The Munsters: NBC Considering a Remake of the Classic TV Show

From the “just when you think you’ve heard it all” department comes word that NBC and Brian Fuller (Pushing Daisies) are considering remaking the creepy family from 1313 Mockingbird Lane — The Munsters.

EW reports that the project is still in the early development stages but the peacock network has ordered a pilot. No further details are available other than the fact that the remake is being described as “Modern Family meets True Blood.” (Wasn’t that sort of the concept for ABC’s The Gates?) Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy) is supposedly eyeing a behind-the-scenes role. However you look at it, this doesn’t sound much like the original series.

The Munsters first appeared on CBS in 1964 and revolves around a family of monsters who consider themselves an ordinary suburban family. It stars Fred Gwynne, Yvonne De Carlo, Al Lewis, Butch Patrick, Beverley Owen, and later, Pat Priest. Contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t a hit show and lasted just two seasons and 70 episodes.

The show’s already been revived a number of times over the years, sometimes with the original castmembers’ involvement. There’s been a feature film as well as three made-for-TV movies. In the early 1970s, ABC made a pilot for an animated adaptation, The Mini-Munsters, but it didn’t go any further.

In the late 1980s, The Munsters Today series tried to pick up the original sitcom some 22 years later. The characters were revived after being accidentally put to sleep by one of Grandpa’s experiments. The family is portrayed by John Schuck, Lee Meriwether, Howard Morton, Jason Marsden, and Hilary Van Dyke. It lasted for 72 episodes.

What do you think? Does a new version of The Munsters sound interesting to you? What would they have to do to make it work?

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