Difference between revisions of "Back to the Present"

Back to the Present
	; See, when Hanna-Barbera didn't want to use Judy, they'd just not write her in the episode at all.
Network	Adult Swim (Cartoon Network)
Premiere date	May 9, 2004
Run time	11:10
Starring	Gary Cole; Stephen Colbert; Thomas Allen; Chris Edgerly; Wally Wingert; Diane Michelle; Tom Kenny; Maurice LaMarche
Music composed by	Michael Kohler
Writer(s)	Michael Ouweleen
Director(s)	Richard Ferguson-Hull
	Episode navigation
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Latest revision as of 23:35, 7 April 2024

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"Back to the Present" is the fifth episode of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law season two, and the fourteenth overall. It aired on May 9, 2004 on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block. It was written by co-creator, Michael Ouweleen, produced by Evan W. Adler, and directed by Richard Ferguson-Hull. The Hanna-Barbera series ridiculed in this episode is The Jetsons.

In a confusing time travel plot, 2002 sees the end of Earth when it falls to global warming, prompting the Jetsons to travel back (yes, back) to 2004 and sue civilization.

Detailed summary

Memorable quotes

Potamus: Hey, Birdman! Get that thing I sent ya?

Characters

Legend
Character debut	Speaking debut	Ep. debut	No lines	Mentioned

In order of appearance:

Character	Actor
George Jetson	Wally Wingert
Rosie	N/A
Jane Jetson	Diane Michelle
Drowning man	Thomas Allen
Cosmo Spacely	Unavailable
Henry Orbit	Unavailable
Peanut	Thomas Allen
Harvey Birdman	Gary Cole
Elroy Jetson	Tom Kenny
Astro	Wally Wingert
Judy Jetson	N/A
Peter Potamus	Chris Edgerly
Orbitty	Diane Michelle
Phil Ken Sebben	Stephen Colbert
Cafeteria lady	N/A
Stan Freezoid	Maurice LaMarche
X, the Eliminator	N/A
Judge Mentok	John Michael Higgins
Bailiff	N/A
Boo Boo Bear	Tom Kenny
Myron Reducto	Stephen Colbert
Announcer (voice only)	Gary Cole
Industrial Lathe Man
President George W. Bush	N/A
Apache Chief	N/A
O.J. Simpson
The Bear	N/A
Doctor Emmett Brown	N/A
Jabberjaw	Unavailable

Organizations

Locations

Earth
- United States
  - Orbit City
    - Skypad Apartments
      - Jetson apartment
  - Washington, D.C.
    - Sebben & Sebben offices
    - Courthouse
    - Ling Ling Burger
  - Florida

Objects

Vehicles

George's space car
DeLorean time machine

Production

Development

Filming

Music

The music was composed by Michael Kohler.

Release

Dates are in order of release:

United States: May 9, 2004 on Adult Swim (Cartoon Network)

Behind the scenes

The episode title is a riff on the film Back to the Future. The Jetsons also use the DeLorean, with its time-traveling capabilities to get back to their time, with Doc Brown popping up, with a reaction sounding similar to Christopher Lloyd who played him in the film.
This is the first episode not to feature Avenger.
The recurring joke is that the Jetsons actually live in a dated society as some technology has far progressed from what could possibly be imagined by the crew who made The Jetsons in the 1960s or 80s.
This is Orbitty's first appearance since the Jetsons episode "Two Many Georges" in 1987.
Mentok beams into the courtroom like the people from Star Trek would beam off and on the starship Enterprise.
Mentok's unfinished line of "O.J. is guilty" is a reference to O.J. Simpson's highly publicized murder trial in 1992, when the judge found him innocent of the deaths of his ex-wife and her friend.
George is somehow the descendant grandson of Harvey.

Errors

Everlasting influence

Even though the Jetsons weren't sentenced to prison, they are released from prison in "Juror in Court," with the case reopened in "The Death of Harvey."

Critical reception

Home availability

In the United States:
- October 10, 2006: Warner Home Video releases Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law: Volume Two on DVD.
In Australia:
- December 12, 2007: Madman Entertainment releases Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law: Volume Two on DVD.
- November 28, 2012: Madman Entertainment releases Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law: The Complete Cases on DVD.
In the United Kingdom and Ireland:
- December 7, 2009: Revolver Entertainment releases Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law: Volume Two on DVD.
- December 7, 2009: Revolver Entertainment releases Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law: Seasons 1,2 & 3 on DVD.

