Back to the Future (TV series)

Back to the Future
File:Back to the Future TAS Cast.jpg From left to right: Clara, Verne, Jules, Doc and Marty.
Starring	David Kaufman Dan Castellaneta Mary Steenburgen
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	26
Production
Executive producer	Bob Gale
Running time	30 minutes
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	September 14, 1991 – August 14, 1993

Template:BttfSidebar Back to the Future: The Animated Series is an animated series based on the Back to the Future trilogy of feature films. The series lasted two seasons, each lasting 13 episodes, and ran on CBS from September 21, 1991 to September 1993, and later repeated on FOX from March to September 2003.

Premise

Following the conclusion of Back to the Future Part III, "Doc" Brown has settled down in 1991 Hill Valley along with his new wife Clara, their sons Jules and Verne, and the family dog Einstein. As with the films, time travel was achieved through the use of a modified DeLorean sports car, which had apparently been rebuilt after its destruction at the end of the trilogy. In addition, the characters traveled through time using the steam engine time machine Doc invented at the end of Part III.

Although Marty McFly and his girlfriend Jennifer Parker made occasional appearances, the show focused primarily on the adventures of Doc's family. The films' villain Biff Tannen also pops up from time to time. In addition, relatives of both the McFly and Tannen families are plentiful in most of the past or future parallel time zones that the time-travellers visit. Unlike the films, which took place entirely in Hill Valley and the surrounding area, the series frequently took the characters to exotic locations.

Voice actors

Mary Steenburgen (Clara) and Thomas F. Wilson (Biff) voiced their characters from the films, and Christopher Lloyd played Doc Brown in the live action segments that opened and closed each episode. However, the animated Doc Brown's voice was provided by Dan Castellaneta. In addition, Bill Nye performed scientific experiments during the closing live action segments on each episode (which later led to Nye getting his own show).

Home video

Although this show is no longer being shown on television, nine VHS cassettes and three volumes of the show on laserdisc were released between 1993 and 1994, chronicling 18 of the 26 episodes. The show is not yet available on DVD, however there are bootleg copies available.

Intro

The first season intro of this series is a recreated version of Back in Time, originally by Huey Lewis and the News. The intro starts with Doc Brown being surprised by the time on his watch and then entering the DeLorean. As he drives out, he grabs Marty McFly (the principal character of the movies and now a supporting character in the series) and goes through the space time continuum in order to collect Clara, Jules and Verne.

For the second season, the intro, which used the same music as season one, starts with the DeLorean revving up, then a series of clips from season 1, then the end from the old intro.

Cast

• Marty McFly - David Kaufman
• Dr. Emmett Brown - Dan Castellaneta
• (live-action segments) - Christopher Lloyd
• Clara Brown - Mary Steenburgen
• Jules Brown - Joshua Keaton
• Verne Brown - Troy Davidson
• Jennifer Parker - Cathy Cavadini
• Biff Tannen - Thomas F. Wilson
• Bill Nye - Himself

Episodes

Below are the episode titles and first transmission dates for all 26 episodes.

Season 1

1. "Brothers" (September 14, 1991)

• Upset with his brother, Jules, Verne runs away from home using the DeLorean. Doc, Marty and Jules go back in time to find him during the Civil War. When General Tannen's armies tie up Marty, Verne gasps. Jules and Verne end up on opposite sides of the war; Verne is recruited by the Confederates and Jules in the Union army. During a big battle, both armies see the boys meet and huddle together in the center of the battlefield. The soldiers realize that they are fighting their own brothers, cousins, uncles and nephews. Both parties walk away from the battle without fighting.

2. "A Family Vacation" (September 21, 1991)

• Without consulting the family while leaving Marty and Jennifer alone, Doc takes Clara and the boys back to medieval times to escape the technology that he feels his family has become so reliant upon. Once there, Clara is kidnapped by the evil Lord Biffingham and Doc is thrown into the dungeon. Jules and Verne meet up with Harold McFly, whose lady love, Jennivere, has also been kidnapped by Lord Biffingham. The boys and Harold arrive at the castle in time to witness a "jousting" match between the Lord and Doc. Clara escapes from the tower and makes a hot air balloon out of silk and a tapestry loom. A true heroine, she rescues Doc and foils Biffingham's evil scheme. Doc realizes that he should consult her before making anymore decisions for the family.

