Shows about families have been a staple of mainstream TV almost since its inception. But there was never a television clan quite like the Addams Family. The series ran for two seasons (1964-66) on the ABC network. Despite this short duration, it became a cult classic which spawned two theatrical films, a cartoon series, several TV specials, and a 2007 musical production.
Creator Charles Addams was a cartoonist who drew the original characters for the New Yorker magazine. Their first appearance was way back in 1938. The basic family structure was there from the start: an unsmiling European-style couple who dressed …