3rd Rock from the Sun (1996) was originally slated to air on ABC, which had recently been bought by Disney. The network dropped the bawdy extra-terrestrial comedy in favor of this family-friendly show produced by the Jim Henson Company. "3rd Rock" went on to air on NBC for six seasons; "Aliens in the Family" was canceled after only two episodes had aired.
The show aired for two weeks on ABC during their Friday night TGIF block, and then it was canceled due to low ratings. The remainder of the episodes were later burned off on Saturday mornings.
Because a then-unknown James Van Der Beek was contractually obligated to appear on the show, he had to turn down a role in La rage au coeur (1997).
According to New York Magazine, Margaret Trigg (Cookie Brody) had body dysmorphic disorder and invested her profits from the show in plastic surgery.