References

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{AlertWarning|page}}
 {{Infobox episode
 |image= [[File:Wolves get Judy.png|300px]]
-|caption= See, when [[Hanna-Barbera]] didn't want to use [[Judy Jetson|Judy]], they'd just not write her in the episode.
+|caption= See, when [[Hanna-Barbera]] didn't want to use [[Judy Jetson|Judy]], they'd just not write her in the episode at all.
 |prodno=
-|premiere= May 9, 2004
+|channel= [[Adult Swim]] ([[Cartoon Network]])
+|premiere= [[May 9]], [[2004]]
 |run_time= 11:10
+|cast= [[Gary Cole]]<br />[[Stephen Colbert]]<br />[[Thomas Allen]]<br />[[Chris Edgerly]]<br />[[Wally Wingert]]<br />[[Diane Michelle]]<br />[[Tom Kenny]]<br />[[Maurice LaMarche]]
+|music= [[Michael Kohler]]
 |writers= [[Michael Ouweleen]]
 |directors= [[Richard Ferguson-Hull]]
@@ Line 10: / Line 14: @@
 |next= Blackwatch Plaid
 }}
-'''"Back to the Present"''' is the fifth episode of ''[[Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law]]'' season two, and the fourteenth overall. It aired on May 9, 2004 on [[Cartoon Network]]'s [[Adult Swim]] block. It was written by co-creator, [[Michael Ouweleen]], produced by [[Evan W. Adler]], and directed by [[Richard Ferguson-Hull]]. The [[Hanna-Barbera]] series ridiculed in this episode is ''[[The Jetsons (TV series)|The Jetsons]]''.
+'''"Back to the Present"''' is the fifth episode of ''[[Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law]]'' season two, and the fourteenth overall. It aired on [[May 9]], [[2004]] on [[Cartoon Network]]'s [[Adult Swim]] block. It was written by co-creator, [[Michael Ouweleen]], produced by [[Evan W. Adler]], and directed by [[Richard Ferguson-Hull]]. The [[Hanna-Barbera]] series ridiculed in this episode is ''[[The Jetsons (TV series)|The Jetsons]]''.
-In a confusing time travel plot, 2002 sees the end of Earth when it falls to global warming, prompting the Jetsons to travel back (yes, back) to 2004 and sue civilization.
+In a confusing time travel plot, [[2002]] sees the end of Earth when it falls to global warming, prompting the Jetsons to travel back (yes, back) to 2004 and sue civilization.
 ==Detailed summary==
@@ Line 39: / Line 43: @@
 |style="background-color:#clear"| Unavailable
 |-
-|style="background-color:#clear"| [[Birdboy|Peanut]]
+|style="background-color:#clear"| [[Peanut]]
 |style="background-color:#clear"| Thomas Allen
 |-
-|style="background-color:#clear"| [[Birdman|Harvey Birdman]]
+|style="background-color:#clear"| [[Harvey Birdman]]
 |style="background-color:#clear"| [[Gary Cole]]
 |-
@@ Line 60: / Line 64: @@
 |style="background-color:#clear"| Diane Michelle
 |-
-|style="background-color:#clear"| [[Falcon 7|Phil Ken Sebben]]
+|style="background-color:#clear"| [[Phil Ken Sebben]]
 |style="background-color:#clear"| [[Stephen Colbert]]
 |-
@@ Line 66: / Line 70: @@
 |style="background-color:#ffff00"| N/A
 |-
-|style="background-color:#clear"| [[Dr. Freezoid|Stan Freezoid]]
+|style="background-color:#clear"| [[Stan Freezoid]]
 |style="background-color:#clear"| [[Maurice LaMarche]]
 |-
@@ Line 75: / Line 79: @@
 |style="background-color:#clear"| [[John Michael Higgins]]
 |-
-|style="background-color:#clear"| Bailiff
+|style="background-color:#clear"| [[List of unnamed Birdman characters|Bailiff]]
 |style="background-color:#ffff00"| N/A
 |-
@@ Line 81: / Line 85: @@
 |style="background-color:#clear"| Tom Kenny
 |-
-|style="background-color:#clear"| [[Reducto|Myron Reducto]]
+|style="background-color:#clear"| [[Myron Reducto]]
 |style="background-color:#clear"| Stephen Colbert
 |-
@@ Line 87: / Line 91: @@
 |style="background-color:#aaffaa"| Gary Cole
 |-
-|style="background-color:#FDB56C" colspan="2"| Industrial Lathe Man
+|style="background-color:#FDB56C" colspan="2"| [[Industrial Lathe Man]]
 |-
-|style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| [[George W. Bush|President George W. Bush]]
+|style="background-color:#clear"| [[George W. Bush|President George W. Bush]]
 |style="background-color:#ffff00"| N/A
 |-
@@ Line 96: / Line 100: @@
 |-
 |style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| [[O.J. Simpson]]
-|style="background-color:#ffff00"| N/A
 |-
