The series was created by David Levy and Donald Saltzman in cooperation with cartoonist Charles Addams, who gave each previously unnamed character from his New Yorker cartoons a name and description.

ABC originally wanted to save money by using prerecorded library production music, but producer David Levy insisted on hiring composer Vic Mizzy to write an original theme.

Vic Mizzy improvised the now-iconic finger snaps while presenting his theme composition for approval, and they worked so well they became a permanent part of the percussive accompaniment.

Actor Ted Cassidy punctuated the theme song's lyrics with the spoken words 'neat', 'sweet', and 'petite'.

The Victorian residence at 21 Chester Place in Los Angeles, built in 1888, served as the basis for the Addams Family Mansion, but only for exterior shots in the pilot episode and the opening titles; a painter altered a photograph of the real two-story house to add a third floor and a gothic tower for the show.

The family's pet vulture, Zelda, was actually performed by a live male vulture named Igor.

The Addams Family debuted the same season as The Munsters, another black-and-white macabre family sitcom; both shows avoided casting guest stars to help distinguish themselves from each other, though audiences still often confused the two.

All of the mansion's bizarre props, including a mounted swordfish head with a human leg in its mouth and a stuffed two-headed giant tortoise, were reportedly stolen once the series was cancelled.

Series creator David Levy filed a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures after the 1991 film's release, which was later settled out of court.