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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.

114 of 448 comments (clear)

  1. Good news by geirlk · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Good news everyone, we're canceled!"

    1. Re:Good news by MarkVVV · · Score: 2, Funny

      at least now we have someone to BEND our tvs again...

      bend...tvs...got it? no?

      sorry...

  2. The question is... by Jharish · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...will they be able to get back the same writing talent that made us fall in love with it, or is the quality of the shows going to be compromised?

    At least South Park still manages to be fresh and timely after 8 years.

    1. Re:The question is... by SuperMo0 · · Score: 4, Insightful
      At least South Park still manages to be fresh and timely after 8 years.

      Due in no small part to the fact that they're able to create episodes in a week, if need be.

    2. Re:The question is... by dasmegabyte · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Which can hurt them, too. Spike TV's "This Just In" tries the same thing with very little success. Even jokes that SHOULD be funny aren't funny when they do them.

      It takes a special show to become more than the sum of its collaboraters. Adult Swim has it a lot of the time. Family Guy had it. South Park had it, lost it, and last season regained it. And Futurama has it in droves...in fact, as The Simpsons slowly became an exercise in self worship, Futurama started slicing at the bleeding edge of parody, with some of the most hilarious dialog on TV.

      --
      Hey freaks: now you're ju
    3. Re:The question is... by SuperMo0 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It also takes a steady time slot. Both Futurama and Family Guy, if I recall correctly, were victims of FOX bumping it around their lineup a whole lot trying to find where it'd work best, but inevitably just screwing with their audience's head by not letting them get settled with when the show was on.

    4. Re:The question is... by vt_swimm · · Score: 3, Funny

      I am Hennifer Lopez, and I like tacos y burritos.

    5. Re:The question is... by dasmegabyte · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I think you confuse the thrust of my argument. A steady timeslow can make a funny show easier to find, but it won't make a dull show funnier.

      The shows I mentioned are funny no matter when they're on.

      --
      Hey freaks: now you're ju
    6. Re:The question is... by j-turkey · · Score: 4, Funny
      Adult Swim has it a lot of the time. Family Guy had it. South Park had it, lost it, and last season regained it. And Futurama has it in droves

      ...your sister has it. Your thoughts have betrayed her too.

      --

      -Turkey

  3. Welcome back Family Guy!! by justinmc · · Score: 5, Funny

    Stewie Griffin: [After Lois tries to feed Stewie his broccoli "airplane style"] Damn you, Damn the Broccoli, and Damn the Wright Brothers.

    1. Re:Welcome back Family Guy!! by Dejitaru+Neko · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yeah, I'm glad to see it returning, too. I would like to shake the hand of the man who must have called the network and said it was his terminally ill son's final wish that Family Guy return to television.

      --
      Nyo nyo, the Neko Boy has spoken.
  4. 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 brokenvoice · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Alex Borstein did the voice of Lois and others. Incidentally wasn't there talk of a feature length Family Guy?

    4. 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.

    5. 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!

    6. 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?

    7. 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.
    8. 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.

  5. All-cartoon prime time? by 192939495969798999 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I still think we're headed for an all-cartoon prime time. It's so much cheaper to make cartoons compared to other shows, and the jokes can be so much clearer, plus you can fly under the FCC's crazy censorship witch-hunting by being "just a harmless cartoon".

    --
    stuff |
    1. Re:All-cartoon prime time? by zakezuke · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I still think we're headed for an all-cartoon prime time. It's so much cheaper to make cartoons compared to other shows

      I think I would prefer cartoon primetime over reality TV. Let's see the current Fox lineup on that front

      America's most wanted
      Cops
      My big fat obnoxious fiance
      The simple life
      Totally outrageous behavior caught on tape
      The Swan

      And the ever popular American Idol --www.fox.com

      The Dead Kennedys had a line in thier song MTV Get Off The Air "Allowing it to sink as low in one year As commercial TV has in 25". The shows listed are the likes of which you'd expect to be in scetch comedy. I'm not saying that Futurama or Family Guy is the apex of modern entertainment... but it's at least entertainment rather then vomit.

      --
      There is no sanctuary. There is no sanctuary. SHUT UP! There is no shut up. There is no shut up.
    2. Re:All-cartoon prime time? by tb3 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'm afraid you're too much of an optimist. The sad truth is we're heading towards a prime time populated entirely by 'reality' programming. (I put reality in quotes because anyone who believes reality is really like that needs their head examined.)
      Those kind of shows are so cheap to make and draw such high ratings that they will completely take over the airwaves in a year or two.

