# Time Squad
**Time Squad** is an American animated television series created by Dave Wasson that follows a trio of hapless "time cops" who travel back in time attempting to correct the course of history. It aired on [Cartoon Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/cartoon-network) from June 8, 2001, to November 26, 2003, across 26 episodes in two seasons.[1](https://moviespack.com/shows/similar/time-squad) The show belongs to the network's "Cartoon Cartoons" era of original series and has been compared to Jay Ward's Mr. Peabody and Sherman segments from *Rocky and His Friends*, which used a similar premise of time-travel visits to historical figures.[2](https://gonzolibrary.wordpress.com/2020/04/01/time-squad-the-mr-peabody-and-sherman-of-the-21st-century/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Created by | Dave Wasson, executive producer, director, and writer[3](https://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item?item=B%3A70345&p=69&q=better) |
| Original run | Cartoon Network, June 8, 2001 to November 26, 2003; 26 episodes in 2 seasons[1](https://moviespack.com/shows/similar/time-squad) |
| Main characters | Otto Osworth, an 8-year-old orphan; Officer Buck Tuddrussel; and the robot Larry 3000[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/24100/time-squad) |
| Voice cast | Rob Paulsen (Buck Tuddrussel), Mark Hamill (Larry 3000), Pamela Adlon (Otto Osworth)[5](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0291672) |
| Production milestone | First original Cartoon Network series produced at the network's Burbank studios[6](https://www.starburstmagazine.com/features/the-telephemera-years-2000-part-4/) |
| Rating | TV-Y7, directed to older children[7](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jun-08-ca-7825-story.html) |
| Critical score | Season 1 Tomatometer of 70% based on 3 reviews[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/time_squad/s01) |
## Premise and characters
The Time Squad's stated mission, in the show's motto, is "Exploring the past to protect our future." The team operates from a blissful future where there is no more war or pollution, and it detects moments when historical figures have gone off course and travels back to set them straight.[7](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jun-08-ca-7825-story.html) The comedy comes from the team's composition: Officer Buck Tuddrussel is a dense, two-fisted time cop who punches first and asks questions later; Larry 3000 is a sarcastic robot programmed in etiquette and culture; and Otto Osworth, a smart, squeaky-voiced 8-year-old orphan, is much brighter than Buck and the de facto brains of the operation.[7](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jun-08-ca-7825-story.html) • [4](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/24100/time-squad)
Each episode centers on a historical figure who has taken a drastically different course of life than history dictates, and the squad's job is to nudge them back on track.[9](https://cartoonnetworkcn.fandom.com/wiki/Time_Squad) Typical gags include Beethoven more interested in professional wrestling than music, [Albert Einstein](https://www.edgepedia.org/albert-einstein) selling cars in Texas, the [Wright brothers](https://www.edgepedia.org/wright-brothers) interested in attention rather than invention, [Betsy Ross](https://www.edgepedia.org/betsy-ross) running a Woodstock-style hippie farm for Washington's troops, and Eli Whitney, in the series opener, building an army of flesh-eating robots instead of the cotton gin.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/time_squad/s01) • [7](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jun-08-ca-7825-story.html)
## Production and placement at Cartoon Network
Dave Wasson, a graduate of the CalArts animation program that also produced [Tim Burton](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-burton), Brad Bird, and [John Lasseter](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-lasseter), created the series.[6](https://www.starburstmagazine.com/features/the-telephemera-years-2000-part-4/) *Time Squad* was announced as one of four new animated series for Cartoon Network's 2001-2002 season, entering alongside *Grim & Evil*.[10](https://www.nexttv.com/news/cartoon-adds-four-new-shows-136639) It was the tenth series launched under the "Cartoon Cartoon" brand, the umbrella that had produced *The Powerpuff Girls*, *Dexter's Laboratory*, and *Ed, Edd n Eddy*, and it was the first original Cartoon Network series produced at the network's own Burbank studios.[11](https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/feature/25-years-later-this-lost-cartoon-network-classic-is-still-the-funniest-sci-fi-show/) • [6](https://www.starburstmagazine.com/features/the-telephemera-years-2000-part-4/)
