10 Shows & Movies Like The Addams Family (1964)

Description: The Twilight Zone shares with The Addams Family a fascination with the strange and unusual, though it approaches it through anthology-style storytelling with a more serious tone. Both shows explore themes of the supernatural and the macabre, often with a twist ending that reveals the absurdity or horror of the situation.

Fact: Rod Serling wrote over 90 of the show's 156 episodes. The iconic theme music was composed by Marius Constant, not the original composer Bernard Herrmann. Many episodes were inspired by contemporary social issues, such as nuclear war and McCarthyism.

Description: The Outer Limits, like The Addams Family, delves into the strange and supernatural, though it does so through science fiction rather than gothic horror. Both shows challenge the norms of their time by presenting stories that are out of the ordinary, often with a moral or philosophical lesson embedded within.

Fact: The show was originally titled Please Stand By but was changed to avoid confusion with a radio show. Each episode began with the famous line, 'There is nothing wrong with your television set.' The show was known for its high production values and innovative special effects for the time.

Description: Bewitched is similar to The Addams Family in its portrayal of a family with supernatural abilities living in a normal suburban setting. Both shows use the contrast between the extraordinary and the mundane to create humor. While The Addams Family focuses on a whole family's eccentricities, Bewitched centers on a witch trying to live a normal life with her mortal husband.

Fact: Elizabeth Montgomery, who played Samantha, was initially reluctant to take the role. The show was groundbreaking for its time, featuring a working woman as the main character. The nose twitch Samantha used to perform magic was Montgomery's own idea.

Description: Gilligan's Island is similar to The Addams Family in its ensemble cast of eccentric characters who are isolated from the rest of society—on a deserted island instead of a gothic mansion. Both shows use the characters' quirks and the absurdity of their situations to drive the comedy.

Fact: The show was initially criticized for its lack of educational value. The theme song, which explains how the castaways ended up on the island, was originally much longer but was cut for time. The show was canceled after three seasons but became a hit in syndication.

Description: The Munsters is similar to The Addams Family (1964) in that both are sitcoms centered around a quirky, macabre family living in a seemingly normal suburban setting. Both shows use dark humor and gothic aesthetics to contrast the family's unusual traits with conventional societal norms. The Munsters, like The Addams Family, features a family that is unaware of how different they are from others, which is a central source of comedy.

Fact: The Munsters was created as a competitor to The Addams Family and premiered just one week after it. The family's home at 1313 Mockingbird Lane is a parody of typical suburban addresses. Herman Munster's makeup was inspired by Frankenstein's monster, and actor Fred Gwynne had to endure hours in the makeup chair for each episode.

Description: Get Smart shares with The Addams Family a satirical take on established genres—spy films for Get Smart and horror for The Addams Family. Both shows use absurd humor and exaggerated characters to poke fun at their respective genres, creating a unique blend of comedy and genre tropes.

Fact: The show was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. The iconic shoe phone was inspired by a real-life CIA gadget. Don Adams, who played Maxwell Smart, based his performance on a combination of James Bond and Peter Sellers.

Description: I Dream of Jeannie shares with The Addams Family the theme of supernatural elements disrupting everyday life. Both shows feature characters with magical or otherworldly abilities who are integrated into a normal setting, creating comedic situations. The Addams Family's dark humor is replaced in I Dream of Jeannie with a more lighthearted, fantastical tone.

Fact: Barbara Eden, who played Jeannie, was required to wear a navel-covering costume due to censorship standards of the time. The show was initially conceived as a female version of Bewitched. Larry Hagman, who played Major Nelson, later became famous for his role in Dallas.

Description: Dark Shadows shares with The Addams Family a gothic atmosphere and a focus on the supernatural. While Dark Shadows is more of a dramatic soap opera with horror elements, both shows feature eccentric characters and a dark, mysterious tone. The Addams Family's love for the macabre is mirrored in Dark Shadows' vampires, ghosts, and other supernatural beings.

Fact: Dark Shadows was one of the first daytime television series to incorporate supernatural themes. The show was initially canceled after one season but was revived due to popular demand. Jonathan Frid, who played Barnabas Collins, became a cult icon and was initially only supposed to appear in a few episodes.

Description: Alfred Hitchcock Presents shares with The Addams Family a dark sense of humor and a penchant for the macabre, though it is more suspenseful and less comedic. Both shows revel in the bizarre and the unexpected, often with a twist ending that subverts audience expectations.

Fact: Hitchcock himself directed only 18 of the 268 episodes. The show was known for its twist endings, a hallmark of Hitchcock's storytelling. Hitchcock's opening monologues were often written by James B. Allardice and were known for their dry wit.

Description: The Brady Bunch shares with The Addams Family a focus on family dynamics, though it presents a more idealized, wholesome version of family life compared to the Addams' macabre eccentricity. Both shows, however, use the family unit as the central source of humor and heart, exploring how family members interact with each other and the outside world.

Fact: The show was inspired by a newspaper article about a large blended family. The Brady house was a replica of the house used in The Partridge Family. The show's iconic theme song was performed by The Peppermint Trolley Company.