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Out of This World is an American fantasy sitcom about a teenage girl who is half alien, which gives her unique supernatural powers. It first aired in syndication from September 17, 1987 and ended on May 25, 1991.
| Out of This World | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | John Boni Bob Booker |
| 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 | Kevin Kiner |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 96 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Bob Booker |
| Producers | John Boni Barbara Booker Gail Honigberg Laura Levine Mike Scully Bruce Taylor George Yanok |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production companies | Bob Booker Productions MCA TV |
| Original release | |
| Network | Syndication |
| Release | September 17, 1987 – 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 p.m. time slot to counter-program competing stations' game shows, sitcom reruns and other offerings.[1] Out of This World was rotated with four other shows: 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, which were cancelled. Out of This World was renewed, as was She's the Sheriff.
After its first season, Out of This World began airing primarily on weekends. Despite receiving mostly negative reviews from critics, it lasted three more seasons.
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- Maureen Flannigan as Evie Ethel Garland
- Donna Pescow as Donna Froelich-Garland
- Burt Reynolds as Troy Garland (voice only)
- Joe Alaskey as Beano Froelich (1987–1991)
- Doug McClure as Kyle Applegate
- Buzz Belmondo as Buzz
- Christina Nigra as Lindsay Selkirk
- Steve Burton as Chris Fuller
- Carl Steven as Quigley Handlesman
- John Roarke as Phil (1987–1988)
- Tony Crane as Jeffrey Cummings (1990)
- Peter Pitofsky as Peter (1990–1991)
- Tom Nolan as Mick Froelich (1990–1991)
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Season 1 (1987–88)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Evie's Thirteenth Birthday" | Bob Claver | John Boni | September 17, 1987 | |
|
It’s Evie’s thirteenth birthday, and during the party, her mother, Donna, is wrestling with a difficult decision alongside her brother, Beano, who is also Evie’s uncle. Donna is unsure whether to reveal a lifelong secret to Evie: that her father is an alien living on a planet called Antareus. Before Donna can decide, Evie suddenly feels compelled to slowly touch her pointer fingers together. When she does, everyone around her freezes in time. After a brief moment of panic, she accidentally unfreezes her mother by touching her. With no other choice, Donna tells Evie that she is half-alien and that her powers seem to have activated. Though initially frightened, Evie quickly learns to cope with the revelation. Together, they unfreeze Uncle Beano and let him in on the secret. Donna then gives Evie a gift from her father—a mysterious alien cube that functions as a phone to contact him. After speaking with her father and learning more about her history, Evie successfully unfreezes the rest of the party guests. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Playing with the Power" | Jack Regas | Bob Booker | September 24, 1987 | |
| 3 | 3 | "The Nightmare" | Bob Claver | John Boni | October 1, 1987 | |
| 4 | 4 | "Till Then" | Bob Claver | Dave Hackel & April Kelly | October 8, 1987 | |
| 5 | 5 | "Evie, Get Your Basketball" | Jack Regas | Patricia Niedzialek & Cecile Alch | October 15, 1987 | |
| 6 | 6 | "Every Beano Has His Day" | Bob Claver | Richard Albrecht & Casey Keller | October 22, 1987 | |
| 7 | 7 | "Evie and the Young Astronauts" | Jack Regas | Dave Hackel & April Kelly | October 29, 1987 | |
| 8 | 8 | "Fifties Mom" | Bob Claver | Laura Levine | November 5, 1987 | |
| 9 | 9 | "Dueling Mayors" | Bob Claver | Dave Hackel & April Kelly | November 12, 1987 | |
| 10 | 10 | "Baby Talk" | Russ Petranto | Mike Scully | November 19, 1987 | |
| 11 | 11 | "Beano's New Diet Clinic" | Selig Frank | John Boni | November 26, 1987 | |
| 12 | 12 | "Uh, Oh... Here Comes Mother" | Jack Regas | George Tricker & Neil Rosen | December 3, 1987 | |