3. "Forward to the Past" (September 28, 1991)

• To test a new invention called the Sonic Garbage Molecular Redistributor, Doc and the boys head back to prehistoric times so that they won't endanger anyone. Before they can run their test, a Tyrannosaurus gives chase and with the help of a friendly Pteranodon, they escape. At nighttime, they finally set up to run the test. Doc spots a shooting star, which is actually a large meteor, heading toward earth. Doc zaps it with his redistributor and destroys the meteor, thus saving earth but draining his car battery. Using lemons to power the battery, they head back into the future and civilization as they know it has changed. Odd breeds of dinosaurs rule the earth. Doc realizes that he must return to the past to restore the meteor and in doing so, sentencing their friend, Donny the Pteranodon, into extinction with the rest of the dinosaurs. When the group returns to present-day Hill Valley, Verne befriends a little bird that resembles Donny.

4. "Witchcraft" (October 12, 1991 (original planned airdate of October 5 was pre-empted by the Clarence Thomas Hearings))

• Marty catches Jennifer talking with the school jock and assumes she's dating behind his back. Jennifer, who has been tutoring the jock, tries to explain the situation but Marty doesn't listen to her. Marty goes to the Browns' house and receives a message that Doc and his family are trapped in Salem, Massachusetts during the Puritan period. Taking the DeLorean, Marty brings a spare flux capacitor for the train to Doc, but the DeLorean that Marty and Einstein are in is in the water and comes out. As Doc fixes the train, Marty, Clara and the boys go to a town function. Marty spurns the advances of a young lady named Mercy and she accuses him of being a witch out of spite. Marty is condemned for being a witch without being able to defend himself. Marty is sentenced to the "water" test and Doc saves him with a makeshift scuba suit. When Marty returns home, he apologizes to Jennifer for making accusations without first hearing her side of the story.

5. "Roman Holiday" (a.k.a. "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot Race") (October 19, 1991)

• With Marty as company, Doc heads to Ancient Rome to return overdue library books. Jules and Verne overhear their father talk about the arcades and stow away in the DeLorean to play the Roman "video games, (the boys have been forbidden to leave the house because they mis-use their father's latest invention - a holographic device.) Once there, Marty insults Bifficus and is challenged to a chariot race. Doc is mistaken for a rebellious slave and is going to be thrown to the lions. The boys run amok in Ancient Rome and end up meeting Judah, a slave, who helps them get out of trouble. In the end, Marty loses the race because Bifficus must rise to power in order for the Roman Empire to fall. Doc uses his holographic device to avoid becoming lion chow and the boys help Judah escape to become a free man.

6. "Go Fly a Kite" (October 26, 1991)

• Jules taunts his brother Verne by saying that Verne must not be a biological member of the Brown family because he isn't as smart as Doc and Jules. Verne uses his father's photo invention and accidentally believes that Benjamin Franklin is his biological father. Taking the DeLorean back in time, Verne interferes with Franklin's invention of electricity. When all of the electricity goes out in present day Hill Valley, Doc traces Verne back to Benjamin Franklin. Doc saves Verne from falling off a clock tower and Verne realizes that he is Verne's biological father and that he would still love Verne as much if he were adopted.

7. "Time Waits for No Frog / Einstein's Adventure" (November 2, 1991)

• In the first story: Doc and Marty go to Ancient South America to find a cure for Marty's athletes' foot. The cure comes in the form of an extinct frog--the Bufo Marinus--which emits an acid from its skin. Doc and Marty meet up with the vile conquistador Biffando and his goons. Biffando releases them and follows them at a distance, to the lost City of Gold. Marty and Doc end up being captured by Incan Indians and are put in a large pit with hundreds of Bufo Marinus frogs. With that many frogs, Doc says that he and Marty will "melt like the Wicked Witch of the West. " Using a tuning fork, Doc makes the frogs go crazy and it looks like Marty can "control" the frogs. The Incans release Doc and Marty and stop Biffando from stealing any gold. Doc and Marty take a couple of frogs home to reestablish the population in the 20th century. In the second story: While Doc is in the hardware store, Einstein is asleep in the back of the DeLorean when it is stolen by a couple of bank robbers. The robbers activate the DeLorean's time clock and head to Sydney, Australia, 1790. Einstein is bounced out of the car on impact and the robbers end up "breaking in" to an Australian prison. Einstein ends up saving the crooks and when they get back to the future, the crooks return the money and turn themselves in.