      --

      www.lucernesys.comHorizon: Calendar-based personal finance

    3. Re:All-cartoon prime time? by dasmegabyte · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I'm afraid your both wrong.

      We're headed for what we've always had...a scant few long running shows that get money and the benefit of the doubt, along with a bunch of filler that's on a short leash. Family Guy did well, but it didn't do as well as expected (come on, it was up against friggin FRIENDS, the indestructable behemouth of thursday night. even *I* would tape FG during the first run). So it was dumped as if it were Oliver Beene. Of course, since then, it's done massive syndicated business and had tons of DVD sales, and suddenly it looked a lot more valuable.

      Reality TV series are pressed to be more outrageous and as such are becoming more expensive. Yes, you don't pay the actors...but if you think talented editors, tropical locales and hundreds of cameras come cheaper than a ten person cast and a few unchanging sets, you're deluding yourself. And it's not as if you don't need writers on a reality show...you think all that drama sequences and frames itself? You think those voiceovers are ad-libbed? People write out the plots and subplots of reality TV, same as regular shows...they just have to make mountains out of molehills instead of out of imagination.

      I think reality TV peaked last year. It won't disappear, but I think what we're seeing is the tail end of reality show development and we can expect something new to excite programming directors for the next five years.

      --
      Hey freaks: now you're ju
    4. Re:All-cartoon prime time? by A55M0NKEY · · Score: 2, Interesting
      I've noticed the only shows I watch often are in no particular order:
      • Stand up comedy
      • Banzai
      • Southpark (only new ones. I can't stand southpark reruns and avoid them like the plague. Maybe it's because they too closely match current events - They had a new episode where Saddam Hussein got captured like 4 days after he actually got captured. If they can do that, they can make a new episode for every week dammit!
      • Futurama
      • Family Guy
      • *Would prolly watch simpsons if I got it
        • Notice 3 are cartoons, and one Banzai, I will probably get bored of once the novelty wears off.

          The stuff I watch rarely or intermittently probably adds up to the amount of time I spend watching the stuff I watch regularly but the list is longer and my devotion is less.

        • Movies
        • Samarai Jack
        • Mythbusters
        • Odd & assorted Discovery channel / History Channel / Animal Planet stuff. Black & white war footage or anything with Hitler in it is avoided, as is anything having to do with emergency rooms, UFOs, Crop Circles, Ghosts or Psychic Powers.
        • Operation shows ( where you get to see them do real operations ) these don't play much but they are very interesting.
        • Monster Garage/Junkyard Wars/Robot fights/etc
        • Misc. But: Reality show participants should be redissolved into primordial goo and given a chance to re-evolve into something more worthwhile. So I don't watch them needless to say unless there were a Real World/Road Rules VS. Overwhemling numbers of Lions Tigers, Bears and Canniballistic Savages with Machetes episode. That I would watch.
      --

      Eat at Joe's.

    5. Re:All-cartoon prime time? by aiabx · · Score: 4, Interesting

      anything with Hitler in it is avoided, as is anything having to do with emergency rooms, UFOs, Crop Circles, Ghosts or Psychic Powers.

      I was channel-hopping one night and ran into one of those "Unsolved-Mysteries" UFO shows on Discovery. They were talking about these mysterious lights floating over Phoenix, which are apparently a big mystery in the flake world. I was disgusted to see this kind of World Weekly News crap on a science channel. But I watched it in a horrified trance. And do you know what happened? They debunked it! After listening to all the UFO nuts talking about how the only explanation is the paranormal, they spent the last quarter of the show presenting a credible, rational explanation. Yay for our side!
      -aiabx

      --
      Just this guy, you know?
  6. Is it the money? by zora · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It seems like too much of a coincidence that while the Simpsons actors are holding out for $8 Million / season that Fox suddenly takes an intrest in Futurama? Say it aint so!

    --
    In the end they will lay their freedom at our feet, and say to us, "Make us your slaves, but feed us." - Dostoevsky
    1. Re:Is it the money? by SuperMo0 · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Either that, or they are the most clueless idiots on planet earth...

      Well, since we're talking about them cancelling Family Guy and Futurama... and this is the same network that aired The Simple Life... that verdict's up in the air.

  7. You're Fired! (tm) by aixou · · Score: 5, Funny

    I hope someone at Fox got the axe for cancelling the two shows in the first place.

    1. Re:You're Fired! (tm) by cubicledrone · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Not a chance. Probably got promoted and given a bayside apartment and six-figure bonus because the next quarter's numbers were up 20%. (Then down 40% the following quarter, after the bonus check was cashed).

