Teen Angel is an American fantasy sitcom that aired during ABC's TGIF Friday night lineup from 1997 to 1998. The series was created by The Simpsons writers/producers Al Jean and Mike Reiss. Teen Angel follows a high school boy, Steve Beauchamp (Corbin Allred), and his recently deceased best friend, Marty DePolo (Mike Damus), who dies from eating a six-month-old hamburger from under Steve's bed on a dare and is then sent back to Earth as Steve's guardian angel. Marty's guide is a large, orange and disembodied head named Rod (Ron Glass), who identifies as God's cousin (a running gag throughout the series is that Rod is mistaken for God himself). Maureen McCormick, who played Steve's mother, Judy, left the series halfway through its run. Marty, as a supernatural being, would frequently break the fourth wall; for instance, prior to the opening credits of the episode "Grumpy Young Men", Marty explained the absence of Steve's mother and the return of his father to the viewers.