When they were first created by cartoonist Charles Addams during the 1930s, the members of the Addams Family didn’t have names. It was only in 1964, during production of their first television series, that Addams worked with producers to give the names Gomez, Morticia, Wednesday, Pugsley and Fester to the Addams Family core members.
Although they are famously introduced as being creepy, kooky, mysterious and spooky, beyond everything else, The Addams Family are civil, loving and accepting. Unlike the typical family sitcom format with humour based in conflict and misunderstanding between members, the Addamses routinely celebrate their differences together. While The Honeymooners would have been busy bickering, Morticia and Gomez would share and impromptu tango. The comedy of The Addams Family came from their success and satisfaction, despite subverting the usual suburban ideals.
With the story continuing to be told in subsequent cartoons, television reboots, movie series, and the recent Wednesday TV series, the original series stands out as ahead of its time – showing the joy of embracing one’s true self, rather than striving to fit in.
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