Classic Nick Wed.6 – The Third Eye

In the spirit of Halloween this month I will be focusing on the Nickelodeon anthology mini-series known collectively as “The Third Eye” which begin airing on Nickelodeon in January 1983.

This hodgepodge of mini foreign shows consisted of a variety of serials from the UK and New Zealand and included: "The Haunting of Cassie Palmer" (1982),  "Under The Mountain"(1981), "Children of the Stones" (1976), and "Into the Labyrinth" (1981).   Later “The Witches of Grinnygog” was added to this line up however it never aired in this collection and was shown later as a Special Delivery.

What made The Third Eye so unique was that it wasn’t silly, upbeat programs that kids were used to, these shows were.  They were live action, sci-fi / supernatural theme, their strange and somewhat their bizarre nature and unclear target audience made them something of a novelty that hasn't been seen since its time on the Nickelodeon Network. The unifying theme of the show (and hence the name of the title, and opening montage sequence) was that of children with psychic powers.

Before each episode an on-screen announcement would read the following statement: "The following is a science-fiction program, and may contain some startling scenes. This show is intended for older children."

Then we see a room of children all standing in a black room with thin light beams fanned out over the floor. As the camera moves through them we hear: "Somewhere in the crowd, sometimes you find someone very special. Someone who hears the unheard, someone who understands the mystery. Sometimes, there's someone who sees with the third eye!" At that point the camera would stop on a child in the back of the crowd with an eye on his forehead them a series of natural disasters flash by.

And while the person responsible for developing the series for Nickelodeon is unknown its loyal followers have never forgot this short series and still lives in their hearts even to this day, and I should know because I’m one of them.

Starting next week I will begin posting about each series in order from my least favorite right up to Halloween night where I will finish out with my favorite show in this series.