Can a science lab accident turn two teenagers into accidental time travelers?
In short: In the Portland-based comedy Best Friends Whenever, a deflected laser in a neighbor's Winnebago lab grants two best friends the power to leap through time. By simply touching and focusing on a specific moment, Cyd and Shelby navigate the complexities of their teenage lives while unraveling a futuristic mystery.
Created by Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas, the series premiered on Disney Channel on June 26, 2015. The premise centers on Cyd Ripley and Shelby Marcus, who find themselves living together while Cyd's parents conduct an archaeological dig in Peru. Their lives take a surreal turn when an experiment by their neighbor, Barry Eisenberg, goes awry. A laser beam, redirected by a cup of chemicals, imbues the girls with the ability to travel through time, provided they maintain physical contact and concentrate on their destination.
The narrative arc follows the girls as they balance high school antics with the consequences of their newfound power. Their journeys into the future reveal a recurring, unsettling vision of themselves strapped to laboratory tables, a mystery that drives much of the underlying tension. They are pursued by Janet Smythe, the CEO of GloboDigiDyne, who seeks to exploit their abilities to reshape history and seize control of the country. The show also introduces characters like Daisy, a princess displaced from the 1500s, who adds a layer of historical complexity to their modern-day struggles.
Despite its imaginative premise, the show faced mixed critical reception. Brian Lowry of Variety noted that the series often prioritized the mundane details of the protagonists' daily lives over the potential of its time-travel mechanics, suggesting it missed opportunities to explore more ambitious historical or futuristic settings. The series concluded after two seasons, with the final episode airing on December 11, 2016. While it was initially ordered in March 2015, the network ultimately decided against a third season, with cancellation confirmed in 2017.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Best Friends Whenever
- Also: Wikidata — Best Friends Whenever · CC0
- Also: Wikidata — Best Friends Whenever, season 1 · CC0
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