Child's Play (Time Squad)

''Time Squad'' is an American animated television series created by Dave Wasson for Cartoon Network and the tenth of the network's Cartoon Cartoons. It follows the adventures of Otto Osworth, Buck Tuddrussel, and the robot Larry 3000, a trio of hapless "time cops" living in the far distant future who travel back in time attempting to correct the course of history. During their adventures, they run into major historical figures such as Julius Caesar, Abraham Lincoln, Sigmund Freud, Leonardo da Vinci, the Founding Fathers, and Moctezuma, who have taken a drastically different course of life than history dictates. The mission of the Time Squad is to guide these figures onto the correct path and ensure the integrity of the future.

The series premiered during Cartoon Network's marathon block "Cartoon Cartoon Summer" on June 8, 2001, and ended after two seasons on November 26, 2003, airing 26 episodes in total. In the course of its run, the series received five Annie Award nominations. Creator Dave Wasson described the series as "a C-average student's approach o history€”a CliffsNotes version of what historical characters did and giving it a twist." It is the final Cartoon Network original series to premiere during Betty Cohen's tenure, as she later resigned due to creative disagreements with Jamie Kellner, then-head of Turner Broadcasting System. Cohen was eventually replaced with Jim Samples ten days after ''Time Squad'' premiered.

''Time Squad'' was the first Cartoon Network original series to be entirely produced by Cartoon Network Studios, no longer a division of Hanna-Barbera following the death of William Hanna in 2001. The show began airing on Canada's Teletoon Detour block in 2002. The show features music from Michael Tavera, who would later make music for ''¡Mucha Lucha!'', '' Lilo & Stitch: The Series'', ''Yin Yang Yo!'' and ''The Secret Saturdays''.

Premise

Set in the year 100,000,000 AD on a satellite orbiting Earth, ''Time Squad'' follows the adventures of Buck Tuddrussell (voiced by Rob Paulsen), a muscular and dim-witted officer of the law; Larry 3000 (voiced by Mark Hamill), a serious and stern robot; and Otto Osworth (voiced by Pamela Adlon), an eight-year-old orphan history buff, as they travel together backwards in time to set right the course of history as it unravels.

The Time Squad organization is set up to ensure that history is maintained and the future protected. According to Larry 3000, "time is like a rope", and, as it is woven at one end, ages and gradually unravels and frays at the other. In the context of the show, this often means that historical figures have made different, sometimes anachronistic, choices in life, and as such will not be able to fulfill the role that history says they fulfilled. According to creator Dave Wasson, "We started by basically knowing what a guy did in history, then found the most outlandish way he could go wrong".

Future Earth is now a peaceful utopia where all nations of the world have merged into one, and according to Tuddrussel, Earth has "no more war, no pollution, and bacon is good for your heart". Despite this cheerful vision of the future, the space station on which the characters live and from which they travel to the past is remarkably dystopic. It features a shooting range, a terrarium and a prison for repeat offenders, but it is dank, outdated (for the time) and unclean. Mostly this seems to be down to officer Buck Tuddrussel, a scruffy and immature perennial bachelor, who nevertheless happens to be the station's most senior officer.

The only other official member of Buck's unit is Larry 3000, a translator robot and former diplomat who was rendered more or less obsolete when all of the world's nations merged. Buck's mindless machismo clashes with Larry's effete sensibilities, and the two bicker terribly.

When they encounter Otto Osworth, an orphan from the 21st century, he is quickly recruited as he is the only one on the team with any enthusiasm or competence for the job. Neither of the other two are particularly willing to listen to his advice, and Otto must often resort to trickery to make sure the mission is completed.

