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Matt Groening on Futurama, Simpsons and Fox
dipfan writes "Simpsons and Futurama creator Matt Groening, in an interview with the FT, says that the Fox network didn't understand or support Futurama. Groening says: "They haven't really supported it. I think it's a worthy companion to The Simpsons and we're really proud of it. But Fox gave it a bad slot and zero promotion for the last three years." He also accuses the channel of meddling with the show, making complaints that the characters were "too mean". He's hoping to change Fox's mind, and endorses the online petition to try and save the show. The good news is that he's got other ideas for new shows if Futurama really does get canned, and talks about new Simpsons plots involving Enron, and Krusty The Clown running for Congress." His feelings shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who saw the first act of "Homer the Moe", but what I thought was interesting was his comments on Fox and how he's not interested in moving networks over the futurama thing.
Hopefully the new ones won't be on par with the quality of the episodes these days. Once they lost Connan, they started steadily going downhill.
Fox has a long history of utterly failing to pay attention to the worthwhileness of their shows - giving good shows the boot while bad shows - say, for instance, Greg the Bunny - get prime airtime. The Simpsons just happened to be the right combination of edgy and comfortably marketable to get and keep a prime spot for so long - and any show that doesn't live up to those standards seems to be summarilly dropped, despite the fact that the bar is unreasonably high...
This flies in the face of science.
"DOH!"
-- We live in a world where lemonade is artificial and soap has real lemon.
The link from Jeffy124's journal is here. Please mod up.
Fuck, that's the reason I gave up on the Simpsons years ago, and love Futurama!
Hey, FOX, why don't you bite my shiny metal ass? I'm an adult. Now that Bugs Bunny's been censored to hell, I'm left craving cartoons I can enjoy as an adult. If there's a demographic that leaves room in the lineup for Greg The Bunny (who's funny, but is hardly broadly-based social satire), there's gotta be room for Bender and the baby in "Family Guy".
Fox has had some gold in the past that they gambled on and won, and gambled on and lost. Greg the Bunny is boring, Family Guy is great. Although I did not like them, 90210 and Melrose Place were gold for the network. X-files will be generated only syndication funds, nothing substantial.
There has got to be something that I missed, I do not understand how they could cancel shows like Futurama and Family Guy.
What are your thoughts?
Hey hey! I heartily endorse this candidate and/or proposal.
To paraphrase Krusty: Do we really want to live in a world without the Simpsons? I think the living would envy the dead!
I am not a number! I am a man! And don't you
The FT.com article is wonderfully awkward to read with the Mozilla RC. Ah, well...
scroll scroll scroll
I love Futurama but I still think that a good Simpsons ep can beat a good Futurama EP.
I must say that the recent "Weekend at Burnsie's" where Homer where high most of the time or "Blame it on Lisa(rio ep)", shows that The Simpsons still can cut it.
But of course nothing beats time before the got a heavy dose of the PC junk, that sure did ruinda season or two. And I'd like to see Conan O'Brien back on the team, but I guess that is very unlikely.
Still Futurama are a fresh breath of air and I must say that I enjoyed the latest ep of Futurama on Star Trek. Had a lot of what we like, references to things outside the show that is only funny for thow "who knows".
I think that one of the great things about The Simsons have always been that there was a lot of "inside" jokes/references that added a lot of value for hardcore fans and still providing entertainent for those not "in the loop". It has always shown itself when looking at many people watching the show together, some would crack up while other just didn't get it and there was still plenty of laughs for all to share.
my sig
I wouldn't mind The Simpsons ending its run at this point. Better that than risk something awful happening, like one of the voice actors quitting or getting canned or Fox insisting on some egregious change.
Anyway, there are so many episodes in syndication that I can watch reruns for weeks without getting bored.
What WOULD be tragic: Groening not having a shot at another show. Surprise us, Matt!
Stefan
* #1 Candidate for overused annoying chic media term.
"Futerama would be good if it had better characters, better animation, better plots, better jokes, better acting, and better flow."
That's kind of funny, I was just thinking your post'd be good if it had better spelling, better presentation, a better point, better use of grammar, a better style of writing, and better use of commas.
Wouldn't have been easier to type "I don't like Futurama?". Even so, you picked a bad topic to post that under.
"Derp de derp."
As some of you are aware, when J. Michael Straczynski attempted to make a sequel to his popular Babylon 5 series, the network in charge (TNT) tried to control the creative direction of his show, Crusade. After only 13 episodes, Straczynski walked away saying that he either does Crusade his way or not at all. TNT had refused to relinquish creative control to the creator. Apparently, a similar showdown occurred between Simpsons creator Matt Groening and the FOX network while developing the Futurama series.
