Out of This World (TV series)

Out of This World
Title screen
Genre	Fantasy sitcom
Created by	John Boni Bob Booker
Directed by	Bob Claver Scott Baio Selig Frank Stan Harris Russ Petranto Jack Regas Renny Temple
Starring	Maureen Flannigan Donna Pescow Doug McClure Joe Alaskey Steve Burton Christina Nigra Buzz Belmondo Tom Nolan
Voices of	Burt Reynolds
Opening theme	"Swinging on a Star"
Composer(s)	Kevin Kiner
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	96
Production
Executive producer(s)	Bob Booker
Producer(s)	John Boni Barbara Booker Gail Honigberg Laura Levine Mike Scully Bruce Taylor George Yanok
Running time	22 mins.
Production company(s)	Bob Booker Productions
Distributor	MCA TV
Release
Original network	Syndication
Original release	September 17, 1987 (1987-09-17) – May 25, 1991 (1991-05-25)

Out of This World is an American fantasy sitcom about a teenage girl who is half alien, which gives her unique superhuman powers. It first aired in syndication from September 17, 1987 and ended on May 25, 1991.

During its first season, the series was originally part of NBC's Prime Time Begins at 7:30 campaign, in which the network's owned-and-operated stations would run first-run sitcoms in the 7:30-8 pm time slot to counter-program competing stations' game shows, sitcom reruns and other offerings. Out of This World was rotated with the original series Marblehead Manor and She's the Sheriff, a syndicated revival of the 1983 sitcom We Got It Made, and a television adaptation of the play You Can't Take It with You. NBC ended the experiment after the 1987-88 season due to the low ratings put up by three of the series, with Out of This World being one of the two that were renewed (the other being She's the Sheriff). After its first season the series was largely moved to weekend time slots, where it remained until its cancellation following the fourth season.

Show summary

The series revolves around Evie Ethel Garland, a young girl who discovers on her thirteenth birthday that her father is an alien named Troy, from the planet Antareus, who married her mother and "merged lifeforms" to create Evie. Evie's half-alien heritage gives her superhuman abilities. Most of the episodes revolve around Evie misusing her powers and causing some trouble, which she spends the rest of the episode trying to fix. Only Evie and her family know about her alien father and her powers, and many episodes depict Evie trying to hide her secret from other characters. The series ended on a cliffhanger in the Season 4 finale, where Troy came to visit and Donna took his place by accident and ended up in Antareus, leaving Troy stranded on Earth.