| 13 | 13 | "The Anniversary" | Bob Claver | Tom Brauner | January 21, 1988 | |
| 14 | 14 | "To Tell the Truth" | Bob Claver | Frank Mula | January 28, 1988 | |
| 15 | 15 | "Pen Pals" | Bob Claver | Frank Mula | February 4, 1988 | |
| 16 | 16 | "Broadway Danny Derek" | Bob Claver | George Tricker & Neil Rosen | February 11, 1988 | |
| 17 | 17 | "Mosquito Man: The Motion Picture" | Bob Claver | Mike Scully | February 18, 1988 | |
| 18 | 18 | "The Russians Are Coming" | Bob Claver | John Boni | February 25, 1988 | |
| 19 | 19 | "a.k.a. Dad" | Bob Claver | Dave Hackel & April Kelly | April 21, 1988 | |
| 20 | 20 | "The Illness" | Russ Petranto | Donald Jordan | April 28, 1988 | |
| 21 | 21 | "The Box Is Missing" | Michael Dimich | Dave Hackel & April Kelly | May 5, 1988 | |
| 22 | 22 | "Boy Crazy" | Bob Claver | Ed McCatty | May 12, 1988 | |
| 23 | 23 | "The Three Faces of Evie" | Bob Claver | Dave Hackel & April Kelly | May 19, 1988 | |
| 24 | 24 | "I've Got a Secret" | Bob Claver | Story by : Tom Brauner Teleplay by : Robert Schechter | May 26, 1988 | |
Season 2 (1988–89)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 1 | "Evie's Birthday Wish" | Bob Claver | Bob Booker | October 8, 1988 | |
| 26 | 2 | "Blast from the Past" | Bob Claver | Mike Scully | October 15, 1988 | |
| 27 | 3 | "Career Crunch" | Bob Claver | Frank Mula | October 22, 1988 | |
| 28 | 4 | "Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot?" | Bob Claver | Tommy Thompson | October 29, 1988 | |
| 29 | 5 | "Evie's First Kiss" | Bob Claver | Sheldon Krasner & David Saling | November 5, 1988 | |
| 30 | 6 | "Princess Evie" | Bob Claver | Ted Bergman | November 12, 1988 | |
| 31 | 7 | "Old Flame" | Bob Claver | Laura Levine | November 19, 1988 | |
| 32 | 8 | "Guess Who's Coming to Earth" | Bob Claver | Bob Booker | November 26, 1988 | |
| 33 | 9 | "Go West Young Mayor" | Jack Regas | Tommy Thompson & Brian Scully | December 3, 1988 | |
|
Kyle accompanies Evie, Donna, and Beano on a vacation to an old western town. When Evie, Donna, and Beano are taken hostage by counterfeiters, Kyle is the only one who can save them, due to Evie's inability to use her powers. | ||||||
| 34 | 10 | "Close Encounters of the Nerd Kind" | Selig Frank | Mike Lyons & Kimberly Wells | December 10, 1988 | |
| 35 | 11 | "The Incredible Hunk" | Selig Frank | Diana Ayers & Susan Sebastian | December 17, 1988 | |
| 36 | 12 | "Pupil's Court" | Bob Claver | Brian Scully & Tommy Thompson | January 28, 1989 | |
| 37 | 13 | "Evie's Two Dads" | Bob Claver | Mike Scully | February 4, 1989 | |
| 38 | 14 | "The Secret of Evie's Success" | Bob Claver | Robert Caplain | February 11, 1989 | |
| 39 | 15 | "Honest Evie" | Bob Claver | Frank Mula | February 18, 1989 | |
| 40 | 16 | "Evie Goes to Hollywood" | Jack Regas | Mike Scully | February 25, 1989 | |
| 41 | 17 | "Two Many Evies" | Jack Regas | Brian Scully | March 4, 1989 | |
| 42 | 18 | "Futile Attraction" | Bob Claver | Laura Levine | March 11, 1989 | |
| 43 | 19 | "Beano the Kid" | Scott Baio | Pamela Wick & Susan Cridland | April 29, 1989 | |
| 44 | 20 | "Queens for a Day" | Bob Claver | Tommy Thompson & Brian Scully | May 6, 1989 | |
| 45 | 21 | "The Amazing Evie" | Bob Claver | Laura Levine | May 13, 1989 | |
| 46 | 22 | "Whose House Is It, Anyway?" | Bob Claver | Mike Scully | May 20, 1989 | |
| 47 | 23 | "Frisky Business" | Bob Claver | Laura Levine | May 27, 1989 | |
| 48 | 24 | "Star Dog" | Bob Claver | Bob Booker | June 3, 1989 | |
Season 3 (1989–90)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 | 1 | "Evie's Sweet Sixteen" | Bob Claver | Bob Booker | October 7, 1989 | |
| 50 | 2 | "Cinderella Evie" | Bob Claver | Laura Levine | October 14, 1989 | |
| 51 | 3 | "Bring Me the Head of Donna Garland" | Bob Claver | Frank Mula | October 21, 1989 | |
| 52 | 4 | "A Froggy Day in Marlowe Town" | Bob Claver | Laura Levine | October 28, 1989 | |
| 53 | 5 | "Eviegeist" | Bob Claver | Robert Schechter | November 4, 1989 | |
| 54 | 6 | "Evie's Driver's License" | Bob Claver | Mike Scully | November 11, 1989 | |
