5 Must-Watch Episodes of The Addams Family (TV Show) for The Addams Family (Musical)
Diving into dramaturgical research is fun for any show, but especially so when you have the opportunity to dive into a beloved franchise whose history spans page, screen, and stage. The Addams Family is a 2010 musical comedy with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice featuring the mysterious and spooky characters created by cartoonist Charles “Chas” Addams. The Broadway adaptation borrows greatly from its television and film live-action predecessors, making them both essential viewing for the stage play. Don’t know where to start? Here are five episodes of The Addams Family television show that any fan of or participant in the stage musical should add to their watchlist.
A Brief History of The Addams Family Television Series
The first episode of The Addams Family, "The Addams Family Goes to School," premiered on ABC in 1964. The show starred Carolyn Jones as Morticia; John Astin as Gomez; Jackie Coogan as Uncle Fester; Lisa Loring as Wednesday; Ken Weatherwax as Pugsley, and Ted Cassidy as Lurch (Levy, 1964-1966). The show featured an inverted fish-out-of-water sitcom premise, existing in a “a self-contained house of horrors where normal folk were the outsiders that allowed for all manner of off-beat jokes, insane plots” (Sauer, 2019). Much of the show’s comedy was shaped by writer, director, and producer Nat Perrin, who was previously best known for his work on the Marx Brothers comedy Monkey Business (Sauer, 2019). Composer Vic Mizzy provided the iconic four-note bass line “ba-da-da-dum snap snap” theme song, which is perhaps the most memorable contribution from the series (1964-1966).
A Monster Revival
ABC’s The Addams Family was born during an early 1960s revival of “monster culture,” which had first taken root in American media in the 1930s as a response to the Great Depression (Morowitz, 2007, p. 38). Hollywood’s initial obsession with the genre was led by Universal Pictures, which released 8 new creature feature films between 1930 and 1939 and established its own Universal Classic Monsters franchise. In 1957, Universal licensed its Monsters catalogue for syndication under the Shock! Theatre television package, renewing the public’s interest in the strange (Zatoichi01, 2019; Cronin, 2025).
This time, the popularity of science fiction spawned as a response to the idyllic, prosperous, and falsely utopian postwar Eisenhower administration. During this monster revival, shows like The Addams Family (Levy, 1964-1966), I Dream of Jeannie (Sheldon, 1965-1970), and The Munsters (Connelly & Mosher, 1964-1966) explored “the normal in the freakish and the freakish in the normal” (Morowitz, 2007, p. 41). Creatures were inversions of ordinary people – such as the beautiful giantess in Nathan Hertz’s Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958) and the man-eating plant in Roger Corman’s Little Shop of Horrors (1960).
These new shows starkly contrasted the “conflict-free and homogenised vision of the American family” seen in Father Knows Best (Young & Rodney, 1954-1960), Leave it to Beaver (Connelly & Mosher, 1957-1961), The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952-1966), and The Donna Reed Show (Owen, 1958-1966), which served as advertisements for suburban life (Morowitz, 2007, p. 35).
Mother Knows Best on The Addams Family
The Addams Family went further than its competitors in challenging American family rearing expectations. Unlike Father Knows Best or the Dick Van Dyke Show – which were named for the men of the families – Morticia Addams is the leader of the house in The Addams Family, and Gomez worships her. Like in the original cartoons, Gomez defers to his wife for guidance and hangs on her every word, hoping for the chance to hear her seductive French; in a running gag throughout the series, Gomez declares “Tish, you spoke French!” and rushes to kiss up her arm any time Morticia speaks the romantic language (FETV, 2021). Meanwhile, couples on other shows slept in separate beds and maintained an image of chastity. In fact, Gomez and Morticia Addams in The Addams Family “are generally considered the first television couple who gave the appearance of an active sex life” (Sauer, 2019).
Moreover, while fathers on other series were shown to leave for work, Gomez Addams is “ever present in the household” (Morowitz, 2007, p. 46). The season one episode “Morticia, the Breadwinner” (Lanfield, 1965) addresses this topic, revealing Gomez to be a stock investor and Morticia to have family money in the railroad industry.
They’re Altogether Ooky, But They’re All Together
Despite their critiques of the American family, the Addamses had a life worthy of envy. The show highlighted the “strong family values” that had been evident throughout Charles Addams’s original illustrations – the family spent time together, they loved each other, and they have “morals that keep the family unit intact” (Miserocchi, 2010, p. 16). The show affirmed that the “refusal to conform” only brings “a family more strongly together” (Morowitz, 2007, p. 53). Unfortunately, the show was cancelled in 1966, airing 64 episodes in total (Sauer, 2019). Still, it’s remembered as one of the most beloved American television series to this day, with ballpark stadiums nationwide playing the theme song to rouse crowds. The Addams Family stage musical pays homage to many elements from the television show, including Gomez’s physical affection for Morticia, using the inverted fish-out-of water format with outsiders scrutinizing the Addams Family home, and interpolating the iconic Vic Mizzy theme.
5 Must-Watch Episodes of The Addams Family (TV Show) for The Addams Family (Musical)
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 join the Boy Scouts and adopt a puppy, causing concern from his parents.
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, the Addamses welcome a WASP-y newlywed couple to the neighborhood, scaring 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 local boy named Robespierre Courtney and asks her family for advice to win his heart.
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 when it misses its target — much like in The Addams Family stage musical.