016 Ghoul Next Door: The Addams Family Story (Part One)

This week, we take a haunted stroll through the cobwebbed halls of pop culture history to uncover the true roots of The Addams Family. Before the catchy theme song, finger snaps, and Wednesday’s deadpan glare, there was Charles Addams — the cartoonist who dreamed up America’s spookiest, strangest household in The New Yorker.

We explore:

• How Charles Addams’ single-panel gags in the 1930s evolved into the family we know today.
• The leap from cartoons to the 1960s TV sitcom (and why Morticia and Gomez became the gold standard for spooky romance).
• Memorable cameos in shows like Scooby-Doo.
• The Addams Family vs. The Munsters: two spooky sitcoms, one cultural moment.
• A tease of what’s to come in Part Two: the big-screen revivals of the 1990s and the lasting influence of everyone’s favorite gothic clan.

Whether you grew up snapping along to the theme song or just discovered Wednesday on Netflix, this is the perfect entry point into the world of all things creepy and kooky.