Line #18 Series/MyFavoriteMartian


1	[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/my_favorite_martian__tv_series_7268.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:320:That's right--before he became [[Series/TheIncredibleHulk1977 the Hulk]], Bill Bixby palled around with an alien. Small world.]]
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4	An American FantasticComedy series that aired for three seasons (1963–66) on Creator/{{CBS}}.
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6	The premise is simple enough: When a 450-year-old Martian anthropologist (Creator/RayWalston) is stranded on Earth after his saucer crashes outside UsefulNotes/LosAngeles, he is taken in by Tim O'Hara (Creator/BillBixby), a kindly but none-too-bright newspaper reporter. "Uncle Martin" fortunately looks just like a human being except for two retractable rabbit-ear antennae which emerge from his head. He has some special powers, but not enough to keep himself or his human sidekick out of trouble with their feather brained landlady, Lorelei Brown, and her love interest, Lt. Detective Bill Brennan (starting with season 2), who regards Tim and Martin with suspicion. Nor is Uncle Martin able to repair his saucer, hidden in the garage, possibly because he's not a mechanic.
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8	A [[TheFilmOfTheSeries movie adaptation]] [[Film/MyFavoriteMartian of the same name]] was released in 1999, starring Creator/ChristopherLloyd and Creator/JeffDaniels.
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10	Compare with ''Series/MorkAndMindy'', the [[UsefulNotes/TheSeventies 1970s]] equivalent that largely didn't need visual effects to anything like the same degree for its otherworldly effect; Creator/RobinWilliams was enough.
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12	Not to be confused with "WebAnimation/YourFavoriteMartian", an animated music video series by Ray William Johnson.
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14	----
15	!! This TV series provides examples of:
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17	* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: Mrs. Brown's brownies.
18	* AlienAmongUs: Uncle Martin.
19	* AlienNonInterferenceClause: Martin. While he's witnessed many great men and famous deeds, he never interferes, inspires or does things for them, believing that individuals and nations must find their own ways. We're given to understand this is general Martian ethics, not just Martin's own belief. (This aired three years before ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' codified the Prime Directive.)
20	* AliensSpeakingEnglish: Martin speaks perfect English. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that Martin has been to Earth many times in the past and is Mars' foremost authority on the planet.
21	* AlliterativeName: ''B''ill ''B''rennan, the lieutenant detective.
22	* AmusingAlien: Martin
23	* AnimatedAdaptation: A short-lived Creator/{{Filmation}} version, ''My Favorite Martians.''
24	* AnnoyingPatient: Martin [[SickEpisode falls ill]] and naturally it falls on poor Tim to nurse him back to health, through much [[LargeHam whining]] and [[MagicMisfire chaos]].
25	* BeenThereShapedHistory: Martin has met with and inspired many of history's greatest inventors (e.g., [=DaVinci=] and Edison) and writers (e.g., Shakespeare).
26	* BiggerOnTheInside: Martin's spaceship was housed in the garage under Tim's apartment. It was about the size of a small sports car, on the outside. Inside, much larger.
27	* CaptainErsatz: Terrorist organization CRUSH, of Series/TheManFromUNCLE's THRUSH.
28	* CassandraTruth: No one believes Martin when he tells them he's a Martian.
29	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Martin's nephew, Andromeda, appeared in one episode. The end of that episode had him staying with Tim and Martin. He was gone the next episode with no explanation, although the character did reappear in the animated version of the show.
30	** Mr. Burns, Tim's boss, is occasionally mentioned but not seen after Season 1.
31	** Angela, Mrs. Brown's daughter, disappears after the first few episodes.
32	* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Mrs. Brown
33	* CousinOliver: A stranded Martian kid named Andromeda, or "Andy," was introduced in the very last season, though only appeared on one episode (being absent for the remaining 8 episodes). [[Creator/{{Filmation}} Filmation's]] AnimatedAdaptation aged him up to his teens and kept him on as one of the main characters.
34	* CowboyEpisode: "Go West, Young Martian".
35	* DistractedByTheSexy: Tim, repeatedly. Usually throwing a monkey wrench in the ZanyScheme of the week.
36	* TheDitz: Tim O'Hara is a [[DumbIsGood nice guy, but not very smart.]]