      Management can't lose. If they cancel it and fire everyone, they take credit for the cost reduction. If they keep it on the air and it doesn't get the ratings, they fire everyone (because it was their fault) and take credit for the cost reduction. If they keep it on the air and it gets good ratings, they take credit for the increased ad revenue and the success of the show (it was their idea, of course), and they wait unti the end of the season to fire everyone, and take credit for the cost reduction. It's the perfect job.

      --
      Business isn't willing to pay for products, innovation and careers, so we get brands, mortgage commercials and layoffs.
  8. I think we know what to say.... by Scrab · · Score: 5, Funny

    to the people that had Futurama canned...

    Kiss my shiny metal ass....

    --
    RoseColor red={0, 0xffff, 0x0000, 0x0000};VioletColour blue={0, 0x0000, 0x0000, 0xffff};find / -name *mybase*|chown you
    1. Re:I think we know what to say.... by DarkSarin · · Score: 2, Interesting

      It probably isn't even metal!

      (It's been 15 seconds since you hit reply....

      sorry filters!)

      --
      "We don't know what we are doing, but we are doing it very carefully,..." Wherry, R.J. Personnel Psychology (1995)
    2. 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!
    3. Re:I think we know what to say.... by fyonn · · Score: 2, Insightful

      excuse me! I think you'll find it's daffodil! :)

      dave

  9. Skeptic by Punscho · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I really am since we all know fox are evil. (Score 1, insightful)
    What about new FG episodes on DVD? I heard some rumour about that...

  10. 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
  11. :) hmmm. by mrselfdestrukt · · Score: 3, Funny

    Bite my non-shiny non-metal ass!

    --
    "I used to have that really cool,funny sig ,but it got stolen."
  12. Old News by theparanoidcynic · · Score: 3, Interesting

    CGEF carried this over a month ago. At the time it was considered a case of "overenthusiastic editor." It still is as far as I'm concerned.
    I'll believe it when there's an announcement from Fox.

    --
    Only in a Slashdot fantasy can a Slackware install turn into several hours of sex . . . . .
  13. We can only hope. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    At the last convention that I saw him at, Matt Groening said he would LOVE to make new episodes of Futurama, but it is a extremely expensive show to make. It's more a money issue than anything else.

    As for Family Guy, they ARE making new episodes of that. The DVD set sales blew the execs away, they hadn't realized how popular it was, apparently.

    Not sure how to make the below a link....first time commenting on Slashdot.

    http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/ in dex.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040326005446& newsLang=en

  14. Smaller channels? by Gilesx · · Score: 3, Interesting

    "Big Name" shows like these with a large brand recognition would be right at home on the smaller channels that need something to grab a few hundred thousand viewers. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that a show like Futurama would be given a lot more love and attention by a more grateful network, than the Fox behemouth.

    In addition to the mentioned toons, I read an interview with Kevin Smith and he mentioned that not only have the original 6 episodes of Clerks: The Animated Series been picked up for airing on a channel other then ABC (HBO I think?), but there is the possibility of all new episodes, as they orginally had plans for 4 seasons! Good times indeed....

    --
    Sunday you're Thinking Different, Monday you're a huge tool, paying too much and waiting to think like everyone else.
  15. Invader Zim & The Critic by katz · · Score: 2, Interesting

    The Critic has been released on DVD and Invader Zim has probably also been released by now.
    I wish they could bring these shows back.. I heard that Jhonen Vasquez isn't interested in continuing with cartoons though. Ah well.
    Invader Zim only got what, one or two seasons?

  16. 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!
  17. Re:FP by goatan · · Score: 2, Insightful
    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."

    Do the executives ever watch these programs if they did they would realise what a bad idea killing them off would be. Most programs that have a large audience in there first series usually trail off by the second and third (think of most reality shows). Most quality series build up a fan base slowly by word of mouth, which is what has happened with the re-runs.

    Message to SKY/FOX please stop repeating the same Simpson episodes in the same week it's boring and putting me off the Simpson's.

    --
    Saying Apple is better than MS is like saying Botulism is better than rabies.

  18. They never learn by Deanasc · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If Fox does bring it back I hope they don't put it on at 7pm Sunday. Football and Nascar runs long... Kill Futurama. They never gave the show a chance to grow an audience outside of Sci-Fi fans. And yet they give Oliver Bean the cherriest slot behind Simpsons. I loved that crapfest when it was called 'The Wonder Years'.

    --
    I've hit Karma 50 and gotten a Score:5, Troll... I win!
  19. Firefly?!? by Sieni · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sheesh, did they have to change the name of Phoenix/Firebird/Firefox/whatever again?!?

