The Odyssey (1992 - 1995 TV series)

Did You Know?

• The series was cancelled before reaching its intended conclusion, ending season 3 with cliffhangers in both the Upworld and Downworld.
• In June 2016, Marblemedia and Omnifilm Entertainment announced plans for a reboot to be adapted by showrunners Simon Racioppa and Richard Elliott.
• The show was produced in Vancouver by Water Street Pictures.

Plot

In the pilot, 11-year-old Jay attempts to join a tree-fort club led by the tough Keith. Jay brings a telescope that belonged to his missing father as a contribution, but Keith double-crosses him and takes the telescope, denying him entry. With help from his physically disabled friend Donna, who uses a crutch and leg brace, Jay tries to retrieve the telescope. He falls from the tree fort, strikes his head on a rock, and lapses into a coma. Inside the coma, Jay enters a fantasy world called Downworld where no one reaches age 16. Children have formed tribal clubs, including the brutal Tower police state ruled by 15-year-old Brad. Jay, aided by friends Alpha and Flash (who resemble Donna and Keith), seeks a way home and to find his father, whose name is also Brad. Meanwhile, Jay's mother and a coma therapist work with his friends to help him regain consciousness. A turning point occurs when Jay's father appears to him as he regains consciousness, a secret he must keep from his mother. Jay struggles to reorient to the waking world while still dealing with issues from his subconscious.

Release

The pilot originally aired in Canada on March 9, 1992, as The Jellybean Odyssey. The series aired in Ireland on Network 2 as part of The Den in 1994. In the U.S., it was broadcast by the Sci-Fi Channel; in the UK, by Nickelodeon and Channel 4 in 1995, with repeats in 1998. France aired the first season on M6 and the whole series on France 3. Hong Kong viewers saw it on ATV World. The first 26 episodes aired in French on Radio-Canada during the 1994–95 season as L'odyssée fantastique, with reruns in 1996 and 1998. A limited special edition DVD of the complete series is sold through Omni Film Productions. The series is available digitally on Vimeo and was uploaded to the Canada Media Fund's YouTube channel Encore+ from May 25, 2018 to January 9, 2019; that channel shut down in 2022. It currently streams on Plex and Tubi in Canada.