The movies create a near-flawless trilogy that still has certain fans waiting for another sequel decades later, but they may not know that the saga has already been expanded. Regarded as one of the best and most consistent trilogies of all time, as well as among the upper echelon of time travel adventures, . The trilogy's very premise opens the door to more from Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and Doctor Emmett "Doc" Brown (Christopher Lloyd), and the franchise once folded to that possibility.

The reason why Back to the Future Part IV hasn't happened is that . In other words, Universal can't greenlight a BTTF sequel without the approval of the saga's writers and director. Although Zemeckis has expressed interest in directing a live-action adaptation of the movie's stage musical, he and Gale have said time and time again that a hard reboot or a legacy sequel is off the table. That said, they did once dabble with the idea of a BTTF continuation, just away from the big screen.

Although a fourth BTTF movie remains an incredibly slim possibility, Zemeckis and Gale did create an episodic animated project after the trilogy concluded. , totaling 26 episodes. It sticks with the same core group of characters, following Doc and Marty through time as they visit eras they never got the chance to explore in the movies.

, implying that Zemeckis and Gale were already preparing for the franchise's future even while the third and final movie was in production. While it's a fun ride, it's largely been forgotten due to the fact that it isn't quite as good as its feature-length counterparts, as well as the matter of it being tricky to find on streaming platforms. Regardless, it's a great salve for those craving more BTTF content.

It would be easy to jump to the conclusion that Back to the Future: The Animated Series' short lifespan and lack of reputation mean it was a failure, and struggled to live up to the quality of the movie trilogy. However, it would be unfair to write the show off for these assumptions. Instead, it does a fantastic job of feeling like it's set within the main continuity, creating all the same atmospheres - both comedic and (relatively) dramatic - as the movies. There's no denying it's gimmicky, but so is the trilogy, to an extent.

The Animated Series' authenticity is helped by the return of Christopher Lloyd as Dr. Emmett Brown. Although The Simpsons star Dan Castellaneta voices Doc during the animated segments, each episode includes live-action scenes that feature Lloyd as the eccentric scientist. Similarly, , as well as Biff's various relatives that appear throughout the timeline. Most of the characters have been recast, though.

, that just so happens to pay an incredible amount of attention to its sci-fi elements. As such, the time-travel rules are very logical and almost water-tight. They remain foundational in sci-fi today for how groundbreaking they were, and most Back to the Future plot holes can be explained in some way because of the amount of detail provided. The Animated Series isn't quite so meticulous in this respect.

Although , its place within the main canon is incredibly nebulous. Even the show's writers have changed their minds through the years about whether it's a standalone project or if it should be treated as a sequel to BTTF 3. Trying too hard to solve this matter will invariably result in less enjoyment of the show, so just watch 's animated show and love it for the joy that it brings.