The Century's Best

'"The Century's Best" is the fortieth episode of The Jetsons season two, and the sixty-second overall. It aired on November 29, 1985 in syndicated markets that featured The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera programming blocks. It was written by Mark Young, and directed by Art Davis, Oscar Dufau, Carl Urbano, Rudy Zamora, Alan Zaslove, and Gordon Hunt.

After Orbitty gets randomly picked to decide who is the best person to represent the 21st century a thousand years later, each of the Jetson family vie for his attention by recounting to him a favorite moment in their lives.

Characters

 * style="background-color:#clear"| George Jetson
 * style="background-color:#clear"| George O'Hanlon
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Rosie
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Jean Vander Pyl
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Judy Jetson
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Janet Waldo
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Elroy Jetson
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Daws Butler
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Orbitty
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Frank Welker
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Jane Jetson
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Penny Singleton
 * style="background-color:#FDB56C" colspan="2"| Jane Fondue
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Astro
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Don Messick
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Roddy Rocket
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Gary Gammaray
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Albert Isotope
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Dolly Perfect
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Curly Quasar
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Astro
 * style="background-color:#ffff00"| N/A (or indistinguishable
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Andy Andromeda
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Mickey Meteorite
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Nick Nova
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Mimsy Boragrove
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Flash Flotsam
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Maitre'd
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Francois
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Pookums
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Pookums's owner
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Milo McRocket
 * style="background-color:#ffff00"| N/A
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Awards presenter
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Mimsy Boragrove
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Flash Flotsam
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Maitre'd
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Francois
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Pookums
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Pookums's owner
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Milo McRocket
 * style="background-color:#ffff00"| N/A
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Awards presenter
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Pookums's owner
 * style="background-color:#clear"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Milo McRocket
 * style="background-color:#ffff00"| N/A
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Awards presenter
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Unavailable
 * style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| Awards presenter
 * style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Unavailable



Organizations

 * Galactic Expo

Locations

 * Earth
 * United States
 * Orbit City
 * Sky Pad Apartments
 * Jetson residence
 * Little Dipper School (mentioned)
 * Haley's Comet Health Haven
 * Galactic Expo building

Objects

 * Dream-O-Matic
 * Di-Di
 * Plutonian Poetry Vol. 1
 * Fooder-Aca-Cycle
 * Morning mask

Vehicles

 * Flying cars

Music
The score was composed and conducted by Hoyt Curtin.

Release
Dates are in order of release:


 * United States: November 29, 1985 in syndication

Behind the scenes

 * There are flashbacks to "Elroy Meets Orbitty," "Judy's Birthday Surprise," "The Cosmic Courtship of George and Jane," and "SuperGeorge."
 * The Jane Fondue workout is a parody of Jane Fonda's workout.
 * Albert Isotope is a parody of Albert Einstein.
 * Dolly Perfect is a parody of Dolly Parton.
 * Spacely appears in a single flashback from "Judy's Birthday Surprise", but it's from a group "Happy birthday", drowned out by the rest of the cast, so Mel Blanc's voice isn't used.
 * When the Jetsons are declared as the best family of the 21st century, the presenter announces them the same way they are announced in the theme song.

Errors

 * The morning mask in this episode is different from the way it looked in "The Space Car," which realistically matched the wearer's face and included hair, unlike the one in this episode, which is now blue without hair.

Home availability

 * In the United States:
 * November 11, 2011: Warner Archive Collection releases The Jetsons: Season 2, Volume 2 on DVD.
 * October 13, 2020: Warner Home Video releases The Jetsons: The Complete Series (Hanna-Barbera Diamond Collection edition) on DVD.
 * June 21, 2022: Warner Home Video releases The Jetsons: The Complete Series on DVD.