Maniac Mansion is a Canadian-American sitcom created by Eugene Levy that aired concurrently on YTV in Canada and The Family Channel in the United States for three seasons from September 14, 1990, to April 4, 1993.

The Edisons consist of patriarch Fred (Joe Flaherty), an eccentric scientist and inventor, his level-headed wife Casey (Deborah Theaker), and their children, teenage genius Tina (Kathleen Robertson), prepubescent Ike (Avi Phillips) and precocious toddler Turner (George Buza).

While Maniac Mansion primarily derives its storylines from typical sitcom fare, such as family life and parent-child relationships, the series also incorporates elements of science fiction.

A particular staple of Maniac Mansion's comedic style is the series' pervasive tendency to break the fourth wall, with characters – usually Harry – addressing the audience to comment on the episode.

Originally pitched as a more overtly horror/science fiction-themed comedy akin to The Addams Family or The Munsters, Levy ultimately rejected this approach, recruiting a number of The Second City alumni and reworking Maniac Mansion from the ground up into the more lighthearted and slightly surreal series it eventually became.

In a 1990 Time article, writer Richard Zoglin took note of the two shows' similar comedic styles, stating: "Maniac Mansion has the old SCTV spirit, mixing the outrageous and the banal with nary a hint that anybody knows the difference.

Joe Flaherty was one of the founders of Toronto's Second City and an original SCTV cast member, while John Hemphill and Mary-Charlotte Wilcox were supporting players and writers in its later seasons; George Buza also appeared as an extra in one episode.

[6][5] Entertainment Weekly called it "100-proof hilarious", while in a 1990 article on the series, The Los Angeles Times described the show as "a stylized, sharp-edged comedy that's a bit like David Lynch on helium".

The meteor itself is seldom referenced in the show, although it is prominently featured in the opening credits of the first season via an expository newspaper clipping, revealing it to have been discovered underneath the mansion by Fred's grandfather Louis Edison.