Time Squad
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Time Squad is a Cartoon Network production, created in 2001, staring the events of 'time cop' Buck Tuddrussel, his robotic assistant Larry 3000, and adopted orphan Otto Osworth.
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Plot
As detailed by Larry in one of the early episodes, 'time is like a rope', and comes unraveled over time. Thus, the Time Squad organization must travel through time, fixing history to go as it should. Each Time Squad unit consists of a human officer and a robotic assistant, although the unit the show centers on also picked up Otto Osworth when they arrived at Sister Thornley's Home for Wayward Children in the first episode of the show, looking for 18th century Georgia so they could help Eli Whitney invent the cotton gin. After that, the show centers around the three of them as they travel through an often anachronistic past to fix history.
The year is 100 Million AD, and the show, when not set in places in the past, is on a large satellite orbiting the earth. It features bedrooms, a shooting range, a terrarium, and a prison for repeat offenders (historical figures) - including Mohandas Gandhi (who wants to be a dancer) and Blackbeard (who wants to save the animals). Earth itself is never seen, but it is mentioned in passing that the planet has long evolved into a peaceful utopia where there are no longer any problems to solve. Earth is now a utopia where all countries have merged into one, and, according to Tuddrussel, there are "no wars, no pollution and bacon is good for your heart."
Characters
- Buck Tuddrussel (Rob Paulsen)
- A burly time cop in the peak of physical condition, Buck is less like a father to Otto and more like a carefree uncle. His obessessions are guns and beating people up, although he has a generally nice disposition. He takes every opportunity on a mission to shout out his catchphrase: "IT'S GO TIME!" He frequently bickers with Larry, whose gentlemanly behavior and seriousness often clash with Tuddrussel's immature machismo.
- Larry 3000 (Mark Hamill)
- Originally designed as a diplomat, Larry was put into Time Squad service when the world's nations all joined together in the year one million. His hobbies are cooking and needlepoint.
- Otto Osworth (Pamela Segall)
- Adopted by the Time Squad unit Larry and Buck are part of, Otto is far more thrilled with the prospect of fixing history than Larry and Buck are. Otto is also the most knowledgeable about history, having an avid love for reading and studying. For this reason he was "adopted" by Time Squad.
- Shiela Sternwell (Mari Weiss)
- Once married to Buck, Shiela has since gotten a divorce. Also a time cop, Shiela does a far better job of fixing history than Buck, and is occasionally forced to bail him out of situations. She is a relatively infrequent character on the show. Her robotic assistant, XJ9, and Larry 3000 hate each other bitterly.
Quotes
- "It's go time!" -Buck
- "Let's get some!" -Buck
Notes
Time Squad is an almost unique cartoon show, inasmuch that it introduces children to history, the only other show coming close being Warner Bros.' Histeria!. It is only loosely tied to the truth, and the innacuracies range from the deliberately comical (such as Eli Whitney building flesh-eating robots) to the subtly misleading (such as Julius Caesar facing down Tuddrussel in the Coloseum of Rome, which would not be built for decades). These can, of course, be written off as unravelings of the rope of time, but these show that the show is loosely based on actual history. In some ways it is reminescent of the "Improbable History" with Mr. Peabody from Rocky and Bullwinkle.
Time Squad was cancelled mid-2003 for poking fun at President George W. Bush, saying he was obsessed with "a giant ball 'o twine."
External Links
- Time Squad (http://www.bcdb.com/cartoons/Other_Studios/C/Cartoon_Network_Studios/Time_Squad/index.html) at the Big Cartoon DataBase