8. "Batter Up" (November 9, 1991)

• Marty goes back to the 1897 National League Pennant Race to help his ancestor, Pee Wee McFly - the pitcher for the Boston Beaneaters, win the Series. Using one of Doc's inventions, a pair of glasses that helps the batter to hit like a major leaguer, Marty "steps" in for Pee Wee and wins a critical game. Instead of being thankful, Pee Wee is terrified - he is being pressured to "throw" the games by Diamond Jim Tannen, a big time gangster. With Jules and Verne, Marty helps Pee Wee win the Pennant and Diamond Jim gets hauled off by the police.

9. "Solar Sailors" (November 16, 1991)

• As an Anniversary gift to his parents, Jules has created an invention that displays front page headlines from the future and gives his second gift - tickets on a space cruise in the year 2091. Clara and Doc take the DeLorean to the future and board MSC Jennifer - a solar sail ship whose captain is Ms. Marta McFly, Marty's great-granddaughter. Back at home, Jules and Verne use the headline machine and find out that the solar sail ship is in danger (it is sabotaged by Ziff Tannen.) As Doc and Clara attempt to repair the solar sails, Jules and Verne head to the future to help save their parents. Ziff is eventually caught and Doc and Clara return home safely.

10. "Dickens of a Christmas" (November 23, 1991)

• After hearing everyone complain about the summer heat, Doc takes Marty and his family to 1800s London to celebrate a "Dickens" Christmas. Once there, Doc entrusts his pocket watch (with the key to the DeLorean hooked on it) to Jules. When Clara, Doc and Marty go inside a toy store, a pickpocket steals the watch from Jules and the boys pursue the thief. The boys are caught by the leader of the pickpockets and are forced to join the group. While Doc and Marty go to look for them, Ebiffnezer Tannen, the landlord of the toy shop, throws the shopkeeper, his family and Clara into debtor's prison. Doc and Marty rescue the boys and decide to teach Ebiffnezer a lesson on humanity by having Marty dressed up as the ghost of Christmas (with flying effects created by the hoverboard.) Ebiffnezer has a change of heart and releases everyone from debtor's prison.

11. "Gone Fishin'" (November 30, 1991)

• It's the "Father-Son Big Mouth Bass-Off" and the boys learn that their father is afraid of fishing. Using a wacky invention, the boys go into Doc's memory and find out that while staying with his Oddball Uncle Oliver one summer, four-year-old Doc fell into the river while fishing. The boys, with Marty tagging along, head back in time to prevent the accident thus eliminating Doc's fear of fishing. The boys prevent the accident but create a new one, and Marty falls into the river. When little Emmett Brown casts his line, it gets caught on a low flying stunt biplane. When the pilot lands, Emmett is heralded as Daredevil Brown. Little Emmett becomes very famous doing crazy stunts around the country. When he arrives in Hollywood, movie producer D.W. Tannen proposes a very dangerous stunt (the ol' barrel over the waterfall stunt) but promises that a dummy will take Emmett's place. In reality, Tannen plans on keeping Emmett in the barrel for the "realistic" look but Marty and the boys foul up his plans and save Emmett. When Marty and the boys head back in the future, Doc is ready to go to the Bass-Off.

