Meego (TV series)
| Meego | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Science fiction sitcom |
| Created by | Ross Brown |
| Developed by |
Thomas L. Miller Robert L. Boyett Michael Warren |
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer |
Jesse Frederick Bennett Salvay |
| Composer(s) |
Jesse Frederick Bennett Salvay |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 (7 unaired) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Ross Brown Thomas L. Miller Robert L. Boyett Michael Warren |
| Producer(s) | Karen K. Miller |
| Camera setup | Videotape; Multi-camera |
| Running time | 22 minutes (approx.) |
| Production company(s) |
Miller-Boyett-Warren Productions Warner Bros. Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV) |
| Original release | September 19 – October 24, 1997 |
Meego is an American science fiction sitcom that ran for six episodes from September 1 to October 24, 1997 on the CBS television network as part of its Friday night Block Party program block; after its cancellation, seven additional episodes that were produced but left unaired in the United States were aired in some international markets (such as on Sky1 in the United Kingdom).
Created by Ross Brown, and developed by Thomas L. Miller, Robert L. Boyett, and Michael Warren, the series starred Bronson Pinchot in the title role as an alien masquerading as a human being who, after his spaceship crashlands on Earth, unexpectedly becomes the nanny to a single father's three children.
Synopsis
Meego (Pinchot) is a 9,000-year-old shape-shifting alien from the planet Marmazon 4.0. After his spaceship crashes, he is discovered by three children; Trip (Erik von Detten, later played by Will Estes), Maggie (Michelle Trachtenberg) and Alex Parker (Jonathan Lipnicki). They live with their single father, Dr. Edward Parker (Ed Begley, Jr.) and pass Meego off as human (he does not want anyone to know that he is extraterrestrial, and tells people he is from Canada instead). Although he plans to go home as soon as his ship is repaired, he becomes attached to the children and decides to remain on Earth to care for them.
Cast
Main cast
- Bronson Pinchot as Meego
- Ed Begley, Jr. as Dr. Edward Parker
- Michelle Trachtenberg as Maggie Parker
- Erik von Detten as Trip Parker #1 (pilot episode only)
- Will Estes as Trip Parker #2 (episodes 2-13)
- Jonathan Lipnicki as Alex Parker
Notable guest stars
- Jaleel White reprised his role as Steve Urkel for two back-to-back guest spots in the episodes "For Love and Money" and "The Truth About Cars and Dogs" (White's brief cameos in both episodes did not feature a speaking role).
- Three cast members of Gilligan's Island, Bob Denver, Dawn Wells, and Russell Johnson, had a guest appearance on the episode "Mommy 'n' Meego", which was unaired in the U.S.
Broadcast history
Meego was commissioned specifically for the CBS Block Party, an effort to compete with TGIF, the long-running family comedy block on ABC. Incoming CBS head Leslie Moonves saw an opportunity to take advantage of an ownership change at ABC (then being acquired by The Walt Disney Company, which was reshaping TGIF into a more teen-oriented block) and offered Miller-Boyett Productions US$40 million to bring two of TGIF's programs, Family Matters and Step by Step, to CBS. As part of the deal, Miller-Boyett also received the right to produce a new show, which became Meego.[1]
Meego was unusual among the shows in the CBS Block Party in that it was targeted mainly at children, instead of the whole family. This was a factor in the show's failure; by this point, the show's lead-in, Family Matters, consisted mostly of a cast of young adults, and its lead-out, The Gregory Hines Show (the only show on the block with no ties to Miller-Boyett), was also a mostly adult-oriented sitcom.[1] Another factor in the show's failure was its direct competition; Boy Meets World, the program that aired on TGIF opposite Meego, reached its peak in number of viewers during the 1997–98 season. Meego was pulled from the air after six episodes.
Critical reception
The show received mixed to negative reviews.[2][3][4]
Home exteriors
The exteriors of the Parker family home on Meego had been recycled from an earlier Miller-Boyett series, On Our Own. The footage of the home was filmed in a suburb of St. Louis, where On Our Own was set. During the entire run of Meego no location was ever specified as a setting in the storylines.
