This fall is set to play host to the battle of the frightful families as Netflix is dropping reboots of both The Addams Family and The Munsters. September has seen the debut of the new Munsters reboot movie from director Rob Zombie, featuring the likes of Jeff Daniel Phillips, Sheri Moon Zombie, and Daniel Roebuck as the classic comedy clan modeled after Universal monsters. This November’s Wednesday, meanwhile, offers Tim Burton’s reimagining of the Addams, with Jenna Ortega in the title role.
The Addams and the Munsters have been entertaining real-life (probably less spooky, kooky, and altogether ooky) families for nearly 60 years now, although both have taken a bit of a break from live-action for the past couple decades. But with the bloodcurdling broods making their triumphant (or not-so-triumphant) returns to the screens, it’s worth posing the question: which of the two came first? Did the Addams arrive onto the scene before the competition or did the Munsters march ahead of them?
How The Addams Family and The Munsters were created
In terms of their first appearance in any medium, the Addams Family certain beats out the Munsters as cartoonist Charles Addams first drew his beloved creations as New Yorker strips in 1938. But what we’re interested in is which of the iconic 1960s sitcoms starring the two families hit the airwaves first.
Before we answer that question, let’s have a quick history lesson. The Addams Family sitcom was the result of creator David Levy partnering up with Charles Addams to flesh out the characters from his cartoons, with the artist providing the family member’s names and other concepts (such as Thing being depicted as a disembodied hand) for the ABC series.
Meanwhile, NBC’s The Munsters was developed by Rocky and Bullwinkle writers Allan Burns and Chris Hayward, who have admitted they were inspired by Addams’ New Yorker strips to devise a sitcom family based around the classic Universal horror monsters. The show was initially conceived as an animated series before being retooled for live-action.
So which came first — The Addams Family or The Munsters?
So which show came out first? Well, speaking in terms of air dates, yes, The Addams Family came out before The Munsters. However, it’s actually a much closer run race than you might expect. Not only did both TV series debut in 1964, they also both came out in September 1964. Not only that, but they first aired in the very same week. Addams Family premiered on Sep. 18, while The Munsters followed days later on Sep. 24.
Although it might be imagined that The Munsters was created as a deliberate attempt to cash-in on The Addams‘ success, the two series were actually coincidentally developed in tandem. Both are known to have shot their pilot presentations around March 1964, so this certainly isn’t a case of one production copying the other. In fact, although the Munsters were partially inspired by Addams’ cartoons, Universal had been playing with the concept of a comedic monster family as far back as 1943.
Ironically, the mirroring trajectory of the two shows even extends to their lifespans as both sitcoms, despite the legendary status they would achieve, were cancelled after just two seasons due to falling ratings. The Addams Family clicked their fingers for the last time on April 8, 1966, after 64 episodes, while The Munsters shut the door on 1313 Mockingbird Lane for good on May 12, 1966, with 70 episodes.
Over the decades since, various TV revivals, spinoff movies and reboots followed, and now — after being rivals for so long — both properties have finally found themselves sharing a home at Netflix. Let’s hope we’re one step closer to that Addams vs. the Munsters crossover that would make every fan’s life complete.
