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As a follow-up to their wildly successful prehistoric primetime animated series, The Flintstones, Hanna-Barbera introduced viewers to another animated family: The Jetsons. This time, instead of a family from the Stone Age, the Jetsons—George and Jane (George O’Hanlon and Penny Singleton), teenage daughter Judy (Janet Waldo), brainy young son Elroy (Daws Butler), their dog, Astro (Don Messick), and their robot maid, Rosey (Jean Vander Pyl)—came straight out of the future, traveling in a flying car that could fold up into a suitcase to save space. The show aired for 24 episodes before going off the air in 1963.
Over 20 years later, in 1985, The Jetsons finally came back for a second season, with the same lovable characters (with just one notable addition) and even the same voice cast (all of which is explained, incidentally, on the set’s one special feature, The Jetsons Return to the Feature).
The 21 episodes in this three-disc set follow the Jetsons and their new pet—a springy endangered alien called Orbity—through hours of gadget-filled futuristic adventures. Whether the Jetsons are throwing Judy a surprise birthday bash, working together to compete against the Spacelys on a TV quiz show, or even just sitting down together for a nice machine-prepared meal, each far-out adventure offers plenty of laughs—and even a little bit of heart.
Though they aired more than two decades after the show’s original season, the new episodes of The Jetsons stay so true to the show’s roots that you’ll hardly even notice a difference. In fact, the most noticeable difference is Orbity, who doesn’t even appear in every episode. Otherwise, the characters are the same. George is still as stressed-out as ever—which is perfectly understandable, since his tyrannical little boss, Mr. Spacely (Mel Blanc), threatens to fire him in just about every episode. Elroy’s just as cute and curious, Judy’s just as popular, and Jane’s still shopping. And, of course, there’s Rosey, the reliable robot who keeps the family functioning.
While the stories are entertaining and the characters are lovable, though, my favorite thing about The Jetsons is still the gadgets. As a kid, I loved the futuristic inventions—the housekeeping robots, the hairstyling devices, the food-preparing machines, and the flying cars. Now that I’m an adult, I appreciate them even more—because I’d love to be able to make dinner (or clean the house…or get a makeover) just by pushing a couple of buttons.
These new episodes of The Jetsons aren’t quite as wildly entertaining as I remembered from all those Saturday mornings as a kid—so I didn’t end up sitting down and watching all 21 episodes back-to-back. But they’re still filled with futuristic, family-friendly fun—making this a cartoon collection that both parents and kids will enjoy.
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