My Secret Identity
Entry updated 13 November 2023. Tagged: TV.
Canadian tv series (1988-1991). Sunrise Films with Scholastic Productions for CTV in Canada; Syndicated US. Created by Fred Fox Jr and Brian Levant. Executive producers Fox and Levant. Directors included Don McBreaty, George Bloomfield and Otta Hanus. Writers included Eric Weinthal, Dawn Ritchie, Martin Lager and Elliot Stern. Cast includes Christopher Bolton, Wanda Cannon, Derek McGrath, Marsha Moreau and Jerry O'Connell. 72 30-minute episodes. Colour.
In a Toronto suburb, fourteen-year-old Andrew Clements (O'Connell) is hit by a photon beam from the home laboratory of eccentric Scientist Dr Benjamin Jeffcoate (McGrath). This gives Andrew Superpowers including levitation (later upgraded to full "powered" flight), super-speed and invulnerability; a repeat exposure adds superhuman strength, though he loses his powers temporarily if exposed to certain forms of radiation. Only Jeffcoate knows of Andrew's abilities, and the two often aid each other. Andrew's mother Stephanie (Cannon) is romantically interested in the doctor, and steadily pursues him. His sister Erin (Moreau) and best friend Kirk Stevens (Bolton) appear occasionally. Andrew generally uses his powers to fight routine criminals such as smugglers, drug dealers and spies; he is not above using them for advantage at school, for example in sporting events. Sf elements are mainly confined to Andrew's superpowers, though on one occasion when an experiment goes awry he helps Jeffcoate cure himself of Invisibility. Like similar programmes of the period aimed at younger viewers – such as Small Wonder (1985-1989) – the series sometimes deals didactically with issues considered important to adolescents, such as alcoholism and learning responsibility in general. [GSt]
links
previous versions of this entry