Back to the Future is both indescribably phenomenal and unbelievably timeless. The first movie is the most popular of the trilogy, although the second one sparked “Back to the Future Day” and gave viewers a preview of 2015 that wasn’t entirely wrong. The three movies jump on and off streaming services, but many diehard fans watch them on DVD over and over again.
For those who want to evoke the mystique of Back to the Future through television, these 10 intriguing series are both well-known and offbeat, varying in premise yet consistent in their entertainment value.
Being Erica (Amazon Prime)
Being Erica has some key similarities to Back to the Future. Both projects are built around the concept of time travel, and the characters’ lives are shaped by it. The means of travel differs in each case — Marty McFly uses the DeLorean, while Erica is summoned to different parts of the past by her therapist. She has the opportunity to relive her most painful regrets and see if she might handle them differently a second time.
The young woman must simultaneously tend to her current personal life, including a blossoming career and a sea of complex relationships. As she walks through the many doors of life, Erica grows exponentially and finally follows in Dr. Tom’s footsteps as a therapist with time travel capabilities.
Sabrina The Teenage Witch (Hulu)
Sabrina Spellman had a spellbinding series, as well as three TV movies. The teen witch is the best one of them all and she even travels through time, on occasion.
Sabrina lives with her Aunts Hilda and Zelda, who are also witches. They have a portal to “the other realm” upstairs in their linen closet, but the other realm comes to Massachusetts sometimes, too. This 1990s/2000s show is a great follow-up to the Back to the Future movies.
Wizards Of Waverly Place (Disney+)
Disney Channel fans of a certain age are familiar with the Russo family of Wizards of Waverly Place. Justin, Alex, and Max are in wizard training, but only one of the siblings can become the family wizard. Their father is an excellent teacher, but he is a mortal since his brother became a wizard years ago.
The Russo kids dabble in all kinds of magic, including trips through the spacetime continuum. The show grows darker in the later seasons, making it a great companion to both Back to the Future and Harry Potter.
Mork & Mindy (Some Episodes On YouTube)
Fans of Back to the Future have high standards for their comedy, which is why Mork & Mindy is a good fit. It doesn’t get much better than Robin Williams, who plays an alien named Mork hailing from planet Ork.
The show starts in 1970s Colorado, where Mork is sent (in his egg-shaped spaceship) to study the behavior of humans. Enter his earthly companion, Mindy, a young journalism graduate. This spacey spin-off of Happy Days ended in 1982, just three years before the first Back to the Future film.
The Jetsons (Amazon Prime, Boomerang, HBO Max)
Often paired with The Flintstones, The Jetsons is a classic 1960s cartoon about an effervescent family living in an idealistic future.
It’s always fun to meet George Jetson, his wife Jane, and children Judy and Elroy. They have a nice life in their slice of the sky, complete with an out-of-this-world flying car, a talking dog, a robotic housekeeper, and other small details that make every day easier. It would be hilarious to see the Jetsons visit the version of 2015 depicted in Back to the Future Part II.
Futurama (Hulu)
Back to the Future fans may not get their fourth movie, but they can get a futuristic fix with another animated sci-fi show, Futurama.
Philip J. Fry is a pizza delivery guy stuck working on New Year’s Eve in the year 1999. He is frozen by mistake and is not thawed out for 1,000 years. This spin-off to The Simpsons is offbeat yet quite popular.
3rd Rock From The Sun (Amazon Prime, Peacock)
Kind of like Mork of Ork, the main characters on 3rd Rock from the Sun are extraterrestrial beings who go to Earth for the purpose of examining humans.
They disguise themselves as a human family while they gather their data on what seems to be an other-worldly third planet from the sun. Doc from Back to the Future would probably enjoy talking to these characters.
Phil Of The Future (Disney+)
Disney Channel had some parents who were wise and others who were a little ditzy. Lloyd and Barb Diffy are parents from the year 2121. They take their children, Phil and Pim, out for a spin in the time machine and manage to get themselves stuck in the year 2004.
The Diffys find a place to live and enroll Pim and Phil in school. The show is creative and presents an array of innovative gadgets from “the future.” Phil tells his best friend, Keely, about his true identity, and she becomes a special part of his life.
Family Matters (Hulu)
Although Family Matters is not immediately presented as a sci-fi sitcom, it arguably becomes one as the seasons progress. Steve Urkel is known for more than his clumsiness and catchphrase, “Did I do that?” The friendly neighbor is also an advanced scientist with his own lair.
Urkel has all the brainpower to birth revolutionary scientific advancements, but he hits a few bumps in the road. In the later years of the series, he manages to create an alter-ego in his transformation chamber, build an Urk-Pad that takes him across the world instantaneously, and introduce a ventriloquist dummy of himself that takes on a life of its own on Halloween.
Honey, I Shrunk The Kids: The TV Show (Amazon Prime)
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show took the world of the successful movies and adapted it into a sitcom. Airing years after the movies, the show featured an entirely different cast but still explored the theme of experiments gone awry in the Szalinski house.
Oddly enough, the show is currently available for purchase on Amazon Prime, but perhaps it will migrate to Disney+ at some point.