Characters

Main

* Otto Osworth (voiced by Pamela Adlon) is a near-sighted orphan picked up by Tuddrussel and Larry, taken on board due to their incompetence and his impressive historical knowledge. Otto has been compared to Sherman from ''The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends'' segment '' Mr. Peabody''. Despite being a bookworm, his demeanor is far from boring; he is just as childlike and jocular as any regular eight-year-old. Even though he is the youngest of the group, he is the most responsible out of the squad, being the only one pure enough to not let himself get swayed by temptations. Depending on who he is siding with, he can either become loud and destructive (when Tuddrussel has him company) or composed and calm (when it's Larry he agrees with). It is unknown what happened to Otto's parents.
* Lawrence "Larry" 3000 (voiced by Mark Hamill) is described as "a prissy robot who thinks the whole mission is slightly beneath him. Think C3PO with metal bell-bottoms and without a sense of humor." His job is to make sure the squad ends up at the right time and place. Initially, he was programmed as a polyglottic robot for diplomatic purposes; when all of the nations rejoiced into one, huge country, his consular abilities were no longer needed. Larry is famous for his effeminate behavior and interests, which are portrayed all but subtly. Unusually, he is extremely dramatic and open in showing his emotions whilst still being the snarkiest of the trio. He prides himself on having knowledge of proper etiquette and manners. For Otto, he has been repeatedly depicted as a maternal figure.
* Beauregard "Buck" Tuddrussel (voiced by Rob Paulsen) is described as "a square-jawed cop too dumb to know he's dumb. Think Buzz Lightyear with a few extra male chromosomes." Whenever there is someone who needs a beating up (and even when they do not), he is the best person to get assigned for such a task. Impulsiveness, aggressiveness, and air-headedness are traits that define Tuddrussel quite nicely. Buck is easygoing toward Otto and prides himself on being the "fun" parent. Not much of his backstory is known, aside from his Southern heritage and a short-lived marriage to fellow time cop Sheila Sternwell.

Recurring

* Sheila Sternwell Tuddrussel (voiced by Mari Weiss) is a lieutenant within Time Squad ranks, Sheila is a no-nonsense woman that takes her job seriously. The ex-wife of Buck Tuddrussel, it is made clear that while she regrets making the mistake of marrying him in the first place, and can be slightly bitter towards him, she actually does not resent him and still does her job and helps out Tuddrussel and his unit when needed. She even seems to go far in not ratting out Tuddrussel and Larry over Otto, and other screw ups that she should be reporting.
* XJ5 (voiced by Daran Norris) is an advanced robot that is more qualified for the job of a time cop than Larry, and he loves to rub it in. Working with Officer Sternwell, XJ5 provides actual help and guidance on missions.

Production

At a press conference on February 21, 2001, Cartoon Network announced that it had greenlit four new series, one of which was ''Time Squad'', which was set to begin broadcasting in June. The announcement was the result of a $500 million investment granted to Cartoon Network during the previous year for expansion of original programming through 2005. Other series that came about as part of the deal were ''Samurai Jack'', ''Grim & Evil'', and ''Justice League''.

''Time Squad'' was created by Dave Wasson, who was known for animating short films on Nickelodeon's ''Oh Yeah! Cartoons'' such as ''Max & His Special Problem'', which garnered Wasson a Daytime Emmy Award for production design in 1999. The series premiered during Cartoon Network's Friday night "Cartoon Cartoon Summer" block on June 8, 2001, at 9 PM EST. As part of the investment deal, the series was greenlit for 26 episodes.

Broadcast

''Time Squad'' launched on Cartoon Network and Boomerang's video-on-demand service in November 2002. The series was first broadcast in Australia in mid-2002 on Cartoon Network.

Episodes

''Note'': All episodes were directed by the series creator Dave Wasson, though Larry Leichliter co-directed "Keepin' It Real with Sitting Bull", "A Thrilla at Attila's", "Pasteur's Packs O' Punch", "Love at First Flight", "Child's Play", "Father Figure of Our Country", and "Floral Patton".

Season 1 (2001)

Season 2 (2002–03)

Reception

''Entertainment Weekly'' gave the series a B rating, calling it "fast and snappy, and you just might be able to trick your kid into a (somewhat tweaked) history lesson as well." In a review for the ''Houston Chronicle'', contributor Lana Berkowitz rated the series a B, stating that it consisted of "more laughs than lessons".

Awards and nominations

Merchandise

Home media releases

A DVD consisting of the first three episodes of the series was released in the United Kingdom by Boulevard Entertainment.

Promotions

Cartoon Network and Subway partnered to release five ''Time Squad''-themed toys in Subway Kids Paks. The promotion lasted from September 30 to November 17, 2002.

References

External links

*
*

{{Portal bar, Television, Animation, Cartoon Network, Cartoon, Science Fiction

Cartoon Network original programming
Television series by Cartoon Network Studios
Depictions of Julius Caesar on television
2000s American animated television series
2000s American children's television series
2000s American comic science fiction television series
2001 American animated television series debuts
2003 American television series endings
2000s American time travel television series
American English-language television shows
Animated television series about orphans
Animated television series about robots
Animation based on real people
Television series set in the future
Television series created by Dave Wasson
American children's animated comic science fiction television series
American children's animated science fantasy television series
Cultural depictions of Abraham Lincoln
Cultural depictions of Sigmund Freud
Cultural depictions of Leonardo da Vinci
Cartoon Cartoons