12. "Retired" (December 7, 1991)

• On April Fool's Day, Jules and Verne "sabotage" many of Doc's inventions, including his Brain Wave Analyzer. After using the tampered machine, Doc thinks he has used up 99.9% of his brain and retires from science. After many attempts at seeking other employment parking cars, mowing lawns, making pizzas), he goes back in time to the Cro-Magnon period. Realizing that there are still things left to invent (the wheel, etc...), he decides to go to Marty's rock and roll concert - it is something totally mindless. Marty has "borrowed" one of Doc's tampered inventions - the Environmental Adjuster - to create special effects for the concert and in doing so, creates a catastrophic rainstorm/flood. When Marty accidentally tears up the curtain and lands into the water along with Jules and Verne, it's up to Doc to use his remaining .01% " of his brain to get everyone out of danger. The boys confess to their pranks and the inventor returns to his life of science.

13. "Clara's Folks" (December 14, 1991)

• Verne, Jules and Marty head back to 1850 Wyoming to meet Jules and Verne's maternal grandmother on the Oregon Trail. Once they arrive, Martha falls instantly in love with Marty and causes Clara to disappear in the future. The boys and Marty must arrange for Martha to meet Daniel, their grandfather, so the two of them can fall in love. Wild Bill Tannen enters the picture and kidnaps Martha for himself. Doc, who has used the locomotive to travel back in time, arrives with Daniel to find that Wild Bill has run away and Verne and Martha are in the process of being attacked by a Grizzly Bear. Doc surveys the area, recognizes the terrain and instructs them to throw a buffalo hide over a hole and mere moments later, a column of water (Old Faithful) elevates them up and out of danger. Daniel and Martha's eyes meet and they fall in love. History is back on track.

Season 2

14. "Mac the Black" (September 19, 1992)

• When Marty lies to Jennifer about the concert, Verne really wants to get an earring but Clara and Doc object. With Marty in tow, Verne steals away to the Caribbean in the 1500s to become a pirate and get an earring. Once there, Marty is mistaken for the infamous pirate, Mac The Black. The story escalates when the real Mac The Black confronts Marty and Verne while the Spanish Armada engages the pirates in battle. When he and Verne head back to the normal future, Marty apologizes and tells the truth to Jennifer.

15. "Put on Your Thinking Caps, Kids! It's Time for Mr. Wisdom!" (September 26, 1992)

• Mr. Wisdom, host of a children's scientific show and Verne's biggest hero, is broadcasting an episode from Hill Valley. Verne and Marty go to meet Mr. Wisdom in person and they end up bringing him to Doc's lab. Doc angrily confronts Mr. Wisdom, explaining to Verne and Marty that Mr. Wisdom was Doc's college roommate and stole one of Doc's inventions to win a science fair. Later, Mr. Wisdom breaks into Doc's lab and steals the DeLorean. Once Doc, Marty, Jules, and Verne find the culprit before landing in the volcano overflowing with lava, a crazy contest is held to see who the real scientific genius is...and Verne admires a new hero.

16. "A Friend In Deed" (October 3, 1992)

• Biff announces that he has a legal deed from the 1800s for Jennifer Parker's ranch and plans to evict her family. With the intention of helping his girlfriend Jennifer, Marty heads back to the Old West to find the truth to the matter. Once there, Marty finds out that the Parkers were swindled out of their property by an outlaw Tannen ancestor. Marty joins the gang of Thaddeus Tannen, hoping to prevent the scheme from happening.

17. "Marty McFly PFC" (October 17, 1992)

• Verne hates taking dance lessons and asks Doc for his help. Doc tells him that he once had "blueprints" for a dance machine that helps one to remember the steps but the blueprints were lost in a fire when Doc was a young man. Verne and Marty head back to the early forties, where Verne has the opportunity to meet his dance instructor, Dorothy, when she was a young girl. Verne and Dorothy end up winning a dance contest but poor Marty is inducted into the Army and begins to cry. Meanwhile, Verne rescues Marty from being drafted.

18. "Verne's New Friend" (October 24, 1992)

• While playing baseball, Verne meets a new friend. Chris, who sports a baseball cap, can play like nobody's business and becomes the "hit" of the game. He and Chris begin to pal around and end up in the comic book store. Seeing an old poster of a circus long since disbanded, Verne and Chris head back into the 1930s to see the circus in its heyday. The circus is in serious financial trouble. Farmer Tannen is about to take over the circus because the owners are unable to pay rent to Tannen for the fairgrounds. When the star high-wire act quits, Verne and Chris come to the rescue by taking over the act. Verne finds out that his buddy, Chris, is a girl. Chris (short for Christina) ends up saving Verne from a high-wire fall. Verne gives up his prejudice against "females" and saves a wonderful friendship.

