Along with “Star Trek” vs. “Star Wars,” one of the great debates in the annals of pop culture is “The Addams Family” vs. “The Munsters.” In 1996, Nickelodeon had this huge event in which they alternated between “The Munsters” and “The Addams Family” for about a week. Both freaky families would campaign in a series of commercials, and fans would vote for their favorite, like a Presidential election, but good. At the end of the event, “The Munsters” were victorious, resulting in a four-hour marathon on Halloween. For most of my life, these two franchises were neck-and-neck, often with “The Munsters” edging out “The Addams Family” by a hair. The consensus was that while “The Addams Family” was a more sophisticated show, The Munsters themselves were just slightly more likable.
Frankly, I’m not entirely sure what happened, but it appears that “The Munsters” have thoroughly lost the debate in recent years. Many of the younger folks I have spoken to haven’t even heard of “The Munsters,” while “The Addams Family” continues to thrive. Netflix gave us both a new “Addams Family” show and a new “Munsters” movie in recent years. “Wednesday” continues to be a massive hit for the streaming service, while Rob Zombie’s “The Munsters” came and went without much fanfare. Now I’m sure much of this has to do with a perception of quality. Though I personally enjoyed Mr. Zombie’s take on The Munsters, it was polarizing among fans of the monster clan. But before “Wednesday” was even released, folks were clamoring for it. “Netflix” didn’t need to sell anyone on a Wednesday Addams spin-off; it sold itself. Meanwhile, very few noticed that a somewhat faithful adaptation of “The Munsters” came out around the same time.
Perhaps the lack of enthusiasm from critics hurt Rob Zombie’s “The Munsters,” but “Wednesday” has been somewhat maligned as well. Beyond its central performance by Jenna Ortega and Wednesday’s surprisingly sweet relationship with werewolf roomie Enid, fans and critics alike have spat their venom at “Wednesday.” Even as someone who does enjoy the series for what it is, I can say that “Wednesday” is often a frustrating watch. Yet these pannings have done very little to slow “Wednesday’s” momentum. To date, it is the most-watched show in Netflix’s history, surpassing even hits like “Stranger Things” and “Squid Game.” Most of that stems from the fact that people just Wednesday and The Addams Family themselves. Their overall popularity ensured “Wednesday’s” success, something that The Munsters haven’t enjoyed in some time.
The decline of The Munsters happened so gradually that I didn’t even notice it until recently. In my world, they are eternal. But the current generation isn’t as familiar with them as they are with The Addams Family. On paper, they seemed about equal for many decades. Several revivals, both good and bad, have been attempted by both spooky families. “Munster, Go Home!” was released in 1966, making The Munsters the first of the two to receive a theatrical film. However, I believe the thing that put The Addams Family over the edge and stifled The Munsters was the two theatrical “Addams Family” movies in the early ’90s. It wasn’t obvious at the time; critics were split on those upon their initial release. Time has been kind to them, though. Instead of being a semi-forgotten pop culture oddity like the once-popular live-action “Flintstones” movie, “The Addams Family” and its sequel “Addams Family Values” have become genuine classics. Not a Thanksgiving goes by without a viral reference to the pilgrim musical in “Addams Family Values.”
Reboots can and have sucked eggs. But reboots can keep characters alive for future generations. If the last Batman movie was “Batman & Robin” and Nolan never took a crack at the Caped Crusader, there’s a good chance that Batman would have dissipated from pop culture. Before that, the Adam West TV show saved “Batman” comics from cancellation. Conversely, The Shadow–once a figure on the same level as Batman–has all but disappeared. The last major attempt at adapting The Shadow was that Adam Baldwin movie, which didn’t exactly set the world on fire. The Addams Family began as a series of one-panel comics published in The New Yorker in 1938. The 1960s gave us the sitcom, which begat the 1990s movies, “Wednesday,” and everything after.
Though I will always defend Rob Zombie’s “The Munsters,” I believe Universal should give the franchise another shot at some point. Zombie’s take was probably too much of a love letter to attract a new audience, and “Mockingbird Lane”—a “hip” revival attempt from 2012—may have strayed too far from the spirit of the original. To resurrect “The Munsters,” you have to treat them as if they’re brand new while maintaining what made those characters so special. Essentially, they are a blue-collar, average American family. That happens to be Universal Monsters. A new Munsters should feel timeless but also reflect what’s going on in society today. The ’90s Addams Family was very much of its decade, offering a rebuttal to the saccharine family dynamic we saw in the 1980s media. And except Wednesday, permanently changed here and for the better, The Addams Family were still indeed The Addams Family.
There are other reasons as to why The Munsters lost favor with general audiences. The Addams Family is very much its own thing, with its own mythology, while The Munsters are basically “Leave It to Beaver” with a classic movie monster makeover. It could be too rooted in past pop culture to resonate with folks today. But it does bum me out that they aren’t as popular as they once were. Both The Addams Family and The Munsters were very dear to weird kids like me growing up. Hopefully, there’s still some life left in The Munsters. If some artist with a deep affinity for those characters comes along and reboots them in a way that honors the original, perhaps The Munsters will catch up with The Addams Family once again. For now, all I can say is, “Darn! Darn! Darn!”
- The Phibes Philes: Wishmaster – Movie Review - June 12, 2026
- The Phibes Philes: The Eraser – Batman’s Forgotten Foe - May 27, 2026
- The Phibes Philes: The Ghost Galleon (1974) Film Review - May 17, 2026
