"Brains and Eggs" | |
---|---|
3rd Rock from the Sun episode | |
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 |
Directed by | James Burrows |
Written by | Bonnie and Terry Turner |
Featured music | "Louie Louie" by Richard Berry "Secret O' Life" by James Taylor |
Production code | 101 |
Original air date | January 9, 1996 |
Guest appearances | |
| |
"Brains and Eggs" is the pilot episode of the American sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun . The episode, which originally aired on NBC on January 9, 1996, depicts an extraterrestrial research expedition coming to Earth in the guise of what they think is a typical human family.
In the town of Rutherford, Ohio, the aliens appear in their human forms aboard a 1963 Rambler convertible. The High Commander has become family patriarch Dick Solomon, the Security Officer is his sister Sally and the Information Officer (who is actually the oldest of the aliens) has become Tommy, Dick's teenage son. Another alien, who has no obvious purpose yet, has taken on the form of Dick's brother Harry.
The first discovery they all make is that none of them can swivel their heads around a hundred and eighty degrees and thus cannot lick their backs. Shortly thereafter, Dick scrounges up a job as a physics professor at nearby Pendelton State University and the aliens rent a loft apartment from Mrs. Mamie Dubcek, who remains their landlady for the rest of the series. At work, Dick becomes smitten with Dr. Mary Albright, an anthropology professor with whom he shares an office.
When he accidentally upsets Mary, he discovers emotions, of which the aliens previously had no knowledge. Intrigued and confused by the concept, Dick takes the family to a party at the dean's house, where he apologizes to Mary there and she somewhat returns his affections. He later tells the rest of his crew that humans must be more complex than they ever thought and decides they will remain on Earth to further study the human condition. The rest of the aliens believe he actually wants to stay due to his infatuation with Mary, but Dick has his way since he is High Commander.
Reviews of the pilot were mixed and it was criticized for its abundant sex jokes, which were seen as "cheap". [1] The Daily News of Los Angeles reported that "as terrific as Lithgow is in his first weekly series, the show arrives dressed as one colossal breast joke." [2] Some critics compared the series to the short-lived Champs , which debuted on the same day. [3] [4]
The episode was watched by 23 million viewers. [5]
The sets seen in this episode are markedly different from those used later in the show's run. For instance, the Solomons' loft apartment does not have a staircase and the room is instead entered through the door that would later lead to Dick's bedroom. In Dick and Mary's office, Dick has the desk that would later become Mary's and vice versa. Also, most of the set dressing in the office is different and it is entered through the door that later leads to Nina's office. The sets were altered in "Truth or Dick", the next episode to be filmed, and they remained largely unchanged for the remainder of the show's run.
This episode is actually the second version of the pilot to be filmed. Originally, Dick's love interest was to be a secretary, but, after the first pilot, it became apparent to the show's producers that the aliens bounced off everything and that "straight" comic foils were required. The love interest was subsequently rewritten to be a fellow professor and a new character, Nina Campbell, became the secretary. Nina was added since it was thought that an "edge in the office" was needed. Jane Curtin and Simbi Khali joined the cast two weeks after the rest of the regulars. [6]
3rd Rock from the Sun is an American television sitcom created by Bonnie and Terry Turner, which originally aired from January 9, 1996, to May 22, 2001, on NBC. The show is about four extraterrestrials who are on an expedition to Earth, the third planet from the Sun, which they consider to be a very insignificant planet. The extraterrestrials pose as a human family to observe the behavior of human beings.
Turanga Leela is a fictional character from the animated television series Futurama. Leela is spaceship captain, pilot, and head of all aviation services on board the Planet Express Ship. Throughout the series, she has an on-again, off-again relationship with Philip J. Fry, the central character in the series. The character, voiced by Katey Sagal, is named after the Turangalîla-Symphonie by Olivier Messiaen. She is one of the few characters in the cast to routinely display competence and the ability to command, and routinely saves the rest of the cast from disaster. However, she suffers extreme self-doubt because she has only one eye and grew up as a bullied orphan. She first believes herself an alien, but later finds out she is the least-mutated sewer mutant in the history of 31st-century Earth. Her family parodies aspects of pollution and undesirability associated with industrial New Jersey when compared with New York City.
