After being involved in a lab accident, Cyd and Shelby gain the ability to time travel. They can travel back in time or head forward into the future by performing a special handshake.
Your powers to create change. One of their first moves was to deal with their gossipy chemistry teacher assigning lab partners that caused unnecessary drama – with Shelby even getting stuck with Rob, who caused trouble for all parties involved!
Cyd Ripley (Landry Bender)
Cyd Ripley is an energetic, greedy, and rebellious young girl who often gets into trouble. She and Shelby Marcus become best friends after an incident in a science lab allows them to time travel – revisiting memories or moving ahead by touching each other or performing an intricate handshake ritual. Cyd is often quick-witted yet soft-spoken; Cyd and Shelby share an affinity for Liv Rooney and Austin Moon, whom they greatly admire as celebrity icons.
Cyd and Shelby make use of their powers to assist each other with school and life problems, such as Shelby having difficulty joining the computer club. Cyd attempts to help but unwittingly transports her back to 7th grade, where German Shepherds attack them; when trying to escape, they accidentally punch the person, taking away their powers and causing an explosion!
Cyd and Shelby leverage their powers to attend various events on the same night to meet boys; unfortunately, this strategy backfires when they leave behind tachyons that alter future events, and Cyd and Shelby end up becoming punks during detention where they discover their love of music and take some tachyons back with them to use for their history project. Unfortunately, when doing so, they get caught by the principal and sent to detention.
Shelby Marcus (Lauren Taylor)
Shelby is an optimistic young teen who enjoys singing and dancing, although Cyd is more of a rebellious tomboy who loves getting into trouble than Shelby. While Cyd can sometimes be insecure and timid, Shelby can provide companionship when needed.
After an unfortunate mishap at their neighbor Barry’s science lab, two teenage girls discover they can travel through time by thinking of where and when they want to visit and touching each other simultaneously – this enables them to revisit both past events and travel forward into future timelines. While using these powers for good purposes, such as problem-solving or having fun, sometimes their time-traveling abilities lead them down unexpected paths with hilarious results!
Cyd and Shelby may seem complete opposites, yet they manage to get along quite well despite their differences. Both possess strong loyalty to others and enjoy helping those less fortunate than themselves. Although at times cynical, both can quickly laugh at themselves with one long scream ending their conversations or lasting through commercial breaks; both fangirl over Liv Rooney and Austin Moon and are close with Naldo.
Barry (Gus Kamp)
Barry is the deuteragonist of the series and an amateur scientist seeking to unlock the secret of time travel. He’s best friends with Naldo and Shelby, an intelligent yet courageous boy capable of science but struggling with emotions; however, he remains loving yet can sometimes come off harsh.
He lives in a Winnebago that serves as his lab and can often be seen playing with Diesel, his pet dog. He’s an excellent guy who always tries to help Janet when they have issues, showing his moral and caring nature when telling Janet not to hurt Cyd or Shelby as part of her discovery plan.
He’s an ardent supporter of Globo-Digi-Dyne, even with their logo displayed in his Jump to the Future Lab laboratory. Mr. Doyle was his favorite teacher, as revealed in Fight the Future Part 1. Occasionally pranked by Bret and Chet Marcus, twin neighbors, he is hilarious but can sometimes be rough around the edges; known for pulling off many elaborate practical jokes on people (one even involved rats!); also great at science discoveries that often make headlines as seen in Fight the Future Part 2; making near revolutionary breakthroughs discoveries in his laboratory!
Naldo (Ricky Garcia)
Ricky Garcia is an actor and musician known for his performances in television shows such as Girl Meets World on Disney Channel, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Forever in Your Mind boyband. Additionally, Ricky is an accomplished singer/dancer/performer born in Puerto Rico who speaks Spanish and English fluently.
He first gained recognition through his roles on Disney Channel show Best Friends Whenever alongside Emory Kelly and Liam Attridge from 2015-2016. Additionally, he appeared in several other television programs, such as Fox’s talent competition show The X Factor.
He became famous after auditioning for the show’s boot camp round and being eventually eliminated. Yet, judges recognized his talents and united him with two other singers to form the group Forever in Your Mind, which has released two albums.
He has appeared in multiple films, such as I Love You Phillip Morris (2013). Most recently, he starred alongside Liam Attridge and Emory Kelly in Corey Feldman’s Taking On The World (2016) and lives in Los Angeles, California.
Chet (Benjamin Royer)
Due to Barry’s failed experiment, Cyd and Shelby discover they can move between periods whenever they please, giving them an unexpected power that allows them to manipulate history as it unfolds around them. While mastering their new abilities, dealing with Shelby’s mischievous twin brothers Bret and Chet, and maneuvering through yesterday, today, and tomorrow to help each other overcome personal struggles while discovering more about themselves.
Although it did not break new ground concerning storylines, this show provided enjoyable entertainment and stressed the value of solid friendships. Though its run was short-lived, this series gained a dedicated fan base who will remember its innovative concept of jumping back and forth through time.
Benjamin Royer is an award-winning actor with numerous credits under his belt. Additionally, he’s an avid sports fan who relishes discussing baseball trades with his brother while playing with their beloved cockapoo named Ethel – all while living in West Hills, California.
Best Friends Whenever is one of the most beloved Disney shows that debuted in 2015. Starring Landry Bender, Lauren Taylor, Gus Kamp, Ricky Garcia, and Benjamin Royer, it follows two teenage girls with the ability to travel through time – their adventures, relationships, and challenges of adolescence are portrayed with humor, sci-fi elements, and adolescent drama to offer viewers a memorable viewing experience.
Daisy (Lauren Diaz)
Daisy, an accidental princess from the 1500s living among Cyd and Shelby’s time, is an eccentric character who struggles with modern culture. Although living with Naldo is helping her adapt, there may still be the occasional quirky moment – like when she thinks people throw tomatoes at those who believe the Earth is flat!).
She wants more fun, such as pulling pranks – something princesses usually aren’t allowed to do! Luckily, she’s slowly grasping this skill and becoming quite an excellent friend. She even joins Barry and Naldo’s prank battles at the future lab, although she keeps losing to them!
Best Friends Whenever was one of the top Disney Channel sitcoms of 2015 and 2016. Starring Lauren Taylor and Landry Bender as two high school girls who gain time travel powers after an experiment goes awry, Best Friends Whenever follows Lauren and Landry through all kinds of hilarious misadventures as time slips away! It can now be watched streaming on Disney+; check out our gallery below to meet all the cast members!
