So Weird facts for kids

Quick facts for kids So Weird
Genre	Dark fantasy Drama Mystery Science fiction Supernatural fiction Urban fantasy
Created by	Tom J. Astle
Starring	Cara DeLizia Mackenzie Phillips Patrick Levis Erik von Detten Belinda Metz Dave Ward Eric Lively Alexz Johnson
Theme music composer	Jon Cooksey
Opening theme	"In the Darkness" performed by Mackenzie Phillips
Composer(s)	Ken Williams
Country of origin	United States Canada
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	65 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Henry Winkler Tom J. Astle Michelle Davis Alec Griffith Ali Marie Matheson (seasons 1–2) Jon Cooksey (seasons 1–2) Larry Sugar (seasons 2–3) John Mandel Bruce Zimmerman (season 3)
Camera setup	Film; Single-camera
Production company(s)	Sugar Entertainment, Ltd. (seasons 1–2) No Equal Entertainment, Inc. (season 3) Fair Dinkum Productions Disney Channel Originals Touchstone Television
Distributor	Buena Vista Television
Release
Original network	Disney Channel
Picture format	480i (4:3 SDTV) 1080i ( HDTV)
Original release	January 18, 1999 (1999-01-18) – September 28, 2001 (2001-09-28)

So Weird was an American-Canadian TV show that aired on the Disney Channel. It ran from January 18, 1999, to September 28, 2001. The show was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was one of the first Disney Channel Original Series to be filmed there.

The first two seasons followed a teenage girl named Fiona Phillips (Cara DeLizia). She traveled with her rock-star mom (Mackenzie Phillips) and kept running into strange, unexplained events. Many people compared So Weird to the TV show The X-Files. This was because it had a darker and more mysterious feel than other Disney Channel shows at the time.

For the third and final season, the main actress, Cara DeLizia, left the show. She wanted to work on other projects. Actress Alexz Johnson joined the cast as a new character, Annie Thelen. The show finished after 65 episodes.

What is So Weird About?

Fiona's Adventures in Season 1

The first season started with Fiona Phillips on tour with her famous rock-star mother, Molly. Her brother Jack, who didn't believe in strange things, also came along. They traveled with their bus driver Ned, band manager Irene, and Ned and Irene's son, Clu.

Fiona's main goal was to connect with her father, who had passed away when she was three. She believed he was trying to reach her from the spirit world. In one early episode, "Web Sight," she got mysterious internet articles. These articles seemed to warn her about future events. Fiona faced many strange things, like alien encounters, time warps, and ghosts.

She also met a powerful "thoughtform" (a being created by thoughts), a Bigfoot, and even angels. A very important character she met was the Will o' the Wisp, a glowing spirit. In the season finale, this spirit, named Bricriu, took over her brother Jack. Bricriu offered to protect Fiona from evil spirits and help her talk to her dad. But Fiona didn't trust him and saved her brother instead.

Darker Mysteries in Season 2

The second season became even more mysterious and a bit darker. It had twenty-six episodes. Molly, Fiona's mom, took a break from touring to record a new album. Fiona met a fake medium, but then found a real one. This real medium helped Fiona connect with her father through music.

The character of Clu went off to college, and his older brother Carey joined the group. This season featured many legendary creatures. Fiona encountered vampires, werewolfes, banshees, trolls, sirens, and merfolk.

In a key episode, Fiona learned a big secret. Her father had also investigated strange events, just like she did. This was actually what led to his death. Fiona was upset that her mother had kept this truth from her. Later, Bricriu, the same Will o' the Wisp from season one, took over Molly. Fiona realized that dark spirits might have caused her father's accident.

Fiona had more contact with her father after this. She even briefly traveled back in time to when her father was alive in the episode "Fountain." The season ended with Fiona finding out her father's twin sister received secret messages from him in her dreams. These messages led Fiona to a rooftop where her father's ghost saved her from a three-headed demon. He told her that the spirit world was angry about her investigations. Finally, Fiona got to say a proper goodbye to her father.

Annie's New Adventures in Season 3

The third season had a lighter feel. Cara DeLizia, who played Fiona, left after the first episode. This episode introduced Annie Thelen, a family friend. Fiona had one more encounter with Bricriu. He helped her save her family, who had turned into plants and animals. Bricriu tried to convince Fiona to stop investigating the paranormal to protect her family. Fiona, still not trusting him, trapped him in a floppy disk.

Fiona then moved to live with her aunt. She passed on her father's special ring, which connected her to the paranormal world, to Annie. Molly and the family moved into a new, brighter house.

