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3rd Rock from the Sun

Genres: Comedy

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Seasons


Season 2

3rd Rock from the Sun is an American science fiction sitcom created by Bonnie Turner and Terry Turner about a group of extraterrestrial scientists who are on an expedition to Earth, which they consider to be a very insignificant planet (the "3rd Rock" from the Sun), posing as a human family in order to observe the behaviour of human beings.

The series aired in the USA on NBC from 9 January, 1996 to 22 May, 2001. There are 139 half-hour episodes in six seasons.

3rd Rock from the Sun originally aired in South Africa on M-Net from 2 July, 1996 to 7 August, 2001. It later aired on DStv's Comedy Central channel. See "Seasons" below for seasonal broadcast dates and times.

Season 2 originally aired on M-Net from 5 August, 1997 to 27 January, 1998, on Tuesdays at 18h30. New episodes broadcast weekly.

Season 2 premiered on Comedy Central on Wednesday 22 August 2012, at 17h30. Thereafter new episodes broadcast in a double bill daily, at 17h00. There are 26 episodes in the second season.

Synopsis

3rd Rock from the Sun is a comedy series farcically dealing with the human condition set in the fictional city of Rutherford, Ohio.

This gentle-hearted series stars John Lithgow as the High Commander of an investigative team sent to Earth on a mission to learn everything about humans and their so-called advanced civilization.

Described by its producers as "Carl Sagan meets the Marx Brothers," 3rd Rock has a clever, distinct point of view seen through the extraterrestrial team who has no other worldly powers except absolute truthfulness.

Dick (John Lithgow), Harry (French Stewart), Sally (Kristen Johnston) And Tommy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), arrive in our world completely innocent, while equipped with superior intelligence to analyze every experience.

This bizarre vantage point of an innocent seeing everything for the first time is the comic framework from which to satire the human condition and American society, to look at all of the injustices and absurdities and humorously point them out to us.

3rd Rock cuts through our taboos and traditions with a childlike inquisitive logic and an impeccably paced humorous twist. We the viewers see ourselves in 3rd Rock, and we see ourselves as the aliens.

The humour of 3rd Rock is always twisting the viewpoint to show the angle of an outsider looking in. 3rd Rock which we know as Earth is the way travellers would look at the world - an insignificant blue speck that is The 3rd Rock from the Sun.

"As many intelligent people know, aliens are all around us. This is a story of a band of four such explorers. In order to blend in, they have assumed human form.

"This is the High Commander (Dick). He has assembled an elite team of experts: A decorated military officer (Sally), a seasoned intelligence specialist (Tommy) and, well, they had an extra seat (Harry)."

Seasons

Season 1 (20 episodes)

Channel: M-Net | Premiere: 2 Jul 1996 | Finale: 12 Nov 1996 | Tuesdays, 18h30
Channel: Comedy Central | Premiere: 8 Aug 2012 | Finale: 22 Aug 2012 | Weekdays, 17h00

Season 2 (26 episodes)

Channel: M-Net | Premiere: 5 Aug 1997 | Finale: 27 Jan 1998 | Tuesdays, 18h30
Channel: Comedy Central | Premiere: 22 Aug 2012 | Finale: 10 Sep 2012 | Weekdays, 17h00

Season 3 (27 episodes)

Channel: M-Net | Premiere: 11 Aug 1998 | Finale: 9 Feb 1999 | Tuesdays, 18h30
Channel: Comedy Central | Premiere: 11 Sep 2012 | Finale: 28 Sep 2012 | Weekdays, 17h00

Season 4 (24 episodes)

Channel: M-Net | Premiere: 21 Sep 1999 | Finale: 29 Feb 2000 | Tuesdays, 18h30
Channel: Comedy Central | Premiere: 1 Oct 2012 | Finale: 16 Oct 2012 | Weekdays, 17h00

Season 5 (22 episodes)

Channel: M-Net | Premiere: 15 Aug 2000 | Finale: 9 Jan 2001 | Tuesdays, 18h30
Channel: Comedy Central | Premiere: 17 Oct 2012 | Finale: 30 Oct 2012 | Weekdays, 17h00

Season 6 (20 episodes)

Channel: M-Net | Premiere: 27 Mar 2001 | Finale: 7 Aug 2001 | Tuesdays, 18h30
Channel: Comedy Central | Premiere: 31 Oct 2012 | Finale: 13 Nov 2012 | Weekdays, 17h10


Season 2 Cast

as
Harry Solomon

as
Mrs. Mamie Dubcek

as
Nina Campbell

as
Officer Don Orville

as
Sally Solomon

as
Tommy Solomon

as
Dr. Dick Solomon

as
Dr. Mary Albright

as
Aubrey Pitman

as
August

as
Bug Pollone

as
Caryn

as
Coach Strickland

as
Dr. Howard

as
Judith Draper

as
Kevin Randell

as
Leon

as
Professor Suter

as
Alyson

as
Aramis

as
Clerk/Orderly

as
David

as
Exercise Lady (voice)

as
Frank

as
Himself

as
Himself

as
Himself

as
Lorna

as
Margie

as
Miss Frost

as
Mrs. St. Clair

as
President Dewey

as
Registrar

as
Sonja Umdahl

as
Teacher

as
Vicki Dubcek

as
Walt

as
Yasmine


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