Fictitious Musings

I used to love watching reruns of The Munsters when I was growing up. I was into the classic Universal monsters in a big way, and seeing Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, and a few other creatures just go through the motions of everyday life was hysterical. A while back, NBC got the bright idea to remake the classic show as Mockingbird Lane. I was infuriated. Nobody could hold a candle to the performance of Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster, and I was sure the other replacement actors would suck just as bad. I cackled with glee when I learned that NBC decided to dump the show from their schedule.

And then, NBC decided to take one last stab at Mockingbird Lane by airing it on October 26 as a Halloween special. Again, I was infuriated… but not because the show gets to enjoy one last gasp of breath. I’m angry now because the new promo trailers that have been released for the show actually look good, and I’m really hoping the ratings are high enough to make NBC change their mind and turn this new version of The Munsters into a series.

Jerry O’Connell isn’t Fred Gwynne but it looks like he makes a decent Herman Munster, and Eddie Izzard, who is excellent in just about everything he does, is perfect as Grandpa. Also, I really like how the new show pays homage to the original with the great visual that starts the first preview, and I’m pretty sure the baby bear mentioned in the clip is actually little Eddie’s first (or close to first) transformation as a werewolf.

The second video focuses on Izzard’s Grandpa and Portia De Rossi’s Lily Munster as they arrive at their new home. The dark humor is great and the special effects are pretty good for the small screen.

What do you think? Should Mockingbird Lane get a second chance at life? I’m really surprised to find myself saying yes.

Tags:Mockingbird Lane, NBC, The Munsters