THE next stop may be back to deep space for the sitcom “3rd Rock From the Sun,” which shot a potential series finale on Friday.
The studio audience that watched the show taped last week got a hint that the end might be near when series star John Lithgow got up before the crowd and made a special announcement. Lithgow “pretty much said that we’re having a great time, you guys are wonderful and you may be witnessing history here tonight because this may be our last episode,” said James Anderson, a spokesman for the show, now completing its sixth season.
Leslie Reed, a “3rd Rock” spokeswoman from NBC, which carries the show, confirmed that a potential series finale was shot but said a final decision on the show’s fate has yet to be determined.
She also confirmed that Elvis Costello flew in from Ireland to guest star on the show and sang “Fly Me to the Moon” for the episode.
“We won’t know for a couple of months probably” if the show will return in the fall, Reed said. “But they did film a finale because they didn’t want to be caught not wrapping up the series in case it was canceled.”
“3rd Rock,” a show about four aliens who assume human form and live among everyday people, debuted in January 1996 and has taped 138 episodes to date. The show has the dubious distinction of appearing in 18 different time slots during its run – more than any other show in TV history.
Anderson said the frequent moves are a testament to the show’s versatility, but also probably took a toll as loyal viewers struggled to follow it from time slot to time slot.
He said the final episode, which will either be aired as two half-hour shows on consecutive weeks or as a one-hour finale, begins when the aliens get a message from their home planet that it’s time to return.
“What happens is the aliens have to accept that fact and they decide to throw a big farewell party, not telling anyone that they have to go home or what the reason is,” Anderson said.
He added that the show ends with the four aliens sitting in the same red convertible where they began the show in the pilot six years ago.
“That’s how you’re going to be left,” Anderson said. “It’s open-ended enough that if this is not the last season, the writers could certainly write themselves back in. But it also ends properly so that if this is the last season the audience and fans who have been with the show will not be let down.”
The finale will air sometime in May.- Reuters