The Greatest American Hero is an American comedy-drama superhero television series that aired on ABC. Created by producer Stephen J. Cannell, it premiered as a two-hour pilot movie on March 18, 1981, and ran until February 2, 1983. The series features William Katt as teacher Ralph Hinkley, Robert Culp as FBI agent Bill Maxwell, and Connie Sellecca as lawyer Pam Davidson. The lead character's surname was temporarily changed to "Hanley" for a few months immediately after President Ronald Reagan and three others were shot and wounded by John Hinckley Jr. on March 30, 1981.
Harry S. Solomon is a character in 3rd Rock from the Sun, played by French Stewart. He is the brother of Dick Solomon and Sally Solomon, and the uncle of Tommy Solomon. His middle initial is mentioned in the episode "Dick the Vote." French Stewart said in a 1998 interview, "The way the character was originally described to me was he would be an idiot on any planet. So he's got to be the biggest idiot in the universe!"
Dr. Dick Solomon is a character played by John Lithgow in the late-1990s NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. Solomon is the High Commander of a highly trained alien unit, sent to Earth by their leader, The Big Giant Head. His crew is made up of Sally Solomon, Harry Solomon, and Tommy Solomon. In the first episode, "Brains and Eggs", Dick states that he has made a home of a "third rate planet, has a job at a third rate university, and now we are looking at a third floor apartment."
Sally Solomon is a fictional character from the television sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun.
Tommy Solomon is a fictional character created by Bonnie and Terry Turner from the American sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. He was portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Mary Margaret Albright is a fictional character who was played by former SNL cast member Jane Curtin in the American situation comedy 3rd Rock from the Sun. She serves as a straight foil and love interest for the eccentric Dick Solomon.
John Arthur Lithgow is an American actor. He studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his diverse work on stage and screen. He has received numerous accolades including six Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Tony Awards as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and four Grammy Awards. Lithgow received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2001 and was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 2005.
"The Thing That Wouldn't Die" is the two-part series finale of the American sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. The episode aired on May 22, 2001 on NBC. The action in the episode directly follows that of the previous two-parter "Mary Loves Scoochie", which ended with Dick transforming Dr. Liam Neesam, a malevolent alien played by John Cleese, into a chimpanzee. Therefore, the full finale involves a four-episode story arc.
The Big Giant Head, a fictional character from the American sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, is the Solomons' mission leader and king of the universe.
"Biogenesis" is the twenty-second episode and the sixth season finale of the science fiction television series The X-Files. The episode first aired in the United States and Canada on May 16, 1999, on the Fox Network, and aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland on July 25, 1999, on Sky1. It was written by executive producers Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, and directed by Rob Bowman. "Biogenesis" earned a Nielsen household rating of 9.4, being watched by 15.86 million people in its initial broadcast. The episode received mixed reviews from critics.
The first season of 3rd Rock from the Sun, an American television sitcom, began on January 9, 1996, and ended on May 21, 1996. It aired on NBC. The region 1 DVD was released on July 26, 2005.
The second season of 3rd Rock from the Sun, an American television sitcom, began on September 22, 1996, and ended on May 18, 1997. It aired on NBC. The region 1 DVD was released on October 25, 2005.
The third season of 3rd Rock from the Sun, an American television series, began September 24, 1997, and ended on May 20, 1998. It aired on NBC. The region 1 DVD was released on February 21, 2006.
The sixth and final season of 3rd Rock from the Sun, an American television series, began October 24, 2000, and ended on May 22, 2001. It aired on NBC. The region 1 DVD was released on November 14, 2006.
The Neighbors is an American television science fiction sitcom that aired from October 27, 2012, to May 12, 2014, on ABC. The story line revolves around a family of humans living in a community of extraterrestrials. The series was created by Dan Fogelman, who also served as executive producer. Chris Koch, Jeffrey Morton, and Aaron Kaplan served as co-producers, and the first season was produced by ABC Studios and Kapital Entertainment.
"Meet the Neighbors" or "Pilot" is the pilot episode of the American television science fiction sitcom The Neighbors. It was slated to air on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on September 26, 2012. The episode was written by Dan Fogelman, and directed by Chris Koch. The episode generally received negative reviews.
Ian David Lithgow is an American actor and therapist. He is best known for his work as Leon in the NBC series 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996–2001). He is the son of actor John Lithgow.