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Ranking all the 'Addams Family' adaptations

Ranking all the 'Addams Family' adaptations

They’re creepy, they’re kooky and, as far as we can tell, altogether ooky. They are the "Addams Family," and they are pop culture icons. There have been several adaptations of the macabre family over the years, literally spanning decades at this point. With a new animated "Addams Family" movie on the horizon, here is our ranking of the various flavors of the mysterious and spooky family over the years.

 
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“The Addams Family Fun-House” (1973)

“The Addams Family Fun-House” (1973)
Paul Redmond/WireImage

They tried to make a musical variety show based on "The Addams Family" in 1972. Seriously. You know that “Simpsons” episode with all the fake spinoffs? There’s the one where the Simpsons family has a variety show that Lisa refuses to be a part of so she is recast? This is basically like that, only all the cast members, save for the guy who played Cousin Itt, were new. Jack Riley, best known for playing Elliot Carlin on "The Bob Newhart Show," played Gomez, the family patriarch. The pilot was aired in 1973, but that was the end of it.

 
2 of 13

“Addams Family Reunion” (1998)

“Addams Family Reunion” (1998)
Getty Images

That’s right, there was a third live-action Addams Family movie made in the ‘90s. You may have missed it, since it went straight to video. Tim Curry and Daryl Hannah took on the roles of Gomez and Morticia. Curry is a delight almost always, but this movie was a real snore in classic direct-to-video style.

 
3 of 13

“The New Addams Family” (1998-1999)

“The New Addams Family” (1998-1999)
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Talk about churning out a show. “The New Addams Family” aired for only one season, but it cranked out 65 episodes. It wasn’t exactly well made, though. It was co-produced by an American company and a Canadian company, and it features a bunch of actors you’ve probably never heard of...well, aside from a recurring role for John Astin, the original Gomez Addams.

 
4 of 13

All the various Addams Family video games (and also the pinball machine)

All the various Addams Family video games (and also the pinball machine)
Karl Walter/Getty Images

Several Addams Family games were made between 1989 and 1999, starting with the delightfully named game “Fester’s Quest.” None of the games are that good, though. This ranking is largely based on the pinball machine, which is one of the more fun pinball games ever made.

 
5 of 13

“The Addams Family” (1992-1993)

“The Addams Family” (1992-1993)
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After the first live-action movie, it was decided to capitalize on the popularity of it with a new family-friendly cartoon. It was sort of like that “Beetlejuice” cartoon that was made, which is to say some of the grim stuff was cut down and it was made it a little brighter and more cheerful. It was a totally fine Saturday morning cartoon but largely forgettable.

 
6 of 13

The original cartoons

The original cartoons
Andre Chung for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Let us not forget where the Addams Family began: from the mind of Charles Addams, who first drew them into a one-panel cartoon for “The New Yorker” way back in 1938. Back then, they didn’t have names, and obviously there wasn’t much story. And yet Addams’ drawings captured people's imaginations. They were macabre and morbid and had a distinct style. Addams would eventually draw 150 of his cartoons before his death in 1988.

 
7 of 13

“The Addams Family” (1973-1974)

“The Addams Family” (1973-1974)
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Hanna-Barbera loved their cartoon adaptations. The Addams Family got their shot in the ‘70s but with a different twist. In this cartoon, the family was on a road trip in its “Creepy Camper.” The animation style was quite cool, in that old Hanna-Barbera way. It would have probably finished higher in our rankings if only it had lasted longer than 16 episodes.

 
8 of 13

“Halloween with the New Addams Family” (1977)

“Halloween with the New Addams Family” (1977)
Getty Images

Several years after the TV show ended, the Addams Family returned for a Halloween made-for-TV movie. That was a perfect spot for them, given their spooky nature. We got to see pretty much all the regulars from the original show back for one last ride. The story quality is a little sketchy at times, but for nostalgic purposes this Halloween special was a delight.

 
9 of 13

“The New Scooby-Doo Movies” (1972)

“The New Scooby-Doo Movies” (1972)
Getty Images

We don’t know why "Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Machine" gang started hanging with celebrities and famous characters. All of a sudden they were palling around with Batman and Robin, Sonny and Cher, the Harlem Globetrotters and, of course, the Addams clan. Well, at least Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester and Lurch were there. These movies were goofy as all get out, but in a good way. Who doesn’t have some affinity for the old Scooby-Doo cartoons?

 
10 of 13

"The Addams Family" musical

"The Addams Family" musical
Jemal Countess/Getty Images

Musicals adapted from known popular culture are fairly common these days. Sometimes they work; sometimes they don’t. The “Addams Family” musical was fairly well received, even getting a couple of Tony nominations. Plus, the original cast featured Nathan Lane as Gomez and Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia. That’s perfect casting two times over.

 
11 of 13

“The Addams Family” (1991)

“The Addams Family” (1991)
Getty Images

After years of dormancy, the family Addams was brought back into our lives with a live-action film. Raul Julia was Gomez! Anjelica Huston was Morticia! And in the best bit of casting, Christopher Lloyd plays Uncle Fester (and also a guy pretending to be Uncle Fester). The movie was decidedly more morbid and grotesque than the old TV show, but audiences didn’t mind, as the film brought in $191.5 million in box office on a $30 million budget.

 
12 of 13

“Addams Family Values” (1993)

“Addams Family Values” (1993)
Getty Images

People liked “The Addams Family,” but this is a rare case where many people seem to prefer the sequel. Unfortunately, the movie didn’t do as well at the box office, but money does not necessarily equal quality. Just look at how much money the “Star Wars” sequels made! The adventures of Pugsley and Wednesday at summer camp seemed to particularly strike people’s fancy.

 
13 of 13

“The Addams Family” (1964-1966)

“The Addams Family” (1964-1966)
Getty Images

All that being said, none of these projects holds a candle to the original TV series. It’s a pretty classic ‘60s sitcom. Every episode is simple, the plots are all eerily similar and they have, like, four sets total. And yet the multi-cam sitcom is still a ton of fun to watch. This is mostly due to the performances of John Astin as Gomez and Carolyn Jones as Morticia. They both give great sitcom performances, and the characters play off each other so well. Plus, they are a rare sitcom couple who love and support each other through thick and thin. #relationshipgoals

Chris Morgan is a sports and pop culture writer and the author of the books The Comic Galaxy of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and The Ash Heap of History. You can follow him on Twitter @ChrisXMorgan.

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