The Journey of Allen Strange

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The Journey of Allen Strange
Allenstrange1.jpg
The cast of The Journey of Allen Strange
Genre Science fiction
Drama
Created by Thomas W. Lynch
Starring
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes57
Production
Running time22 minutes
Production companies Lynch Entertainment
Nickelodeon Productions
Original release
Network Nickelodeon
ReleaseNovember 8, 1997 (1997-11-08) 
April 23, 2000 (2000-04-23)

The Journey of Allen Strange is an American television series that aired on Nickelodeon's SNICK block of programming for three seasons from November 1997 to April 2000. [1] [2]

Contents

Premise

The series follows the story of a young Xelan alien (Arjay Smith) who is stranded on Earth, and meets up with a young girl Robbie Stevenson (Erin J. Dean), her younger brother Josh (Shane Sweet), and their father Ken (Jack Tate). This family eventually adopts him, giving him the name "Allen Strange". He has extraordinary powers, including the ability to turn into his alien form, which allows him to hover. He uses his abilities to bring a mannequin in a sporting goods store to life; this "animated mannequin" poses as his Earth father, Manfred, for events like parent-teacher conferences. He also possesses extremely high intelligence and can read incredibly fast by simply placing his hand on the cover of a book. He also seems to have advanced dexterity and athletic muscle memory, as he once observed a neighborhood basketball game and perfectly duplicated the trajectory of shots when he attempted this himself. He has an affinity for canned cheese, and lives in the family's attic in a strange alien cocoon. [3] Allen's ultimate goal is to return to his homeworld of Xela, but he admits that may be a long time away as he stowed away on an exploratory ship which was studying Earth, which had to flee out of fear of discovery.

Allen said he "chose" to disguise himself as an African-American boy as the first Earth people he spied upon were some African-American men playing basketball, and figured this was a way to acculturate. His naivety on the subject (bringing in plain black posterboards for his Black History Month presentation) sparked a Black History Month episode, featuring him learning information about slavery and the Civil Rights Movement.

In the weeks leading up to the series' premiere, Nickelodeon ran a series of teaser ads which would at first appear to be promos for other shows, or for Nickelodeon in general, when a blue ooze would fill the screen as an announcer said cryptically, "Something strange is coming to SNICK. November 8". It would then clear out and the interrupted promo would conclude as if nothing had happened.

Characters

Main

Recurring

Episodes

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 13November 8, 1997 (1997-11-08)February 26, 1998 (1998-02-26)
2 26August 31, 1998 (1998-08-31)April 28, 1999 (1999-04-28)
3 18December 5, 1999 (1999-12-05)April 23, 2000 (2000-04-23)

Season 1 (1997–1998)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Arrival" Paul Hoen Thomas W. Lynch November 8, 1997 (1997-11-08)
22"Entry"Victor DuBoisAlfa-Betty Olsen & Marshall EfronNovember 15, 1997 (1997-11-15)
33"Space" Jason Marsden David GarberNovember 22, 1997 (1997-11-22)
44"Gronpoly" Paul Hoen Thomas W. Lynch & Bruce KalishDecember 6, 1997 (1997-12-06)
55"Starwalk" Shawn Levy Thomas W. LynchDecember 13, 1997 (1997-12-13)
66"The Visit"Lev L. SpiroLarry LevyDecember 27, 1997 (1997-12-27)
77"Battle"Victor DuBoisArthur Sellers (?)January 3, 1998 (1998-01-03)
88"The Guardian"Diane WynterJohn May & Suzanne BolchJanuary 10, 1998 (1998-01-10)
99"Collision" Allison Liddi Suzanne Bolch & John MayJanuary 17, 1998 (1998-01-17)
1010"Compute"Lev L. SpiroLawrence H. LevyJanuary 24, 1998 (1998-01-24)
1111"Rescue"Christopher CoppolaRobin RiordanFebruary 21, 1998 (1998-02-21)
1212"Home, Part 1"Paul Hoen(Story by: Thomas W. Lynch)February 24, 1998 (1998-02-24)
1313"Home, Part 2"Paul HoenJohn May & Suzanne Bolch & Bruce KalishFebruary 26, 1998 (1998-02-26)