| 55 | 7 | "Evie Goes for the Gold" | Bob Claver | Alan Moskowitz | November 18, 1989 | |
| 56 | 8 | "Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow" | Bob Claver | Laura Levine | November 25, 1989 | |
| 57 | 9 | "Around the World in 80 Minutes" | Bob Claver | Bob Booker | December 2, 1989 | |
| 58 | 10 | "It's a Cruel World" | Bob Claver | Tommy Thompson | December 9, 1989 | |
| 59 | 11 | "Evie; Stevie" | Selig Frank | Janice Pieroni & Bruce Teicher | December 16, 1989 | |
| 60 | 12 | "The Rocks That Couldn't Roll" | Selig Frank | Story by : Julie Thacker & Mike Scully Teleplay by : Mike Scully | January 27, 1990 | |
| 61 | 13 | "One in a Million" | Bob Claver | Simon Munter | February 3, 1990 | |
| 62 | 14 | "Four Men and a Baby" | Scott Baio | Bob Booker | February 10, 1990 | |
| 63 | 15 | "Evie's Double Trouble" | Bob Claver | Kelly Monteith & Bob Booker | February 17, 1990 | |
|
Evie is tormented by a commercial jingle for a mouthwash company, while Donna rushes to prepare for her commercial on live TV. Throughout the day, the twins that appear in the ad show up to sing part of the jingle again and again as Evie is discussing her retainer with her friends. Evie is confused as to how they keep showing up, so she and Donna turn to Troy for help, and he concludes that the word "mouth" triggers the jingle, she also complains about her retainer so she takes them out, and puts them back in when they leave for the studio. Troy leaves a message saying that the twins appearances were caused by the material in her retainers. Donna then goes on TV for her commercial, but her nervousness causes the word "mouth" to be spoken and the twins to appear and interrupt her, causing her to rhyme the rest of the ad. Buzz then hires the twins to be part of his new commercials. Guest Stars: Marilyn & Roz Borden as the Buffalo Breath Twins, and Michael Francis Clarke as the Ad Director | ||||||
| 64 | 16 | "The Garden of Evie" | Bob Claver | Alan Moskowitz | February 24, 1990 | |
| 65 | 17 | "Evie's Magic Touch" | Bob Claver | Gail Honigberg | March 3, 1990 | |
| 66 | 18 | "Cowboy Kyle, Man of Granite" | Scott Baio | Laura Levine | April 28, 1990 | |
| 67 | 19 | "Evie's Secret Admirer" | Bob Claver | Gail Honigberg | May 5, 1990 | |
| 68 | 20 | "Evie's Yuppie Love" | Bob Claver | Julie Thacker | May 12, 1990 | |
| 69 | 21 | "Diamonds Are Evie's Best Friend" | Bob Claver | Laura Levine | May 19, 1990 | |
| 70 | 22 | "A Kinder, Gentler Mayor" | Bob Claver | Brian Scully | May 26, 1990 | |
| 71 | 23 | "My Mother the Con" | Bob Claver | Mike Scully | June 2, 1990 | |
| 72 | 24 | "Goodbye, Mr. Chris" | Bob Claver | Mike Scully | June 9, 1990 | |
Season 4 (1990–91)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 73 | 1 | "New Kid on the Block" | Scott Baio | Mike Scully | October 6, 1990 | |
| 74 | 2 | "My Little Evie" | Bob Claver | George Yanok | October 13, 1990 | |
| 75 | 3 | "Forget Your Troubles" | Jeffrey Ganz | Brian Scully | October 20, 1990 | |
| 76 | 4 | "A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Read" | Bob Claver | Alan Moskowitz | October 27, 1990 | |
| 77 | 5 | "Evie's Guardian Angel" | Bob Claver | Bob Booker | November 3, 1990 | |
| 78 | 6 | "Best Friends" | Scott Baio | Laura Levine | November 10, 1990 | |
| 79 | 7 | "I Want My Evie TV" | Bob Claver | Bob Booker | November 17, 1990 | |
| 80 | 8 | "Come Fly with Evie" | Stan Harris | Mike Scully | November 17, 1990 | |
| 81 | 9 | "Roomies" | Stan Harris | Brian Scully | December 1, 1990 | |
| 82 | 10 | "Evie's High Anxiety" | Scott Baio | Laura Levine | December 8, 1990 | |
| 83 | 11 | "Evie's False Alarm" | Selig Frank | Laura Levine | January 19, 1991 | |
| 84 | 12 | "Marlowe Vice" | Bob Claver | Brian Scully | January 26, 1991 | |
| 85 | 13 | "Evie's Latin Touch" | Scott Baio | George Yanok | February 2, 1991 | |
| 86 | 14 | "My Mom, and Why I Love Her" | Bob Claver | Laura Levine | February 9, 1991 | |
| 87 | 15 | "Heck's Angels" | Bob Claver | Laura Levine | February 16, 1991 | |
| 88 | 16 | "Would You Buy a Used Car from This Dude?" | Scott Baio | Mike Scully | February 23, 1991 | |
