"Read All About It!" (1980) TV series

Seasons:

1 | 2

Genre:

Family | Sci-Fi

Plot:

A group of kids investigate and oppose an extra-terrestrial conspiracy against their town as a community newspaper staff.

Plot Keywords:

Conspiracy | Newspaper | Alien | Writing | Maze

Cast

Lydia Zajc	...	Lynne Davis (17 episodes, 1979-1983)
Stacey Arnold	...	Samantha Nikos (15 episodes, 1979-1983)
David Collard	...	Chris Anderson (15 episodes, 1979-1983)
Angela Fusco	...	Theta (14 episodes, 1979-1983)
Sean Hewitt	...	Duneedon / ... (7 episodes, 1980)

Runtime:

Canada:15 min (40 episodes)

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Brampton, Ontario, Canada

Company:

TV Ontario

Movie Connections:

Followed by "Read All About It!: Part 2" (1983)

The TV show that started my slow slide into journalism

Hey:

This is the TV show that I'll credit for getting me into a career in journalism. I mean, growing up in a small Ontario town, it seemed obvious that being involved in a newspaper was a way to hang out with not one, but two (two!) brainy cute girls. Man, I had the biggest crushes on Lynne (whom I thought was short for Lyndsey for some reason -- it might come up in the show) and Sam. I mean, really, what more could a 10-year-old want other than two hot, brainy chicks with a penchant for gossip, a coach house, two robots and a desklamp that teleported you into another world full of psych-out flashing lights and an evil floating head -- and a damn creepy evil floating head at that? I mean, Cripes, there's enough imagery here to fill an entire album's worth of Meat Puppet songs.

For starters, I do remember very well that the first six episodes were produced/broadcast in 1979, and the remainder hit the air in 1980 -- *not* 1981. It should say so in the copyright information at the very end of each episode. I remember seeing the fifth or sixth episode as a small kid when it first aired. But then, circa 1984-85, I remember that I came across the listing for this show in some teacher's handguide and managed to twist the arm of my fourth Grade teacher into obtaining video tapes of the show from the Ministry of Education. We got to see an episode every second day, or something like that. Anyhow, needless to say, I briefly went from being a geek to a cool-ass kid in my class simply for making the recommendation.

There was, of course, a sequel. But we never got to see that. I think I'd given my teacher headaches from watching this weird little show.

I don't really remember a lot of this -- except that the girls were cute and that the adult cast had doppelgangers in the other universe (Trialveron or something like that). I'd personally give my left arm to see this again. I can only worry that this show was actually better in the day, and wouldn't hold up now. Even though I haven't really thought about this show in 15 years, I can say this: if anyone involved in the show ever reads this, know that you're responsible for at least one journalist. And one who writes wacky fiction on the side. Thanks a bundle. The cult may be small, but this show really needs a nostalgic Web site.

Yours, Zachary Houle