Groening said in a Playboy interview: "The current atmosphere in television is one of anxiety and fear. And Fox has been worried that Futurama isn't like the Simpsons. And I've said, 'No, it's exactly like the Simpsons: It's new and original.' But that hasn't calmed them down. Also, Fox expected to have our show under its thumb and was quite surprised when I adamantly insisted that we put this show together exactly as we do The Simpsons, with complete autonomy. So that's why you haven't heard anything positive about Futurama from Fox during the past year."
So, where TNT failed to compromise and save Crusade, the FOX network acquiesed to the creator and now has had a successful show in Futurama.
I'm amazed Futurama has lasted as long as it has considering that it's not only in the 7 pm Sunday death slot, but that it's preempted continuously during the football season. Add to that the fact that this past season didn't start with regular new episodes until January, and you've got a recipe for lost viewers.
Greg the bunny is funny.
And the recent episodes of the X-Files are deeply conspiracy-laden, heart-wrenching and mind-busting masterpieces.
Personal preferences aside - Fox has had a history of poor choices where the schedule and programming of their stations is concerned.
On another subject, quoth the interview:
But Groening is also pragmatic about the show's shelf-life. "Because animation is such an intensely painstaking process, it wears people out, and audiences are always looking for surprises. When any character is as stupid as Homer Simpson, it's hard to keep surprising the audience."
Groening has a remarkably mature and insightful view of his own mortality and the limits of a particular genre. While the Simpsons make an excelent foil for poking fun at any cultural situation, economic event, or global personality (and as such, has a much much longer life expectancy than, say, Garfield (no offense to Garfield), who has said just about all there is to say on the subjects of laziness, gluttony, and hatred of dumb-but-cute), at some point, almost certainly, the majority of people watching the show will say "Ho hum, Homer's dumb, headlines, Bart whines, Lisa's smart - who gives a fart? Pass the booze - I'd rather snooze." (Or something, perhaps in slightly less doggerel.) We can only hope that Groening recognizes this point and brings us to a stunning (and satisfying) conclusion before the show becomes bogged down with the dead weight of unfunny seasons.
This flies in the face of science.
..was also canceled cause Fox put them on in a bad timeslot and didnt promote them. And im not alone when i say that it was/is the best show EVER.
The Simpsons was basically a Punch-and-Judy show when it premiered on Tracey Ullman. It staggered through a mediocre first year, propelled mostly by Bart Simpson's "negative role model" image which was further sensationalized by the media.
Conan O Brien's writing talents mad the show somewhat more watchable, however, most episodes consist of predictable sitcom plots, poorly conceived visual jokes, and celebrity guest appearances-the modern equivalent to Scooby-Doo. And it's part of pop culture for all the same reason-it's formulaic structure and catchphrases. Yes, "D'oh!" has become the "Zoinks!" of the year 2000.
Matt, it's been a long, dull ride, and you've made a lot of money. I can't say I blame you, but I do feel sorry for the people who think the Simpsons are "clever". I wonder if they've ever read anything by Evan Dorkin or Dan Clowes.
(-1, Raw and Uncut is the only way to read)
Wow is right. Someone on /. wreckless enough
to spell Futurama as Futerama, yet
caring enough to remember to accent the 'e' in Pokémon?
What kind of God would create a world where such things happen?
No what made it hard to read was the fact that the Brittish no nothing about the proper use of English.
I could barely read it, there were so many mispellings in the dumb thing.
And their colloquialisms are terrible, but that's a "different kettle of fish". Oh please.
.
It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
Futerama would be good if it had better characters, better animation, better plots, better jokes, better acting, and better flow.
Compared to what?
The animation on Futurama is on-par, if not slightly better than the Simpsons (which is one of the best animated cartoons out there). If you don't like it, I'm guessing it is for purely asthetic reasons. Personally, I don't like how panning and rotation look, since computers give them a smoothness that just seems jarringly out of place to me - but then again, that's just me. The choice of colors is different as well. Where The Simpsons has a more cartoony look - the colors are brighter and have more contrast, Futurama tends to stray away from bright and primary colors, going for a paler and more blended palette.
The characters, plots, flow, and jokes in Futurama are very different than in The Simpsons. This has everything to do with the universe it is set in being based solely in Science Fiction rather than the mostly realistic universe that The Simpsons has built up over the years. Although most of the "rules" of both the shows are similar, you can easily get away with things in one that you couldn't in the other. Different sets of rules need different characters. Bender wouldn't fit in with The Simpsons just as much as Lisa wouldn't fit in with Futurama.
That being said, I prefer The Simpsons in its prime (although the Homer/Hulk episode this week was pretty good) to Futurama at its best. Why? Futurama's structure is so open that nearly anything can be done plot-wise. The Simpsons was based somewhat in reality, which gave the writing team a bit of focus. When absolutely anything can happen, it isn't as special when it does.
That online petitions don't work.
This came out of a report from an anime convention last week. The studio reps said that they would pay attention to petitions for new series, but not online petitions. I suspect that Fox would pay even less attention.