 |style="background-color:#clear"| [[The Bear]]
 |style="background-color:#ffff00"| N/A
 |-
-|style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| [[Emmett Brown|Dr. Emmett Brown]]
+|style="background-color:#d2d2ff"| [[Doctor Emmett Brown]]
 |style="background-color:#ffff00"| N/A
 |-
-|style="background-color:#clear"| [[Jabberjaw]]
+|style="background-color:#clear"| [[Jabberjaw (character)|Jabberjaw]]
 |style="background-color:#clear"| Unavailable
 |-
@@ Line 114: / Line 117: @@
 ==Locations==
-* [[Orbit City]]
+* [[Earth]]
-** [[Skypad Apartments]]
+** [[United States]]
-*** Jetson apartment
+*** [[Orbit City]]
-* [[Washington, D.C.]]
+**** [[Skypad Apartments]]
-** Sebben & Sebben offices
+***** [[Jetson apartment]]
-** Courthouse
+*** [[Washington, D.C.]]
-** [[Ling Ling Burger]]
+**** Sebben & Sebben offices
-* [[Florida]]
+**** Courthouse
+**** [[Ling Ling Burger]]
+*** [[Florida]]
 ==Objects==
@@ Line 145: / Line 150: @@
 * The episode title is a riff on the film ''Back to the Future''. The Jetsons also use the DeLorean, with its time-traveling capabilities to get back to their time, with Doc Brown popping up, with a reaction sounding similar to Christopher Lloyd who played him in the film.
 * This is the first episode not to feature [[Avenger]].
-* The recurring joke is that the Jetsons actually live in a dated society as some technology has far progressed what could possibly be imagined by the crew who made ''The Jetsons'' in the 1960s or 80s.
+* The recurring joke is that the Jetsons actually live in a dated society as some technology has far progressed from what could possibly be imagined by the crew who made ''The Jetsons'' in the [[1960s]] or [[1980s|80s]].
-* This is Orbitty's first appearance since the ''Jetsons'' episode "[[Two Many Georges]]" in 1987.
+* This is Orbitty's first appearance since the ''Jetsons'' episode "[[Two Many Georges]]" in [[1987]].
 * Mentok beams into the courtroom like the people from ''Star Trek'' would beam off and on the starship ''Enterprise''.
 * Mentok's unfinished line of "O.J. is guilty" is a reference to O.J. Simpson's highly publicized murder trial in 1992, when the judge found him innocent of the deaths of his ex-wife and her friend.
@@ Line 159: / Line 164: @@
 ==Critical reception==
 ==Home availability==
-* In the United States, it was first released onto DVD as part of ''[[Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law: Volume Two]]'' on October 10, 2006, by [[Warner Home Video]].
+* In the United States:
-* In the UK, [[Revolver Entertainment]] released the same DVD set on December 7, 2009, and also on the same day, the episode was collected together with the rest of the series in ''[[Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law: Seasons 1,2 & 3]]''.
+** [[October 10]], [[2006]]: [[Warner Home Video]] releases ''[[Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law: Volume Two]]'' on DVD.
-* In Australia, [[Madman Entertainment]] released the same set on December 12, 2007, then re-released the episode as part of ''[[Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law: The Complete Cases]]'' on November 28, 2012.
+* In [[Australia]]:
+** [[December 12]], [[2007]]: [[Madman Entertainment]] releases ''Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law: Volume Two'' on DVD.
+** [[November 28]], [[2012]]: Madman Entertainment releases ''[[Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law: The Complete Cases]]'' on DVD.
+* In the [[United Kingdom]] and [[Ireland]]:
+** [[December 7]], [[2009]]: [[Revolver Entertainment]] releases ''Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law: Volume Two'' on DVD.
+** December 7, 2009: Revolver Entertainment releases ''[[Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law: Seasons 1,2 & 3]]'' on DVD.
 ==References==
 <references/>
+[[Category:2004]]
+[[Category:Adult Swim]]
+[[Category:Attorney at Law episodes]]
 [[Category:Birdman episodes]]
-[[Category:Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law episodes]]
+[[Category:Birdman]]
+[[Category:Directed by Richard Ferguson-Hull]]
+[[Category:Episodes]]
+[[Category:Williams Street]]
+[[Category:Written by Michael Ouweleen]]