Maniac Mansion (TV series)
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| Maniac Mansion | |
|---|---|
| Genre | science fiction comedy |
| Creator(s) | Eugene Levy |
| Starring | Joe Flaherty Deborah Theaker |
| Opening theme | sung by Jane Siberry [1] |
| Country of origin |  Canada |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 66 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Michael Short David Flaherty John Hemphill |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | The Family Channel YTV |
| Original run | 1990 – 1993 |
| Links | |
| IMDb profile | |
Maniac Mansion was a Canadian television series based on the Video Game of the same name. The series, produced by Atlantis Films for The Family Channel in the United States and YTV in Canada, aired from 1990-1993 for three complete seasons. There were 66 30-minute programs in all.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
The plot of the series is based on a computer game produced by LucasArts. The Edison Family live in Cedar Springs and are not your average family. Joe Flaherty plays Dr. Fred Edison and Deborah Theaker is his wife, Casey. They both run the Edison household and Fred has been attempting to return his son Turner (George Buza), who is an oversized 4 year old (who looks like he could be 30), who gets into plenty of trouble with his mother Casey and is constantly going into the lab when he shouldn't. They are joined by Fred's brother in-law Harry, (John Hemphill) who looks like a Fly back to their former human selves. In a hilarious accident, (recounted in the first episode), we learn how Harry and Turner were both mutated afer entering the Andromeda Chamber in Fred's lab.
The show did not always revolve around the mutations of the two family members. The other characters in the series were just as important to the development of storylines. The eldest of the Edison children is Tina (Kathleen Robertson), an attractive teenage girl who spends much of her time fighting with middle child Ike (Avi Phillips). She also has a very high IQ and in one episode, in which she does not even appear, the family receives a letter from her while is away at a MENSA camp for gifted children. She can also be seen in several shows working in the lab or working on computers. Ike Edison can be spotted wearing a leather jacket in the first show and usually winds up looking after younger brother Turner who seems to look up to him.
Aunt Idella (Mary Charlotte-Wilcox) is married to Harry The Fly and they both live in the Edison household due to Harry's unusual mutation. Fred is always attempting to restore Harry to his full-sized human stature. In one episode Harry is almost completely restored except for his wings and body hair. This does give Harry and Idella the chance to spend some time together as a conventional Man and Wife. Idella is a strong, opinionated woman and Harry has a more laid back personality and can usually be seen landing on the TV set to watch TV or diving down on a spoon for a treat.
There is also the Edison's next door neighors, the Pratt Family, headed by Alison and Richard with their bad-tempered son Keiffer who is always teasing and pushing around Turner. The Pratts are portrayed as snobbish types and in an early episode, when they stay with the Edison family for a short time, display their inability to treat their hosts with common courtesy and good manners.
The series was cancelled after three seasons and 66 programs, most likely due to poor ratings in North America. The series has been re-run several times in the 1990's, but apparently, not since the turn of the century has it been shown on Canadian Television. At this time there are no known plans for the series to come to DVD.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Main characters
- Dr. Fred Edison (Joe Flaherty)
- Casey Edison (Deborah Theaker)
- Tina Edison (Kathleen Robertson)
- Ike Edison (Avi Phillips)
- Turner Edison (George Buza)
- Idella Muckle Orca (Mary Charlotte Wilcox)
- Harry the Fly (John Hemphill)
[edit] Trivia
- Loosely based on a popular "point and click adventure" computer game with the same name. However, other than the character Fred Edison, the game and the TV series doesn't have any connection between them. They don't even share the same plot or storyline. In the game, Fred was a villain, and his family consisted only of wife Nurse Edna, son Weird Ed, and Dead Cousin Ted, as well as a pair of walking, singing tentacles and an evil meteor with mind-control powers.
[edit] See also
- Maniac Mansion (computer game)