Characters

• Evie Ethel Garland (Maureen Flannigan) — Evie is a half-human, half-alien girl who lives with her mother in Marlowe, California (a fictional analogue of Carmel-by-the-Sea), in a house overlooking the sea. She is an only child. Evie attends a school for gifted children (run by her mother) and achieves good grades there. Her mother had always told Evie that her father was a secret agent, but on her thirteenth birthday Evie began to develop superhuman abilities and it was revealed that her father is an extraterrestrial from the planet Antareus. Evie's main power is the ability to freeze time on Earth by touching the tips of her index fingers together, allowing her to maneuver herself or objects to alter the course of events on Earth. When she claps her hands together, time resumes as normal. She can also "unfreeze" individuals by touching them while time is frozen. She later gains the power to gleep, which allows her to manifest objects by using the power of her mind. Her father describes her as "the perfect child: loving; caring; with the same needs of most teenagers". The series follows Evie through her teenage years, from her thirteenth birthday in the first episode to her eighteenth birthday in the final episode. Although she was the leading character, Flannigan was billed last in the credits. In the first season, she received the billing "And Introducing Maureen Flannigan". In the last 3 seasons, she was billed as "And Maureen Flannigan as Evie".
• Donna Garland (Donna Pescow) — Evie's mother. Described by her husband as "an ambitious working mother with a career", Donna runs a school for gifted children, which Evie attends. She later founds her own catering company, "Donna's Delights". Toward the end of season 3, Donna becomes the mayor of Marlowe. Donna is very protective of her daughter, often to the dismay of Evie, who would like to be more independent. Donna and Evie's Uncle Beano (then later Uncle Mick) are the only regular characters on the show who know Evie's secret.
• Troy Garland (Burt Reynolds, voice only) — Evie's father. Troy is a human-looking extraterrestrial, with many special powers, from the planet Antareus. Troy met Donna when his spacecraft crashed on Earth at some point in the late 1960s or early 1970s. The two fell in love, were married in 1971, and two years later Donna gave birth to Evie. Shortly after, in 1974, Troy was called back to Antareus to fight in a war. Since then, Troy occasionally visits Earth, and stays in touch with his daughter via a special communication device known as the "cube" (see below). Troy's powers seem to be almost limitless: though he lives on Antareus, he can control many things on Earth (from computers to the weather); he can give and take away Evie's powers at will; and also seems to be aware of certain events on Earth. While Troy appears in the show's opening credits, he rarely makes a physical appearance in the series — and when he does his face is obscured (for example, via a surgical mask or shadows). In the series finale, when Troy arrives on Earth, he is seen in a silhouette with stars from the galaxy. Troy was credited as "himself" in the opening credits from Season Two onwards.
• Beano Froelich (1987–1990) (Joe Alaskey) — "Uncle Beano" is Donna's brother and Evie's uncle, who lives next door to them. Beano has a large appetite and runs the diet clinic known originally as "Waist-a-Weigh", and later as "Beano's Diet Clinic". Beano is one of the two regular characters who know Evie's secret, along with Donna. He last appears in season 4, episode 12.
• Kyle Applegate (Doug McClure) — Kyle is a former television actor who is now the mayor of Marlowe. Kyle is a good friend of the family, but "the mayor" punishes even the smallest offenses. As well as being egocentric and vain, Kyle is dimwitted and gullible, often completely failing to notice Evie's "alien" antics. He clings to his former TV glory as the star of "Mosquito Man" and many long forgotten mainly Western movies. Towards the end of season three, Kyle is appointed police chief by Donna, who takes over from him as mayor.
• Buzz (Buzz Belmondo) — The manager of Beano's diet clinic, and one of the more eccentric characters in the town. Buzz usually makes one brief appearance per episode, during which he performs a series of jokes which are typically puns or prop-based gags, sometimes relating to the elaborate costume that he is wearing. He speaks with an unknown accent, and is prone to bizarre behavior. Donna sometimes resorts to him for help, more often than not regretting it.
• Lindsay Selkirk (Christina Nigra) — Evie's best friend. Evie and Lindsay spend a lot of time together drinking milkshakes at their local diner, the "Goodie Goodie," and she is Evie's confidante when it comes to boys and her non-Antarian related problems.
• Chris Fuller (Steve Burton) — Chris is a surfer and high school student who later becomes a student at Marlowe Community College. He is introduced as a new student and good basketball player in the season one episode "Evie get your Basketball". Chris becomes Evie's boyfriend, and although they sometimes date other people, they always end up together. In an episode of the final season, Chris says Evie was and always will be his girl.
• Quigley Handlesman (Carl Steven) (1987-1988) - One of Evie's classmates at Donna's school for the gifted.
• Phil (John Roarke) (1987-1988) - The jovial, funny handyman who works on the Garlands' house during the first season. He is always snooping around in the family's business, with Donna, Evie and Beano constantly making sure that Phil doesn't suspect the existence of Evie's powers.
• Jeffrey Cummings (Tony Crane) (1990) - A high school classmate of Evie and Lindsay's who transfers in during their senior year. Incredibly handsome and basically taking up the slack that Chris had left after going onto college, Jeffrey quickly begins to date Evie. The two began going out despite Evie's continued involvement with Chris, forcing her to cover up her activities with either of them, alternately.
• Peter (1990-1991) (Peter Pitofsky) — A waiter at the Goodie Goodie who is introduced in the first scene of season four. He is a clumsy, goofball Antarean who provides his own brand of comic relief whenever Evie and her friends stop by the restaurant. He was military intelligence for Antareus until he chose to stay on Earth, his memory erased of all Antarean things. He has a penchant for misinterpreting people's orders, and sometimes even forgetting his own name.
• Mick (1990–1991) (Tom Nolan) — Donna's brother and Evie's uncle, who was introduced in season 4, episode 7, to replace Uncle Beano as a recurring character. He is a former rock musician.

