9 | 9 | "Rock Fever" | Peter Isacksen | Ted Bergman & Kathy Joseph | December 3, 1988 | |
| 10 | 10 | "Professor Grandpa" | Lee Lochhead | William Cyr | December 10, 1988 | |
| 11 | 11 | "Say Ah!" | Doug Rogers | Bryan Joseph | December 17, 1988 | |
| 12 | 12 | "A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Cereal" | Peter Isacksen | Steven Baum & Neil Alan Levy | December 28, 1988 | |
| After saving a kid, Herman becomes a hero. When a cereal company offers him a deal, he accepts. But once he finds out the cereal is a flop, will he keep on endorsing it? | ||||||
| 13 | 13 | "Computer Mating" | Lee Lochhead | Hope Juber & Kim Mortensen | February 4, 1989 | |
| Grandpa gets a new girlfriend after feeling lonely. But after finding out his girlfriend has buried a large amount of husbands, Herman and Lily fear for Grandpa's life. | ||||||
| 14 | 14 | "McMunsters" | Doug Rogers | Patty Gordon & Joy Grdnic | February 11, 1989 | |
| 15 | 15 | "One Flu Over the Munsters' Nest" | Lee Lochhead | Ann Gibbs | February 18, 1989 | |
| 16 | 16 | "Green Eyed Munsters" | Peter Isacksen | Bill Rosenthal & Noah Taft | February 25, 1989 | |
| Herman gets jealous when Lily's teacher takes up too much of her time. Will he win her back? | ||||||
| 17 | 17 | "The Not So Great Escape" | Bob Claver | Michael Davidoff | March 4, 1989 | |
| 18 | 18 | "Two Left Feet" | Peter Isacksen | Ann Gibbs & Joel Kimmel | March 1989 | |
| 19 | 19 | "Lights, Camera, Munsters" | Peter Isacksen | Adele Styler & Burt Styler | April 29, 1989 | |
| Marilyn gets to make a movie for a project, while the family debates what type of film she should do. Meanwhile, Eddie is doing poor in school, causing panic for the teacher when it turns out that a parent-teacher conference is in order. | ||||||
| 20 | 20 | "Neighborly Munsters" | Norman Abbott | Bill Rosenthal & Noah Taft | May 6, 1989 | |
| With new neighbors next door, everyone tries to make a good impression, while the wife tries to do everything to get a fancy pool in her yard (which would dig into the Munsters') except talk with them. | ||||||
| 21 | 21 | "Munster Hoopsters" | Lee Lochhead | Marc Brown | May 13, 1989 | |
| Eddie wants to take up basketball, so that Herman can brag about him. There's only one problem: he cannot sink a shot! | ||||||
| 22 | 22 | "Don't Cry Wolfman" | Peter Isacksen | Lloyd J. Schwartz | May 20, 1989 | |
| When two burglars hid the fortune in the Munster house, they were asleep. Now that they are awake, they devise a plan: one would pretend to be one of them. Unfortunately, he comes to like the Munsters' ways and even saves them. In the end, the "wolfman" burglar and the Munsters all vote to return the money. | ||||||
| 23 | 23 | "The Howling" | Peter Isacksen | Bob Hilgenberg & Billy Riback | May 27, 1989 | |
| 24 | 24 | "Eau de Munster" | Peter Isacksen | Bryan Joseph | June 3, 1989 | |
| When the town wants to demolish Munster Moore for a museum, Herman tries to put a stop to it. There's only one problem: Grandpa accidentally got him with a love potion, which takes effect on the woman running the idea. | ||||||
Season 2 (1989–90)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 1 | "Threehundredsomething" | Bonnie Franklin | Bill Rosenthal & Noah Taft | October 7, 1989 |
| 26 | 2 | "There's No Place Like Home" | Lee Lochhead | Leslie Eberhard & Barbara Hobart | October 14, 1989 |
| 27 | 3 | "Raging Hormones" | Scott Redman | Jeffrey J. Sachs | October 21, 1989 |
| 28 | 4 | "Murder in Munsterland" | Bob Claver | Ron Jarvis & Philip A. Scorza | October 28, 1989 |
| 29 | 5 | "The Trial" | Bonnie Franklin | Janice Pieroni & Bruce Teicher | November 4, 1989 |
| 30 | 6 | "It's a Wonderful Afterlife" | Bruce Bilson | Michael Davidoff | November 11, 1989 |
| 31 | 7 | "The Eyes Have It" | Scott Redman | Mark Cassutt | November 18, 1989 |
| 32 | 8 | "It's a Sad, Sad World" | Bonnie Franklin | Bryan Joseph | November 25, 1989 |
| 33 | 9 | "The Melting Pot" | Bonnie Franklin | Andrew Borakove | December 1989 |