I don't think there's been a single example of an online petition having an effect. Please provide examples if I'm mistaken.
www.lucernesys.comHorizon: Calendar-based personal finance
The show was pretty good, but doesn't have anything close to the charm and appeal of The Simpsons. Which isn't to say it couldn't have succeeded. It had the worst timeslot available. 6:00 PM CST, that's not even primetime yet. Even worse, there's that useless cartoon between it and the Simpsons (King of the Hill, which is atrocious). Hell, they should've scrapped X-Files like three or four years ago and moved it back an hour, and kill King of the Hill of course.
I wont even notice. Usually I am busy when the new shows get aired. I watch the Simpsons 3 or 4 times a week but it is all syndication.
That's part of what makes it so awesome. Each time I watch an episode again it cracks me up as much as the first time. Plus I notice little things I missed the first time around.
I figure all the new episodes I've missed give me a buffer of at least a few years. And you know that the Simpsons are going to be on for a very long time on some channel.
Sort of like that 8 minutes of light we get after the sun goes out one day.
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It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
No what made it hard to read was the fact that the Brittish no nothing about the proper use of English.
Oh, Stoolie, you so crazy.
I have no inside knowledge of FOX or other broadcasting companies, but if they function the same way that other companies that I have worked at do, then I know exactly why you see the really fantsatic shows being canned in thier prime: new blood. Every time managment changes or restructures, there is some subconcious need from the newbies to change things around, if for no other reason than to justify thier existance. The usual route is to attack what was successful before, tear it down, and bring out the solid gold shnazzy New Thing(tm) that will wow everyone. Maybe it works one time out of a hundred, but that doesn't stop people from trying to be the lucky golden boy.
This is just a guess, but I'll put a tenner down that the reason why Futurama never really got the support that it should have, and why it's being dropped now, is becuase maybe a week after the pilot, the heads of that department in FOX got restructured and the pastic wrap came off a whole new lineup of fresh-faced marketing and programming execs. They couldn't drop the Simpsons (it just has TOO MUCH momentum), so they decided to carve up everything else they could touch and fill the void with the neeto ideas they had during thier training in the frat house.
"Your superior intellect is no match for our puny weapons!"
Yahoo News carries an interview with Groening. My favorite quote it "Although what happens generally if we win the Emmy for best animation show is that that gives us another couple of years to run it into the ground," he said.
I dooo feel sorry for the people who think the Simpsons are "clever" (use finger quotes).
"If I am such a genius, how come that I am drunk and lost in the desert with a bullet in my ass?" --Otto (Malcom ITM)
There was a Dilbert cartoon on UPN that really wasn't bad. Unfortunately, being UPN and being on at an unusual time (well for me anyway...) made me miss alot of it. So I really didn't notice that it had disappeared. One night, I was inspired to check Kazaa for Dilbert and grabbed a few eps. That show was actually pretty good!
... well damn, if Fox had bought Dilbert from UPN, that would have worked out really well:
I think what killed that show was not so much time slot, but rather FOX has a virtual monopoly on prime-time animated shows. Sunday nights are when I watch like a string of cartoons. And
7:00 PM: King of the Hill
7:30 PM: Family Guy
8:00 PM: Simpsons
8:30 PM: Futurama
9:00 PM: Dilbert
9:30 PM: X-Files
Tell me that wouldn't have been a cool night lineup.
"Derp de derp."
Before you have a go at someone else's grammar make sure you can construct a meaningful sentence yourself.
"She's a West Texas girl, just like me" - G.W Bush Iraqis
Funny you should mention this. A LOT of otherwise knowledgable people I know completely missed it too - on the recent "clipshow" (Homer Gump or some such title), watch towards the end credits where they start making jokes about future Simpsons episodes.
They quickly show a picture of Homer waterskiing - and he happens to be taking a jump, right overtop a shark.
I think milk came out of my nose when I saw that.
Endless arguments over trivial contradictions in books written by ignorant savages to explain thunder in the dark.
FOX Broadcasting has a nasty habit of cancelling good shows and keeping bad shows. One such show was the Critic, from where it lept from FOX to ABC. Due to that leap, the show only lasted two seasons (One on FOX, one on ABC).
Now FOX is treading on both Family Guy and Futurama...
Tis a shame...
If FOX takes Futurama away from us or (as recently) simply decides to pre-empt or randomly move it then do yourself and your sense of humor a favor and stay up later (usually about 11:15) to watch Sealab 2021 on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block.
It's Sci-Fi (Robots, Time Travel, Black Debbie), it's got great characters (Stormy, Hesh, Chubby Cox), and some of the best comedy writing and voice talent (Erik Estrada!) on tv EVER.
^nA! Creatures in my Head
For those interested, I highly recommend taking a look at the L.I.S.A.. It's a great, huge list of anything you've ever wondered about the Simpsons, and just what the hell happened in the last few years.
