Mockingbird Lane

source: Mockingbird Lane

As a long time fan of "The Munsters" I was both excited, and apprehensive when I heard about this reboot. A New Munsters? I groaned, remembering such fare as the 80's made for TV flick "The Munsters' Revenge" but then I heard It's not a comedy, it's a drama. and I thought....huh....there's potential there. So I watched it, and it was extremely well done. Everything from the writing to the special effects was top notch. I was extremely happy to see Portia DiRossi, who starred in my favorite show of all time, "Arrested Development". O'Connell shined as the kind-hearted Herman, and Izzard's Grandpa is imposing, threatening, frightening, and just a tad hilarious. I love this new take on "The Munsters" and I hope it takes off, I would love to watch this weekly. Future remake makers, take notes from this pilot. It's excellent.

I am old enough to remember the original in syndication. I hated the original. It was campy, vapid and catered to the lowest form of "Milton Berle" obvious comedy. that said, I loved this Pilot! This seemed to me to be not so much a re-do of the original but a blending of the original with the "Addams Family" (which I adored). There are undercurrents of the darkest humor here that need to be explored further.I want to see more! And frankly its about time for the studios to stop catering to the slightly daffy same-old-same-old comedy they have been shoving at us, the viewing public, for decades. Give us something smart, Give us something dark and Please God, Give us something funny. this show could fit the bill if you would let it.

This show was excellent. For a special, it should have been at least 2 hours long. Some of the shows on currently truly suck, so why cancel the great ideas??? Pick up this show, it will sell big time!! I enjoyed the fresh conception, the reality versus the green monster effect. Lily as a real woman that dresses to impress and changes her clothes often. a Marylin with more input adds character. As for Eddie, the actor was so-so, could use further training and the constant boyscout wearing is nerdy and seems more like a mamas boy, total target at school.

The choice to have Jerry O'Connell to play herman made this show seem very odd, almost cheap. I Really dig the idea to bring the munster's into the new age and to give it a little spit shine, but the choice for herman was so poor, that i almost didn't want to watch the pilot. It was just a very, very bad choice. If i had my way, i would of got the most underrated actor of all time, Ron Perlman to play herman. As for the show and the other cast, they was good and i would like to see more if they can find someone other then Jerry O'Connell to play herman. If they can't, i would rather them put the reincarnation of this show back to rest until they find someone better to play herman muster. I Have nothing against Jerry O'Connell, i think he's a great actor, it's just he doesn't fit the character of Herman munster.

I never really watched the original show, it just wasn't my type of humor. I liked this reboot though. No, it's not like the original and it's not trying to be, which I think is a good thing. Seeing Jerry O'Connell as Herman has me feeling a little iffy though. He's not my favorite actor, but I think his kinda dopey-happy vibe is fitting for Herman and serves as a good balance with the devious Grandpa. Speaking of which...Eddie Izzard is marvelous, and the main reason why I'm loving the show so much. Without him, I don't think I would have enjoyed it, and probably wouldn't watch it. He's simply divine! Err....I suppose diabolical would be a better word, wouldn't it?

I don't watch a lot of TV lately because with the computer I get to watch exactly what I want and not whatever is on. Sometimes I remember to watch GRIMM and sometimes I miss it (but I can catch it later here, on IMDb) because I was told in the beginning that each episode was going to be about a fairy tale and somehow in the way I lost track of that and I believe they're not doing that anymore, the Halloween episode was about La Llorona, a Mexican legend, but this is another story, the thing is that I saw the spot on TV about this Halloween special and I immediately wanted to watch it, it was special, it was for Halloween and the set up looked cute. I didn't even knew who was in the cast except for O'Connell, the only one I recognized from the trailer. Comes Friday 26 and I forgot. So I looked for it the next day and I found it on Hulu. Up to that point I didn't know it was going to be related to the Munsters. The show starts, the kids in the camp look for whoever stole some candy and then the wolf shows up. Until they say: ''-Where is Eddie Munster?'' I realize this has something to do with the series from the 60s. So I start to pay attention and then I see Marilyn buying the house on Mockingbird, Herman's silhouette appearing on screen with the square head and the screws in his neck confirmed my doubts. When I saw the rats coming out from the coffin transforming themselves into Grandpa and then Lily being dresses by spiders I started to feel uneasy. Smoke, Lily on the ceiling, Grandpa with long gowns and lace umbrella, the kids running and the blood, the pterodactyl bat eating the lion who ate the deer (in what forest?), all that don't seem too appropriate to have anything to do with the original series. For me, if they want to do a Halloween special, good, make it, use other names and/or another idea, but don't mess with the classics. I haven't seen Dexter, or any of those new vampire shows, but if they want to keep exploiting the monster trend, fine, just don't use something that shouldn't be disturbed. There's evidence in the past proving that is not a good idea (Munsters today the series and all those movies from the 90s).

I come to re-makes with an open mind. If you are -expecting- a regurgitation of Munsters of olde, you are barking up the wrong Woff Woff. They've tried that, and its failed miserably. Why bother re-making a classic? PLAY WITH IT. Allow it to mautre with the audience. Just as Battlestar re-approached it's story line, so does 1313 Mockingbord Lane. With clever retro writing and playfully nostalgic nods to the Munster's monster clichés, the humor tip-toes across Mockingbird Lane to the dark side. The romantically creepy visuals created are a unique departure from anything I've seen on network TV. Due to its approach, this one is not for those who choose to protect their wee ones from the spookie-ookie. My only 'complaint', such that it is, is that so much content was introduced in the episode that it became a wee bit disjointed. Could'nt they have fleshed it out to be a two hour movie? I want to know more about Marylin's mom? Will Herman's heart break? How will Eddie cope with his growing pains? Will we see Spot run? The questions created leave me craving... I hope 1313 triumphs and goes on. It would be a shame to dumb down this deliciously deviant diversion from the hum-drum. We giggled and guffawed from beguiling beginning to elucidating end. I am BLOOD THIRSTY to return!

Man, I hope this was just a one-shot. I'd hate for this to be the impression the current generation has of the Munsters. No children should be watching this anyway, there are some R-rated special effects. My mother was grossed out by Grandpa sucking blood out of the scout leader's chest through a tube. The rat transformation was cool but inappropriate in this context, a prime time special based on a beloved classic family program. Also, at least three of the Munsters appear in the *. I really like Jerry O'Connell, but he is no Herman. He's just a normal guy with stitches and a polo shirt walking around with his hands in his pockets during the entire production. I saw red every time he was on screen. I wouldn't expect him to channel Fred Gwynne given the direction the rest of the show went in but he is not the right man for this role- his character has none of the warmth or giddy childishness you'd expect from anyone playing this part. Will Ferrell, he would make a great Herman. I guess the rest of the cast is OK. Eddie Izzard totally steals the show, a more diabolical but still recognizable Grandpa. Marilyn plays more like Wednesday Addams and Eddie is a normal boy. Lily didn't make much of an impression, other than as a mannequin to hang fancy costumes on.

This was awesome! Marilyn and Grandpa were both very captivating. I like the re-imagined Herman a lot, and Lily was a great character, too. She's simultaneously vulnerable and powerful, and as soon as I saw that truck pull up I knew exactly what was in those crates. Just about every entrance of hers gave me chills. The kid that played Eddie was also very impressive. For the record, I've only seen a couple of episodes of the original (it was way before my time), but I'm definitely a fan of this new version! It's as clever as it is dark, and I can't wait for more! I really hope this gets picked up. I'm planning on getting a bunch of my friends as hooked on it as I am.