The Munsters

The Munsters is an American sitcom about the home life of a family of benign monsters that aired from 1964 to 1966 on CBS. The series stars Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster (Frankenstein's monster), Yvonne De Carlo as his vampire wife Lily, Al Lewis as Grandpa (Count Dracula), Beverley Owen (later replaced by Pat Priest) as their niece Marilyn, and Butch Patrick as their werewolf-like son Eddie. A family pet named "Spot" was a fire-breathing dragon. Produced by the creators of Leave It to Beaver, the series was a satire of American suburban life, the wholesome television family fare of the era and traditional monster movies. It achieved higher Nielsen ratings than did the similarly macabre-themed The Addams Family, which aired concurrently on ABC. In 1965, The Munsters was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series but lost to The Rogues. In the 21st century, it received several TV Land Award nominations, including one for Most Uninsurable Driver (Herman Munster). The series originally aired on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. from September 24, 1964 to May 12, 1966. Seventy episodes were produced. The show was canceled after ratings had dropped to a series low in the face of competition from ABC's Batman. Patrick said, "I think Batman was to blame. Batman just came along and took our ratings away." However, The Munsters found a large audience in syndication. A spinoff series ensued, as well as several films, including one with a theatrical release and several more recent attempts to reboot it.