It's a bit like Bosco meets Stranger Things as RTÉ One broadcasts a brand-new four-part mini-series for the whole family - and mixes the nostalgic with the surreal.
Episode one of The Unreal airs Sunday October 13 at 5.10pm. Produced by Dyehouse Films, it's set in Lough Dan in Wicklow, where the Kelly clan decamp to for a reluctant family holiday.
But the dilapidated holiday park isn't as dull as it initially seems to 12-year-old Kevin, his screen-obsessed sister Katie and their distracted parents Mary and Tom. In fact, before long, things get really weird.
Starring Senan Jennings (Vivarium, Faithless), Kate Brady, Ally Ní Chiaráin (Calm With Horses, Black 47), Kathryn McKiernan (Love’s Portrait, The Den) and Joseph McGucken (Darren and Joe’s Free Gaff), The Unreal is the first Young Persons drama series to be shown on RTÉ One in a prime time slot.
Suzanne Kelly, Head of Children's & Young People’s Content RTÉ says: "A key part of our ongoing strategy here at RTÉ is to develop and deliver top quality drama content for kids and family audiences.
"Dyehouse is one of the premier companies creating content in this space and has a pitch-perfect understanding of this audience which is rare to find.
"The Unreal is the perfect blend of spooky and comedy and leans beautifully into those 'quirky’ shows we all watched when we were kids; I know everyone who tunes in is going to get such a kick out of watching it over the Halloween period."
The story gets spooky when Kevin Kelly discovers an old videotape from a bizarre 1980s' TV show. Curious, he pops it into the VCR player, and unwittingly unleashes a mischievous creature known as the Pooka into the real world.
When the Pooka starts causing chaos, Kevin gets the blame. Now, Kevin can't decide which is worse: the mythical creature stalking the woods - or quality time with his family.
"It’s a show that reflects the reality of many young people today, with a dash of the bizarre thrown in," says series writer Rodney Lee.
"We wanted to create a story that’s a bit offbeat and a little strange, but still accessible to younger viewers.
"As a kid I loved watching things that were spooky and weird, and just on the edge of being too scary, like Doctor Who or The Twilight Zone - shows that you'd be talking about in the school yard the next day.
"This show seeks to continue that legacy."
The Unreal, 5.10pm, Sunday 13 October on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player