Season 2 (1998–1999)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
141"Passage"Shawn LevyThomas W. LynchAugust 31, 1998 (1998-08-31)
152"The Day of the Beagle" Topper Carew Suzanne Bolch & John MaySeptember 2, 1998 (1998-09-02)
163"Haunted"Paul HoenLawrence H. LevySeptember 7, 1998 (1998-09-07)
174"Pride of the Dolphin"Paul HoenJohn SlamaSeptember 9, 1998 (1998-09-09)
185"Strange Culture"Joe RasulloStory by: Thomas W. Lynch
Teleplay by: Robin Riordan & Arthur Sellers
September 14, 1998 (1998-09-14)
196"Two for the Road" Patrick Williams John May & Suzanne BolchSeptember 16, 1998 (1998-09-16)
207"The Broken Puzzle"Allison LiddiLawrence H. LevySeptember 23, 1998 (1998-09-23)
218"Portal, Part 1"Jason MarsdenStory by: Thomas W. Lynch & Mark Palmer
Teleplay by: Mark Palmer
September 28, 1998 (1998-09-28)
229"Portal, Part 2"Lev L. SpiroJohn May & Suzanne BolchSeptember 30, 1998 (1998-09-30)
2310"The Truth About Lies"Topper CarewArthur SellersOctober 5, 1998 (1998-10-05)
2411"A Room of My Own"Gilbert ShiltonRobin Riordan & Arthur SellersOctober 12, 1998 (1998-10-12)
2512"Cash Crunch"Paul HoenRobin Riordan & Arthur SellersOctober 21, 1998 (1998-10-21)
2613"Father and Son"Lev L. Spiro(Story by: Thomas W. Lynch)November 4, 1998 (1998-11-04)
2714"A New Leaf"Allison LiddiSuzanne Bolch & John MayNovember 23, 1998 (1998-11-23)
2815"Secret of the Deep"Susan YoungmanJohn May & Suzanne BolchNovember 30, 1998 (1998-11-30)
2916"Dances with Moose"Topper CarewStory by: Karen Russell
Teleplay by: Bruce Halish
December 2, 1998 (1998-12-02)
3017"Baby on Board"Allison LiddiThomas W. Lynch & Arthur SellersDecember 14, 1998 (1998-12-14)
3118"Eye of a Stranger"Allison SwanEugene LeeFebruary 8, 1999 (1999-02-08)
3219"Unmasked!"Lev L. SpiroSuzanne Bolch & John MayMarch 10, 1999 (1999-03-10)
3320"Fast Friends" Allison Liddi David Pitlick & Barry GursteinMarch 17, 1999 (1999-03-17)
3421"Space Bugs"Lev L. SpiroRobin RiordanMarch 24, 1999 (1999-03-24)
3522"All Apologies"Allison LiddiStory by: Robin Riordan
Teleplay by: John May & Suzanne Bolch
March 31, 1999 (1999-03-31)
3623"Strike Out"Lev L. SpiroSuzanne Bolch & John MayApril 7, 1999 (1999-04-07)
3724"Down the Tube"Paul HoenJean Gennis & Phyllis MurphyApril 14, 1999 (1999-04-14)
3825"Bust a Move"Lev L. SpiroJohn May & Suzanne BolchApril 21, 1999 (1999-04-21)
3926"Shadows in the Sky"Allison LiddiStory by: Thomas W. Lynch & David Rosenberg
Teleplay by: David Rosenberg
April 28, 1999 (1999-04-28)

Season 3 (1999–2000)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
401"First Day of School"Paul HoenJean Gennis & Phyllis MurphyDecember 5, 1999 (1999-12-05)
412"Split Decision"Paul HoenLance WhineryDecember 12, 1999 (1999-12-12)
423"Mother and Child Reunion"Allison LiddiMindy Morgenstern & Terry Maloney HaleyDecember 19, 1999 (1999-12-19)
434"Twist of Fate"Paul HoenThomas W. LynchDecember 26, 1999 (1999-12-26)
445"As the Millennium Turns"Allison LiddiMindy Morgenstern & Terry Maloney Haley & Lance WhineryDecember 31, 1999 (1999-12-31)
456"A Day at the Races"Allison LiddiCatherine StriblingJanuary 2, 2000 (2000-01-02)
467"Hamilton's Missing"Paul HoenThomas W. Lynch & Kathryn BakerJanuary 9, 2000 (2000-01-09)
478"Science Friction"Paul HoenKathryn BakerJanuary 16, 2000 (2000-01-16)
489"Blue-Up"Lev L. SpiroLance WhineryJanuary 23, 2000 (2000-01-23)
4910"Out on a Limb"Shawn LevyTerry Maloney Haley & Mindy MorgensternJanuary 30, 2000 (2000-01-30)
5011"A Burp in Time"Lev L. SpiroKathryn BakerFebruary 6, 2000 (2000-02-06)
5112"Love Stinks"Allison LiddiMindy Morgenstern & Terry Maloney HaleyFebruary 13, 2000 (2000-02-13)
5213"Allen on TV"Robert Duncan McNeillJean Gennis & Phyllis MurphyFebruary 20, 2000 (2000-02-20)
5314"Out to Lunch"Paul HoenJean Gennis & Phyllis MurphyFebruary 27, 2000 (2000-02-27)
5415"Bringing Up Baby"Sturrt HreismanChris CluessMarch 5, 2000 (2000-03-05)
5516"Heroes"Shawn LevyJean Gennis & Phyllis MurphyApril 9, 2000 (2000-04-09)
5617"Life of the Party"Paul HoenAnthony CiprianoApril 16, 2000 (2000-04-16)
5718"Message from Beyond"Lev L. SpiroTerry Maloney Haley & Mindy Morgenstern & Lance WhineryApril 23, 2000 (2000-04-23)

Book series

A nine-book series, based on the episodes, was also printed, [4] written by several authors, including John Vornholt and Mel Odom. A list of these books is available at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database. [5]

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References

  1. Rose, Devin (October 13, 1998). "Strange Is A Trip Worth Taking". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
  2. "Allen Strange Makes Rocky Journey to TV Movie Format". The Los Angeles Times. December 4, 1999. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
  3. Mangan, Jennifer (November 20, 1997). "New Comedy From Nickelodeon Explores Serious Issues". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
  4. "Journey of Allen Strange". fantasticfiction.co.uk. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
  5. "Series: The Journey of Allen Strange". isfdb.org.
Book references