AllMovie

Created by Tim Maile and Douglas Tuber, the half-hour animated series Phil of the Future was originally titled The Out of Timers. This weekly effort chronicled the misadventures of the Diffys, a family from the year 2121 who had been inadvertently thrust back to 2004 thanks to a malfunctioning rented time machine. The titular Phil Diffy was a 15-year-old high school freshman (he'd been originally conceived as 12-year-old, but there were too many 12-year-olds on cartoon series as it was). Regarded as normal by 22nd century standards, Phil found himself a misfit as he attended school in his adopted 21st-century home town of Pickford, the eternal target of bullies and wise guys who found his futuristic patois to be "weird." Fortunately, Phil could always count upon the support of his best friend Keely Teslow, the only person who knew that the Diffys were from another time. Other characters included Phil's dad Lloyd, whose 22nd century inventions and gadgets always managed to get the family into trouble; Phil's mom Barbara, part-human, part-robot; his kid sister Pim, given to emitting bizarre noises; and Debbie Berwick, "Teacher's Pet" and Pim's best pal. One of the most popular offerings of cable's Disney Channel, Phil of the Future debuted June 18, 2004.