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| The Jetsons | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | |
| Directed by |
|
| Voices of | |
| Theme music composer | Hoyt Curtin |
| Composer | Hoyt Curtin |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 75(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
|
| Running time | 22–30 minutes |
| Production company | Hanna-Barbera Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 23, 1962 (1962-09-23) – March 17, 1963 (1963-03-17) |
| Network | Syndication |
| Release | September 16, 1985 (1985-09-16) – November 12, 1987 (1987-11-12) |
The Jetsons is an Americananimated sitcom produced byHanna-Barbera Productions. It originally aired in prime time from September 23, 1962, to March 17, 1963, onABC, then later aired in reruns viasyndication, with new episodes produced from 1985 to 1987. It was Hanna-Barbera'sSpace Age counterpart toThe Flintstones.[1]
While the Flintstones lived in a world which was a comical version of theStone Age, with machines powered by birds and dinosaurs, the Jetsons live in a comical version of the space age,[2][3] with elaborate robotic contraptions, aliens,holograms, and whimsical inventions.[4][5]
The original had 24 episodes and aired on Sunday nights on ABC beginning on September 23, 1962, with prime time reruns continuing through September 22, 1963.[6] It debuted as the first program broadcast in color on ABC, back in the early 1960s when only a handful of ABC stations were capable of broadcasting in color.[7] In contrast,The Flintstones, while always produced in color, was broadcast in black-and-white for its first two seasons.[8]
The show was originally scheduled oppositeWalt Disney's Wonderful World of Color andDennis the Menace and did not receive much attention. Due to poor ratings, it was cancelled after its first season but was then moved to Saturday mornings, where it went on to be very successful.[9] Following its primetime run, the show aired on Saturday mornings for decades, starting on ABC for the 1963–64 season and then onCBS andNBC.[10] New episodes were produced for syndication from 1985 to 1987. No further specials or episodes of the show were produced after 1989, as the majority of the core cast (George O'Hanlon,Mel Blanc, andDaws Butler) had died in 1988 and 1989. The 1990 filmJetsons: The Movie served as the series finale to the television show, though it failed to achieve critical and commercial success.
In the space age, the Jetsons are a family residing in Orbit City.[11][12] The city's architecture is rendered in theGoogie style and all homes and businesses are raised high above the ground on adjustable columns to avoid the pollutions from below.George Jetson lives with his family in the Skypad Apartments: his wife Jane is ahomemaker, their teenage daughterJudy attends Orbit High School, and their son Elroy attends Little Dipper School. Housekeeping is performed by a robot maid namedRosie, who handles chores not otherwise rendered trivial by the home's numerouspush-buttonSpace Age-envisioned conveniences. The family has a dog named Astro that talks with an initialconsonant mutation in which every word begins with an "R", as if speaking with a growl; a similar effect would also be used forScooby-Doo.
George Jetson's work week consists of an hour a day, two days a week.[13] His boss is Cosmo Spacely, the bombastic owner of Spacely Space Sprockets. Spacely has a competitor, Mr. Cogswell, owner of the rival company Cogswell Cogs (sometimes known as Cogswell's Cosmic Cogs). Jetson commutes to work in an aerocar with a transparent bubble top. Daily life is leisurely, assisted by numerous labor-saving devices, which occasionally break down with humorous results. Despite this, everyone complains of exhausting hard labor and difficulties living with the remaining inconveniences.
In later productions,Jeff Bergman has voiced George, Elroy, and Mr. Spacely. Bergman completed voice work as George and Spacely forJetsons: The Movie (1990) after George O'Hanlon and Mel Blanc died during production. Controversially, Janet Waldo was replaced—after recording all of her dialogue—by then-popular singerTiffany forJetsons: The Movie. Lauri Fraser has provided the voice of Jane Jetson intelevision commercials forRadio Shack.
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The first season for the series was produced and directed byWilliam Hanna andJoseph Barbera. WhenWarner Bros. Cartoons closed in May 1961, several of its animators, includingGerry Chiniquy andKen Harris, joinedHanna-Barbera to work on the first season.
In 1963,Morey Amsterdam andPat Carroll each filed $12,000 suits against Hanna-Barbera forbreach of contract,[15][16] claiming they had been cast and signed to the roles of George Jetson and Jane Jetson, respectively. Although their contracts stipulated they would be paid US$500 an episode with a guarantee of twenty-four episodes (i.e., a full season) of work, they recorded only one episode before being replaced.[15] Several sources claimed the change had occurred as a result of sponsor conflict between Amsterdam's commitment toThe Dick Van Dyke Show and Carroll's toMake Room for Daddy.[17][18] The case had been closed by early 1965.[19] In a 2013 interview, Pat Carroll indicated that the court had ruled in favor of Hanna-Barbera.[15][better source needed]
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | Network | |||
| 1 | 24 | September 23, 1962 (1962-09-23) | March 3, 1963 (1963-03-03) | ABC | |
| 2 | 41 | September 16, 1985 (1985-09-16) | December 13, 1985 (1985-12-13) | Syndication | |
| 3 | 10 | October 19, 1987 (1987-10-19) | November 12, 1987 (1987-11-12) | ||
The Jetsons original aired at primetime on ABC. It was a commercial failure in its first season and was negatively reviewed according to Bob Hathcock. Reruns were aired on CBS in 1963, and NBC from 1964 to 1967. It was brought back to NBC's schedule in 1971, and ongoing when 41 new episodes were ordered.[20]
In 1984, Hanna-Barbera began producing new episodes specifically forsyndication; by September 1985, the 24 episodes from the first season were combined with 41 new episodes and began airing in morning or late afternoon time slots in 80 U.S.media markets, including the 30 largest.[21] The 41 new episodes were produced at a cost of $300,000 each, and featured all of thevoice actors from the 1962–1963 show.[21] During 1987, 10 additional "season 3" episodes were also made available for syndication.[22]
Following its prime time cancellation, ABC placed reruns ofThe Jetsons on itsSaturday morning schedule for the 1963–1964 season. The program would spend the next two decades on Saturday mornings, with subsequent runs onCBS (1964–65 and 1969–71) andNBC (1965–67; 1971–76; 1979–81 and 1982–83).The Jetsons began airing in syndication in September 1976, and these runs continued after the program returned to NBC's Saturday morning schedule. Along with fellow Hanna-Barbera productionJonny Quest andWarner Bros.'Looney Tunes shorts,The Jetsons is one of the few series to have aired on each of theBig Three television networks in the United States.
The Jetsons were also aired onMeTV[23]
The series' theme song, by composerHoyt Curtin, became a pop hit in 1986.[24]
Animation historian Christopher P. Lehman considers that the series shares its main science fiction theme withFunderful Suburbia (1962), aModern Madcaps animated short. Both feature people involved inspace colonization. However, there is a key difference in the nature of the colonization: inFunderful Suburbia, humans colonize outer space in order to escape the problems of planetEarth, while the Jetsons live in a place where space colonization is already established. Life in outer space is depicted as a fact of life, and the reasons behind humanity's takeover ofouter space are never explained.
Lehman argues that the series offers no explanation for its science fiction premise and does not directly satirize thesocial problems of any era. The setting is combined with standardsitcom elements, which serve as the series' main focus.[25]
Smithsonian's Matt Novak, in an article called "Why The Show Still Matters" asserts, "TodayThe Jetsons stands as the single most important piece of 20th century futurism."
Novak continues, "It's easy for some people to dismissThe Jetsons as just a TV show, and a lowly cartoon at that. But this little show—for better and for worse—has had a profound impact on the way that Americans think and talk about the future."[26]
After the announcement of thefall 1962 network television scheduleTime magazine characterizedThe Jetsons as one of several new situation comedies (along withThe Beverly Hillbillies,I'm Dickens... He's Fenster, andOur Man Higgins) that was "stretching further than ever for their situations";[12] after all the season's new shows had premiered—a season "responding toMinow's exhortations"—the magazine called the series "silly and unpretentious, corny and clever, now and then quite funny."[27] Almost all of the new sitcoms disappeared at the end of the season; onlyThe Beverly Hillbillies would be renewed for new episodes in 1963–64, whileThe Jetsons would continue in Saturday morning reruns, eventually leading to its 1980s revival.
Thirty years later,Time wrote: "In an age ofworking mothers,single parents and gay matrimony (same-sex marriage), George Jetson and his clan already seem quaint even to thebaby boomers who grew up with them."[28] In contrast, economistJeffrey A. Tucker wrote in 2011 thatThe Jetsons is "distinguished in science-fiction lore bythe fact that it is a rare attempt in this genre that actually succeeds inpredicting the future."[29] Apart fromflying cars, which are as yet unfeasible in the real world ("a lot of fun, until that first accident occurs"), much of the technology ofThe Jetsons has become commonplace: people now communicate viavideo chat onflat screens; domestic robots such as theRoomba are widespread, and varioushigh-tech devices are used for leisure.[30] Tucker notes thatThe Jetsons depicts neither a grimdystopia nor an idyllicutopia, but rather a world wherecapitalism andentrepreneurship still exist and technology has not changed fundamental elements of human nature.
In 2017, Devon Maloney fromThe Verge described the show as a "bone-chilling dystopia", stating how areboot-comic book revealed that anenvironmental apocalypse caused humans to seek refuge in aerial cities. Maloney also notes the lack ofpeople of color in the show and theorizes howdiscrimination against impoverished groups anddeveloping countries could've taken place, stating "though long held up as the quintessential utopia,The Jetsons is a perfect dystopia, built on the corpses of a billions-strong underclass deemed unworthy of a life in the clouds."[31]
Television films
Television specials
Theatrical releases
Direct-to-video films
A 1974 proposal would have created a sequel series toThe Jetsons, set roughly ten years after the original series. CBS rejected the proposal and it was retooled intoPartridge Family 2200 A.D.[33]
Paramount Pictures first tried to film a live-action version ofThe Jetsons in 1985, which was to be executive produced by Gary Nardino, but failed to do so.[34] In the late 1980s,Universal Pictures purchased the film rights forThe Flintstones andThe Jetsons from Hanna-Barbera Productions. The result wasJetsons: The Movie, which was released in 1990. In November 2001, screenwriting duo Paul Foley and Dan Forman were brought onboard to revise a screenplay, withRob Minkoff attached as director andDenise Di Novi as producer.[35]
On March 18, 2003, it was announced that the script was again being reworked,[36] withAdam Shankman entering negotiations to direct and co-write the film.[37] In June 2004, with Shankman still onboard as director, Di Novi confirmed that the latest draft was penned bySam Harper.[38] By May 2006, the project was re-launched withAdam F. Goldberg confirmed as the new screenwriter, andDonald De Line was added as producer alongside Di Novi.[39]
In May 2007, directorRobert Rodriguez entered talks withUniversal Studios andWarner Bros. to film a CGI adaptation ofThe Jetsons for a potential 2009 theatrical release, having at the time discussed directing a film adaptation ofLand of the Lost with Universal. Rodriguez was uncertain which project he would pursue next, though the latest script draft forThe Jetsons by Goldberg was further along in development.[40]
In January 2012, recording artistKanye West was mistakenly reported as creative director over the project, though West clarified onsocial media that "I was just discussing becoming the creative director for the Jetson [sic] movie and someone on the call yelled out.. you should do a Jetsons tour!"[41] Longtime producer Denise Di Novi denied the confirmed involvement stating negotiations with West viaconference call was merely "preliminary and exploratory and introductory".[42] In February 2012, Warner Bros. hiredVan Robichaux andEvan Susser to rewrite the script.[43][44]
On January 23, 2015, it was announced thatWarner Bros. is planning a new animatedJetsons feature film, with Matt Lieberman to provide the screenplay.[45][46] As of May 25, 2017,Conrad Vernon will direct the film.[47]
On August 17, 2017, ABC ordered a pilot for a live-action sitcom version ofThe Jetsons to be written byGary Janetti and executive produced by Janetti,Jack Rapke andRobert Zemeckis.[48]
On October 15, 2025, it was reported that a live-action film based onThe Jetsons was in development withColin Trevorrow to write and direct andJim Carrey in talks to star.[49]
In 1990, Hanna-Barbera Home Video released six episodes from the show on videocassette.[50]Warner Home Video released season 1 on DVD in Region 1 on May 11, 2004; upon its release,James Poniewozik wrote that it is "as much aboutNew Frontier 1962 as about the distant future. Its ditzy slapstick is like the peanut-butter-and-jelly mixGoober Grape—if you didn't love it as a kid, you're not going to acquire the taste as an adult—and the pop-culture gags ... have not aged well. But the animation is still a classic of gee-whizatomic-age modernism."[51]
The review of the DVD release fromEntertainment Weekly said the show "trots through surprisingly dated sitcom plots about blustery bosses, bad lady drivers, and Elvis Presleyesque teen idols, all greeted with laugh tracks" but points out "it's the appeal of the retro-prescient gadgets (recliner massagers, big-screen TVs, two-way monitors) that still carries the show."[52] Season 1 was released on DVD in Region 4 on July 5, 2006.[53] Season Two, Volume 1 was released on DVD almost three years later, on June 2, 2009, for Region 1.[54]
On November 8, 2011, Warner Home Video (via theWarner Archive Collection) releasedThe Jetsons: Season 2, Volume 2 on DVD in Region 1 as part of theirHanna-Barbera Classic Collection. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and Amazon.com.[55] Warner Archive followed up by releasing Season 3 in the same way on May 13, 2014.[56]
The complete ABC series was released onBlu-ray on September 10, 2019, by Warner Home Video (again via the Warner Archive Collection), sourced from new2K scans of the original broadcast masters while maintaining the show's original4:3 aspect ratio.[57]
| DVD name | Ep # | Release date |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 24 | May 11, 2004 |
| Season 2, Volume 1 | 21 | June 2, 2009 |
| Season 2, Volume 2 | 20 | November 8, 2011 |
| Season 3 | 10 | May 13, 2014 |
William S Higgins writing forThe Encyclopedia of Science Fiction noted that the show "has become a popularmetonym for 'the future'. While satirizing Space Age notions of a better tomorrow, the series seems also to have visually codified expectations of the future to a great many viewers: when the twenty-first century arrived, complaints that flying cars and jet packs were missing often mentionedThe Jetsons.".[58]
The show influenced the turn-of-the-millennium showFuturama, which made a number of references toThe Jetsons, or reused its tropes.[58]
Boomerang has aired reruns of the show since April 1, 2000.Cartoon Network aired the show from 1992 to 2004 and returned the series October 2012.[citation needed] Also, some of the 1980s episodes were available for viewing onIn2TV prior to its shutdown; these episodes were later moved to the online version ofKids' WB.[citation needed] Also the first two seasons ofThe Jetsons are available to download on Sony'sPlayStation Network, Apple'siTunes Store and at theXbox Live Marketplace.[citation needed] The Kids' WB website eventually shut down in 2015, however, the Kids' WB episodes can still be streamed, thanks to much of the website being preserved by the Internet Archive'sWayback Machine.
Forbes magazine valued Spacely Sprockets at $1.3 billion, on its "The 25 Largest Fictional Companies" list.[59]
The original cartoon series had several devices that did not exist at the time but subsequently have not only been invented but are in common usage: aflatscreentelevision,newspaper on acomputer-likescreen, acomputer virus,video chat, atanning bed, hometreadmill and more.[60]
In January 2009,IGN listedThe Jetsons as the 46th best animated television series.[61]
The program was ahead of its time in more ways than one, as it was the first television series to be broadcast in colour on the ABC network, at a time when only 3% of the public had colour television sets.
The producers of The Flintstones have a new family called The Jetsons, who live in outer space.
The series had lots of interesting devices that marveled us back in the 60s. In episode one, we see wife Jane doing exercises in front of a flatscreen television. In another episode, we see George Jetson reading the newspaper on a screen. Can anyone say computer? In another, Boss Spacely tells George to fix something called a "computer virus." Everyone on the show uses video chat, foreshadowing Skype and Face Time. There is a robot vacuum cleaner, foretelling the 2002 arrival of the iRobot Roomba vacuum. There was also a tanning bed used in an episode, a product that wasn't introduced to North America until 1979. And while flying space cars that have yet to land in our lives, the Jetsons show had moving sidewalks like we now have in airports, treadmills that didn't hit the consumer market until 1969, and they had a repairman who had a piece of technology called... Mac.
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| Other appearances |
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