Seems to me that the Simpsons has reached the point of being a minor religion...
As folks will quote scripture, so folks will quote the Simpsons.
It's on Sunday, and plans are made around it. Those that watch think those that don't are wierd.
You can also attend throughout the week, but the sermons seem a bit canned and dated.
The characters consistently show reality through a fun-house mirror and have representation from most ethnic groups/stereotypes.
Why not? I'm sure someone somewhere hates the Simpsons with passion enough to start a small war, and that's all the qualification I need.
-JPJ
Feh.
The devil you know is frequently better than the devil you don't.
7 November 2006: The day Americans realized corruption and incompetence weren't addressing 11 September 2001
ridicule. See Synonyms at caricature.
The genre of literature comprising such works.
Something so bad as to be equivalent to intentional mockery; a travesty: The trial was a parody of justice.
Music. The practice of reworking an already established composition, especially the incorporation into the Mass of material borrowed from other works, such as motets or
madrigals.
"Derp de derp."
That is a really strange complaint comming from TV executives.
My favourite sitcom "News Radio" was always in trouble and was cancelled because the characters were too mean to each other.
And now my favourite animation show (yes i think the current futurama shows are a bit better than the current simpsons shows) is getting cancelled because the characters are too mean.
Thats really bizarre. First of all the characters werent really mean in either one of those show (ok maybe except bender but even he was showed goodness of heart in the godfellas episode).
Second of all it makes you wonder do TV stations consider it their duty to build up the morals of their audience trough tv shows? And if so why is that coming from FOX that brought us numerous car chase shows, police reality shows, accident and disasters where people die shows, one (or two was it?) numerous women begging to be married to some millionare schnuck shows, and lets not forget the trivia show where the host is famous for insulting the contestants.
I appreciate being modded up but I'm at the cap and just made some other posts that will very likely get modded down. So this doesn't do me a lot of good in my quest for 50 points for 50 days.
If youd've waited until after the others got modded down this would have really come in handy.
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It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
I thought part of the point of reading /. was to be ahead of pop culture in items of geek interest. But the past few days, it seems like every article is just a link to a CNN or NYTimes or Wired article.
I love it when slashdot points out gems in smaller media that I might have missed, but just linking to CNN articles that are about FT articles doesn't really count as ahead of the times in my book.
Why not add another slashbox with "In other news...", and when people submit links to major media news stories, stick 'em in there?
Cheers
-b
Yes, it's probably true that online petitions aren't worth the server space their stored on which is why Futurama fans might want to consider writing a good old USPS letter. Rumor has it that big-wig studio execs are greatly swayed by your willingness to waste paper, time, and tax dollars. Here's their addresses at the Fox network:
Ms. Gail Berman
President
Building 100 Room 4450
10201 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
United States of America
Mr. Sandy Grushow
Chairman
Building 100 Room 5110
10201 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
United States of America
I don't want to give you a script but you might want to focus on Futurama's poor and frequently changing time slot and it's abundance of critical praise.
Telling a studio exec to bite any part of your anatomy (shiny or otherwise) is generally a bad idea.
I think the simpsons "jumped the shark" in the episode in which Homer joined a traveling freak show in season 7. The show simply hit the wall with homer being the big fat guy getting shot with the cannon, and sonic youth delivering the theme song at the end. It wasn't the funniest ever, but they definately "jumped the shark". The beginning of the end was acutally "lisa the vegetarian" at the beggining of season 7, and by season 8, you've got "the nanny episode", "bart is gay" and "poochie".
I've been wondering what they are going to do with the war on terror and a lot of other post 911 stuff.
I thought that all the episodes this season were made before 911, but they had "Bin Laden in a blender" last Sunday, so what's the deal? Was that spliced in later?
On one hand, there is a lot of way to spin humor on some of this stuff, but on the other hand it's hard to do it without addressing "important social issues" or having a "very special episode", which was what used to signal the end of a sitcom before everyone started to say "jumping the shark".
Let's see:
They fly someplace. Lisa gets wanded and taken into a special room. Bart's slingshot gets ignored. Homer beeps in the detector, but nobody wants to touch him. Marge is asked to stick her hair in the X-ray machine, and it comes all the way out the other side. Maggie has a gun in her diaper, but nobody notices. This stuff practicly writes itself.
Or how about... Bart decides to become a Moslem. Do all the Lisa Budist stuff--Bart style. Hurl pork chops out the window, etc. End Moslem conversion when Bart finds out he has to get circumcised.
Then again... maybe having the Simpsons come to an end without ever riffing on that stuff would be better. It would fix the Simpsons permanently as part of the "pre-911" world, allowing us to watch it in sindicated re-runs knowing that stuff would never intrude, save for that one little reference to Bin Laden.
