The sitcom starring John Lithgow, Jane Curtin, Kristen Johnston, French Stewart and Joseph Gordon-Levitt joins the multicast network with a Season 1 marathon on July 18.
Cozi TV Adding ‘3rd Rock From The Sun’
NBCUniversal Local’s Cozi TV diginet today announced it has acquired digital broadcast rights to Carsey-Werner Television’s 3rd Rock from the Sun. The iconic, Emmy Award-winning comedy series will launch on Cozi TV on July 18 with a special marathon and join the network’s regular lineup July 19 as the sitcom celebrates its 25th anniversary.
Featuring an all-star ensemble cast led by John Lithgow, Jane Curtin, Kristen Johnston, French Stewart and a young, up-and-coming Joseph Gordon-Levitt, along with a who’s who of major guest stars, 3rd Rock joins a 24-hour lineup of pop culture favorites on Cozi TV’s multicast network of 147 affiliates reaching more than 109 million homes and 90% of the U.S. — including all top-10 television markets — as well as Dish Network (ch. 252), fuboTV, HuluLive and YouTubeTV.
“The staying power of 3rd Rock has been extraordinary, and its timeless success is due to the extraordinary talents of its incredible all-star cast, writers and producers,” said Meredith McGinn, SVP of Cozi TV. “We are excited to showcase this witty, hilarious comedy and celebrate its milestone 25th anniversary, and for 3rd Rock to join our lineup of all-time favorites on Cozi TV.”
Cozi TV will mark the launch of 3rd Rock on July 18 with a special 10-hour marathon of all 20 first-season episodes, the Cozi TV 3rd Rock-A-Thon, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET. The following day, July 19, 3rd Rock will begin airing in its regular Cozi TV weekday and weekend time slots covering eight hours per week — Mondays through Fridays from 7 to 8 p.m. ET and Sundays from 5 to 7 p.m. ET and 11 p.m. to midnight ET.
From creators and former Saturday Night Live writers Bonnie and Terry Turner (Carsey-Werner’s That ’70s Show, Coneheads, Wayne’s World 1 & 2, Tommy Boy, The Brady Bunch Movie), the two-time Emmy Award-winning best comedy about a space alien family trying to figure out the strange ways of Earth continues to enjoy widespread popularity a quarter century after its NBC network premiere.
Executive produced by Marcy Carsey, Tom Werner, Caryn Mandabach and the Turners, the sitcom aired 139 episodes. Over its lifespan, 3rd Rock has set ratings records including topping NBC’s 8:30 p.m. Tuesday time slot (dating back to the start of the Nielsen database in 1991-92) and ranking as the second-best performing post-Super Bowl comedy in nearly 30 years (behind Friends), according to Cozi TV.
BRAND CONNECTIONS
The sitcom made a big impact on NBC in its 1996 rookie season, finishing as the No. 2 comedy series. It went on reach No. 1 in its slot for five straight seasons, winning on three nights across five different time periods.
With its 1999 launch into off-network TV syndication, the comedy became the fastest-selling show in off-net syndication at the time, clearing 97% of the U.S. across 200-plus stations in only four weeks. Later, it went on to successful basic cable runs.
Its popularity with audiences translated into critical acclaim, with the show capturing many top industry awards throughout its run — most notably from the Primetime Emmy Awards where, in 1997, it collected the biggest single-year haul ever at the time for a TV series by nabbing five statues out of eight nominations.
In all, Lithgow received an Emmy nod for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series during each of the show’s six seasons, garnering the prize in 1996, 1997 and 1999. In addition, he won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Comedy Series in 1996, and for Best Male Comedy series actor the following year from the SAG Awards.
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