‘3rd Rock’ Puts Life Back Into Old Idea
I told you I liked the premiere, but I’ve been impressed week after week with “3rd Rock From the Sun” (NBC at 8). This show is the hit of midseason and the credit goes to a lot of people.
Sidesplitting writing and top-to-bottom performances from a well-blended cast make this new comedy the snappiest show of the season. Leave it to the Carsey-Werner Company (“The Cosby Show,” “Roseanne,” “Cybill”) to ring up another winner that has surprised everyone with a fresh spin on an old sitcom formula.
In tonight’s inspired episode, Dick (John Lithgow) and his fellow aliens ponder their ethnicity. Tommy’s (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) “cover story” for the family failed to include their ethnic background.
Typically, Dick first panics that the oversight will expose their identity and then ponders the matter. Why do Earthlings make such a big deal of where they came from?
Tommy and Harry (French Stewart) experiment with different cultural identities they can assume. It’s hilarious, especially when you consider that the aliens chose Solomon for a last name.
It never occurs to them that everyone assumes they’re Jewish.
Meanwhile, Sally (Kristen Johnston) accompanies one of Tommy’s teachers (John D’Aquino, “seaQuest DSV”) as chaperone at a school dance. As usual, Sally attempts to comprehend human sexuality and struggles to accommodate the Earthling’s expectations.
NBC has moved the series from 8:30 to 8, reflecting its rating success. This is a series that has the markings of a rock-solid anchor for what may become as strong a night of comedy as NBC’s powerhouse Thursday lineup.
Highlights
“NAACP Image Awards,” FOX at 8: Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston host the ceremony honoring those who promote positive portrayals in television, movies, music and literature.
Taped April 6 in Pasadena, Calif., the event features salutes to Quincy Jones and Richard Pryor, as well as performances by Johnny Gill, the Fugees and gospel’s Kirk Franklin and the Family.
Presenters include Oprah Winfrey and Arsenio Hall.
“Wings,” NBC at 8:30: Antonio (played by delightfully loony Tony Shalhoub) becomes obsessed with a nameless woman (Michelle Nicastro) he meets in the terminal but then can’t find anywhere on the island. Anne Francis guest stars.
“The Hunt for Red October” (1990), CBS at 8:30: It’s a cat-and-mouse game on a grand scale as Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin star in the intelligent, but overlong, adaptation of Tom Clancy’s best seller.
“Frasier,” NBC at 9: It could only happen to Frasier (Kelsey Grammer). The dippy doc falls for a policewoman (Jane Kaczmarek) who, to his indignant chagrin, finds his retired cop father Martin (John Mahoney) more to her liking. Funnier still, Martin turns to Niles (David Hyde Pierce) for advice.
“Murder One,” ABC at 10: Here is the sum of ABC’s press information for the season finale: “All will be revealed.” The big question for the network is how many viewers care.
“Dateline NBC,” NBC at 10: Scheduled is an interview with columnist Ann Landers.
Cable Calls
“Bright Eyes” (1934), AMC at 4:30: A 24-1/2 hour Shirley Temple marathon includes this early film, in which she plays an orphan in the middle of a family squabble. It’s the former child star’s birthday. She’s 68 today. Marisa Tomei hosts the salute.
“Battle of the Bulge” (1965), TBS at 8:05: A strong cast is squandered in this dramatization of the last-ditch effort by Nazi Germany to stop the Allied advance across Europe in World War II assault. Despite running nearly three hours (that’s without commercials), it turns the battle into a boring skirmish. Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw, Robert Ryan, George Montgomery and Dana Andrews star.