Kristen Johnston, 58, thinks the possibility of a 3rd Rock From the Sun reboot has floated off into space.
“Yeah... I don’t think it would work,” she told Obsessed: The Podcast. “Sadly.”
Johnston played Sally Solomon, a brash alien security officer who took human form on an expedition to Earth. She won two Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actress for the role, first in 1997, and then in 1999.
3rd Rock From the Sun ran from 1996 through 2001 and starred household names like John Lithgow, Jane Curtin, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It follows a group of aliens in disguise as humans exploring Earth, which they believe is the least important planet in the universe.
Johnston has also appeared in Allison Janney’s CBS sitcom Mom and in 1999’s Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. She’s currently starring as Carol in Netflix’s Leanne, alongside show co-creator Leanne Morgan, 60. The show’s second season premiered in August.
Despite 3rd Rock From the Sun’s smash success and eight Emmy wins—including three for Lithgow for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series—Johnston believes the show reached its natural conclusion in 2001.
But beyond that, she said that major changes in the political and social climate since the early aughts would make a reboot problematic.
Sally was a male commander in a female human body, and much of the character’s humor comes from that disconnect. She struggled with traditional femininity, creating a character who challenged structured gender roles. In general, the show’s exploration of gender as performance and presentation was effective in that historical moment, but Johnston isn’t sure the same would be true now.
“It was just a very special moment in time, where people were still innocent enough to find humor in the stuff that they discovered, men versus women and all that stuff,” she said. “And now I just think it’s a little more difficult—a lot more difficult. It’s just a harder world today.”
Johnston hopes that if they ever reboot 3rd Rock From the Sun, she wouldn’t play Sally. Instead, she said a transgender actor should step into the role. They would lend authenticity to the alien-human character in a way Johnston hadn’t been able to explore.
“If it did come back, I would certainly hope they would have a transgender person playing Sally because I think that would work brilliantly,” she said. “I do. I mean, she basically was trans, you know, the character anyway. I would love that. It would be great.”
Before Leanne began in 2025, Johnston missed the simplicity of sitcom narratives. The form offers a unique escape from the world’s tumult, and she’s relieved audiences still seem drawn to comedy.
“I wish we all could live in happy sitcom land,” Johnston said. “I really do; it’s a great escape for me as well. And I’m glad they’re starting to appreciate it again.”
Leanne is currently streaming on Netflix.
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