Aaron Johnston pitched a live action, family sitcom to BYU Broadcasting about an old man who has everything in life except happiness, and who decides to build a time machine to rescue his 11-year old self. Great, the studio brass said. But there was a problem: 11-year olds don’t stay 11. If the show were successful, puberty would be its own ticking bomb; there’s no time machine for actors (alas). Instead, Johnston was partnered with Kelly Loosli, the co-creator of BYU’s Animation program and its current director. Saving Me became an animated series—the first animated series for BYUtv—led by Johnston, Loosli, and studio executives Brian Gibson and Roddy McManus. The production studio for Saving Me is Sphere, located in Montreal. Production began in January of last year for 20 episodes divided into two seasons (so far), and its premiere episode airs October 1 on BYUtv. Johnston ( a New York Times bestselling author of science fiction) and Gibson built the show’s narrative while Loosli was tasked with the design of its characters and environments. 

Any adult sitting in front of a TV, holding the remote, with kids alongside, knows that finding a show to watch together is only slightly less complex than navigating time travel itself. Loosli writes us, “The great thing about animation is that if you write the script with layers you can appeal to both children and parents and that sort of co-viewing experience is really what we are hoping for. I think that co-viewing goal with message driven content is really at the heart of what BYU Broadcasting would like to achieve.”—Glen Nelson (Airing on BYUtv app and BYUtv.org, October 1.)