The cube

Evie is able to communicate with Troy through a special "genetic" communication device known as the "cube", which he gave to her when she turned thirteen. The cube effectively functions as a telephone line to Antareus — it can even be used to leave Troy an "answerphone" message, as seen in the episode "My Little Evie". There are no controls on the cube; Evie simply calls for her father and the cube activates when he answers, deactivating when he "hangs up". Sometimes when Troy uses his powers whilst talking through the cube, a beam of energy is emitted directly from the cube.

Evie and Donna normally keep the cube around the house, out of sight (often in Evie's bedroom), sometimes telling people it is an ornament or a talking clock. When the cube is activated, the top half of it opens up on a hinge, a magenta light pulses inside, and a "spacey" sound effect plays. The lights in the room usually dim, although not always. Troy's voice is heard clearly through the cube with reverberation.

Originally, even though everyone was able to hear Troy through the cube, Evie was the only one Troy could hear as the cube was genetic. This rule changes in the first episode of season 2, "Evie's Birthday Wish". At the end of the episode, Evie wishes her mother could talk to Troy like she can. As a result, Troy can now hear Donna and they can talk back and forth. It is unknown whether the rest of Evie's family could also talk to Troy, but there have been other aliens that Troy could hear through the cube, as seen in Season 4 Episode 5 "Evie's Guardian Angel". An Antaerian is sent to Earth to protect Evie and Donna, and he can speak to Troy.

Guest stars

The series featured several celebrities who made cameo appearances on the show, occasionally as themselves. In chronological order of appearances:

• Ann Miller
• Norman Fell (as Evie's psychiatrist Dr. Hauser, "The Nightmare", 1987)
• Scott Carpenter (as himself, "Evie and the Young Astronauts", 1987)
• Charles Nelson Reilly (as himself, "Dueling Mayors", 1987)
• Betsy Palmer (as Donna's mother, "Uh, Oh... Here Comes Mother", 1987)
• Tom Bosley (as Troy's father, "Guess Who's Coming to Earth", 1988 and "Around the World in Eighty Minutes", 1989)
• Jamie Farr ("Go West, Young Mayor", 1988)
• Richard Kiel (as Norman, "Go West, Young Mayor", 1988)
• Scott Baio (who also directed several episodes) made a cameo appearance in "Princess Evie" (1988) and "Evie Goes For the Gold" (1989)
• Lyle Alzado ("Goodbye Mr. Chris", 1990)
• Mr. T ("New Kid on the Block", 1990)
• Susan Anton ("Best Friends", 1990)
• Pop singer Tiffany ("I Want My Evie TV", 1990)
• Kathleen Freeman (as Miss Ogilvy, Evie's high school teacher, "Educating Kyle", 1991)

Episodes

Season 1

1. Evie's Thirteenth Birthday
2. Playing with the Power
3. The Nightmare
4. Till Then
5. Evie, Get Your Basketball
6. Every Beano Has His Day
7. Evie and the Young Astronauts
8. Fifties Mom
9. Dueling Mayors
10. Baby Talk
11. Beano's New Diet Clinic
12. Uh, Oh... Here Comes Mother
13. The Anniversary
14. To Tell the Truth
15. Pen Pals
16. Broadway Danny Derek
17. Mosquito Man: The Motion Picture
18. The Russians Are Coming
19. Aka Dad
20. Illness
21. The Box Is Missing
22. Boy Crazy
23. The Three Faces of Evie
24. I've Got a Secret

Season 2

1. Evie's Birthday Wish
2. Blast from the Past
3. Career Crunch
4. Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot?
5. Evie's First Kiss
6. Princess Evie
7. Old Flame
8. Guess Who's Coming to Earth
9. Go West, Young Mayor
10. Close Encounters of the Nerd Kind
11. The Incredible Hunk
12. Pupil's Court
13. Evie's Two Dads
14. The Secret of Evie's Success
15. Honest Evie
16. Evie Goes to Hollywood
17. Two Many Evies
18. Futile Attraction
19. Beano the Kid
20. Queens for a Day
21. The Amazing Evie
22. Whose House Is It, Anyway?
23. Frisky Business
24. Star Dog