19. "Bravelord and the Demon Monstrux" (October 31, 1992)

• Verne has become a video addict. His game of choice, or addiction, is called "BraveLord and Monstrux. " After neglecting his duties because of the video arcade game, Doc and Clara ground Verne to his room. Jules, with help from Marty, attempt to placate Verne by using a device that would transfer the game electronically to Verne's bedroom TV screen, thus enabling him to continue to play. Unfortunately, something goes haywire with the wiring and the characters of the game come to life, while Doc is transported into the game. BraveLord, a "He-man" muscle man, ends up in Verne's bedroom while the vile Demon monstrux ends up at Biff's house. Verne, Jules, Marty and Clara must defeat the Demon Monstrux, get it and BraveLord back into the game and Doc back into reality.

20. "The Money Tree" (November 7, 1992)

• Jules is tired of being considered a brainiac, unpopular kid. Verne plants the idea in Jules' head to grow a money tree, which makes Jules the popular rich kid at school. Unfortunately, greed takes root. Jules spends on-credit, buying gifts for his new friends and his family (like Doc and Clara), while the money leaves ripened. Jules teaches Marty how to not let the crooks steal the tree. The news media gets wind of the wonderkid with the money tree. The FBI hears the story and believes the tree to be a part of a counterfeiting operation. While Marty is asleep outside, Biff and Biff Jr. steal the tree in the middle of the night. When Marty and the Browns attempt to retrieve the tree, the boys almost get hurt. They all realize what money has done to their priorities and they decide to let the tree go. Biff and Biff Jr. get their just rewards when the FBI arrests them for being in possession of the tree, whose leaves turn brown after being picked. Jules ends up keeping some of his new friends because they realize that he is an okay kid.

21. "A Verne by Any Other Name" (November 14, 1992)

• After being teased by kids at school about his name, Verne decides that he wants a new name. After Verne finds his out that his parents named him after Jules Verne, he and Marty head back to 1800s France to convince Jules Verne to change his name. When that plan fails, they head to the Old West (where Doc and Clara first lived via the time traveling locomotive) to convince Doc and Clara to use another name for Verne, who is about to be born. Verne is depressed to find out that the other alternatives for his name are Jehosaphat and Galileo -- not very appealing or cool, to say the least. Max, Marky, Luke Ferry and Bart Simpson are not considered. After Verne courageously helps out with his own birth, Clara and Doc name Verne after a very brave young man...Verne!

22. "Hill Valley Brown-Out" (November 21, 1992)

• After causing another power outage in Hill Valley, thus affecting the upcoming Founder's Day Celebration and angering Clara, Doc offers to fix the town's power plant by increasing its output and producing free electricity... Unfortunately, Doc's upgrades to the system causing everything electrical to turn on (and on and on.) People are unable to turn off lights, lawnmowers, hairdryers, etc... Biff decides to run Doc and his family "outta town. " The town residents rally around Biff, who decides to "fix" the power plant. Biff causes everything to explode like fireworks, including street lights, etc... and the residents turn to Doc to shut the system down. Unfortunately, there is no power for the Founder's Day Celebration, which means no rock concerts, no bash-em-up bumper cars, etc... An old man shows up and tells everyone that there was no electricity when the town was first settled. The first Founder's Day was celebrated with horse shoe tossin', quiltin' bees, barn dances and chasin' greased pigs. Everyone decides to celebrate Founder's Day like the original Founders did.

