Weird Science (TV series)
Two teens create a magical woman with a computer.
Weird Science is an American television sitcom based on John Hughes' 1985 film of the same title. It aired on the USA Network from March 5, 1994, to April 11, 1997, with six previously unaired episodes later broadcast on the Sci-Fi Channel in 1998.
Quick Facts
- Runtime
- 30 minutes
- Genre
- Sitcom; Comic science fiction
- Based on
- Weird Science
- John Hughes; "Made of the Future"
- Al Feldstein
- Developer
- Tom Spezialy; Alan Cross
- Producer
- Adam Barr
- Ed Ferrara
- Robert Lloyd Lewis
- Peter Ocko
- Executive producers
- Leslie Belzberg
- John Landis
- Robert K. Weiss
- Starring
- John Mallory Asher
- Michael Manasseri
- Vanessa Angel
- Lee Tergesen
- Composer
- Peter Bernstein
Facts from the source article.
Plot
The series follows Gary Wallace and Wyatt Donnelly, two socially awkward high school students in a Chicago suburb. Using Wyatt's computer, they attempt to simulate a perfect woman to practice talking to girls. A freak lightning storm brings her to life as Lisa, a beautiful genius with magic genie-like powers. In the pilot, Gary justifies the idea by saying he saw it in a John Hughes movie.
Cast
John Mallory Asher plays Gary Wallace, a slacker and poor student who often seeks shortcuts to impress girls. His father Al is a mechanic and tow-truck driver, played by Jeff Doucette; his mother Emily is played by Joyce Bulifant, Asher's real-life mother. Michael Manasseri plays Wyatt Donnelly, the more cautious of the pair, whose wealthy parents are frequently away, leaving him and his older brother Chett alone. Wyatt is more popular with girls than Gary. Vanessa Angel plays Lisa, a self-described magic genie who grants wishes by choice, not duty, and cannot reverse a wish once granted; her spells usually wear off after an indeterminate time. She is still a program on Wyatt's computer and disappears if it is switched off, and she is addicted to Chunky Monkey ice cream. Lee Tergesen plays Chester "Chett" Donnelly, a paranoid military school graduate who lives with his parents, takes Wyatt's belongings, and insults him. He has a vendetta against principal Scampi, played by Bruce Jarchow, and occasionally shows sexual tension with Lisa.
Production
Weird Science aired on the USA Network for five seasons, starting March 1, 1994, with 88 episodes total. The show stopped airing new episodes in 1997, leaving six unaired. Those six eventually premiered on the Sci-Fi Channel in 1998, with the first two on July 11 and the remaining four in pairs on July 18 and 25. The series used Oingo Boingo’s “Weird Science” as its theme song, the same as the film, but the band received no on-screen credit. John Hughes had no hand in the TV version. Tom Spezialy and Alan Cross created and ran the show. Staff writer Kari Lizer, who later created The New Adventures of Old Christine, said the job turned her into a real writer. Seth Green was a finalist for the role of Gary and later guest-starred in the season 2 premiere, “Lisa’s Virus.”
More in American Science Fiction Sitcoms
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced