John Lithgow Is Rediscovering “3rd Rock from the Sun” 30 Years Later: ‘I Think I’m Great!’
John Lithgow Is Rediscovering “3rd Rock from the Sun” 30 Years Later: ‘I Think I’m Great!’
Virginia ChamleeFri, April 17, 2026 at 7:48 PM UTC
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John LithgowCredit: Theo Wargo/Getty; Alan Levenson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty -
John Lithgow says he's rediscovering his 1990s sitcom, 3rd Rock From the Sun
The veteran actor portrayed eccentric High Commander Dick Solomon on the show, which ran for six seasons from 1996 to 2001
The show followed a group of aliens posing as a human family in Ohio with a cast that also included Kristen Johnston, French Stewart and Joseph Gordon-Levitt
John Lithgow says he's rediscovering 3rd Rock From the Sun — and realizing how great his performance was in the show.
In a Friday, Apr. 17 interview on the third hour of Today, while promoting his role in Broadway’s Giant, the veteran actor reflected on the series, which ran for six seasons from 1996 to 2001 and followed a group of aliens posing as a human family in Ohio.
As the eccentric High Commander Dick Solomon, Lithgow, now 80, led a cast that included Kristen Johnston, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and French Stewart.
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The show, known for its offbeat humor, became a staple of late-’90s television and earned multiple awards during its run, with Lithgow himself winning several Primetime Emmy Awards for his performance.
"It was six years of unstoppable laughter. It was ecstatic fun. Just wonderful, wonderful," Lithgow said.
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Asked if he ever went back and re-watched the show, Lithgow told Today, "Now and then."
3rd Rock From the Sun castCredit: Chris Haston/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank
"And it’s thrilling because I’ve forgotten practically everything — that happens in old age. And as a result, it’s all brand new. It’s hilarious," he added. "I think I’m great!"
Speaking to PEOPLE in 2025, Lithgow's former co-star Johnston revealed she was still "very grateful" to Lithgow, 25 years after the Emmy-winning series ended.
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"I'm very grateful to John Lithgow for teaching me, by example, how to be on a set and how to be a graceful, cool person that everyone wants to work with," she said, going on to praise her TV brother as being someone who would "show up on time, lines memorized."
"He really taught me how to be someone you'd want to work with and hire a couple of times, so I'm very grateful to him for that," she added.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
