The Secret World of Alex Mack

I'm just one of the many older Nickelodeon fans who can go on and on about how cool the network used to be. This was before they had junk like Rocket Power, Romeo, and Slime Time Live. This was back when they had REAL comedies, REAL game shows, and REAL quality programming. Alex Mack was one of those shows.

Alex Mack was [what could be considered a teenage drama] about a girl who kept a secret from most of everyone about a chemical accident she was involved in. Only her best friend and older sister knew that she could zap things, use telekinesis, and hide by morphing into a puddle. In practically every episode, there was some evil scientist (or anybody related) who was trying to find "that kid that was involved in the chemical accident". I recall several two-parters where the discovery of the secret came really close. Most of the stories were very exciting.

This truly was among Nick's most popular programs during its run. I remember one episode of All That where Larisa Oleynik guest-starred in a crossover segment, which was pretty funny. Also, Alex Mack was once the flagship for Nickelodeon's Snick line-up on Saturday nights.

It's a shame Nickelodeon doesn't make quality programs like this anymore. Alex Mack was a very interesting program that showed that people can still live their lives, even with the secrets they might have. Maybe someday, Nick can create a spin-off channel that houses their classic programming. I mean, Nick-at-Nite did it with TV Land.

"The Secret World of Alex Mack" was, in my opinion, one of the best shows in the twenty-year history of the Nickelodeon television network. It was well-produced, well-written, and not at all corny (like most other Nick shows of its generation such as "All That" and "Kenan and Kel"). The show portrayed two very different ways of life in the same fictional town of Paradise Valley, California. The chemical plant (along with Danielle, Vince, and Lars) portrayed the dark, evil side of town while the Mack family, along with Alex's friends, showed the bright, cheerful side. When these two sides met, it made for some great dramatic scenes and sometimes hilarious dialogue (although the show was not a comedy). Another beauty of this show was that Alex's superpowers were completely scientific, not supernatural. We have seen so many shows in which the hero has supernatural powers, but the scientific aspect hasn't really been showcased since the days of Steve Austin on "The Six Million Dollar Man". The show could not have had a better cast with any more chemistry. I found myself at times believing that the Macks were a real family somewhere. What adds to this fact was that each child in the family was attached to one parent moreso than the other. Annie could relate with her brainy, scientific dad while Alex was closer to her down-to-earth, practical mother. All in all, the show was great in every aspect. 10/10

I remember 1994, still being in grade school about 4th or 5th grade. Always watched Nickelodeon for cartoons or game shows as a kid. I was never interested in sitcoms or the likes, but I remember the first night I saw a preview for the Alex Mack show. I figured wow very hot girl I will check it out. As a child I rarely cared about watching things on a schedule, but this was definitely the first show besides Beavis and Butt-head that I grew to love and found myself watching every episode when it aired it's new episodes. This was the 1st show Nick aired that actually had a sophisticated story, great acting, comedy, grew with the audience over 4 years, used very cool graphics and animation, and just stuck to it for a couple seasons (4 I believe). I remember anticipating the final episodes while I was in middle school. I remember wondering what movies with Larisa Oleynik be in, how popular will she become, and was very disappointed to only see her in 3rd Rock from the Sun and honestly no movies I have ever cared about. Larisa Oleynik was without a doubt one of the prettiest child actresses growing up, she was also very sophisticated finishing high school and continuing throughout college. Yea my 1st boy crush on a girl I would never meet but always dreamed of, I probably set my standards and likings to every girl that resembled Larisa (or really Alex with the chewing gum, happy attitude, good sense of humor). Larisa without a doubt turned into a beautiful women, and I am glad she still acts and does material she loves and enjoys even if it isn't the biggest most expensive material. Nickelodeon was at it's prime back in the mid to late 90's. Larisa helped carry this network along with Melissa Joan Hart and the cast of All That.

I watched this show as a kid and I really enjoyed it.

This show takes place in the fictional town of Paradise Valley. Alex Mack who is 13 when the series starts, walks home from her first day of high school and her life is changed forever when she is nearly hit by a truck from the Paradise Valley Chemical Plant. The truck crashes and the mysterious top-secret chemical spills out of the truck drenching Alex. Alex runs home and discovers that the mysterious chemical has given her special powers including telekinetic powers, she can shoot electricity from her hands and she can morph into a puddle of silver liquid and travel anywhere she wants. She also has another ability that is very inconvenient for her, she glows golden yellow when she gets nervous. She reveals her powers to only two people, her best friend Ray (who thinks her powers are pretty cool) and her older sister Annie who is a scientific genius. Annie does tests on Alex to understand how her powers work and considers Alex to be her secret science project. Alex endeavours to keep her powers a secret from everyone else she knows including her parents. Also Danielle Atron the corrupt CEO of the Chemical Plant knows that a child in Paradise Valley was drenched in the top-secret chemical and has these powers. She is determined to find the child. So Alex struggles with the pressures of teenage life while secretly using her powers for her own personal gain or to help other people. She also tries to avoid and outwit employees from the Chemical Plant who Danielle Atron hires to identify the kid who was drenched in the chemical. Danielle was a great antagonist for the show. I also liked two of Alex's friends. The African-American and strong willed Nicole and the nervous and talkative orange haired Robyn. I felt that Robyn provided a bit of comedy relief here and there.

So this show was a very cool idea. Besides who wouldn't want to have those great powers (except for glowing when you get nervous). The only thing that disappoints me is that this show isn't available on DVD. I've heard that only the first season of this show was released on DVD in the U.S. But this show isn't available on DVD in Australia. So I still love this show, I will never forget it and I recommend it to anyone. I certainly hope that one day this show is available on DVD in Australia.

This show was a great show to watch with your family. There hasn't been another one quite like it. I wish this show was still on. This used to be my favorite show and it's a shame there aren't more like it!