The Addams Family of which were originally published in "The New Yorker" between their debut in 1938 and Charles Addams' death in 1988. They have since been adapted to other media. In 1964, a live-action television series, starring John Astin and Carolyn Jones, premiered on ABC and subsequently inspired a 1977 television film and cameos from the cast in other shows. An unrelated animated series aired in 1973. The franchise was revived in the 1990s with a feature film series consisting of "The Addams Family" (1991) and "Addams Family Values" (1993). Both received nominations for Academy Awards, BAFTA Awards, and Hugo Awards. For
The Addams Family "Addams Family Reunion" to return) as Wednesday, John DeSantis as Lurch, Betty Phillips as Grandmama and Steven Fox as Thing. In the 1990s, Orion Pictures (which by then had inherited the rights to the series) developed a film version, "The Addams Family" (released on November 22, 1991). Due to the studio's financial troubles at the time, Orion sold the US rights to the film to Paramount Pictures. Upon the last film's success, a sequel followed: "Addams Family Values" (released on November 19, 1993, with worldwide distribution by Paramount). Loosened content restrictions allowed the films to use far more grotesque humor