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Local high school jock Tommy Dawkins (Brandon Quinn) has nothing to worry about until he's bitten by a werewolf. Not knowing what to do, he befriends the local effeminate genius goth Merton Dingle (Danny Smith) and together [[They Fight Crime|they team up to fight the weirdness and monsters]] that pour into the town of Pleasantville, even though almost everyone believes that their protector, "The Pleasantville Werewolf", is viciously dangerous. The second season added a third friend to the cast, Lauren 'Lori' Baxter (Aimée Castle).
The series lasted from April, 1999 to April, 2002. A total of 65 episodes in 3 seasons. An incredibly lighthearted show that essentially existed to parody shows like ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'' and ''[[
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=== Provides examples of: ===
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* [[Beethoven Was an Alien Spy]]: It turns out that Corey Feldman, the actor who played Edgar Frog in ''[[The Lost Boys]]'', is a ''real vampire!'' So is his costar Corey Haim; apparently some interesting things were going on backstage of that movie...
* [[Big Eater]]: It comes with the whole Werewolf thing, Tommy just can't get enough meat in his diet. It's what gets him discovered by the population at large.
* [[Big Man
* [[Big No]]: Referenced.
* [[Bluff the Impostor]]
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* [[Cassandra Truth]]: Merton runs into a couple of these, including "Corey's a real vampire" and "My childhood imaginary friend is trying to kill you."
* [[Celebrity Is Overrated]]: Tommy choosing between friendship and social status in "Pleased to Eat You".
* [[Chess
* [[Chop Sockey]]
* [[City of Adventure]]: If it's paranormal and dangerous, it'll show up in Pleasantville. Right down to its nice sounding name, it's a very transparent expy of [[Buffy the Vampire Slayer|Sunnydale]].
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** Also, when he "suits up" to go up against Vampire!Corey Haim. He even lampshades this when he points out that the headband might be a bit "too effeminate".
* [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass]]: Tommy.
* [[Cursed
* [[Curse Cut Short]]: A demon is opening a portal to hell and before he can say hell, he's interrupted by Lori's cry of "Hello!"
** Plus they usually avoid saying hell outright at all. This is especially noticeable in episodes with demons; often Hell will be Hades, or the Underworld.
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{{quote| '''Merton:''' We, and by that, I mean [Tommy], are gonna deregulate all over your sorry-- (his voice is then muted by the universal remote-wielding villain of the week. It's still extremely obvious what his mouth says).}}
* [[Damned By Faint Praise]]: Merton combines this with [[Stealth Insult]]. "I think you combined the articulation of Arnold Schwarzenegger with the emotional range of Jean Claude van Damme." Tommy doesn't get it.
* [[Demoted to Extra]]: Recurring characters [[Those Two Guys|Tim & Travis]] gradually received less screen time as the series progressed, to the point that one of [[Put
* [[Different As Night and Day]]: Merton the unpopular goth nice guy senior, and Beckie his popular preppy evil freshman sister.
* [[Dirty Communists]]: One episode featured a Russian operative going back in time to prevent the break-up of the [[Soviet Union]]; he succeeded, resulting a [[Crapsack World]] where the Soviets had conquered the US and Pleasantville had been renamed Pleasantgrad.
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{{quote| '''Merton:''' Remember when the alien burst out of John Hurt's stomach? That was [[Oh Crap|disgust...ing]].}}
* [[The Movie Buff]]: Merton.
* [[New Neighbours
* [[Never Say "Die"]]: Averted - the cliffhanger for the first part of the Manchurian werewolf plot ends with Merton deadpanning: "We're going...to die."
* [[Nightmare Fetishist]]: Merton, full stop.
* [[Non-Action Guy]]: Merton tends to spend fight scenes hiding behind his teammates.
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* [[Perky Goth]]: Merton. Although more like "spastic, hyperactive" goth.
* [[Power Trio]]: Tommy = Ego, Merton = Id, Lori = Superego.
* [[Put
** Travis Ekhart "picked up a trade" in the final season.
* [[Punny Name]]: The aforementioned "Hugh G. Balzak".
** From the episode ''Pleased To Eat You'', the spider-lady named Charlotte's last name is Web. [[Don't Explain the Joke|Yes, as in]] [[
* [[Reality Subtext]]: Tommy's Werewolf form was a bit more drastic (as evidenced in the pilot), but the actor playing him had an allergic reaction to the glue used, to it had to be toned down to the more subtle appearance.
* [[Recycled Set]]: The bookmobile, which from the outside looks like a typical bookmobile. But inside it turns into a generic spacious room with rows of shelves, and wooden doors you'd see in their school. Of course you could say [[A Wizard Did It]] considering the show.
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* [[The Smart Guy]]: Merton.
* [[Something Else Also Rises]]: While hosting a radio show, a girl calls in, causing Merton to stand up suddenly.
* [[Stalker
* [[Strapped to An Operating Table]]
* [[Take That]]: "If we consult the Encyclopedia of Evil...ceremonial sacrifices, Celine Dion, ah, here he is, Cerberus."
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*** It was a Canadian show produced in Montreal. Of course it hated on Celine Dion.
* [[This Is Reality]]: Something-verted: Every single plot is compared to that of a movie, and the same movie generally contains the solution.
* [[Those Two Guys]]: Tim & Travis, until one of them was [[Put
* [[Trigger Phrase]]: The Evil Werewolf Syndicate hypnotizes Tommy and gives him one of these. Due to some bad timing, the intended phrase is replaced with "Pizza's here".
* [[Two Guys and
* [[Van Helsing Hate Crimes]]: Muffy vs Tommy. She accepts that he's different by the end of the episode, although she's seriously weirded out by it.
* [[Wacky Cravings]]: Merton during his stint as [[Mister Seahorse]].
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* [[Whole-Plot Reference]]: Happened a lot to accommodate the [[Running Gag]]. The most obvious example is ''The Mertonator''.
** Tommy taking an unpopular shy girl with [[Carrie|secret psychic abilities named Terry to the dance]].
* [[Who's
* [[Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?]]: The modus operandi of a [[Monster of the Week]]; trapping people in illusions of their greatest fears until they are literally scared to death.
* [[Witch Doctor]]: Male nurse St. Jacques.
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