| 34 | 10 | "Once in a Blue Moon" | Bonnie Franklin | Bill Rosenthal & Noah Taft | December 9, 1989 |
| 35 | 11 | "Drac the Ripper" | Peter Isacksen | Robert Schechter | December 16, 1989 |
| 36 | 12 | "Gateman and Son" | Bonnie Franklin | Bryan Joseph | January 27, 1990 |
| 37 | 13 | "Reunion" | Scott Redman | Lisa DeBenedictis & Daryl Rowland (s) Leslie Eberhard & Barbara Hobart (t) | February 3, 1990 |
| 38 | 14 | "Pants on Fire" | Peter Isacksen | Andrew Borakove | February 10, 1990 |
| 39 | 15 | "Munstergeist" | Lee Lochhead | Bill Rosenthal & Noah Taft | February 17, 1990 |
| 40 | 16 | "Never Say Die" | Bonnie Franklin | Michael Davidoff | February 24, 1990 |
| 41 | 17 | "It's a Baby" | Scott Redman | David Carren & J. Larry Carroll (s) Scott Redman (t) | March 1990 |
| 42 | 18 | "Tell 'Em Herman Sent You" | Bonnie Franklin | Paul Lander | April 28, 1990 |
| 43 | 19 | "Thicker Than Water" | Lee Lochhead | Andrew Borakove & Michael Davidoff | May 5, 1990 |
| 44 | 20 | "Misadventures in Time" | Bonnie Franklin | Carol Hatfield Sarasohn & Lane Sarasohn | May 12, 1990 |
| 45 | 21 | "Will the Real Herman Munster Please Stand Up?" | Bonnie Franklin | Donna Blinder & Laura Glendinning (s) Bill Rosenthal & Noah Taft (t) | May 19, 1990 |
| 46 | 22 | "Deadlock" | Lee Lochhead | Janice Pieroni & Bruce Teicher | May 26, 1990 |
| 47 | 23 | "Take This Job and Shovel It" | Lee Lochhead | Robert Schechter | June 2, 1990 |
| 48 | 24 | "That's Gratitude" | Bonnie Franklin | Michael Davidoff | June 9, 1990 |
Season 3 (1990–91)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 | 1 | "The Silver Bullet" | Russ Petranto | Andrew Borakove | October 6, 1990 | |
| 50 | 2 | "The Reel Munsters" | Russ Petranto | Alan Moskowitz | October 13, 1990 | |
| 51 | 3 | "Wishing You Were Here" | Russ Petranto | Robert Schechter | October 20, 1990 | |
| 52 | 4 | "Three Munsters and a Baby" | Russ Petranto | Michael Lyons & Kimberley Wells | October 27, 1990 | |
| 53 | 5 | "It's My Party and I'll Die If I Want To" | Russ Petranto | Mark Miller | November 3, 1990 | |
| 54 | 6 | "Makin' Waves" | Russ Petranto | Andrew Borakove | November 10, 1990 | |
| 55 | 7 | "Just Another Pretty Face" | Russ Petranto | Howard Friedlander & Ken Peragine | November 17, 1990 | |
| Remake of an original episode from the 1960s series. | ||||||
| 56 | 8 | "Kiss Kiss" | Russ Petranto | Andrew Borakove | November 24, 1990 | |
| 57 | 9 | "Mind Reader" | Russ Petranto | Mark Miller | December 1, 1990 | |
| 58 | 10 | "No More Mr. Nice Guy" | Marlene Laird | Janice Pieroni & Bruce Teicher | December 8, 1990 | |
| 59 | 11 | "A House Divided" | Scott Redman | Mark Cassutt | January 19, 1991 | |
| 60 | 12 | "A Matter of Trust" | Jerry Ross | Jeffrey Russel | January 26, 1991 | |
| 61 | 13 | "Large" | Russ Petranto | Alan Moskowitz (t) & Robert Schechter (s) | February 2, 1991 | |
| 62 | 14 | "Genie from Hell" | Russ Petranto | Bryan Joseph | February 9, 1991 | |
| 63 | 15 | "Lotsa Luck" | Russ Petranto | Bryan Joseph | February 16, 1991 | |
| 64 | 16 | "If I Only Knew Now" | Scott Redman | Craig Kellem (s) & Alan Moskowitz (t) | February 23, 1991 | |
| 65 | 17 | "Beating of Your Heart" | Russ Petranto | Andrew Borakove | March 2, 1991 | |
| 66 | 18 | "Parenthood vs. Childhood" | Marlene Laird | Neil Rosen & George Tricker | March 9, 1991 | |
| 67 | 19 | "Das Trunk" | Russ Petranto | Andrew Borakove (t) & Ann Gibbs (s) & Bryan Joseph (t) & Joel Kimmel (s) | March 16, 1991 | |
| 68 | 20 | "A-Camping We Will Go" | Russ Petranto | Mark Miller | April 27, 1991 | |
| 69 | 21 | "Breaking the Chain" | Peter Isacksen | Mark Cassutt | May 4, 1991 | |
| 70 | 22 | "Diary of a Mad Munsterwife" | Russ Petranto | Mark Miller | May 11, 1991 | |
| 71 | 23 | "The Bet" | Russ Petranto | Janice Pieroni & Bruce Teicher | May 18, 1991 | |
| 72 | 24 | "Family Night" | Russ Petranto | James Gates | May 25, 1991 | |
Reception
The series lasted three seasons in syndication, and proved popular with international audiences.