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
You are so right! And I thought that was just a character from the show. But now that I realize he is a real person, well where else would you expect to find him hanging out?
Very funny by the way.
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It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
Remember what Roswell did? Bottles of tabasco sauce sent to the producers or something? Mailbomb them with lots of alcohol (Bender likes to drink) and maybe they'll notice and not cancel Futurama. They'll definitely notice it more than some stupid online petition.
[o]_O
The one that that I find most upsetting about the whole Futurama/Simpsons rivalry is that Simpsons seems to be treated as FOX's little darling and Futurama is the bastard child they want to pretend they never had.
Case in point? The Simpsons Archive (snpp.com) perhaps the single greatest authoritative Simpsons information source. Mostly culled I'm sure from countless USENET postings but the information contained there is priceless to the average Simpsons fan. Someone at work will utter a butchered version of some famous quote and in seconds we will have the exact wording, the episode it came from and (with a little step 2 magic) soon be watching the hilarious moment.
But is there such a resource for Futurama? Well there was...The Futurama Cronicles (frcr.com). Had much of the same kind of information, with upcoming episode dirt and all sorts of little factoids. I can't read the alien language, but those guys had it pretty much deciphered. I always wonder what the little clips during the intro came from and they always seemed to know.
But what was it, two years ago? the site got the Cease & Desist kiss of death. How can a site like snpp.com flourish and frcr.com disappear when both are basically cataloging and organizing USENET content? And what happened to the other Futurama sites like FuturamaOutlet and so on?
Honestly, it's like FOX is trying to deny Futurama even exists. The FOX website for the show is a flash-laden piece of crap that hasn't been updated since the show premiered (same with the Family Guy show site).
Bleah. Matt Groening must has some change in his pocket. He knows about the massive following his shows have on the Internet (he has been asked about ANiVCD and the whole VCD scene at every convention he's ever attended). In this post dot-com world, I think his projects would be the only ones that have a chance at working over the Internet. Produce the show straight to video and offer streaming downloads over the Internet. Hell, I see channel after channel on IRC doing exactly that.
So he's not interested in leaving FOX. Fine. But for god's sake...don't cast pearls before swine. How many musicians say that given the choice between languishing in a corporate vault and being enjoyed and shared by fans they would much rather give their work to the fans? Why can't Matt be the same way?
- JoeShmoe
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-- I wonder which will go down in history as the bigger failure: the War on Drugs or the War on Filesharing
Well, right after the story got posted on Slashdot, the number of signatures was 113435.
Right now it is up to 114215.
That is 780 new signatures in about 1 hour.
Just thought I'd let you people know.
yes "fuck you"
If tits were wings it'd be flying around.
I don't think the current heads at Fox want angry characters or self-referential satire. For some reason television has climbed that hump and has moved back to Spelling-like plain-jane sitcoms.
The mid to late nineties TV landscape was covered with amusing shows that took pot-shots at everything, including themselves and especially the sitcom formula. Mr. Show, Upright Citizens, Simpsons, Family Guy, The Daily Show, etc were groundbreaking shows. They didn't take anything as above-criticism and developed an intelligent edge through insightful comedy.
Now look at the popular comedies on Fox. Bernie Mac, King of the Hill, Malcolm in the Middle, etc. They're more based in the Love Boat tradition of wacky sitcom than in the Simpsons tradition of satire and irony. This is what people want. The Neilsons have spoken and Fox isn't listening to the raves, but only to the complaints about shows being too brainy, mean, or smartassed.
Cable seems to be picking up the slack with shows like the Man Show, Sealab 2021, etc. Hopefully the Simpsons spirit will live on in the minds of writers willing to take a small risk.
I understand your point, but I respectfully disagree about it's humor. I appreciated South Park's take on the War on Terror, but I really think the joy of it came from the episode's focus on showing the US kick Bin Laden's ass.
I don't see the Simpsons being able to lift my spirits that way. Jokes about airport screenings may be funny, but when you put them in the terrorism context, it loses it's humor.
Bin Laden in a blender is a spoof of stuff we've already seen on the net. It's the lighter side of what happened. But to tackle the attacks directly without turning it into a drama... well I'd be very impressed if they pulled it off. As I said, South Park did, but I'm not sure Simpsons is quite up to it.
*would love to see Groenig prove him wrong.*
"Derp de derp."
First, let me agree with you: (as you seem to imply) Dan *is* the man, no question.
Now, let me ask how many episodes you've seen. Honestly, there's no shame in shunning TV.
Though the overall quality of "The Simpsons" waxes and wanes faster than a Jupiterian moon, some episodes are beyond reproach. Several of the Halloween specials must rate amongst the greatest of all cartoons; most near every comedic form--high and low--finds home there. Finally, I ask you, is the spoof on Howard Hughes not clever? Call me crazy, but I find the scene in which hallucinations of political germs chant "Freemasons rule the word" as cunning as they come.
