The Munsters
The Munsters were America’s family… well, sort of in the mid-60s.
While the show only lasted for two seasons with a total of 70 episodes, it certainly left a lasting impression on audiences around the world for decades to come.
The show debuted opposite The Addams Family (on ABC) with great ratings for its first season in September of 1964. In fact, the show was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. However, that wouldn’t be enough once Batman debuted on January 12, 1966 on ABC.
The ratings for The Munsters dropped due to Batman and that was it for the show… for that time period. As time went by, the show would wind up in syndication as it is today and keep new generations laughing for decades.
The first presentation was 16 minutes and in color (later cut to just over 13 minutes) and was used to pitch the series to CBS and its affiliates. (The episode is available on the complete first season of The Munsters DVDs.) It never aired, but the script was reused as the basis for episode 2, “My Fair Munster”
Watch that and more including documentaries here for our Back In The Day below.
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