The series proved to be very popular in the United Kingdom where the ITV channel started to air it from 1990, scheduling it in the Saturday lunchtime slot (usually 12.30pm) which attracted a younger family audience and proved very popular, however some ITV regions choose to air it in on Saturday early evenings (around 5.30pm), providing a decent family-friendly lead-in for their important Saturday prime time schedule.[5]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Won | Outstanding Achievement in Makeup | Gilbert A. Mosko and Carlos Yeaggy |
| 1991 | Won | Outstanding Achievement in Makeup | David Abbott, Gilbert A. Mosko and Carlos Yeaggy | |
| Outstanding Achievement in Hairstyling | Jody Lawrence | |||
| 1989 | Young Artist Awards | Nominated | Best Syndicated Family Drama or Comedy Series | |
| Best Young Actress in a Family Syndicated Show | Hilary Van Dyke | |||
| Best Young Actor in a Family Syndicated Show | Jason Marsden | |||
| 1990 | Nominated | Best Young Actress in an Off-Primetime Family Series | Hilary Van Dyke | |
| Best Young Actor in an Off-Primetime Family Series | Jason Marsden | |||
| Best Off-Primetime Family Series | ||||
| 1991 | Nominated | Outstanding Young Comedian in a Television Series | Jason Marsden | |
| Best Young Actress Starring in an Off-Primetime Series | Hilary Van Dyke | |||
| Best Young Actor Starring in an Off-Primetime Series | Jason Marsden | |||
| Best Off-Primetime Family Series |
Stations
References
- Buck, Jerry (1989-07-19). "Bonnie Franklin Directing 'Munsters Today'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- "BBC – Comedy Guide – The Munsters Today". Archived from the original on 2005-03-01. Retrieved 2016-04-15.
- Dretzka, Gary (1988-10-08). "Bright Mood Makes New 'Munsters' A Bore". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- Clark, Kenneth R (1988-09-20). "Munsters Awaken From 22-year Nap". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2010-10-10.
- https://adamnostalgia.wordpress.com/2020/01/09/more-tv-memories-the-munsters-today/
- "CONNECTICUT TV- Sunday December 3, 1989". Radio Discussions. February 15, 2006.
- "Retro: Charleston, SC, Sat. Nov 10, 1990, 7am-8pm". Radio Discussions. March 13, 2012.
- Clark, Kenneth R. (September 20, 1988). "MUNSTERS AWAKEN FROM 22-YEAR NAP". Chicago Tribune.
- "Retro: Chicago, Friday, May 31, 1991". Radio Discussions. May 26, 2019.
- "Retro Cleveland/Akron: Saturday, February 17, 1990". Radio Discussions. January 12, 2011.
- "Northern Indiana - Sunday, February 26, 1989". Radio Discussions. October 13, 2006.
- "Retro: Northern Wisconsin/Western U.P. Michigan Fri, Mar 15, 1991". Radio Discussions. March 12, 2010.
- "Retro: North Carolina, 9/14/91". Radio Discussions. August 25, 2005.
- "HARTFORD/NEW HAVEN RETRO - March 23-29, 1991 - Independents/Fox Affiliate". Radio Discussions. February 26, 2006.
- "Retro: Minnesota Thurs 6/24/93". Radio Discussions. October 19, 2005.
- KTVU 2 The Munsters Today Promo (1988) on YouTube
- 80's Commercials Vol. 434 on YouTube
- "Retro: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - Week of August 11th, 1991". Radio Discussions. October 20, 2018.
- "Who aired what where: Lesser-known syndicated shows". Radio Discussions. June 16, 2017.
- "Retro: Louisville/Cincinnati, Wednesday, November 8, 1995". Radio Discussions. February 10, 2018.
- "Retro: Salt Lake City, Sunday, November 5, 1989". Radio Discussions. November 13, 2017.
- "The Munsters Today" US TV promo (1990) on YouTube
- KTZZ The Munsters Today promo, 1990 on YouTube
- 1989 - The Munsters Today on YouTube
- "Munsters Today" Promo on YouTube
- "Retro: Spokane, Washington — Sunday, February 19, 1989". Radio Discussions. January 24, 2019.
- "Retro: Yakima, WA; Sat. July 15th, 1989". Radio Discussions. August 2, 2015.
- "Who aired what where: Lesser-known syndicated shows". Radio Discussions. May 2, 2016.
External links
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