The type of condescension your post displays, though always bad form, is often acceptable in light of our culture's sorry state. Yet when the conclusion drawn is mistaken, this kind of elitism is regrettable. After all, what can it spawn but more condescension?
One of the reasons that the early Simpsons episodes were so funny, and continue to remain funny, is that they were not topical, but universal. There were episodes about Bart and Lisa in school, Homer's troubles with his job, strains in Homer's and Marge's marriage--all standard if not hackneyed sitcom plots, you may say, but stories of general appeal, that are still funny more than a decade later. And that's true of nearly _all_ of the classic comedy that's still funny even fifty years later. Watch I Love Lucy or listen to the Jack Benny program and you're not likely to hear any joke or gag about some 40's or 50's political or social event. Both shows _do_ make use of cameos, and those "date" the show to an extent, especially when the star or bigwig has since become rather obscure (hands up everyone who's heard of Dore Schary or Ronald Colman!) But those classic shows, and classic Simpsons, because they avoid topical humor, have aged remarkably well.
Groening's talk of making an Enron episode reminds me of how low the Simpsons have sunk. Who, five years from now, is going to remember Enron? Hell, who cares _now_ about Enron? But the Simpsons went down that primrose way a long time ago, ever since they started cracking jokes about the Internet, and making episodes featuring George Bush and Bill Clinton (I'm reminded that the Simpsons' funniest political episode, the one where Lisa goes to Washington, makes hardly any specific reference to the politics of the day), and running cameos from every two-bit celebrity or band who had their fifteen minutes, from Mark McGwire to N-Sync.
hyacinthus.
If you like crass puppets, you definitely should check out Meet the Feebles by Peter Jackson (yes, that Peter Jackson). The Feebles are the Muppets on drugs.
cpeterso
Fox has done an excellent job this year bringing 24 to their schedule...that show is fantastic, Keifer Sutherland is awesome, and Dennis Hoppers' addition to the cast in the past few episodes has been outstanding too...to me, this was the best new show on any newtork this season...of course, it sounds like their gonna ruin it next season when, according to articles i've read, the shows switch from 24 episodes each covering one hour of time...to each episode covering 1 24-hour block of time...it just won't be the same..please FOX, try to bring it back in the original format...
also...
Andy Richter Controls the Universe and Undeclared are, in my opinion, two of the funniest new shows this season...yet, Undeclared has been conspicously absent from the spring schedule, and there are rumours that Andy Richter will not be picked up for next season...these two shows are great...and if you haven't checked out Andy Richter consider watching..it's on Tuesday's at 8:30 (although not this tuesday) as a lead in to "24"...it's damn funny...and the office humour in it is great...
i do think Fox's lineup does have some potential over all....these 3 shows i mentioned....plus Simpsons, Malcom in the Middle, King of the Hill and That 70's show give them a nice core group of programming...albeit one that doesn't really appeal to older viewers....but it should appeal to the all important 18-25 year old male demographic...
just my opinion...
"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true." - Homer Simpson
"It was entirely unfunny, worthless...
Both my girlfriend and I disagree with you. As I said, the Bugs Bunny Parody alone was classic. The Afghan children's point of view of us was amusing in a satirical way. (scary if it wasn't trying to be satirical...) And if you paid attention to how Bin Laden, the Taliban, and Al Qaeda were being presented, it was an amusing spoof of what we think people from the Middle East are like. Pay real close attention to what Bin Laden actually says. He doesn't actually say anything, he just uses words we all know. "Ramadan?" Heh.
"Derp de derp."
Pity that, but i'm very happy that he is now in charge of writing for the "Amazing Spiderman" comic. ;)
Technically, without warning. But the first reply was not completely accurate. Unless you are running this script as root (running a script that you don't know what it does is asking for trouble) it would only remove everything in your personal directory (or any other places you had write access). On a well set up system, the damage would only be to your own files -- and it's what you deserve if you just do things without knowing what you are doing.
Hating to see the uninformed make the statement "unix sucks".
Like pi? Try 10,000 digits.
Scene one: Itchy, Scratchy and Bin Ladin in a barber shop...
"Your superior intellect is no match for our puny weapons!"
Smartass kid gets whacked over the head, uploaded to Gnutella during his last living moments, then pops up on Channel One to diss Coca-Cola products and help his friend at the student newspaper uncover Microsoft's contributions to Ashcroft's campaigns and the resulting "derailing" of the anti-trust case.
Episode II: ABCDNBCBS, Inc... Corruption at the FCC
Episode III: RIAA... A congressman is the best investment you can make.
Please oh please.
Build stuff. Stuff that walks, stuff that rolls, whatever.
Most people here that have seen Greg the Bunny on Fox were underwhelmed. I was too.
To see what it was before Fox, check out this - it's from the Independant Film Channel, where they introduced and made fun of movies, then slowly built up characters as they went.