| 89 | 17 | "Evie Nightingale" | Scott Baio | Laura Levine | March 2, 1991 | |
| 90 | 18 | "All About Evie" | Selig Frank | Laura Levine | March 9, 1991 | |
| 91 | 19 | "Mayor Evie" | Renny Temple | Mike Scully | March 16, 1991 | |
| 92 | 20 | "Stump Your Neighbor" | Renny Temple | Buzz Belmondo & Bill Farley | April 27, 1991 | |
| 93 | 21 | "Evie's Three Promises" | Selig Frank | Alan Moskowitz | May 4, 1991 | |
| 94 | 22 | "Too Late for Evie" | Bob Claver | Michael Poryes | May 11, 1991 | |
|
Evie arrives home late after her midnight curfew, which angers Donna so she grounds her for two weeks and a day. Donna then visits Kyle's apartment, which has many of her belongings which were "borrowed" from Donna. His door refuses to unlock without a card, and Donna can't leave the apartment, leaving Evie worried that she's out late to pay her a lesson. Evie then arrives with the card to save the day, and as revenge to Kyle, they lock him in his apartment without the keycard. | ||||||
| 95 | 23 | "Educating Kyle" | Scott Baio | George Yanok | May 18, 1991 | |
| 96 | 24 | "Evie's Eighteen" | Scott Baio | Bob Booker | May 25, 1991 | |
|
On the morning before her eighteenth birthday, Evie receives a call from her father, Troy, who informs her that he’s going away on an off-planet trip. Both Evie and her mother, Donna, have been overwhelmed by requests from various people, including Kyle, a senator, a group of Japanese investors, and a fireman. However, Troy unexpectedly appears on Earth to surprise Evie on her birthday. To escape the constant interruptions, Evie freezes time so the family can enjoy a quiet birthday dinner together. As the evening ends and Troy prepares to return home, Donna is accidentally sent back to Antareus, leaving the episode on a cliffhanger. | ||||||
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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 a modified version of "Swinging on a Star". Video snippets of parents Donna and Troy show the start of their relationship including the wedding and birth of daughter Evie. Troy's face is continuously obscured, never fully shown. The fictional town of Marlowe is shown to be adjacent to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California and Monterey, California with a directional traffic sign.
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In France, Out of this World was aired under the name Loin de ce monde (Far From this World) as part of a block called La Une est à vous (Channel One is Yours) from September 10, 1988 until October 12, 1991 then from July to August 1992 on TF1. It was then rebroadcast from November 1994 until November 10, 1996 on M6.
In Germany, Out of this World was aired under the name Mein Vater ist ein Außerirdischer (My Father is an Alien) which aired on RTL Plus in 1989.
In Italy, Out of this World was aired under the name Cose dell'altro mondo (Things from the Other World) on Rai 1 from 1990. This was also the name of a comedy film from 2011.
Out of This World was first broadcast in the UK on the ITV network on April 9, 1990, until 1995,[2] and was later reran on Trouble (TV channel).[3]
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Discussing Out of This World, Roger Fulton stated "like many juvenile US sitcoms, the series was short on laughs and long on moralizing".[4] 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 criticize the show's scripts, acting and production, and unfavorably compared Out of This World to Sabrina the Teenage Witch.[5] The Splitsider website called Out of This World "perhaps the worst sitcom ever, or at least the most '80s sitcom ever".[6]
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A DVD set with 35 episodes from seasons 1 and 2 was released in Germany on November 8, 2011.[7] The 6-disc set has a runtime of 875 minutes, but does not include all episodes due to music rights.[8]
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As previously mentioned, during the first season, Out of This World aired on NBC's owned-and-operated stations as part of their Prime Time Begins at 7:30[9] experiment.
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