premise. [...] The Whiz Kids are a likeable bunch, even when they are casually invading data banks to access private information. Although it was a murder story, the debut episode was admirably devoid of real violence. And viewers of all ages who are intrigued by computers are going to love watching Ralf do his stuff. When you consider the types of TV programs aimed at young viewers in recent seasons, Whiz Kids represents a giant leap forward in intelligence and sophistication. It is one of the better shows of the new season." In an interview published in the February 1984 issue of Starlog, series co-creator and executive producer Philip DeGuere responded to the controversies and criticism leveled at the show, stating "My show has received a great deal of criticism which has offended me. [...] We are dealing with minors and, therefore, are subject to forms of criticism which are not applied to features or other series not dealing with minors. Some people think that a teenager-who-does-something is a much more potent role model for teenagers than an adult. I don't agree, I don't think a teenager will be more influenced by Matthew Broderick in WarGames than Tom Selleck in Magnum, P.I., or Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie." Teen reception Despite the reception from adult critics, the series established its young stars, particularly Matthew Laborteaux and Todd Porter, as popular teen idols of the mid-1980s, with pinups and articles appearing in numerous teen magazines, including 16 magazine, Bop and Teen Beat, among others. While Laborteaux had already garnered notoriety among teen audiences for his role as Albert Ingalls on the NBC family frontier drama, Little House on the Prairie, Whiz Kids launched Porter as a new fixture in the various teen magazines of the era. Prompted by reader response to the 15-year-old, in the spring of 1984 Teen Beat reported of Porter's newfound popularity, writing "With the success of Whiz Kids, [Porter's] life as an average American kid is over. Now, he's going to have to deal with the problems and bonuses of being a genuine teen heartthrob." Accolades Related media On October 27, 1983, "Ralf" and the teenage Whiz Kids made a crossover appearance on DeGuere's other executive produced detective series, Simon & Simon. In the episode, entitled "Fly the Alibi Skies", the adolescent crime-solvers use Ralf to assist the Simon brothers in capturing a murderer by hacking into a