There, Greg was a simple sock puppet, and his personality shined with unrehersed enthusiasm at having just having a job. There's great stuff in those clips, like Greg going to a real rave, getting killed by zombies, meeting childhood heroes, etc.
The stuff we see on Fox though, is definetly not the same - though it might grow back into what it was eventually. If I never saw those clips, I would think the exact same as the rest here about the show - but now it seems that much worse because of how much it has lost it's appeal.
Ryan Fenton
If Futurama gets canceled, have Bender get sent back into time and end up in Springfield. Let's face it, Bender is what makes Futurama. Well, then there's Lela. I haven't gotten excited by a cartoon character since Jose and the Pussycats in the 70s...
I fail to see how Fox supports crap like King of the Hill and not good shows like Family Guy and Futurama. Sometimes I feel like the Fox Network is based out of Kentucky and just doesn't understand the brilliance of great cartoon comedy.
30% off web hosting. Coupon code "SLASHDOT".
The Simpsons was brilliant in the past, and occasionally still is. But don't you think the creative talent behind it could probably produce better things if they were freed from what is a pretty tired format?
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo
--Andy Finkel (J. Klass?)
Well, I don't fit any of those categories. I'm closer to the show's origins, I live in Louisiana. Though geographically close, I don't really consider Texas 'southern' though.
Probably among many others, I have been watching the Simpsons since Tracy Ullman and been a die hard fan ever since. This season outside of a few shows, I could care less whether I see it or not. I am not flaming, I am just stating I think they should go out with some diginity. I think that is safe to say that Matt G. agrees.
If we don't make light of everything, we are just stumbling in the dark - Blank
It seems the shows I like on Fox get booted so I decided to just not start watching any new shows on Fox. Andy Richter and that muppet show look pretty good from the prevues, but sure enough, if the show is anygood it will get booted. So why start watching and new shows? I'm not. I also have a 60 hour Tivo so it's not like I can't find anything else to watch. ;)
Fox does have goos sports coverage however. So, except for Sports, I'm done with Fox programming.
--
...literally.
Homer Jumps the Shark.
Wow. Someone who spells 'reckless' incorrectly.
"Information wants to be paid"
Undergrads (MTV), Undeclared, Futurama, Family Guy - GONE.
What are male University students left to watch on TV these days???
And soon the Simpsons.
Well, the good news is more episodes are available online now(plus no commercials... eat that FOX).
Next on FOX: "When TV Executives cancel shows with loyal followings"
---- The geek shall inherit the Earth.
D'oh!
An important issue about Crusade was that the project was terminated before the first episode even aired. I'm sure there's two sides to the story, but I could see the interference from the suits (I can't believe I just wrote that) when watching those 13 eps.
Another case of life imitating art:
alex
--- Wherever you go, everyone is always connected...
It kinda makes me think of how Bob & Tom deal with complaints--if they get a complaint about one song they played, they play it again.
I disagree with the guy, but c'mon he's hardly a troll. He merely stated why he didn't think the Simpsons was all that great. That's not trolling, posting "Slashdot sucks my uncle's scrubby ***sack" without the * is trolling. Look at this guys user info and you'll see from his previous posts that he's not a troll and never has been.
Seriously now Moderators really should refrain from modding posts down simply on the basis of disagreement.
>
OK what gimp voted the above offtopic?
*sigh*
The last few minutes of 11/26/00 episode of Futurama, "War is the H Word", was cut (in the East) for the certification of the Florida Electoral Votes. Then again, if they had to cut in, the timing couldn't have been better.
** SPOILER ALERT **
Bender had a bomb planted in him when he would say his favorite word, 'ass'. The gang got to him in time, and just as he said 'ass', he screamed the TV screen went blank for a few seconds, and they cut to the Fox News Alert.
Hmmm. Bender says 'ass' and Katherine Harris appears. I liked that doomsday ending best.
Mod Karma -1: I sed bad wurds. If I cep my mouf shut, I wud be at riyses.
It's a pity, they don't like Futurama. Here in Russia we really love it!
Just oogle the google and the first hit i get is this. Answering questions like this is what the internet was invented for!
I am not a number! I am a man! And don't you
... a 'suicide booth' when you need it most.
Political correctness is the newest form of slavery.
(sorry, had to do it)
When Seagulls Cry
The Threesome Sisters
Uncle Vanya's Raspberry Beret
Ivanov Would Die 4 U
c-hack.com |
Has anyone else seen the correlation between Futurama becoming the cutting edge satire show on TV and Simpsons becoming somewhat tired and cliched?
I am a long time Simpsons fan, the show has had its bad seasons in the past, but I have found since Futurama debuted, that the Simpsons has suffered. I have the feeling that most of the creative talent is writing for Futurama, leaving the Simpsons to the 2nd string. I am unsure if the same creative team is truly up to putting out 2 top notch shows.
