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Third Rock From the Sun: the Official Tie-in
The official report on Earth by High Commander Dick Solomon. 134 pages of humor. "highly classified document" for the Big Giant Head's eyes only. Makes an excellent gift for every fan of the show.
- GenresTvNonfictionHumor
134 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 6, 2019
A local channel has started re-running episodes of NBC's manic sitcom THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN, and just as in the Nineties, I've fallen in love with the show's cast, manic wit, and occasional satiric jabs which have worn surpringly well over the past thirty years. This book, 3rd Rock from the Sun: The Official Report on Earth by High Commander Dick Solomon, was published early in the show's 1996-2001 run, and is a useful if not exhaustive guide to the sitcom.
Profiled are the main characters in the show: alien commander Dick Solomon, the center of most plots (John Lithgow); security officer Sally Solomon, who could go from Amazon commando to daddy's widdle girl in the blink of an eye (Kristen Johnson); Tommy Solomon, in reality a grumpy oldster who appears in the body of a teenager (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and has to attend high school; and the most physically gifted, Harry Solomon (French Stewart), whose squint disguised a wealth of comic invention. Some secondary characters are mentioned, such as Jane Curtin as Harry's office-mate and occasional bed-made Prof. Mary Albright; Simba Khali as their assistant Nina; and Elmarie Wendel as Mamie Dubcek, an aging nymphomaniac who happens to be the Solomons' landlady.
Unfortunately, characters who were introduced in later years such as Wayne Knight's "Officer Don" and Ileen Getz's stonefaced professor "Judith" did not make this book. This book is still a good enough companion to warrant purchase, though, and as far as I know it was the only one of its kind ever to see print. If you haven't seen this high-energy working of the "fish out of water" premise, you have a treat in store. Like the Solomons, maybe you'll learn to fear fruit jello, too!
Profiled are the main characters in the show: alien commander Dick Solomon, the center of most plots (John Lithgow); security officer Sally Solomon, who could go from Amazon commando to daddy's widdle girl in the blink of an eye (Kristen Johnson); Tommy Solomon, in reality a grumpy oldster who appears in the body of a teenager (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and has to attend high school; and the most physically gifted, Harry Solomon (French Stewart), whose squint disguised a wealth of comic invention. Some secondary characters are mentioned, such as Jane Curtin as Harry's office-mate and occasional bed-made Prof. Mary Albright; Simba Khali as their assistant Nina; and Elmarie Wendel as Mamie Dubcek, an aging nymphomaniac who happens to be the Solomons' landlady.
Unfortunately, characters who were introduced in later years such as Wayne Knight's "Officer Don" and Ileen Getz's stonefaced professor "Judith" did not make this book. This book is still a good enough companion to warrant purchase, though, and as far as I know it was the only one of its kind ever to see print. If you haven't seen this high-energy working of the "fish out of water" premise, you have a treat in store. Like the Solomons, maybe you'll learn to fear fruit jello, too!
February 7, 2016
All things considered, 3rd Rock from the Sun was a good show. It was a mainstream white American sitcom of the '90s, sure, but in spite of that, it usually managed to have a measure of political awareness and be legitimate if unambitious satire. It obviously had its moments of significant badness, but even by today's standards, it was fairly unproblematic, which is more than you can usually hope for.
This book is what you get when you drain the show of all of the things that made it special except for John Lithgow's face, including all of the humour. What's left is a pile of tired, ancient (even in 1996) jokes that weren't good enough to make it into a script, and a whole bunch of decontextualised screenshots.
Maybe it's because it was written so early on in the show (I think it came out between the first and second seasons), but I'm disappointed.
This book is what you get when you drain the show of all of the things that made it special except for John Lithgow's face, including all of the humour. What's left is a pile of tired, ancient (even in 1996) jokes that weren't good enough to make it into a script, and a whole bunch of decontextualised screenshots.
Maybe it's because it was written so early on in the show (I think it came out between the first and second seasons), but I'm disappointed.
February 28, 2023
Loved the show. This just didn't measure up at all. Very lacking.
February 24, 2017
The Official Report is a very light read, but amusing enough. I was entertained, although I kept forgetting it was supposed to be from the TV show. I just kept thinking it was a cute little satirical commentary. Basically, it was good for a relaxing way to spend an evening.
November 12, 2012
A nice guide to the series, though it lacks a great deal of the wit that made the series such a success.
March 25, 2009
HILARIOUS! I was laughing so much reading this that I had tears running down my face. A great companion to a hilarious series.
April 8, 2013
Cute tie in with the tv show
December 17, 2014
It's a cute enough book that I want to rewatch the show, but not so great that I would read it again any time soon.
May 21, 2013
Not as funny as the series, but decent.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews