Time Squad is an American animated television series created by Dave Wasson for Cartoon Network and the tenth of the network's Cartoon Cartoons. It follows the adventures of Otto Osworth, Buck Tuddrussel, and the robot Larry 3000, a trio of hapless "time cops" living in the far distant future who travel back in time attempting to correct the course of history. During their adventures, they run into major historical figures such as Julius Caesar, Abraham Lincoln, Sigmund Freud, Leonardo da Vinci, the Founding Fathers, and Moctezuma, who have taken a drastically different course of life than history dictates. The mission of the Time Squad is to guide these figures onto the correct path and ensure the integrity of the future.
The series premiered during Cartoon Network's marathon block "Cartoon Cartoon Summer" on June 8, 2001, and ended after two seasons on November 26, 2003, airing 26 episodes in total. In the course of its run, the series received five Annie Award nominations. Creator Dave Wasson described the series as "a C-average student's approach [to history]—a CliffsNotes version of what historical characters did and giving it a twist." It is the final Cartoon Network original series to premiere during Betty Cohen's tenure, as she later resigned due to creative disagreements with Jamie Kellner, then-head of Turner Broadcasting System. Cohen was eventually replaced with Jim Samples ten days after Time Squad premiered.
Time Squad was the first Cartoon Network original series to be entirely produced by Cartoon Network Studios, no longer a division of Hanna-Barbera following the death of William Hanna in 2001. The show began airing on Canada's Teletoon Detour block in 2002. The show features music from Michael Tavera, who would later make music for ¡Mucha Lucha!, Lilo & Stitch: The Series, Yin Yang Yo! and The Secret Saturdays.
Premise
Set in the year 100,000,000 AD on a satellite orbiting Earth, Time Squad follows the adventures of Buck Tuddrussel (voiced by Rob Paulsen), a muscular and dim-witted officer of the law; Larry 3000 (voiced by Mark Hamill), a serious and stern robot; and Otto Osworth (voiced by Pamela Adlon), an eight-year-old orphan history buff, as they travel together backwards in time to set right the course of history as it unravels.
The Time Squad organization is set up to ensure that history is maintained and the future protected. According to Larry 3000, "time is like a rope", and, as it is woven at one end, ages and gradually unravels and frays at the other. In the context of the show, this often means that historical figures have made different, sometimes anachronistic, choices in life, and as such will not be able to fulfill the role that history says they fulfilled. According to creator Dave Wasson, "We started by basically knowing what a guy did in history, then found the most outlandish way he could go wrong".
Future Earth is now a peaceful utopia where all nations of the world have merged into one, and according to Tuddrussel, Earth has "no more war, no pollution, and bacon is good for your heart". Despite being a bookworm, his demeanor is far from boring; he is just as childlike and jocular as any regular eight-year-old. Even though he is the youngest of the group, he is the most responsible out of the squad, being the only one pure enough to not let himself get swayed by temptations. Depending on who he is siding with, he can either become loud and destructive (when Tuddrussel has him company) or composed and calm (when it's Larry he agrees with). It is unknown what happened to Otto's parents.
- Lawrence "Larry" 3000 (voiced by Mark Hamill) is described as "a prissy robot who thinks the whole mission is slightly beneath him. Think C3PO with metal bell-bottoms and without a sense of humor." The announcement was the result of a $500 million investment granted to Cartoon Network during the previous year for expansion of original programming through 2005. Other series that came about as part of the deal were Samurai Jack, Grim & Evil, and Justice League. The series premiered during Cartoon Network's Friday night "Cartoon Cartoon Summer" block on June 8, 2001, at 9 PM EST. As part of the investment deal, the series was greenlit for 26 episodes.
Broadcast
Time Squad launched on Cartoon Network and Boomerang's video-on-demand service in November 2002. The series was first broadcast in Australia in mid-2002 on Cartoon Network.
Episodes
Note: All episodes were directed by the series creator Dave Wasson, though Larry Leichliter co-directed "Keepin' It Real with Sitting Bull", "A Thrilla at Attila's", "Pasteur's Packs O' Punch", "Love at First Flight", "Child's Play", "Father Figure of Our Country", and "Floral Patton".
Season 1 (2001)
Season 2 (2002–03)
Reception
Entertainment Weekly gave the series a B rating, calling it "fast and snappy, and you just might be able to trick your kid into a (somewhat tweaked) history lesson as well."
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Nominee
! Result
!
|-
| rowspan="3"|2001
| rowspan="3"|29th Annie Awards
| Outstanding Achievement in a Primetime or Late Night Animated Television Production
| Cartoon Network Studios
|
| rowspan="3"|
|-
| Outstanding Individual Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Television Production
| Tim Biskup
|
|-
| Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Television Production
| Pamela Adlon (as Otto Osworth for "Eli Whitney's Flesh Eating Mistake")
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|2002
| rowspan="2"|30th Annie Awards
| Outstanding Character Design in an Animated Television Production
| Alex Kirwan (for "The Clownfather")
|
| rowspan="2"|
|-
| Outstanding Production Design in an Animated Television Production
| Dave Wasson (for "Keepin' It Real with Sitting Bull")
|
|}
Merchandise
Home media releases
A DVD consisting of the first three episodes of the series was released in the United Kingdom by Boulevard Entertainment.
Promotions
Cartoon Network and Subway partnered to release five Time Squad-themed toys in Subway Kids Paks. The promotion lasted from September 30 to November 17, 2002.