''Do Over'' is an American

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

television series created by Kenny Schwartz and Rick Wiener about a man who gets a chance to relive his childhood. The series, which was originally broadcast on

The WB The WB Television Network (for Warner Bros., or the "Frog Network", for its former mascot, Michigan J. Frog) was an American television network launched on broadcast television on January 11, 1995, as a joint venture between the Warner Bros. ...

from September 19 to December 5, 2002, and it stars

Penn Badgley Penn Dayton Badgley (born November 1, 1986) is an American actor and musician. He is known for his roles as Dan Humphrey in The CW teen drama series ''Gossip Girl'' (2007–2012) and as Joe Goldberg in the Netflix thriller series '' You'' (2018 ...

Synopsis

The series begins showing an adult Joel Larsen as a single, depressed paper salesman disappointed with how his life turned out. Joel missed a lot of opportunities; his once-popular sister is now a drug-addict, his idealistic best friend sold out, and his mother ran off and left his father an unhealthy, bitter man. However, a shock from defibrillation paddles sends Joel back to 1981 as his 14-year-old self. He wakes up in his teenage body, but with all his adult memories from 2002 intact. He eventually accepts this new reality, although he tells no one except his best friend, Pat. Blessed with adult wisdom, though hampered by adolescent urges, Joel sets out to right the wrongs that he knows will befall him and his family. Joel is forced to readjust to the culture of the early 1980s, to junior high, and the trials and tribulations of adolescence. He is forced to relive certain moments of his life, but is always determined to improve the outcome. A running gag in the show is Joel's creative mother coming up with a "new" invention (fanny pack, Lunchables, post-its, etc.) which is usually ridiculed by the father, who instead wants to invest in items such as asbestos tile, Betamax cassettes, or electric typewriters. Some episodes show Joel using his knowledge of the future for personal gain: investing in Intel stock, palming off 1990s song hits as his own, befriending a future billionaire, etc. However, the situations never work out according to plan and Joel usually ends up realizing he needs to use this opportunity to help himself, his family and friends take different paths. The final episode of the series shows Joel convincing his father to invest in one of his mother's inventions, which to Joel's surprise is the one invention that doesn't exist in the future. It ends with Joel and his family toasting the future.

Cast

as Joel Larsen *

Tom Everett Scott Thomas Everett Scott (born September 7, 1970) is an American actor. His film work includes a starring role as drummer Guy Patterson in the film ''That Thing You Do!'', the protagonist in ''An American Werewolf in Paris'', and notable roles in ...

as the voice of adult Joel Larsen *

Angela Goethals Angela Bethany Goethals ( ) is an American film, television and stage actress. Goethals made her acting debut in the Broadway production of ''Coastal Disturbances'' in 1987, and later played the sister of Macaulay Culkin's character in '' Home ...

as Cheryl Larsen, Joel's sister *

Josh Wise Joshua Wise (born February 7, 1983) is an American former professional stock car racing driver and currently an athletic trainer for Chip Ganassi Racing. He began racing in open wheel cars. Wise won the 1999 USAC 3/4 Midget Division, 2005 USAC Na ...

as Pat Brody, Joel's best friend *

Natasha Melnick Natasha Melnick (born April 10, 1984) is an American television and film actress, best known for her role as Cindy Sanders on the short-lived 1999 NBC comedy drama ''Freaks and Geeks''. Career Melnick was born in Los Angeles, California. She gr ...

as Isabelle Meyers, Joel's other close friend *

Michael Milhoan Michael Milhoan (born December 19, 1957) is an American actor. Best known as Dante Pacino in '' Something So Right'' (1996-1998). Early life Milhoan was born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida. He studied jazz music in his early days, then ...

as Bill Larsen, Joel's dad *

Gigi Rice Georgeanne Marie Rice is an American actress. Biography Rice graduated from The Ohio State University, with a bachelor of fine arts in musical theatre. Following her graduation, Rice served as an apprentice at Burt Reynolds's Maltz Jupiter Th ...

as Karen Larsen, Joel's mom

Theme song

The theme song was ''Do It Over'' by the

Go-Go's The Go-Go's are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1978. Except for short periods when other musicians joined briefly, the band has had a relatively stable lineup consisting of Charlotte Caffey on lead guitar and keyboards, Belind ...

. It was usually prefaced by an introductory statement by adult Joel Larson.

Episodes

Reception and cancellation

The show originally aired on The WB in 2002. It was scheduled on Thursdays at 8:30 EST. The show was pitted against CBS's '' Survivor'' and NBC's '' Scrubs''. Although the show had a devoted fan base, it suffered from low ratings and was cancelled after showing eleven of fifteen episodes. The entire series, including the final four episodes, aired on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

in Great Britain in September 2008.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{The WB 2000s American single-camera sitcoms 2000s American teen sitcoms 2002 American television series debuts 2002 American television series endings English-language television shows American fantasy television series American time travel television series Television series about teenagers Television series by CBS Studios Television shows set in Massachusetts The WB original programming Television series set in 1981 2000s American time travel television series