Eerie, Indiana (1991-1992)

"My name is Marshall Teller. Not long ago, I was living in New Jersey, just across the river from New York City. It was crowded, polluted, and full of crime. I loved it. But my parents wanted a better life for my sister and me. So we moved to a place so wholesome, so squeaky clean, you could only find it on TV. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. Sure, my new hometown looks normal enough, but look again. What's wrong with this picture? The American Dream come true, right? Wrong. Nobody believes me, but this is the center of weirdness for the entire planet: Eerie, Indiana. My home, sweet home. Still don't believe me? You will."
-Marshall Teller.

Television can be as strange a beast as the big screen, especially when it comes to success. Some shows, such as Andromeda, inexplicably get five seasons, despite being horrible, while others, such as Space: Above and Beyond, last only a season, even though they are quite good.
Another series which lasted only a year was the NBC show Eerie, Indiana, produced by Joe Dante, and which can best be described as The Wonder Years crossed with The Twilight Zone.
Marshall Teller (Omri Katz) moves to the title town with his family and quickly discovers how bizarre it is, with, among other things, an neighbor (Steven Peri) who believes he is Elvis and a Bigfoot-like creature who roams the town. But these unusual goings-on don't seem to raise anyone else's eyebrows, except his neighbor Simon Holmes (Justin Shenkarow), whom Marshall befriends.
The 19 episodes of the series show Marshall and Simon observing and dealing with the bizarre happenings of their town, which they document and plan to, someday, release to the world.
One of the sweetest episodes is the seventh, "Heart on a Chain," which was directed by Dante. In that episode, Marshall falls for a girl (Danielle Harris) whose need for a heart transplant is fulfilled when a rival for her affections dies in a car accident. But she begins to act suspiciously like Marshall's rival afterward.
What makes this series good, though, is that Marshall and Simon are both instantly likeable and their adventures are presented in a way which makes the show nice family entertainment.
I still hope that a movie of this series is made someday. Hey, if Veronica Mars can do it....