Maniac Mansion

Name: Maniac Mansion
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1990-09-17
Cast: Joe Flaherty, Deborah Theaker, George Buza, Kathleen Robertson, Mary Charlotte Wilcox

1990 | 3 seasons | 30 min | Comedy

Weeknight Watchearly rating

Why it’s a Weeknight Watch

With a short run with a modest audience and little lasting buzz, it's a mixed bag. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it: Made for anyone who wants a laugh. If you loved Rick and Morty or The Middle, start here.
The mood: Light and funny.
The pace: 3 seasons: a few weeks of evenings, short, snackable episodes, about 33 hours in all.
What might put you off: Nothing much: an easy pick for most people.

Maniac Mansion was a Canadian sitcom created by Eugene Levy, which aired concurrently on YTV in Canada and The Family Channel in the United States for three seasons from September 17, 1990 to April 4, 1993. The series is very loosely based on the popular 1987 LucasArts video game of the same name. While LucasFilm served as co-producers on the series, the show thematically shares little in common with its source material. The series followed the adventures of the Edison family, who lived in a large mansion in an upper-class suburban neighborhood. Fred, the father of the family, was an eccentric scientist, and many of the plots revolved around his wacky experiments. One of these experiments caused his toddler son, Turner, to transform into a large adult man and his brother-in-law, Harry, to be turned into a fly with a human head! They both remained this way for the entire run of the series.

How it earned its rating

CriticsSolid
Generally positive reviews
AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
AwardsBelow par
2 wins and 11 nominations from smaller awards and festivals
Reach & staying powerBelow par
Ran for 3 seasons and reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
Buzz & cultural impactBelow par
About 33K people sought it out in the past year