I know almost all of my recent posts have been about video games. Which makes sense! I make video games, I play video games, I have a lot of opinions about video games. But video games are not the only things I love. I love books, music, movies, and television shows too. Especially weird TV shows! Especially from the 90s! I know it’s been a minute since I last posted but I wanted to talk about something so I figured I’d write up thoughts on the shows that have been on mind lately.
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
I’m going to start with one of my all-times. I love this show so much, I got the logo tattooed on my arm:
Are You Afraid of the Dark? was an anthology horror show that ran on Nickelodeon from 1990-95 and then came back for two more seasons from 1999-2000. Each episode focused on a different terrifying tale, often with supernatural elements and/or unexplained phenomena. An easy compare to Goosebumps, AYAOTD predates the books by two years and the show by give. In additions, it stands out from its more popular cousin by being much darker and scarier than Stine’s creation. Hey, Goosebumps had its moments and is an absolute icon, but it had more humor and would throw in wacky twists to lighten things up at the last minute whereas AYAOTD committed itself to the scare and wasn’t afraid of an unhappy ending.
The series contained a meta-narrative about teenage horror fans who called themselves the Midnight Society. These teens met around a campfire and told stories–the very tales we were watching. We got to glimpse a larger, real world and invest in recurring characters and their evolving relationships. It was an awesome addition but was largely abandoned later in the series as less and less screen time was allotted for them. Several reboots have popped up in recent years that serve as perfectly fine scary stories but the recurring structure and unique tone of the original series is what holds my heart.
Eerie, Indiana
An anthology show in its own way, this Weirdness of the Week show brought X-Files-style conspiracy and Weekly World News wtf to children’s entertainment. The story focused on teenaged Marshall Teller and his buddy Simon Holmes as they try to get to heart of why their small town is just so…weird. As the only two who seemingly notice the strange goings-on, they act mostly alone and have to move under the noses of the adults who might stop them.
Eerie, Indiana ran on NBC from 1991-1992. While its run was short, the series really is all-killer no-filler. A sequel series, Eerie, Indiana: The Other Dimension, rebooted the concept with similarly-named protagonists. It ran a single season in 1998. Funnily enough, the sequel series’ first episode was titled “Switching Channels.”
Maniac Mansion
It’s safer to say Maniac Mansion the show was “inspired by” Maniac Mansion the game more than based on it. Beyond the title, the meteor, the mansion, and the main character being named Fred Edison, the show is an original creation brought to life by a team spearheaded by Canadian comedy legend Eugene Levy and featuring many other Canadian comedy legends, largely from Canadian comedy legend factory SCTV.
Focused on a family of eccentrics, including a mad scientist dad, a toddler-in-a-man’s-body, the normal teenage daughter, and a human-headed fly, Maniac Mansion is really just a showcase for random wackiness and strange family dynamics. It ran for three seasons, from 1990-93, on the Family Channel (here in the States). Though, honestly, I think I watched it much later so they must have syndicated it or brought it back? Man, I dunno.
This show isn’t gonna blow your mind. But I have a strong affinity for it and I watched it again not that long ago on YouTube. If you haven’t watched it, and you’re a fan of 90s television, I recommend checking it out at the very least.
So Weird
A teen girl travels the country in her rock star mom’s tour bus in this young millennial take on the X-Files formula. At every stop, she encounters small town hospitality, strange phenomenon, and the occasional extended bus repair. Alongside her brother, her mother’s crew, and some friendly locals, the girl works to thwart trickster spirits, free trapped souls, and set wrong things right as she works to learn about the paranormal world and uncover the mystery of her missing father.
So Weird ran on the Disney Channel for three season from 1999-2001. A surprising entry in the mouse’s television lineup, So Weird stood out with a slow pace, earnest tone, and focus on the then-nascent World Wide Web and online technologies. The show went through a major cast change and tonal shift with the final season that made it lighter and more music-focused. Even with that though, So Weird remains a classic.
That’s It For Now
I could go on and on about weird television, shows from the 90s, and kids entertainment–I could legit write a book on this stuff–but I’m gonna stop there. Thanks for reading! Feel free to drop a comment about your favorite weird show from the 90s.
