September 9th, 2019 
Jackson Murphy 
One of the most beloved one-season shows in TV history is getting a shiny new treatment. Thanks to Warner Archive, you can now own The Jetsons: The Complete Original Series on Blu-ray – with all the original network sponsors bumpers and correct end credits – transferred from the original film negatives.
Tony Benedict wrote all 24 original episodes of The Jetsons, which aired on ABC from 1962-’63. He recently shared stories of working with the iconic duo of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera at a Comic-Con International panel.
“The Jetsons” was the third HB cartoon to air on primetime television, following the debut of “The Flintstones” (1960) and the single season of “Top Cat” (1961-’62). What convinced ABC to go in this direction? According to Benedict, cartoons such as “Yogi Bear” and “Huckleberry Hound” aired around 5pm and were being watched during cocktail hour at bars. So why not give animated programs a shot at nighttime for kids and adults?
Benedict recalled that it took him two weeks to write and storyboard a “Jetsons” episode. The process was a definitive one. He’d go to Barbera’s Bel-Air home. They’d sit around the swimming pool and “talk about the future”. They’d collaborate on a short premise, then Benedict would do a loose storyboard. Then they’d go over it, and Barbera would add and subtract things. Then Benedict wrote out the whole episode. “We had so much control,” Benedict said. “This was before lots of input from advertisers and networks.”
As for some of the characters, Benedict said that designing dog Astro “was a collaborative effort. There were a lot of people involved.” And Mr. Spacely may or may not have been disguised as Barbera. Benedict goes into even more detail in his new upcoming book, The Laugh Days of Hanna-Barbera.
“Bill and Joe were opposites in every way,” Benedict said. Just one example: Hanna had bright offices, while Barbera’s were dark. “Somehow when they worked together, it worked beautifully. It was a joyful experience.”
Benedict revealed that he never thought the impact of “The Jetsons” “would go beyond the one year we had.” Nearly 60 years later, fans young and old still connect to this intergalactic family. The Blu-ray set not only includes more vibrant colors for the episodes (now in HD) but also original “brought to you by” sponsorship inserts, from the likes of Colgate and Scotch Tape. That’s a real “Hooba-Dooba” treat!
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