Wasson described the series as "a C-average student's approach to history," a framing that matches the show's loose relationship with the historical record.[1](https://moviespack.com/shows/similar/time-squad) The half-hour episodes carried a TV-Y7 rating, and a representative installment recorded by the Paley Center for Media runs about 22 minutes of content.[7](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jun-08-ca-7825-story.html) • [3](https://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item?item=B%3A70345&p=69&q=better)
## Reception
Contemporary reviews were lukewarm. The Los Angeles Times' Steven Linan called the series an ordinary half-hour that "takes a stab at meshing hip humor with slight slices of history, coming up short on both counts," while acknowledging the debt to Mr. Peabody and Sherman and singling out a joke about Tuddrussel's future, where "bacon is good for your heart," as the best line in the premiere.[7](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jun-08-ca-7825-story.html) A Salon television column noted the same Peabody comparison when the show debuted on June 8, 2001.[12](https://www.salon.com/2001/06/08/glow_524/) On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a 70% Tomatometer from three reviews; a [Chicago Tribune](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-tribune) review held that the show's clever writing compensated for its stylized animation and unattractive character design, and a Houston Chronicle review suggested that children watching the mayhem might get the joke later when a real history lesson kicks in.[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/time_squad/s01)
## Legacy and international broadcast
Retrospective commentary has treated the show as a cult favorite of the [Cartoon Cartoons](https://www.edgepedia.org/cartoon-cartoons) era, with recurring comparisons to Mr. Peabody and Sherman and a dedicated fanbase that continues to discuss the series.[2](https://gonzolibrary.wordpress.com/2020/04/01/time-squad-the-mr-peabody-and-sherman-of-the-21st-century/) • [13](https://www.scifidimensions.com/is-time-squad-worth-watching/) The series also circulated internationally: it aired in Poland beginning April 6, 2002 under the title *Strażnicy czasu* and later moved to Cartoon Network's sister channel [Boomerang](https://www.edgepedia.org/boomerang) in Europe.[14](https://cartoonnetwork.fandom.com/pl/wiki/Stra%C5%BCnicy_czasu)
## References
1. [Time Squad (2001) – Shows Like Time Squad, MoviesPack](https://moviespack.com/shows/similar/time-squad)
2. [Time Squad: The Mr. Peabody and Sherman of the 21st Century, Gonzo Library](https://gonzolibrary.wordpress.com/2020/04/01/time-squad-the-mr-peabody-and-sherman-of-the-21st-century/)
3. [Time Squad: {Dishonest Abe; Blackbeard, Warm Heart} (TV), The Paley Center for Media](https://www.paleycenter.org/collection/item?item=B%3A70345&p=69&q=better)
4. [Time Squad, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/24100/time-squad)
5. [Time Squad (TV Series 2001–2003), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0291672)
6. [The Telephemera Years: 2000 – Part 4, Starburst Magazine](https://www.starburstmagazine.com/features/the-telephemera-years-2000-part-4/)
7. [Steven Linan, "'Time Squad' Mixes History, Humor," Los Angeles Times, June 8, 2001](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-jun-08-ca-7825-story.html)
8. [Time Squad: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/time_squad/s01)
9. [Time Squad, Cartoon Network Wiki (Fandom)](https://cartoonnetworkcn.fandom.com/wiki/Time_Squad)
10. [Cartoon Adds Four New Shows, Multichannel News / Next TV](https://www.nexttv.com/news/cartoon-adds-four-new-shows-136639)
11. [25 Years Later, This Lost Cartoon Network Classic Is Still The Funniest Sci-Fi Show, ComicBook.com](https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/feature/25-years-later-this-lost-cartoon-network-classic-is-still-the-funniest-sci-fi-show/)
12. [Joyce Millman, "Blue Glow," Salon, June 8, 2001](https://www.salon.com/2001/06/08/glow_524/)
13. [Is "Time Squad" Worth Watching?, Scifi Dimensions](https://www.scifidimensions.com/is-time-squad-worth-watching/)
14. [Strażnicy czasu, Cartoon Network Wiki (Fandom, Polish)](https://cartoonnetwork.fandom.com/pl/wiki/Stra%C5%BCnicy_czasu)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Animated television series (individual series) › Children's animated adventure and fantasy series › Superhero and action-adventure series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license