Episodes
| Episode number | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Joel Zwick | Ross Brown | September 19, 1997 | 475121 |
| Meego is made temporary babysitter for the Parker kids after his spaceship crashes in their backyard and he waits for repairs to be completed, but quickly finds himself growing attached to them and questioning his return home. | |||||
| 2 | "Love and Money" | Rich Correll | Larry Kase & Joel Ronkin | September 26, 1997 | 466552 |
| Meego gets his first pay check, but still has a lot to learn about money; Maggie interrupts her studies to watch Trip and his friend play street hockey. Family Matters star Jaleel White has an uncredited cameo in his Steve Urkel character. | |||||
| 3 | "The Truth About Cars and Dogs" | Rich Correll | Shelly Landau | October 3, 1997 | 466551 |
| Maggie tries to tell her dad that the family nanny is an alien. Meanwhile, Meego goes on a date with the Parkers' next door neighbor; and Edward helps Alex build a model car for a derby. Jaleel White makes a second cameo appearance. | |||||
| 4 | "It's Good to be King" | Rich Correll | Bill Bryan | October 10, 1997 | 466553 |
| When Meego hears that Trip is no longer required to study to pass history now that he's the star of the basketball team, which is coached by the history teacher, he gives his own lesson. He shrinks the teacher/coach and leaves him guarded by watchdog Barkley, while he substitutes - as King George III. Meanwhile, Edward and Alex plan a fishing trip. | |||||
| 5 | "Fatal Attraction" | Rich Correll | Allison M. Gibson | October 17, 1997 | 466554 |
| Trip learns a valuable lesson after he takes Meego's magic wrist device and uses it to trick a popular girl into believing that he's the boy of her dreams. He initially enjoys the attention but changes his mind when his new "girlfriend" Brooke begins shadowing him and hanging on his every word. Meanwhile, Meego plays poker with Edward and some interns. | |||||
| 6 | "Halloween" | Joel Zwick | Cary Okmin | October 24, 1997 | 466556 |
| Maggie finds out that her secret admirer will be arriving incognito at her Halloween party and enlists Meego's aid in unmasking the mystery man, while he tends to spooky tasks of his own when he sets out to give Trip a scare. | |||||
| 7 | "Mommy 'n' Meego" | Rich Correll | Bill Bryan | Unaired | 466559 |
| On Meego's first attempt to phone his alien mom, he ends up reaching three Gilligan's Island castaways instead: Gilligan, Mary Ann and the Professor, still stranded after 35 years! While he continues his quest for a direct line to Marmazon 4.0, Trip, Maggie, and Alex try to keep his origins a secret from their suspicious and cranky grandmother. | |||||
| 8 | "Magic Parker" | Rich Correll | Larry Kase & Joel Ronkin | Unaired | 466557 |
| Alex tricks Meego into helping him show off in front of Marcus. Maggie tries to get him to help set up Edward on a date, but while waiting for Alex to finish his martial arts lesson, he meets two other nannies (Erika & Theresa) and asks if they are available, but finds out they are "aliens." Misunderstanding them, he assumes they are from a different planet. | |||||
| 9 | "Liar, Liar" | Joel Zwick | Shelly Landau | Unaired | 466558 |
| When Trip lies to get a date with college girl Amanda, Meego embellishes it with his antics. He also encounters snow for the first time. | |||||
| 10 | "I Won't Be Home for Christmas" | Rich Correll | Cary Okmin | Unaired | 466562 |
| It's Christmas and Meego tries helping out by doing such things as teleporting the Christmas tree into the house (still tied to the roof of the car) and helping Edward get Alex the toy he wants. It is of course the most popular one of the season and in a mad rush at the department store, his wrist device is broken. | |||||
| 11 | "Saturday Night Fever" | Rich Correll | R. Lee Fleming Jr. | Unaired | 466555 |
| Edward has to go away for the weekend to assist an operation. Meego catches the chicken pox with strange side effects. Trip sneaks out of the house at midnight to go to a illegal rave party and Maggie is fed up with being a 'geek' when she wins the model citizen of the month award for the fifth time running so she tries changing her image. | |||||
| 12 | "Performance Art" | Joel Zwick | Allison M. Gibson | Unaired | 466560 |
| Meego tries to persuade the kids to take their school field trip to the museum rather than the ice cream parlor. Trip plays sick to get a coveted autograph. | |||||
| 13 | "Car and Driver" | Rich Correll | R. Lee Fleming Jr. | Unaired | 466561 |
| Trip is desperate to get his driver's license in order to improve his dating prospects. | |||||
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Recipient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Young Artist Awards | Nominated | Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Comedy TV Series | Jonathan Lipnicki |
| Won | Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series - Supporting Young Actress | Michelle Trachtenberg |
References
- 1 2 Hal Boedeker (July 18, 1997). "He's A Goober But CBS Has A Lot Riding On Urkel TV". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
- ↑ `Meego' Is Alien To Adults, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, September 19, 1997.
- ↑ `Meego': A Cute Above; Meet the Cuddliest of Sitcoms, The Washington Post (through HighBeam Research), September 19, 1997.
- ↑ 'Meego' Should've Been No-go, New York Daily News, September 18, 1997.
External links
- Meego at the Internet Movie Database
- Meego at TV.com
- Meego at epguides.com