The Journey of Allen Strange

From November 1997 to April 2000, Nickelodeon’s SNICK lineup aired *The Journey of Allen Strange*, a series that ran for three seasons. The show centers on a young alien from the planet Xela who becomes stranded on Earth. After meeting siblings Robbie and Josh Stevenson and their father Ken, the family takes him in and gives him the name Allen Strange.

Allen possesses several unusual abilities. He can shift into his true alien form, which lets him hover. By touching a book’s cover, he reads at incredible speed. He also has advanced dexterity and athletic recall: after watching a neighborhood basketball game, he perfectly replicated the players’ shot trajectories. His fondness for canned cheese is notable, and he lives in the Stevenson attic inside a strange alien cocoon. Allen’s ultimate wish is to return to Xela, but he explains that may take a long time—he stowed away on an exploratory ship studying Earth, which fled when it feared discovery.

Allen chose to disguise himself as an African-American boy because the first humans he observed were African-American men playing basketball; he thought this form would help him fit in. His naivety about human culture led to a Black History Month episode: he brought plain black posterboards for his presentation, prompting lessons on slavery and the Civil Rights Movement.

Before the series premiered, Nickelodeon ran teaser ads that seemed like normal promos. Suddenly, blue ooze would fill the screen as a voice said, “Something strange is coming to SNICK. November 8.” The ooze then cleared, and the promo finished as if nothing had happened.

The main characters include Allen Strange (Arjay Smith), a Xelan alien who just wants to go home; Roberta “Robbie” Stevenson (Erin J. Dean), a 15-year-old surfer who helps Allen learn human ways; her younger brother Joshua “Josh” Stevenson (Shane Sweet), an 11-year-old science enthusiast; and their father Kenneth “Ken” Stevenson (Jack Tate), an architect unaware of Allen’s true nature.

Recurring characters include Gail Stevenson (Mary Chris Wall), the children’s mother and a nurse, separated from Ken but visiting often; Manfred Strange (Robert Crow), a store mannequin brought to life to pose as Allen’s Earth father, nicknamed “Manny” by Ken; Latanya (Jaquita Ta’le), Robbie’s best friend; Harold “Moose” Johnson (Sean Babb), a wrestling team captain and bully; Erika (Evan Scott),