Teen Angel

Teen Angel was a 1997 Fantastic Comedy that aired on the TGIF block on ABC. The show began with the high school boy Steve daring his friend Marty to eat a six-month-old hamburger from under his bed. Not to be called a chicken, Marty does and then dies. Marty hangs around Steve as a sort of dim-witted guardian angel for him. Marty helps Steve conquer his fear of talking to girls, failing tests, and being unpopular throughout the series. Hilarity Ensues.

The show was played alongside Buffy the Vampire Slayer in an attempt to gain more views, but failed due to low ratings. It was killed off after 17 episodes. Not to be confused with the short-lived 1989 Disney Channel series -- which gets confusing because it was also shown on the Disney Channel.

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Tropes used in Teen Angel include:

• All Guys Want Cheerleaders: Steve gets a crush on Jessica Fishman, a popular cheerleader.
  • He winds up dating her for most of the series. Granted, the series lasted 17 episodes...
• Afterlife Express: An elevator to sent the souls either to heaven or hell, and it’s includes a Starbucks.
• Anyone Remember Pogs?: One episode had Marty go back in time to try to prevent his death. When his past self demands proof he's from the future, he says "I know this may be a little hard to believe...but the Macarena is just a phase.", followed by his past self bemoaning his huge investment in "Planet Macarena" stock (which he later plans to sell and invest in Tony Danza t-shirts instead).
• Butterfly of Doom: The plot of the "Back to DePolo" episode.
• Color-Coded for Your Convenience: If someone's dressed in all white, then they're dead. Subverted with any figures from history, as they don't dress in white.
• Divine Race Lift: Rod - semi-deity and cousin of the real God - was the floating head of Ron Glass. In one episode he also played the Devil's cousin Neville.
• Free the Frogs: An incredibly bizarre twist on this-- the characters give their frog human intelligence and the ability to talk and he becomes a member of their clique.
• Fridge Horror: When Marty initially dies, we see a trippy sequence with creepy music and Steve's room breaking apart behind him while he chews on the poison burger. Now imagine what it was like from Steve's point of view...
• Getting Crap Past the Radar: "Will the person who stole the 'C' & 'L' from the Class of '98..."
• Hey, It's That Guy!: Rod is Book.
  • Steve's mom is Marcia Brady
• Hey, It's That Voice!: Tim Curry plays a talking frog in one episode.
• Hot Mom: Maureen McCormick as Judy Beauchamp.
• Incredibly Lame Pun: And how. In one episode, Marty makes a pun about the Grim Reaper and his sibling being the "Brothers Grim". Cue the audience booing so loudly that it makes the actor wince briefly.
• King of All Cosmos: God has a unique intermediary to mortals: his cousin Rod, the giant, disembodied head of actor Ron Glass. Rod admits to being responsible for the Black Plague, The Chevy Chase Show, and killer bees (though at first they weren't called 'killer bees' they were called 'Fun Flies.' Then they started killing people.) His arch-nemesis is the Devil's cousin Neville.
• Limited Wardrobe: Marty has two outfits, and they're technically the same one since it's what he was wearing when he died. After he died, his clothes changed to completely white.
• Lowest Cosmic Denominator: Rod
• Never Say "Die": Inverted; Marty is clearly shown to be die in the first episode, and is refered to as dead throughout the series, despite the fact that angels are not suppossed to be spirits of the dead in the first place.It is somewhat implied, however, that Marty is made an angel as a special punishment, rather than it be the natural order of things.
• No Fourth Wall: Prior to the opening credits of the episode "Grumpy Young Men", Marty explained the absence of Steve's mother by remarking that "the actress who played the mother has left the show" before going onto explain the introduction as Steve's father & grandfather to the cast. There's other moments, but that's the most glaring.
• Shout-Out: A Ghost named Marty helps out the life of his best friend with his supernatural powers, anyone?
• Smoke Out: Subverted-- Marty creates smoke but is left standing in the room. Then, in front of the person he wants to escape from, walks into a closet.
• Stern Teacher: Mr Nitzke

Steve: I said I didn't fail. I missed the exam because I had a personal problem.
Mr Nitzke: Well, now I'm your personal problem.

• This Is Going to Be Huge: Marty had made a huge investment in "Planet Macarena" stock.
• You Can See Me?: Marty had this reaction when he met an old lady who could see him because she was soon to die.
  • Steve's Grandpa could see Marty too (he could see all angels as well as Rod, due to a near-death experience), but he was introduced after the initial instance so nothing happened with it.
  • Sabrina Spellman could also see Marty, on account of being a witch.
  • The final episode had Marty realising if he picked up a ball or wore a hat, then people who couldn't see him normally would see the floating object. He then put on extensive make-up & a different set of clothes in order to go on a date with a girl he had a crush on before he died.