Of course , my greatest fear is that both shows end up being canceled. Not sure what I would do without my Bender and Homer fix.
This is not the sig you are looking for...
Look at Seinfeld, at least we didn't have to watch it die a painful death, it was killed mercifully. The Simpsons is clearly running out of ideas. They even said so on their last clip show a few weeks ago!
It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
Quote:While I don't agree that The Simpsons has "Jumped the Shark"
... well I guess don't know. Homer is mad that because the phone company changed his area code. Somehow this involves a badger and the 70's rock band "The Who".
Are you kidding? The Simpsons "Jumped the Shark" the day Homer swore for the first time.
The Simpsons went 10 years without a single character using profanity to get laughs. The day Homer swore is the day the show ran out original material.
Up to that day the Simpsons relied on parody, biting social commentary and literay allusion to generate laughs. The writing was deep and thoughtful, with layers of humor.
Take for example the writing on the episode title "Treehouse of Horror" from the mid-nineties(text of the show here). Homer overhears Lisa telling Bart the Edgar Allen Poe classic "The Raven". Homer imagines the world of the "Raven" with himself as the tortured soul and Bart as the Raven antagonist. The short sequence re-writes the Raven (in Poe's poetic style), uses James Earl Jones as the narrator (for a wonderfully scary effect), and sets Marge Simpsons long lost Lenore. Absolutely wonderful writing and humor.
Juxtapose that short, wonderful segment with a recent episode where Homer secedes from Springfield. The premise of the story is
Homer swears repeatedly for comedic effect. Great. Hilarious. I could have watched Roseanne to see that. Maybe Homer will grab his crotch next.
The Who episode had no story line, no parody and no literary allusion. In the end they are *saved* by guest stars "The Who". Great, another washed up band who is currently on tour gets a cross-promotional spot on the Simpsons (I wonder how much bands pay to get on the show?).
In the UK, the biggest cable/satellite/digital channel, Sky 1, runs Futurama side by side with the Simpsons, at between 6 and 8pm weeknights (plus a Saturday repeat). It promotes it heavily, and doesn't screw around with the timeslots.
In other words: they get it, and we get it, and I'll be deeply, deeply saddened to see it go because some jumped up MBA prick in an expensive suit feels it doesn't target a common enough demographic, or that it might offend the Neurotic Mothers of America. Sad, sad day.
If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
Jesus, futurama has some of the best animation I have ever seen in a regular animation feature, the characters are piss funny. Bender is great, Bender is great! Grrr
'How about this, "Futurama sucks" Is that better? '
Not really. When somebody says something 'sucks' but does nothing to back that up... well, frankly you sound like somebody who doesn't have a well formed opinion. In other words, ya saw the show once and never really gave it a chance.
Seeing as how this thread is about saving Futurama, I'd say you're just looking to piss people off, a la flamebait.
"Derp de derp."
You are absolutely, 100% correct.
Also, the early Simpsons were more human and people could sympathize with them. They had universal problems. That is a big part of any classic comedy. Now they are so bizarre and "cartoonish" that you can hardly relate to them.
Cameos and timely subjects are like sweets, a quick thrill and then even more quickly forgotten, and too much of them makes you sick.
It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
You sound just like most of the posters from alt.tv.simpsons in the past 5 years, just repeating "It was good a few seasons ago, but this season has just SUCKED" over and over again, every season.
Now allow me to mimic the other posters in a.t.s. by saying, if you think the show sucks now, stop watching it. Why waste your time on something you don't like?
OK, who caught the episode about a week and a half ago where they roast Homer. The part that left me laughing hardest was at the end where they were doing the musical medly, and there is a clip (not from any episode mind you) of Homer on a pair of water skis, jumping over a couple of sharks. That was great. PK
Engineers arn't boring people, we just get excited about boring things.
If you don't think that King of the Hill is smart satire, you've never been to suburban Texas.
No, it may not have the "here is the absurd joke, laugh now" style of Monty Python that is so used by sketch comedy and the Familiy Guy.
What King of the Hill DOES have is smart, subtle humor that allows working class middle America to poke fun at itself every once in a while.
D'OH
Anyone remember this unfortunate broadcast decision? It's a shame, SciFi still occasionally runs the 13 episodes filmed for Brimstone, looking back, it is still a good show. Bummer.
Who cares? After all, the results are OBVIOUSLY skewed -- there aren't that many FOX viewers, even in the international market! And don't try to tell me that Matt Groening is a real person, either.
[insert witty comment here]
Please. For the past 13 years, the Simpsons have provided vulgar and offensive entertainment to people all across the nation. Oafish Homer, foolish Bart, and know-it-allish Lisa (it's a word if I say it is) aren't going anywhere anytime soon. For shame, you Anonymous Coward. In the future, engage your brain before putting your mouth in gear.