Teen Angel (1997 TV series)

Teen Angel was an American fantasy sitcom that aired as part of ABC's TGIF Friday night lineup from September 26, 1997, to February 13, 1998. It stars Corbin Allred as a high school student whose recently deceased best friend, played by Mike Damus, returns to earth as his guardian angel. The series was created by Simpsons alumni Al Jean and Mike Reiss.

"Teen Angel (TV series)" redirects here. For the Disney Channel drama, see Teen Angel (1989 TV series).
Teen Angel
GenreFantasy sitcom
Created by
Starring
ComposerJeff Rona
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes17
Production
Executive producers
  • Al Jean
  • Mike Reiss
ProducerBrian J. Cowan
Cinematography
  • Charles R. Conkilin Jr.
  • Donald A. Morgan
EditorJohn Neal
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time22–24 minutes
Production companies
Release
Original networkABC
Original releaseSeptember 26, 1997 (1997-09-26) –
February 13, 1998 (1998-02-13)

Synopsis

Teen Angel follows a high school boy, Steve Beauchamp (Corbin Allred), and his recently deceased best friend, Marty DePolo (Mike Damus), who dies from eating a six-month-old hamburger from under Steve's bed on a dare and is then sent back to Earth as Steve's guardian angel. Marty's guide is a large disembodied head named Rod (Ron Glass), who identifies himself as God's cousin – a running gag throughout the series is that Rod is mistaken for God himself.

Marty, as a supernatural being, would frequently break the fourth wall. For instance, prior to the opening credits of the episode "Grumpy Young Men", Marty explains the absence of Steve's mother and the return of his father to the viewers.

Reception and cancellation

The series was created and placed in the TGIF lineup by ABC in an attempt to capitalize on the success of another ABC supernatural series, Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Along with Sabrina and the also-new You Wish, Teen Angel was one of three supernatural-themed sitcoms on the TGIF block that season.

At the time of the series airing, TGIF had already begun to decline (as a result of direct competition against the CBS Block Party during that season and the new Disney ownership). You Wish was canceled after only 13 episodes, and while Teen Angel lasted more or less a full season, it was also canceled after 17 episodes.[1][2]

Cast
Teen Angel promo shot of Corbin Allred and Mike Damus

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
1"Marty Buys the Farm"Andy CadiffAl Jean & Mike ReissSeptember 26, 1997 (1997-09-26)T102
Marty passes on after eating a 6-month-old burger under Steve's bed. Steve goes into a deep depression, since not only is his best friend gone, but his father has recently left, and he's picked on constantly at school. His mother, sister, and aunt attempt to help, but God's cousin, Rod, sends Marty to Steve as his guardian angel, or "Teen Angel", as Marty dubs himself. Marty helps Steve conquer his fear of talking to girls, failing tests, and being unpopular.
2"Date With an Angel"Andy CadiffMichael PriceOctober 3, 1997 (1997-10-03)T103
Steve has a crush on one of the most popular cheerleaders, Jessica Fishman (Bridget Flanery). But Marty is afraid she'll reject him, so when Steve calls her, Marty pretends to be Jessica and sets up a date with Steve. To save face, Marty morphs into Jessica for the date, and chaos ensues when the real Jessica turns up.
3"Sings Like an Angel"Andy CadiffLarry WilmoreOctober 10, 1997 (1997-10-10)T104
As a joke, Marty grants Steve a beautiful singing voice for choir tryouts. Soon Steve has almost every solo or duet part and the prettiest duet partner, Edie. But during the huge talent competition, Marty is called upon to help an old woman to a better place and can't be there for Steve or his voice.
4"Wrestling with an Angel"Gary HalvorsonSteve LeffOctober 17, 1997 (1997-10-17)T106
Wishing to seem more powerful, Steve tries out for the wrestling team. Unwilling to let his friend be pummeled, Marty wins the match for him. When the whole school is counting on Steve to win, Steve is counting on Marty to help him out.
5"Honest Abe and Popular Steve"Brian K. RobertsBill FreibergerOctober 24, 1997 (1997-10-24)T105
Marty starts bringing in historical figures to help Steve with his life (Abraham Lincoln to write his history papers, Cleopatra to give him love advice so he can date Homecoming Queen Amy Kosover, Pablo Picasso to design "Steve for Class President" campaign posters, etc.) Rod decides that since Marty has done such a good job with Steve that it's time for him to move on to famous jerk rock star, Sammy Noah (Dee Snider).
6"I Love Nitzke"Gary HalvorsonMichael PriceOctober 31, 1997 (1997-10-31)T107
In an attempt to make Aunt Pam like Mr. Nitzke, Steve's driver's ed instructor, Marty swipes some of Cupid's arrows. However, his poor aim causes Judy, Pam, and Katie to all fall for Mr. Nitzke, making Steve uncomfortable when they all insist on coming to the Halloween Dance with him.
7"One Dog Night"Gary HalvorsonMichael PriceNovember 7, 1997 (1997-11-07)T108

Sabrina Spellman (played by Melissa Joan Hart) tracks down her cat, Salem, who has swallowed her magic "time ball" to blast everyone back to 1976. Meanwhile, Judy is bemoaning the lack of a man in her life, but when Marty turns the family dog into the loyal and loving "Bob", she gets more than she asked for. And, Marty tries to create his own magic with Sabrina.

