Slashdot Mirror


Futurama: Can it be True!?

foolinator writes "Wired News has reported that Futurama could be making a comeback! From the article: "Last year, Futurama and Family Guy reruns did so well that it's likely both shows (which Fox killed in prime time) will produce new episodes." " Now if only I could get more Firefly, TV might be worth watching again.

23 of 448 comments (clear)

  1. Not true by lxt · · Score: 5, Informative

    This is simply a exagerration by the reporter - a wishful comment. It's simply not true, as has been said on all the Futurama sites for some time now.

    1. Re:Not true by ideatrack · · Score: 5, Informative

      The sad fact is that it may just be too hard to get all the right people back together. On the messageboards on Billy West's website (the voice of Fry, Zapp, Zoiberg etc but you know that) he said that the production team had broken up. At least I think that's where he said it anyway. But he has said he'd love to make more so who knows?

      That said isn't Katy Sagal doing something else with her time now?

      Family Guy is pretty much confirmed now, as the official site of the voice of Lois (forget her name) says as much.

    2. Re:Not true by mikey_boy · · Score: 4, Informative

      that may be, but Seth McFarlane has been quoted as working on new Family Guy:

      ... at the very least it [the new series] will be on Cartoon Network, which is great, because at the end of the day, that's where we built our biggest fan base.

      "The Family Guy" Coming Back

    3. Re:Not true by Cyberllama · · Score: 5, Informative

      Yeah its definately confirmed that family guy is coming back. They're working on new episodes now to begin airing in January of '05 on Cartoon Network. Fox has an option to air those episodes or sell them directly into syndication without ever airing them.

      I've heard speculation recently that Fox may indeed exercise thier option to show them first -- so we might get new family guy *THIS* year.

      But as for futurama, this sounds more like wishful thinking than anything substantiated. I think Futurama cost alot more to produce per episode than family guy (I could be wrong), so there might not be any profit to be had by making new episodes for syndication. Moreover, I don't think Futurama has had quite the same level of success in DVD sales that family guy had.

      The key to Family Guy's ressurection was not only beating letterman and leno in it's time slot on adult swim, but also being the number #1 selling dvd/dvd set in the country for several weeks.

    4. Re:Not true by EricWright · · Score: 4, Informative

      Yes, Katie Sagal is on ABCs 8 simple rules for dating my teenage daughter, the show John Ritter was also starring in when he passed away last year. Who knows if the show will last past this year, though. I don't watch it, and haven't paid any attention to how it is doing.

      That said, back in the early 90s, Yeardley Smith was concurrently playing in Herman's Head and doing the voice of Lisa Simpson. Of course, those were both Fox shows, whereas Sagal would end up on two different networks...

      Who knows!?! ... but here's to wishful thinking!

    5. Re:Not true by FreeTheFurniture! · · Score: 2, Informative

      Katie Sagal had the Futurama and 8 Simple Rules gigs going on simultaneously for a year or so.

      She started Futurama in 1999, and 8SR in 2002. . I'm pretty sure she had a few months overlap be for the cancellation was announced in Feb 2003. /p?

    6. Re:Not true by LittleGuy · · Score: 3, Informative

      Just to start, Mila Kunis has been able to work both "Family Guy" and "That 70's Show" simultaneously.

      Voiceover and 'live' acting can and have crossed over.

      --
      Mod Karma -1: I sed bad wurds. If I cep my mouf shut, I wud be at riyses.
    7. Re:Not true by Mighty+LoPan · · Score: 2, Informative

      Yes, I forget the actual number, but there was some astronomical cost for each Futurama episode, mostly due to the 3D animation style that it often dipped into. From a financial standpoint, if you were going to resurrect either Family Guy or Futurama, it wouldn't be hard to choose, since Family Guy sold more DVDs and costs less to produce.

  2. Family Guy Series 4 Already Confirmed by Mr.+Smoove · · Score: 5, Informative

    For those who don't know, Family Guy will be back early next year for a fourth series. Alex Borstein (Lois) has recently commented on her first week back.

    --
    Mr. Smoove
  3. More than they know by Apreche · · Score: 2, Informative

    Futurama and Family Guy are more popular than they realize. Me and my roomate no longer watch television. Over the course of the 4 years of college we've had TV go from that thing we watch to being hated enemy. Of course there are 3 shows we download and watch. The third is the Simpsons. If they make new episodes that would be great, because then I can download and watch those too. It really sucks when you've downloaded and seen every single episode and there's nothing new. Buying the DVDs is good too.

