Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures (1990 TV series)

Lore & Background

The first season of the animated series was produced by Hanna-Barbera and aired on CBS in 1990, with Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin, and Bernie Casey reprising their film roles. For the second season in 1991, the animated series switched production companies and networks, now airing on Fox Kids, and produced by DIC Animation City. As Fox was also planning on airing a new live-action version series with the same name, the cast was replaced, and the leads were now voiced by Evan Richards and Christopher Kennedy, the actors who would go on to portray Bill and Ted on the short-lived 1992 live-action television series.

Reader's Guide

The new episodes introduced a 'Squint' phone booth that could take Bill and Ted into literature, television shows, and (after shrinking them) inside the human body. The new show had trouble catching on, and after one more season, the animated Bill & Ted series was cancelled. The second season featured historical characters like Giacomo Casanova, Elvis Presley, Theodoric and Martin Luther. The first episode of the first season was released as a special feature on the Bill & Ted's Most Excellent Collection DVD box set, and on the Blu-ray of Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. In 2013, TGG Direct, LLC (under license from MGM Home Entertainment) released a 2 disc 'Best of' DVD. Disc 1 includes eight episodes from Season 1, while Disc 2 has the complete second season. It was initially a Wal-Mart exclusive but has since been made available nationwide.

Did You Know?

• The first season was produced by Hanna-Barbera and aired on CBS in 1990.
• The second season switched to Fox Kids and was produced by DIC Animation City.
• The second season introduced a 'Squint' phone booth that could travel into literature and television shows, but it did not shrink the characters to go inside the human body.

From Silver Screen to Saturday Morning

The 1990 animated series Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures grew directly out of the 1989 live-action film, translating its irreverent energy into the Saturday-morning cartoon format. Hanna-Barbera handled production, and CBS served as the broadcast home for the first season. A major selling point was the return of the original film's voice cast: Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter reprised their roles as the bumbling teenage musicians Ted and Bill, while George Carlin brought his signature wit to the time-traveling guide Rufus. Bernie Casey returned as Mr. Ryan, Danny Cooksey as Deacon Logan, and Peter Renaday as Detective Logan. The central premise carried over from the movie: Rufus, a man from the future, tasks Bill and Ted with graduating from high school so they can eventually form a rock band whose music will inspire generations to come. Along the way, the duo hops through various historical periods, nudging events back on track so that history unfolds as it should—more or less.

The Fox Kids Reboot and Cast Turnover

The second season in 1991 marked a dramatic overhaul. Production moved from Hanna-Barbera to DIC Animation City, and the broadcast home shifted from CBS to Fox Kids. The most consequential change was the complete replacement of the voice cast, a decision driven by Fox's simultaneous plans to greenlight a live-action series bearing the same title. Evan Richards and Christopher Kennedy stepped in as Bill and Ted—actors who would go on to portray those very characters in the short-lived 1992 live-action show. Rick Overton took over the role of Rufus, replacing George Carlin. Creatively, the DIC-era episodes introduced the "Squint" phone booth, a new vehicle that could transport Bill and Ted into the worlds of literature and television shows, or, after shrinking them down, into the human body itself. Despite these fresh ideas, the retooled series struggled to build an audience. After one additional season, the animated Bill & Ted franchise was cancelled.

Time Travel, History, and Expanding Frontiers

The series' narrative engine revolved around Bill and Ted's journeys through time, with the duo tasked with ensuring that pivotal historical events play out correctly—though the "more or less" qualifier gave writers plenty of comedic latitude. Season 1 under Hanna-Barbera centered on these period-hopping adventures, with the original cast lending their voices to the proceedings. The DIC-produced second season broadened the scope considerably. Episodes brought the protagonists into contact with a colorful roster of historical figures, including Giacomo Casanova, Elvis Presley, Theodoric, and Martin Luther. Beyond the historical realm, the new "Squint" phone booth concept opened entirely different narrative frontiers: Bill and Ted could step inside the pages of books, wander through the sets of television programs, or shrink themselves down to explore the inner workings of the human body. This expansion from a single time-travel gimmick to a multi-dimensional adventure framework represented the DIC team's attempt to differentiate the show from its predecessor and from the live-action series airing under the same name.

After the Cancellation: Home Media and Nostalgia

Although the animated series was cancelled after its run, it found a modest afterlife on home video. The very first episode of the Hanna-Barbera season was tucked in as a bonus feature on the Bill & Ted's Most Excellent Collection DVD box set, and it also appeared on the Blu-ray release of the 1989 film, giving longtime fans a chance to see the cartoon iteration of their favorite characters. A more substantial collection arrived in 2013, when TGG Direct, LLC, operating under license from MGM Home Entertainment, issued a two-disc "Best of" DVD set. Disc 1 gathered eight episodes from the original 1990 season, while Disc 2 contained the entirety of the 1991 DIC-produced second season. The release initially launched as a Wal-Mart exclusive before eventually becoming available through national retail channels. For fans who grew up with the 1989 movie, these discs preserved a brief but distinctive chapter in the Bill & Ted franchise—one that existed for just a few years before the characters moved on to the short-lived 1992 live-action television series.