Annie's main mystery was about a spirit guide that followed her as a black panther. Annie was also very musical, and her singing was featured more in this season. The stories in this season were different from earlier ones. They included plots like being pulled into a painting, a stone that made people speak different languages, and a recording studio owner who stole musical talent.

Fiona still appeared in the show through emails. She also had a brief appearance by a look-alike in one episode. In the final episode, a clip of her from the first episode of the season was shown. The mystery of the panther was solved: Annie had saved a young tribesman when she was three. His tribe, in thanks, sent his father's spirit to protect her as the panther.

Episodes

List of So Weird Episodes

Meet the Main Characters

• Cara DeLizia as Fiona 'Fi' Phillips (seasons 1–2; guest star, season 3) – Fi created a website called So Weird where she shared her strange experiences. She knew a lot about paranormal things. It was hinted that she might have some witch ancestry. Fi's father died when she was three. She later learned he also investigated strange events. A spirit named Bricriu suggested this might have led to his death. Fi's search for answers about her father's death was a big part of the first two seasons. She left the show in season 3 to try to live a "normal life."

• Mackenzie Phillips as Molly Phillips – Molly is Fi and Jack's mother and a singer-songwriter. She had a difficult relationship with her own father. Molly knew about Rick's (Fi's father) interest in the paranormal but kept it a secret from Fi. She supported Fi, even if she didn't always believe in the paranormal herself. Bricriu once took over Molly to stop Fi from learning the truth about her father's accident.

• Patrick Levis as Jack Phillips – Jack is Fi's older brother. He is usually a skeptic and doesn't believe in paranormal activity. Jack is very protective of both Fi and Molly. Bricriu also once took over Jack, claiming he wanted to protect Fi from other spirits. Jack had a long-distance girlfriend named Gabe.

• Erik von Detten as Clu Bell (season 1; recurring, season 2-3) – Clu is Carey's younger brother and Ned and Irene's son. He was more open to Fi's ideas about the paranormal. Fi often took him along when she was investigating strange things. He went to college during the show.

• Belinda Metz as Irene Bell – Irene is Molly's band manager. She has a younger sister and a nephew named Danny. Danny once pulled Clu, Fi, and Jack into his dreams because he was having nightmares.

• Dave Ward as Ned Bell – Ned drives Molly's tour bus. He was once taken over by a sea captain's spirit. He also taught Fi, Clu, and Jack while they were on the road. Ned mentioned having Viking ancestors.

• Eric Lively as Carey Bell (seasons 2–3) – Carey is Clu's older brother. He joined the show in season 2. He was more open to Fi's paranormal ideas and sometimes came up with his own theories. He dropped out of college to join Molly's band.

• Alexz Johnson as Annie Thelen (season 3) – Annie is a family friend who moved in with the Phillips family after Fi left. Fi gave Annie a special ring that connected her to the paranormal world. A mysterious black panther often appeared when strange things happened around Annie. This panther was her spirit guide, protecting her.

Cast Changes and Guest Stars

• Erik von Detten, who played Clu, was busy with other TV shows during season two. He returned for some guest appearances in season three. Eric Lively then joined the cast as Carey.
• Cara DeLizia, who played Fiona, decided to leave the show after season two to work on other projects. This was the first time a main actor left a Disney Channel original series during its run. In one season three episode, Fiona appeared briefly using old voice recordings and a stand-in.
• Teryl Rothery played Irene Bell in the first pilot episode, but then Belinda Metz took over the role.
• Music groups like The Moffatts and SHeDAISY made guest appearances in some episodes.
• Bo Diddley, a famous musician, appeared in the episode "Blues."

Music of So Weird

The show featured original songs sung by both Mackenzie Phillips (Molly) and Alexz Johnson (Annie). These songs often matched the theme of the episode they were in. For example, the song "Rebecca" was in an episode about Molly's old friend named Rebecca.

During seasons one and two, a music video for the theme song "In the Darkness" was often shown. It included many clips from the show.

Cara DeLizia, who played Fiona, only sang once on the show. This was in the episode "Blues," where a song was supernaturally transferred to the characters.

Season 3 mostly featured music sung by Alexz Johnson. One of her original songs, "Dream About You," was in the episode "Carnival." A music video for her song "Shadows" also aired near the end of the show's run.

Here is a list of some of the music from So Weird:

Where to Watch So Weird

After 65 episodes, Disney stopped making So Weird. After the show ended, reruns were shown less and less often. In September 2003, So Weird was completely removed from the Disney Channel schedule.

However, on October 14, 2019, Disney announced that So Weird would be available on their streaming service, Disney+. It became available on November 12, 2019. This was the first time the show could be watched legally in the U.S. since 2003. For a short time, season two was removed from Disney+, but it was added back on December 18, 2019.

See also

In Spanish: So Weird para niños