Imagine taking the quirkiness of a David Lynch-type series and applying it to a show for kids. The result might look something like Eerie, Indiana, which aired for a single season on NBC in 1991 and followed the adventures of a boy and his best friend who, much to their dismay, live in one of the most bizarre towns imaginable.
When young Marshall Teller, his parents Edgar and Marylyn, and older sister Syndi, relocate from New Jersey to the small rural town of Eerie Indiana, population 16,661, nothing seems too out of the ordinary at first. He quickly acquires a paper route and makes a new friend named Simon Holmes. That is until he is delivering papers and happens to spot both Bigfoot and Elvis along his route. He is soon faced with the realization that he has moved to “the center of weirdness for the entire planet.”
How weird is Eerie, Indiana? Well, when Marshall visits the orthodontist, he soon finds that his retainer allows him to read dog minds…and these sinister canines are plotting to take over the world. When his friend Simon gets an eye exam from the school nurse, it turns him into a zombie who adores doing homework. And worst of all, when Marshall tries to warn his family of the strange happenings around town, of course, nobody believes him.
Eerie, Indiana was a wonderfully unique kid’s show that, sadly, was never really given the chance it deserved, having been canceled after a mere 19 episodes. Still, in the years after its short run, and thanks to syndication, it has managed to retain almost a cult-like following. It is still fondly remembered to this day for its delightfully different storylines, such as the final episode when Marshall discovers a screenplay in his mailbox that lets him in on a little secret – his friends and family are all actors and his life is actually nothing more than a television show. In any other town, that might be a shocking revelation, but it’s just another day in Eerie, Indiana.
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