# Phil of the Future (2004)

> A futuristic family from 2121 is accidentally flung into 2004 and must adjust to life in suburban America while trying to get home.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/1440

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 43
- Episode runtime: 22 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, family, science fiction
- Created by: Tim Maile, Douglas Tuber
- Network: Disney Channel
- Cast: Raviv Ullman, Amy Bruckner, Aly Michalka, Craig Anton, Lise Simms, Yeardley Smith, Josh Flitter, Gus Hoffman
- TMDB rating: 6.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0340281/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: cheerful, hopeful, earnest, lighthearted

## What critics say

Critics generally find this lighthearted Disney Channel family sitcom cheerful and warm, though its formulaic structure keeps it from standing out.

## Synopsis

Phil of the Future (2004-2006) is an American family sitcom created by Tim Maile and Douglas Tuber for Disney Channel. Raviv Ullman plays Philip "Phil" Diffy, a teenager from the year 2121 who lands in an ordinary 2004 suburb after his family's time machine malfunctions during a vacation rented by his eccentric father Lloyd, played by Craig Anton. Amy Bruckner plays Pim Diffy, Aly Michalka plays Keely Teslow, and Lise Simms plays Barbara Diffy, and together they keep the household's strange futuristic habits colliding with present-day schoolrooms, neighbors and everyday routines. The engine of the show is the stranded family's wish to repair their machine and get home, while each episode is built from small domestic mishaps, awkward social situations and the comedy of a future culture misreading the past. Across two seasons and 43 episodes, the series keeps a light, cheerful and earnest tone, with a hopeful, optimistic attitude toward family and friendship. It is a single-camera style sitcom that rewards viewers who enjoy fish out of water stories and gentle kid-friendly time travel comedy, in the vein of Back to the Future and Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

## Shows like Phil of the Future

- [Best Friends Whenever (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/55785)
- [Future Man (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/63712)
- [The Fantastic Journey (1977)](https://ember.film/tv/10469)
- [Other Space (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/55476)
- [The Neighbors (2012)](https://ember.film/tv/40511)
- [That's So Raven (2003)](https://ember.film/tv/4380)
- [Out of This World (1987)](https://ember.film/tv/1485)
- [Land of the Lost (1991)](https://ember.film/tv/10838)
- [So Weird (1999)](https://ember.film/tv/1846)
- [The Girl from Tomorrow (1992)](https://ember.film/tv/644)

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