23. "My Pop's an Alien" (December 5, 1992)

• As the comet Kahooey is about to pass the Earth's orbit, Biff declares that aliens are coming and causes the residents of Hill Valley to panic. Biff finds a "space craft" behind Doc's oleander bushes -- an alien craft he recognizes from 25 years earlier and the last time comet Kahooey appeared. Biff has the military, police and assorted agencies believing that Doc is an alien. With Doc in serious trouble, Marty, Jules and Verne travel back to 1967 to straighten out the mess. Marty and the boys find that Doc has built a flying craft to view the comet and that Biff has mistaken it for an alien space ship. Confronting Biff in bee keeper suits and the DeLorean, they make Biff promise that he won't say anything about the "visit" from the aliens -- now and in the future. Biff promises and Marty, Jules and Verne head back into the future in 1992, early 1993. When they arrive, Doc is fine and Biff is trying to peddle some cheesy "alien" souvenirs without much luck.

24. "Super Doc" (December 12, 1992)

• Verne is being pressured by the bully Jackson to swing over Deadman's swamp on a rope to become a member of the Mega-Muscle-Man Club. Verne is skeptical and considered a chicken. Verne finds his father with Marty; Marty is wearing booster boots - one of Doc's new inventions. Verne tells them of his predicament. Jules enters with an old box of newspapers. Marty and the boys discover that Doc was involved in Small Town Wrestling in the 1950s. Doc tells them that he was set for a match but never entered the ring. Verne thinks that if his dad had become a wrestler, the other kids would really think that he was cool. Marty and the boys head back in time to make sure that Doc competes in the match. Once there, Emmett "Brain Buster" Brown enters the ring but gets conked on the head with the hanging microphone. A loopy Doc then believes that he is a superhero -- Mega-Brain-Man! Wearing Marty's booster boots and the wrestling outfit, Doc scours the city, putting evil-doers in their place. As it turns out, "Mega-Brain-Man" constantly mistakes ordinary events as "dastardly" deeds and acts inappropriately. After one incident, Doc regains his memory and is taken back to the ring to finish his match...where he is defeated. He decides to continue his pursuit in science. Marty and the boys head back to the future. Verne is once again pressured to swing over the swamp and declines, saying that he will follow his instincts. Jackson grabs the rope and swings. The rope breaks and Jackson goes down into the goop...and Verne declares as he leaves, "This is Mega-Brain-Man saying yoicks and away!"

25. "St. Louis Blues" (December 19, 1992)

• While playing putt-putt golf, Marty angers Jennifer by making fun of her hairdo (which he caused to look dreadful) and making a date with Liz (a snobbish, nasty girl in their class.) Marty stops by the Browns' house to borrow money for a haircut to go out with Liz. No one is home and Marty uses an unperfected hair cutting invention to save money. The device causes Marty's hair to drastically change styles instantaneously. Einie communicates with Marty that the Browns are at the local amusement park. Marty goes to the park and finds Jules and Verne; Clara and Doc have gone off for some "lemonade" at another fair -- the 1904 World's Fair Exposition in St. Louis. Using the locomotive, Marty and the boys go to find Doc and Clara; Marty needs Doc's help in fixing the hilarious affects of the hair cutting machine. Once there, P.T. Tannen kidnaps Marty and displays him in a side-show as a "curiosity of nature. Doc, Clara and the boys save Marty and head home. Marty breaks his date with Liz (who has already found someone else, like richest boy Milton Van Conrad the Third, to take her out) and apologizes to Jennifer for making fun of her hairdo.

26. "Verne Hatches an Egg" (December 26, 1992)

• After Biff Jr. steals the arrowhead that Verne was going to use for his "Show and Tell, " Verne takes the DeLorean to find something really special. Not thinking, he procures a dinosaur egg which hatches back in 1990s Hill Valley. Verne, with the help of Jules and Marty, must hide the fast-growing dinosaur from his family and the rest of the town. The dinosaur is in danger when Biff and Biff Jr. capture it. They, in turn, sell it to Mr. Wisdom, who plans on dissecting poor "Tiny" and making lots of money. Marty and the entire Brown family save the baby dinosaur and reunite him with his mother in prehistoric times.

Episodes 1-26 are now available on home video.

External links

• Official Universal Pictures site advertising the trilogy.
• BTTF.com
• Parked domain registered by Universal Home Video for publicizing an eventual DVD release of the series
• Back to the Future: The Animated Series at IMDb