The Munsters Today

The Munsters Today
Main title screen
Also known as	The New Munsters
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
Composer(s)	Bill Fulton Larry Groupé
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	72
Production
Executive producer(s)	Arthur L. Annecharico Bryan Joseph Lloyd J. Schwartz
Producer(s)	Bryan Joseph
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	22–24 minutes
Production company(s)	The Arthur Company
Distributor	MCA Television
Broadcast
Original channel	Syndication
Original run	October 8, 1988 (1988-10-08) – May 25, 1991 (1991-05-25)
Chronology
Preceded by	The Munsters

The Munsters Today (also known as The New Munsters) is an American sitcom that aired in syndication from 1988 to 1991. The series served as a sequel to the 1960s sitcom The Munsters.^[2]

Production

The Munsters Today broadcast 72 episodes from October 8, 1988 to May 25, 1991 (it had 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 when an accident took place; the family then proceeds to wake up in 1988.^[3] The color revival of The Munsters starred John Schuck (as Herman), Lee Meriwether (Lily), Howard Morton (Grandpa), Hilary Van Dyke (Marilyn) and Jason Marsden (Eddie).

The series lasted three seasons on syndicated television, and proved popular with international audiences. 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. Gwynne turned down the chance to reprise his role as Herman, while Lewis expressed unhappiness at not being asked to return as Grandpa, a role he had kept close to his heart for years since the original show ceased production.

Unaired pilot

An unaired pilot written by Lloyd J. Schwartz was filmed featuring a different Marilyn than the one who appeared in the series to follow (Hilary Van Dyke). The Marilyn in the pilot was Mary Ellen Dunbar, who bore resemblance to the Marilyn portrayed in the old series. The pilot began in black and white with the family as they were in 1966 and later changed to color.

Storyline

Grandpa creates a "Sleeping Machine" which makes the user fall asleep for a selected amount of time. While the victim is asleep, his/her age does not change. The machine was tested on the entire family. When 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 developer named Mr. Preston and his assistant want to buy the Munsters' home and turn it into a parking lot. Mr. Preston and his assistant are exploring the house. Mr. Preston forces his employee to search Grandpa's lab; after getting tangled in spider webs he knocks the dial to off. The Munster family awakens to the world of 1988. They all struggle to find their way in the strange new era.

Episodes

Season 1 (1988-89)

• "Still the Munsters After All These Years" (Pilot)
• "Vampire Pie"
• "A Little Russian Dressing"
• "Flyweight Champion of the World"
• "Magna Cum Munsters"
• "Designing Munsters"
• "Farewell, Grandpa"
• "Corporate Munsters"
• "Herman The Astronaut"
• "Rock Fever"
• "Professor Grandpa"
• "Say Ahh"
• "A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Cereal"
• "Computer Mathing"
• "McMunsters"
• "One Flu Over The Munster's Nest"
• "Green Eyed Munsters"
• "The Not So Great Escape"
• "Two Left Feet"
• "Lights, Camera, Munsters"
• "Neighborly Munsters"
• "Munster Hoopster"
• "Don't Cry Wolfman"
• "The Howling"
• "Eau De Munster"

Season 2 (1989-90)

• "Three Hundred Something"
• "No Place Like Home"
• "Raging Hormones"
• "Murder in Munster Land"
• "Trail"
• "It's A Wonderful Afterlife"
• "The Eyes Have It"
• "It's a Sad, Sad World"
• "Melting Pot"
• "Once in a Blue Moon"
• "Drac The Ripper"
• "Gateman and Son"
• "Reunion"
• "Pants on Fire"
• "Munstergeist"
• "Never Say Die"
• "It's a Baby"
• "Tell'em Herman Sent You"
• "Thicker Than Water"
• "Misadventures in Time"
• "Will The Real Herman Munster Please Stand Up?"
• "Deadlock"
• "Take This Job and Shovel It"
• "That's Gratitude"

Season 3 (1990-91)

• "The Silver Bullet"
• "The Reel Munsters"
• "Wishing You Were Here"
• "Three Munsters and a Baby"
• "It's My Party and I'll Die If I Want To"
• "Makin' Waves"
• "Just Another Pretty Face"
• "Kiss, Kiss"
• "Mind Reader"
• "No More Mr. Nice Guy"
• "A House Divided"
• "A Matter of Trust"
• "Large"
• "Genie from Hell"
• "Lotsa Luck"
• "If I Only Knew Now"
• "Beating of Your Heart"
• "Parenthood vs. Childhood"
• "Das Trunk"
• "A Camping We Will Go"
• "Breaking the Chain"
• "Diary of a Mad Munster Wife"
• "The Bet"
• "Family Night"

Cast

The cast of "The Munsters Today."

• John Schuck - Herman Munster
• Lee Meriwether - Lily Munster
• Jason Marsden - Edward "Eddie" Wolfgang Munster
• Hilary Van Dyke - Marilyn Munster
• Howard Morton - 'Grandpa' Vladimir Dracula

Special guest stars

• Kaye Ballard - Mother Nature
• Billy Barty -
• Shelley Berman -
• Joyce Brothers - Mrs. Cousins
• Ruth Buzzi -
• Gordon Cooper - Himself
• Dustin Diamond -
• George Furth -
• Zsa Zsa Gabor - Herself
• Kip King -
• Pat Morita -
• Don Most -
• Marcia Wallace -

Recurring cast

• Richard Steven Horvitz - Howie Buchanan
• Greg Mullavey - Roger Nelson
• Scott Reeves - Dustin Nelson

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	–

References

1. ^ "Bonnie Franklin Directing 'Munsters Today'". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1989-07-19/entertainment/ca-3948_1_bonnie-franklin. Retrieved 2010-10-10. 
2. ^ "Bright Mood Makes New `Munsters` A Bore". Chicago Tribune. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1988-10-08/entertainment/8802060029_1_munsters-today-howard-morton-herman-munster. Retrieved 2010-10-10. 
3. ^ "Munsters Awaken From 22-year Nap". Chicago Tribune. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1988-09-20/features/8801310728_1_munsters-today-frankenstein-and-dracula-stations-and-cable-companies. Retrieved 2010-10-10. 

External links

• The Munsters Today at the Internet Movie Database
• The Munsters Today at TV.com
• The Munsters Today Information Archives