Asking a reporter to keep a lid on a great story is usually an impossible task. But Los Angeles Sun reporter Tim O’Hara not only suppressed an out of the world scoop - he even self-censored himself, upon witnessing the crash landing of an UFO. For contained within the vessel was an injured extraterrestrial and Tim took it upon himself to offer refuge to the green guest, in the 1963 sitcom, My Favorite Martian.

Starring Bill Bixby (Courtship of Eddie’s Father, The Incredible Hulk) as Tim, and Ray Walston (Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Picket Fences) as the interplanetary visitor, My Favorite Martian followed their weekly adventures together. Tim and the Martian (conveniently named Martin) shared a room they rented from a sweet lady named Mrs. Brown – who soon developed an attraction for Martin. She was constantly bringing the pair of roomies a fresh-baked batch of her less-than-appealing brownies, just so she could spend a little time getting to know Martin.

Of course, there was plenty about Martin that she didn’t know, and plenty that he knew about her. Being a Martian meant having plenty of special powers such as the handy ability to read and control minds, turn invisible when necessary, talk to animals, and freeze unsuspecting folks in their tracks. As the show progressed, more and more powers were added to Martin’s list of extraordinary abilities, including the ability to levitate. It was also determined that his retractable antennae could pick up radio signals and police scanners, offering Tim a great new way to get the scoop on news events. When season two rolled around, Martin could now project images with his mind and create force fields as well. Oh, and he also was able to build a time machine, which allowed the pair to travel through history, meeting such folks as Leonardo da Vinci and Jesse James.

Mrs. Brown eventually latched on to someone other than Martin in the second season – a police detective named Brennan. He was continuously suspicious of Martin but Mrs. Brown didn’t see her tenants as anything but decent people, regardless of where they were from.

My Favorite Martian regularly provided underlying commentary on the human condition that often made viewers reflect upon themselves, thanks to the opinions voiced by the show’s extraterrestrial observer. But that wasn’t what kept viewers turning in each week – it was the simple but superb chemistry between Bixby and Walston, perhaps one of the finest pairings in the history of sitcoms. The show was popular throughout its entire 3-season, 107-episode run.

An animated Saturday morning spin-off, My Favorite Martians, ran for two years, beginning in 1973. And in 1999, the feature film, My Favorite Martian was released, with Jeff Daniels playing the role of Tim and Christopher Lloyd donning the familiar antennae.

Of course, for many fans, nobody could ever replace the original actors. Bill Bixby would go on to other series and later spend a good deal of time as a director. Ray Walston gave a memorable appearance as frustrated high school teacher, Mr. Hand in Fast Times at Ridgemont High and was also brilliantly cast as Judge Roy Bone in the quirky and critically acclaimed series, Picket Fences. And in two episodes, Walston paid tribute to his alien roots – coming to a costume party as a Martian in one (complete with antennae,) and in another episode concerning UFOs, someone proclaims “I don’t believe in Martians” to which the Judge quickly replies, “Neither do I!”

Perhaps the good judge didn’t believe in Martians, but My Favorite Martian made willing believers out of everyone who ever got a chance to enjoy this timeless bit of sitcom gold.