This episode concludes a time-travel-themed crossover with Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Boy Meets World and You Wish that begins on "Inna Gadda Sabrina" and continues on "No Guts, No Cory" and "Genie Without a Cause".
8"Jeremiah was a Bullfrog"Brian K. RobertsSteve Baldikoski & Bryan BeharNovember 14, 1997 (1997-11-14)T109
Marty gives Steve's science class frog the power of speech -- with a British accent (Tim Curry) -- and the two become attached to their amphibian friend. But when his new biology teacher (Yeardley Smith) insists he must dissect his frog or fail the class, Steve is put into a very tight situation.
9"Feather's Day"Brian K. RobertsWilliam B. KeatingNovember 28, 1997 (1997-11-28)T110
Katie's troop is camping, and she has lost her required tribal feather. Steve snags one of Marty's wing feathers when Marty's not looking to give Katie. What he doesn't know is the feather grants the holder anything they desire. Zachery Ty Bryan appears as himself, when Katie's friend wishes for it.
10"Steve & Marty & Jordan & Uncle Lou"Mark CendrowskiSteve Baldikoski & Bryan BeharDecember 5, 1997 (1997-12-05)T113
Marty wants to tag along wherever Steve goes with new best pal, Jordan. But when Steve insists he not, Marty reunites with his Uncle Lou (Robert Costanzo) in Heaven.
11"Living Doll"Mark CendrowskiMark J. GordonDecember 19, 1997 (1997-12-19)T112
Marty brings Katie's doll to life to babysit her when Steve has a date, but there's trouble when Katie's doll is over-affectionate with Steve in front of his girl.
12"Grumpy Young Men"Mark CendrowskiSteve Leff & Saladin K. PattersonJanuary 9, 1998 (1998-01-09)T114
Steve's mom has left, and Steve's dad, Casey (Tommy Hinkley), has rejoined the family, bringing along his father (Jerry Van Dyke). Steve tries to sneak into a dance club, with the help of a Marty-grown mustache, but in the morning the mustache continues to expand, and Steve ages considerably. Meanwhile, Marty discovers that Grandpa can see him.
13"Who's the Boss"Mark CendrowskiSteve LeffJanuary 16, 1998 (1998-01-16)T115
When Katie, Pam, and Casey are gone for the weekend, Steve throws a 16th birthday party for Marty, inviting friends, and Marty inviting dead celebrities. The family, however, comes home early to a mess, and Steve learns a lesson about telling the truth.
14"The Play's the Thing"Mark CendrowskiSaladin K. PattersonJanuary 23, 1998 (1998-01-23)T111
Life gets tenser for those around Steve, as they are seeing more of him appearing to talk to thin air, when Marty helps Steve get the lead in the school play.
15"Back to DePolo"Mark CendrowskiBill FreibergerJanuary 30, 1998 (1998-01-30)T117
Marty discovers he can time travel and attempts to stop himself from eating the "Death Burger". But when he doesn't, Steve calls him a chicken, and eats the burger himself. Repeated attempts to keep the burger away fail, and soon everyone in the whole house has eaten it once.
16"The Un-Natural"Mark CendrowskiMark J. Gordon & Saladin K. PattersonFebruary 6, 1998 (1998-02-06)T118
Marty gives Casey a perfect pitch at a carnival toss, convincing the former pitcher erroneously that he's still got "the gift" and leading him to try out for a pro baseball team. Marty also reunites Grandpa with Grandma (Beverly Garland), who's in heaven, so Grandpa can finally move on.
17"Look Ma, No Face"Mark CendrowskiJim PattersonFebruary 13, 1998 (1998-02-13)T116
Marty finds out that Nia (Irene Ng), the girl he liked when he was living, liked him back. He devises a scheme to call himself Vlad from Bulgaria, puts on makeup, a wig, and sunglasses, and pretends to be alive for just one date with Nia. However, Rod has forbidden him from this outing.

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Recipient Result
1998 Young Artist Award Best Family TV Comedy Series Teen Angel Nominated
Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series – Leading Young Performer Mike Damus Nominated
Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series – Leading Young Performer Corbin Allred Nominated

See also

References
  1. Lowry, Brian (2000-04-14). "'TGIF'? Well, ABC's Not So Sure Anymore". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  2. Houran, James; Lange, Rense (2001). Hauntings and Poltergeists: Multidisciplinary Perspectives. Beloff, John. McFarland. p. 90. ISBN 0-7864-0984-3.
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