"The Addams Family" is beloved by many for the place it holds in their hearts because they enjoyed it during its original run. That is understandable, but it should be judged for its quality in an objective way. As a fan of "Mad" magazine, I liked humor to be clever and subversive. "The Addams Family" (TAF) tries to be both, but comes up short.
Much of the humor is sophomoric. The same can be said of some "Mad" pieces, but the magazine routinely offered very sophisticated jokes. TAF, via Gomez,sometimes tries for a higher plane of comedy, as when he speaks in Latin (which consisted of stringing together Latin phrases that were unrelated).
The characters are adaptations from Charles Addams' series of cartoons. The television show tries to breathe live into these (and other) characters by introducing goofiness. But the basis for much of the humor is incongruity, as when a ghoulish figure behaves in a mundane manner. Most of the other humor is derived from the unexpected. For example, their doorbell is a foghorn; they generally like things that most people dislike; their family physician is a witch doctor. Also, they seem to be unaware of how different they are from average citizens.
Many comedy shows from the 60s era were rooted in juvenile humor. That is no surprise. Consider "F Troop", "McHale's Navy" or "Get Smart". Goofy ruled the day. Some comedy shows, however, were more original than others. And some had extraordinary talent in their casts.
John Astin and Carolyn Jones are certainly talented, but their performances were as limited by concept as Morticia's gait.
In the end, TAF was an average comedy show for its time. It's level of humor was average. Viewed from a vantage of about fifty years later, it pales in comparison with "Frasier", "Modern Family" or even "Roseanne". No doubt it will remain a cult favorite for some. It certainly is an effective example of camp. And that is, probably, its main strength.
Much of the humor is sophomoric. The same can be said of some "Mad" pieces, but the magazine routinely offered very sophisticated jokes. TAF, via Gomez,sometimes tries for a higher plane of comedy, as when he speaks in Latin (which consisted of stringing together Latin phrases that were unrelated).
The characters are adaptations from Charles Addams' series of cartoons. The television show tries to breathe live into these (and other) characters by introducing goofiness. But the basis for much of the humor is incongruity, as when a ghoulish figure behaves in a mundane manner. Most of the other humor is derived from the unexpected. For example, their doorbell is a foghorn; they generally like things that most people dislike; their family physician is a witch doctor. Also, they seem to be unaware of how different they are from average citizens.
Many comedy shows from the 60s era were rooted in juvenile humor. That is no surprise. Consider "F Troop", "McHale's Navy" or "Get Smart". Goofy ruled the day. Some comedy shows, however, were more original than others. And some had extraordinary talent in their casts.
John Astin and Carolyn Jones are certainly talented, but their performances were as limited by concept as Morticia's gait.
In the end, TAF was an average comedy show for its time. It's level of humor was average. Viewed from a vantage of about fifty years later, it pales in comparison with "Frasier", "Modern Family" or even "Roseanne". No doubt it will remain a cult favorite for some. It certainly is an effective example of camp. And that is, probably, its main strength.