37	* DoNotAdjustYourSet: In one episode, Martin has a problem with his head, causing him to broadcast everything he sees and hears to every television station (and thus to every set) in the United States.
38	* FantasticAnthropologist: Uncle Martin, among his other credentials.
39	* FingerWag: The Martian [[DirtyMindReading reads Tim's thoughts]] in the first episode.
40	-->'''The Martian:''' Tsk tsk tsk.
41	* HonoraryUncle: "Uncle" Martin.
42	* HypocriticalHumor: Frequently Tim or Martin will complain about something the other did, only to turn around and do it himself.
43	* InterspeciesRomance: Martin fell in love with a human woman in one episode.
44	* LampshadeHanging: In "The O'Hara Caper", Tim wants to use Martin's time machine to cover a jewel robbery he missed. Martin warns time travel is dangerous, whereupon Tim scoffs "[[WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong How could it possibly hurt me to know what's going to happen next?]] I've been watching TV reruns for years."
45	* LoveAtFirstSight: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] by Martin in one episode, who wants to experience Earth emotions unknown on Mars.
46	* MalfunctionMalady: Human illnesses mess with Martin's Martian powers.
47	** [[MagicMisfire So do electrical storms.]]
48	* {{Martians}}: No surprise when the word "Martian" is in the name of the show.
49	* MindOverMatter: Martin can move things with his mind.
50	* MonsterRoommate: Martin.
51	* NinetyPercentOfYourBrain: Martin claims that Martians use ''all'' of their brain while humans do not.
52	* NoodleIncident: Martin claims that when gypsies wander, they ''really'' wander, and that there are even gypsies on Mars. How precisely that could happen is never explained.
53	* OlderThanTheyLook: Martin has been around a ''long'' time.
54	* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Uncle Martin.
55	** Subverted in "We Love You, Miss Pringle" when Martin's real name is revealed to be Exigius 12½, which is mentioned again by Andromeda in Season 3.
56	* PhantomZonePicture: An interesting variation occurs in "Portrait in Brown". Uncle Martin (the Martian) is using his dimensional separator, when the landlady Mrs. Brown walks into the room and is reduced to two dimensions. To prevent her from injuring herself, Uncle Martin freezes Mrs. Brown and paints a quick portrait around her to hide the fact she's been frozen in 2D. As, of course, Martin (and, all Martians for that matter) are friendly and superior, this is only used as a temporary measure until Martin can effect a cure.
57	* PrecociousCrush: Mrs. Brown's daughter has a thing for Tim.
58	* PstandardPsychicPstance: Martin does this.
59	* PsychicPowers: Martin.
60	* PunyEarthlings: Inverted. Martin talks like this sometimes, but he has nothing but admiration for humanity's honest efforts and brave industry leading to great scientific and philosophical advancements. He especially cherishes the [[UsefulNotes/{{NASA}} early space program]], comparing it to a child learning to walk.
61	* ResetButton: In the episode, "When You Get Back to Mars, Are You Going to Get It". Martin's nephew, not appreciating what would happen, told people he was a Martian and used his powers in public. This exposed Martin as well. A quick trip in Martin's time machine set things back the way they were.
62	* ReversePolarity: A second-season episode has Martin trying this as he fixes the transmitter that works with his antennae.
63	* SecretChaser: Lorelei Brown
64	* ShoehornedAcronym: The CCTBS (Cathode-ray Centrifugal Time Break-a-Scope), Uncle Martin's time machine.
65	* ShoutOut: In a third season episode, Martin demonstrates that he can levitate with his nose; apparently inspired by that "[[Series/{{Bewitched}} television show with the pretty young witch]]".
66	** He also once created a white tornado to clean the apartment, an idea he got from a TV commercial (for Ajax cleanser)
67	* SpeaksFluentAnimal: Martin
68	* StopTrick: Used often for {{invisibility}}.
69	* SufficientlyAdvancedAliens: Martin is a very low-key example, but ClarkesThirdLaw is certainly in effect with a lot of his machines or inherent abilities.
70	* TalkingInYourSleep: PlayedForLaughs. Martin mutters physics equations and trivia about historical famous people he's met in his sleep.
71	* {{Telepathy}}: Reading minds and projecting thoughts is one of Martin's martian powers.
72	* {{Zeerust}}: A lot of Martian technology, like the spaceship.

Context Series / MyFavoriteMartian