Mockingbird Lane

Well this was a pilot that was a reboot of the old Munster's show.  Apparently NBC declined to pick it up and after watching it last night I could see why.  It was simply too good of a show to be regular fare. The production design, the cast, and the special effects were simply beyond NBC's desires to handle on a weekly basis.  Shame really, if I was NBC what I would do is go back the the NBC Mystery Movie layout and have shows like this staggered by other equally great shows.  Say do four Mockingbird Lanes a year, a follow up to Heroes maybe, or better yet the Cape.  Anyway give it some thought NBC.

As to the show itself its sort of a bright, fairy tale Gothic in look and feel.  The old Munster house is there but it is a brighter shade of black.  With rooms with tree limbs poking through so the crows can have their indoor play area.  The Munsters themselves are a lot more bright, no longer using cast off Universal horror make up.  If you saw them on the street you might say, "well he's a little strange...," but you'd shrug and move on.  It's only when you get talking to them do you realize that they are really really strange.

Grandpa is a certified vampire and unapologetic killer.  His entrance, where he came in a form of a seething sea of rats was marvelous.  Also, it's fun that like Professor Farnsworth Grandpa is not afraid to show off his ancient bones.  If left to his devices he'd turn the town into his slaves and have a "drink" or two every night.  He is an absolute monster and loves it.

The others in the family act as the conscience, specially herman who's a stitched together frankenstein type that literally has a problem with broken hearts.  He loves too much and sometimes unwisely.  That said, he's a nice guy and for a frankenstein type didn't look too bad at all.  His wife, Lily, was also quite the looker, but I can't get too excited by anyone who dresses by spider.  Gross.  Marilyn is of course the "normal" one, but by the way she hangs around Grandpa I believe she's more a monster in mind than what you first see.  Finally, there's Eddy who's having issues with growing body hair.  Not puberty, lycanthropy.  They are trying to keep it a secret but how many "baby bear" attacks can there be?  Oh, as a super bonus point the beginning had a big hello to that mutant bear film of the seventies "Prophecy."  Delicious.