Kristen Johnson and More ‘3rd Rock From the Sun’ Alums Reunite to Celebrate Show’s 25th Anniversary

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Kristen Johnson and More '3rd Rock From the Sun' Alums Reunite to Celebrate Show's 25th Anniversary

A monumental return! Fans of 3rd Rock From the Sun were in for a surprise when members of the cast got together to mark the show's 25th anniversary. "3rd Rock From The Sun reunion last night at @vulture festival. Can’t tell you the love I feel for this TV family of mine," Joseph Gordon-Levitt, wrote via Instagram on Monday, November 15, alongside a selfie with former costars John Lithgow, French Stewart and Kristen Johnson. The group appeared at Vulture Fest on Sunday, November 14, to discuss the sitcom, which aired from 1996 to 2001. Will Forte, who wrote for the quirky comedy, greeted the panel with a video message as actors Jane Curtin and Wayne Knight each made brief appearances of their own. The NBC series followed four extraterrestrial characters who pretended to be a human family after being sent from their planet to research earth. In 1997, it won more Emmys than any other show, taking home five out of the eight trophies it was nominated for, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Lithgow, now 76. Five years after 3rd Rock From the Sun’s debut, Gordon-Levitt, 40, stepped back from his role as Tommy Solomon to attend Columbia University. "I am really lucky that I got to be on a popular television show when I was a kid so I was able to pay for my own college, but my college was expensive," the 500 Days of Summer star recalled during an interview with Entertainment Tonight in August. "If I didn’t happen to be on that show, I would have a lot of student loan debt. ... I think [I] have so much to be grateful for." Despite his early departure from the show, the Angles in the Outfield actor has often spoken about its positive impact on his life. “That show was so formative for me,” he explained to The Hollywood Reporter in June 2020. “I was on that show from age 13 to 19, so all my teenage years I spent with that family of people and they’re incredibly dear to me. I’m singling out John, but Kristen Johnston, French Stewart, Jane Curtin, Simbi Kali, Wayne Knight, everybody. Everybody was so, so sweet.” At the time, Gordon-Levitt also thanked Lithgow for influencing the choices he made throughout his career. “He was such a shining example of a kind and dedicated leader,” the 10 Things I Hate About You star noted about his costar. “He was a mentor to all of us. He was always there to help, and he always just brought 110 percent to this TV show.” Scroll down to see the 3rd Rock From the Sun cast reunion: [podcast_block]

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A Surprise Appearance

During her cameo at the panel, Curtin admitted, "I was constantly trying not to laugh while working on that show, because it was just so damn funny."

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A Love for the Ages

"The Donny and Sally scenes were just heaven. They really were. He's just so fun to act with," Johnson gushed right before Knight joined the cast onstage.

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A Possible Reunion

Knight weighed in on a future revival or reboot of the series, saying, "Society’s gotten too bizarre. You couldn’t satirize it today.”

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An Iconic Memory

Stewart admitted that he kept Harry [Solomon]'s furry coat, which he then gave to an audience member. 

Credit: Courtesy of Joseph Gordon-Levitt/Instagram

Traveling to the Past

After the Vulture Fest panel, writer Alyse Whitney posted a clip of the actors watching scenes from the iconic series.

"One of the single greatest moments of my life was watching the '3rd rock from the sun' cast watch and laugh at themselves in clips from the show at #vulturefestival!!" she wrote alongside the video.