Season 3

1. Evie's Sweet Sixteen
2. Cinderella Evie
3. Bring Me the Head of Donna Garland
4. A Froggy Day in Marlowe Town
5. Eviegeist
6. Evie's Driver's License
7. Evie Goes for the Gold
8. Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
9. Around the World in 80 Minutes
10. It's a Cruel World
11. Evie/Stevie
12. The Rocks That Couldn't Roll
13. One in a Million
14. Four Men and a Baby
15. Evie's Double Trouble
16. The Garden of Evie
17. Evie's Magic Touch
18. Cowboy Kyle, Man of Granite
19. Evie's Secret Admirer
20. Evie's Yuppie Love
21. Diamond's Are Evie's Best Friend
22. A Kinder, Gentler Mayor
23. My Mother the Con
24. Goodbye, Mr. Chris

Season 4

1. New Kid on the Block
2. My Little Evie
3. Forget Your Troubles
4. A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Read
5. Evie's Guardian Angel
6. Best Friends
7. I Want My Evie TV
8. Come Fly with Evie
9. Roomies
10. Evie's High Anxiety
11. Evie's False Alarm
12. Marlowe Vice
13. Evie's Latin Touch
14. My Mom, and Why I Love Her
15. Heck's Angels
16. Would You Buy a Used Car from This Dude?
17. Evie Nightingale
18. All About Evie
19. Mayor Evie
20. Stump Your Neighbor
21. Evie's Three Promises
22. Too Late for Evie
23. Educating Kyle
24. Evie's Eighteen

Opening credits

The opening credits for the series incorporated special effects footage from the 1979-1981 series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. The theme song is Swinging on a Star.

International airings

Out of This World was first broadcast in the UK on the ITV network on April 9, 1990, until 1995.^[1]

• The series was first broadcast in France from 10 September 1988 under the title "Loin de ce monde" - Far From This World.
• In Germany, the series was renamed "Mein Vater ist ein Außerirdischer" - My Father is an Alien.
• In Italy, the series was renamed "Cose Dell'Altro Mondo" - Things Belonging To the Other World.
• In Spain, the series was renamed "De otro mundo" - From Another World.
• In Russia, the series was renamed "Фантастическая Девушка" - Fantastic Girl.
• In Latin America, the series was renamed "Fuera de este Mundo" - Out of This World.

The show was aired on many TV stations in the Middle East, as well as Saudi TV Channel 2, with Arabic subtitles. It also aired in Canada on Toronto station CFMT (now Omni Television). It was screened in New Zealand on TVNZ.

Critical reception

Discussing Out of This World, Roger Fulton stated "like many juvenile US sitcoms, the series was short on laughs and long on moralizing".^[2] The book Television Without Pity contained a review of Out of This World that described the show as "quite possibly the worst sitcom ever made-it's a complete failure on every level". The review went on to criticise the show's scripts, acting and production, and unfavourably compared Out of This World to Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.^[3] The Splitsider website called Out of This World "perhaps the worst sitcom ever, or at least the most '80s sitcom ever".^[4]

DVD release

A DVD set with 35 episodes from seasons 1 and 2 was released in Germany on November 8, 2011.^[5] The 6-disc set has a runtime of 875 minutes, but does not include all episodes due to music rights.^[6]

In other media

• The show was parodied in the Robot Chicken episode, "Executed by the State". In the parody, Evie is asked out by a boy who likes her, she uses her powers to stop time and takes a look down his pants, presumably in order to check out the size of his penis. After seeing the size of his penis, Evie says, "Uhhh, pass." (This is followed by canned laughter typical of sitcoms of that era.) Evie then walks off with time still frozen.
• In the Universal Studios ride Kongfrontation, the news report that plays during the queue is interrupted by an ad for Out of This World, at which the screen crawl at the bottom of the ad is a civil defense message warning that King Kong is in the vicinity and for civilians to stay indoors and not use public transportation until further notice.

References

External links

• Out of This World on IMDb
• Out of This World at TV.com
• Out of This World at epguides.com