The Jetsons (TV series)


 * This article is about the 1962 TV series. For the 1980s revival, see The Jetsons (1985 TV series).

The Jetsons is an American animated TV sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera (H-B) for ABC. It ran from 1962-1963, for 24 episodes. It was the third prime-time sitcom geared towards adults, after The Flintstones and Top Cat.

It was the Space-Age counterpart to The Flintstones, who lived in the Stone-Age, where life was assisted by dinosaurs and birds, whereas The Jetsons lived in a far-off future utopia, with robots and other fantastical gadgets eased everyday lives. The humor of it, though, was that they still found life difficult.

The series is largely about the middle-class George Jetson dealing with the everyday problems of his loud boss, Cosmo Spacely, despite his usual and a rather mundane routine of pushing a button to get Spacely's factory working. He also deals with family life, having to fulfill the needs and expectations of his wife and children. He also has to deal with an overly loving pet dog and a snappy robot maid.

When it was realized that The Jetsons was more profitable in syndication, Hanna-Barbera produced 51 new episodes from 1985-1987 and added to the 24 previously produced episodes, as if the original series had simply been put on hiatus for 22 years. Soon after this new version ended, two TV movies were made, which were The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones and Rockin' with Judy Jetson, followed by a seemingly final appearance in the theatrical Jetsons: The Movie, released by Universal Pictures in 1990. 27 years later in 2017 (with Hanna-Barbera having been absorbed into Time Warner in the late 1990s), Warner Bros. Animation produced the direct-to-video film, The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-WrestleMania.

Music
The music was composed by Hoyt Curtin, who also composed and arranged the theme song, with lyrics written by Joseph Barbera and William Hanna. The lyrics consist of four verses:

Meet George Jetson His boy, Elroy Daughter, Judy Jane, his wife

Cast

 * George O'Hanlon as George Jetson
 * Penny Singleton as Jane Jetson
 * Daws Butler as Elroy Jetson
 * Janet Waldo as Judy Jetson