My Secret Identity (1988 – 1991)

I think most people will have a fondness for certain TV shows from their younger days that they don’t really remember all that much about. It’s like a protected nostalgia. You know – shows where most of the details are gone, but there’s just something (for some reason) that your memory clings on to. My Secret Identity is one of those shows.

Other than its catchy (yet cheesy) theme, the basic premise of the show, who starred in it, and the fact that I distinctly remember enjoying my time with it, I couldn’t break down any episodes for you with any real degree of accuracy. Hell, it’s only recently that I found out it was Canadian. I could easily lie to you, hit Google, and tell you all about it, but you can do that yourself if you really want to, and besides, that would defeat the purpose.

It’s hard to believe Jerry O’Connell signed on for this kid’s show a couple of years after his turn in Stand By Me, yet here we are. He plays a teenager who trips down his basement stairs and into a photon beam which – in true comic book fashion – bestows him with super powers that he manages to find a use for in every episode.

If you have never heard of it, or just want to remind yourself of its (admittedly eighties) charm, here’s the pilot episode. It actually holds up surprisingly well.