    --
    The GeekNights podcast is going strong. Listen!
  4. Re:The question is... by Ralph+Wiggam · · Score: 1, Informative

    That's what I thought about the last few years. This season has been really good. The ninja weapons one and the special olympics episode were awesome. I just saw the Jennifer Lopez hand puppet episode, which I think was part of season 7. That was one of the funniest episodes ever.

    -B

  5. Looks like you'll get your wish by UnixRevolution · · Score: 4, Informative

    Now if only I could get more Firefly, TV might be worth watching again.

    Movie Tome has an entry for a Firefly movie called "Serenity" that will start filming later this year and be ready by 2005. Hopefully it'll be successful and spawn another set of episodes or at the very least more movies. I'd link it but tv tome and movie tome aren't responding to me right now.

    --
    You like your new Mac more than you like me, don't you, Dave? Dave? I asked...She said Yes.
    1. Re:Looks like you'll get your wish by Rayston · · Score: 3, Informative

      For those who read slashdot, they already posted about the fact that the Firefly Movie has been greenlit.

      Firefly Movie Gets The Green Light

      Also check out
      FireFlyFans.net for all new firefly gabbing and info.
      and
      Whedonesque.com for all Joss Whedon News.

    2. Re:Looks like you'll get your wish by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Yes. The best episodes are #6 "Our Mrs. Reynolds" (funniest), #8 "Out Of Gas" (dramatic), and #10 "Objects In Space" (for sheer brilliance)

  6. Re:I think we know what to say.... by G-funk · · Score: 4, Informative

    Erm, it's BITE my shiny metal ass.

    --
    Send lawyers, guns, and money!
  7. Your link was borked......... by Ride-My-Rocket · · Score: 2, Informative

    Remember, HTML is your friend....... go here for the goodness.

  8. Re:Hooray for Zoidberg by buysse · · Score: 2, Informative

    Two words. American Idol. Unfortunately.

    --
    -30-
  9. Re:Family Guy - why it's good by hambonewilkins · · Score: 2, Informative

    How did you possibly buy all 3 seasons separately? I assume you also meant "bootleg" in there. To my knowledge, the 4-disc DVD set of Seasons 1 and 2 and the 3-disc set of the 3rd season are the only official releases.

    --

    God Bless America. Why? Did it sneeze?
  10. Firefly-related web sites by will_edit_for_food · · Score: 3, Informative

    Firefly fans need not live alone, cowering and huddled in a corner, confused that one of the best shows on TV since Babylon 5 went to cable. Now we can cower in front of our computer monitors, trying to make sense of it all: www.fireflyfans.net www.whedonesque.com

  11. Firefly's Hope by catphile · · Score: 4, Informative

    Not only is the movie Serenity in pre-production, but the good folks at Universal asked Joss Whedon to rework the script. And the rumored reson was to make the movie a potential launching platform for... a television program.

    It all will depend on how many people I can drag to the movie.

  12. Re:I love Futurama, and I don't want it back by foolinator · · Score: 2, Informative
    Who cares about Fry's love for Leela? We're geeks on ./, we can take yet another Fry rejection. Which geek can't identify with that? Fry is cool, he can't be happy in love - cool guys just don't do that.

    If the love plot is the only thing that would hold new episodes from being created, then that's only a minor problem. It's not jumping the shark.

    EMail Fox (askfox@foxinc.com)!! Tell them "BRING BACK FUTURAMA!!"

    Geeks have morphed the programmer to look cool in cheeseball Hollywood (ie Swordfish, Matrix, Antitrust, Hackers, The Net - excluding Dennis Miller, and booger - the original cool nerd), why not try and bring back Futurama?
    10 $email = "Dear Fox, bring back futurama"
    20 Email.send($email, askfox@foxinc.com)
    30 GOTO 20
  13. Futurama... by talks_to_birds · · Score: 2, Informative
    ...ane then Family Guy, and right before that Anime Unleashed for an hour on TechTV.

    That's about all there is on cable these days.

    What did Bruce say? Something about "..57 channels and nothin's on.."

    t_t_b

    --
    I'm on PJ's "enemies" list! Are you?
  14. Re:Hey Fox, Let me program Sundays for you by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    It was ABC that forced the laugh track to be added, not Comedy Central. Of course, the laugh track was lessened over the course of the show anyway, eventually leading to no canned laughter at all by the second season (as it should be). Watching the second season on ABC then the first again on Comedy Central, you'd probably notice how out of place the laughter was right away, which is why you thought Comedy Central did it.