5 Must-Watch Episodes of The Addams Family (TV Show) for The Addams Family (Musical)
The Addams Family television series is a two-season American classic worth binging before your production of The Addams Family musical. However, if you’re pinched for time, here are the five episodes of The Addams Family television show that any fan of or participant in the stage musical should add to their watchlist.
Season 1, Episode 1: “The Addams Family Goes to School”
Jacobs, S. & James, E. (Writers), & Hiller, A. (Director). (1964, Sept. 18). “The Addams Family Goes to School” (Season 1, Episode 1) [TV Series Episode]. In D. Levy (Executive Producer), The Addams Family. Filmways Television.
The beginning is, after all, the very best place to start. And, in this case, the most accessible — the complete first episode of The Addams Family, “The Addams Family Goes to School,” is available to stream on YouTube for free. In the episode, a truant officer visits the Addams Family home and discovers the two children are not enrolled in school. After some convincing from the local principal, Morticia and Gomez agree to send Pugsley and Wednesday to public school, where they are traumatized by the disturbing teachings and customs.
Season 1, Episode 2: “Morticia and the Psychiatrist”
Coons, H. & Winkler, H. (Writers), & Yarbough, J. (Director). (1964, Sept. 25). “Morticia and the Psychiatrist” (Season 1, Episode 2) [TV Series Episode]. In D. Levy (Executive Producer), The Addams Family. Filmways Television.
The second episode of The Addams Family, “Morticia and the Psychiatrist,” features a version of Wednesday’s “Pulled” dilemma in the stage musical, but with Pugsley. In the episode, Pugsley develops an unusual compulsion to play in the sun, join the Boy Scouts, and do community service — causing his parents to feel alarmed. Worried for Pugsley’s mental wellbeing, Morticia visits a psychiatrist to learn how to address the situation. Despite their fear of Pugsley’s new behaviors, Morticia and Gomez show compassion and try to reason with their son to support him through this phase. The episode showcases Morticia and Gomez’s strength as parents, a theme throughout all iterations of the franchise.
Season 1, Episode 9: “The New Neighbors Meet the Addams Family”
Coons, H. & Winkler, H. (Writers), & Yarbough, J. (Director). (1964, Nov. 13). “The New Neighbors Meet the Addams Family” (Season 1, Episode 9) [TV Series Episode]. In D. Levy (Executive Producer), The Addams Family. Filmways Television.
The season one episode “The New Neighbors Meet the Addams Family” provides great context for the Addams-Beineke dynamic in The Addams Family musical. In the episode, a WASP-y newlywed couple leases the house next door to the Addams Family, but their honeymoon is over when they learn the homes are connected by a secret tunnel. The Addamses attempt to welcome the happy couple to the neighborhood, but end up horrifying them in the process. This episode also contains the first instance of Gomez going wild at the sound of Morticia speaking French, which becomes a running joke throughout the series.
Season 2, Episode 11: “Feud in the Addams Family”
Richards, R. & Gottler, J. (Writers), & Lanfield, S. (Director). (1965, Nov. 26). “Feud in the Addams Family” (Season 2, Episode 11) [TV Series Episode]. In D. Levy (Executive Producer), The Addams Family. Filmways Television.
Season two, episode eleven of The Addams Family, “Feud in the Addams Family,” provides the closest plot comparison to the stage musical. In the episode, little Wednesday Addams falls in love with a boy from a wealthy family named Robespierre Courtney and asks her family for advice to win his heart. To support Wednesday, the Addamses invite the Courtneys over for tea, leading to a clash of cultures. While the romance is not as reciprocal between Wednesday and her beau in “Feud in the Addams Family” as in The Addams Family musical, the episode still offers a template for the show’s events.
Season 2, Episode 29: “Lurch's Grand Romance”
Thompson, G. & Weingarten, A. (Writers), & Lanfield, S. (Director). (1966, Apr. 1). “Lurch's Grand Romance” (Season 2, Episode 29) [TV Series Episode]. In D. Levy (Executive Producer), The Addams Family. Filmways Television.
In the season two episode “Lurch’s Grand Romance,” one of Grandmama’s Love Potions wreaks havoc in the Addams household — much like in The Addams Family stage musical. Intended to help spur a romance between Lurch and a woman named Trivia, the love potion goes haywire and causes Trivia to fall in love with all of the men in the Addams household instead. Trivia plays a very similar role to Alice Beineke in The Addams Family musical; both characters are theatrical, traditional women who diametrically oppose the Addams way of life.