On paper, it was merely the taping of Episode 138 of NBC’s sci-fi farce “3rd Rock From the Sun.” But for those fans, NBC executives, cast members and veterans of the show gathered on the January evening, it was much more.
Emotions gripped the stage as the cast members took their opening bows before a cheering crowd crammed into bleachers. Actress Kristen Johnston wiped away tears and at one point ran off stage, covering her face with her hands.
“This is a moment in history,” declared John Lithgow, who stars as Dick Solomon, high commander of four space aliens on a mission to study Earth, as he wandered into the adoring crowd. “I hope you realize that.”
The filming of the episode — detailing how the aliens are summoned home after completing their mission — commenced with heightened emotion. The final scene, which found the four aliens seated in their “spaceship,” a Rambler convertible, brought more snifflesCo-star French Stewart became teary. After “Cut!” was yelled, the cast, along with Bonnie and Terry Turner, the show’s creators, and other executive producers, gathered together and launched into an impromptu rendition of the song from the final scene, reaching a crescendo with, “Back to the heavens in our mighty spaceship!”
With that note, “3rd Rock From the Sun” came to the end of its season — and its run. The show was officially canceled Friday. After being bounced around the NBC schedule — landing in 18 time slots during the course of six seasons — the season finale is designed to give the show a final send-off. Many of the producers and cast members have already moved on or agreed to other projects.
In fact, the show is not in the NBC lineup now, but it should be back in the May sweeps period — if for no other reason than to air the final episode.
In the meantime, many of those associated with the show are left with a bittersweet weightlessness.
” Lithgow and others associated with the comedy said “3rd Rock’s” mix of slapstick, farce and over-the-top acting, coupled with its literally out-of-this world premise, has never been an easy fit with NBC’s core urban-based comedies and dramas revolving around photogenic yuppies. And the network’s continual shifting of the show’s time period wore down the fan base and weakened the comedy’s long-term potential.
“Putting us in this position now at the end is very frustrating, and typical of NBC to be this disrespectful to us,” said Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who played teenager Tommy Solomon, the youngest of the aliens. “Ever since the second season, it just seemed that they didn’t care about us. I’m ready to move on.”
“They have mishandled it badly,” said Lithgow, winner of three Emmys for his role as Solomon. “From the beginning, I don’t think NBC knew what to do with us. We are an eccentric, one-of-a-kind show.”
Johnston, who won two Emmys as outstanding actress in a comedy series for her portrayal of sexy alien Sally Solomon, said, “This has been an extraordinary but bumpy ride. . . . The first year was the only time we felt like we were treated like we were a success. All of us worked on the show as hard as we worked on not being bitter.”