Correction 
24.46.103.28  "The Munsters" were not a relief of melodramtic soap operas such as "Dark Shadows" as the later series did not debut until 1966A.D. The only "suspense" soap opera that could have come close was "The Edge of Night".  Rather, it was more a tongue-in-cheek send-up to the low-budget horror moviess perliferating in the fifties and sixties.  The characters themselves bore this out, obviously!  With sister-themed show "The Addams Family", and competitive sit-coms "Bewitched" and "I Dream of Jeannie", this formula became a winning mantra that departed from the typical family situation comedies, and droll western series!  24.46.103.28  Veryverser