  20. Only to be pre-empted by Fox Football by shoppa · · Score: 5, Insightful
    I'm a huge fan of Futurama and Family Guy, but I'm convinced that Fox is only doing this as "fodder" for pre-emption by football games.

    During Futurama's last season there was a two-month stretch where no Futurama was shown at all (even though it was in the schedule).

  21. Re:Hooray! by kaellinn18 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Ah, Zoidy, what are we doing without you?

    Passing anatomy 101?

    Zoidberg: Now open your mouth and let's have a look at that brain. (Fry opens his mouth) Zoidberg: No, no no no, no, not that mouth. Fry: I only have one. Zoidberg: Really?

    --

    --------
    This isn't the sig you're looking for. Move along.
  22. I love futurama (who doesn't) by CrackedButter · · Score: 2, Flamebait

    I downloaded every single episode, i hope to do so again.

  23. South Park Season 8 (and other topics) by Threed · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I dunno, I'm as big a South Park fan as anybody but season 8 has been consistently bad so far.

    Anyway, when these shows come back, I'd be concerned about the voice talent, the writers, the desire of the studio to just crank out some crap hoping the title of the show keeps people watching. I mean, have you seen the Simpsons lately? Definately past its prime.

    Maybe, and I hope I'm wrong, these shows were cut down in their prime for a good reason: to avoid jumping the shark.

    Now here's a show I'd love to see brought back, but it'll never happen... Invader ZIM. Too bad, the creative genius of the show has gone on record saying he'd rather die than animate.

    1. Re:South Park Season 8 (and other topics) by junkgrep · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The way a naked Cartman creeped across that stage was funnier than anything that's been on Fox for years.

  24. OBEY THE FIST! by SoupIsGood+Food · · Score: 2, Insightful

    OK, now we've got the second best science-fiction comedy cartoon of all time un-cancelled, a concerted effort must be made to rescue Invader Zim from Nickelodeon. Irkan dominance must not be denied!

    SoupIsGood Food

  25. Hooray for Zoidberg by bangular · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't know if anyone else remembers what Futurama was replaced with. Oliver Beane. One of the shittiest shows ever. People joke about Fox executives being a bunch of monkeys that have no clue about programming, but it's really true. Every single truly good show Fox gets it cancels. What is it replaced with? Midgets, people injuring themselves, TV bloopers, weddings, police chases, reality shows, absolute shit. The ratings may be high for those shows, but they are only high because they are extreme. Once people become censatized they must become more extreme. It's an arms race. Just look at the wedding shows of 3 years ago compared to todays. There's nothing about these shows that have lasting value or anything that's fundamentally entertaining about them.

    Zoidberg, now he's entertaining. The rubber band is on the other claw now!!

    1. Re:Hooray for Zoidberg by cosmo7 · · Score: 5, Funny

      I think when you said censatized you meant sensitized by which you meant desensitized and were really after the word inured.

      Otherwise you're totally right.

    2. Re:Hooray for Zoidberg by BlackHawk-666 · · Score: 2, Funny
      I blame Fox's crummy programming for that poor chaps inability to use English. In an unrelated note, a Fox internal memo leaked today:

      Dumb down tv programming

      ?

      Profit!

      --
      All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
    3. Re:Hooray for Zoidberg by buysse · · Score: 2, Informative

      Two words. American Idol. Unfortunately.

      --
      -30-
    4. Re:Hooray for Zoidberg by Spankophile · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Hmmm. let me just re-read your post again.


      Every single truly good show Fox gets it cancels.

      Okay.

      The ratings may be high for those [replacement] shows, [...]because they are extreme.


      Now, I'm no TV exec, but something tells me that canceling a show, and then replacing it with one that gets high ratings isn't such a dumb thing to do?

    5. Re:Hooray for Zoidberg by Dejitaru+Neko · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I think you meant to say, "every single truly good show that isn't making money hand over fist for Fox, it cancels."

      Well, of course. As much as we geeks would like to see quality in the shows aired by a network, it is ultimately the viewership of the public in general which decides the shows we will see. Greater viewership leads to greater revenues for the network, and unfortunately enough, the trend is that money will win over quality.

      --
      Nyo nyo, the Neko Boy has spoken.
    6. Re:Hooray for Zoidberg by B3ryllium · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The point is that the reality shows have a big bang of ratings at the start, but they are not sustainable. They can't be rerun, they get progressively more "extreme" to conceptualize and produce, and they are basically eventually going to work themselves out of a market. Obviously there are a few exceptions to that statement (The Apprentice, Survivor, American Idol), but for the majority of reality shows ... you can only see people getting hurt in unique new ways so many times, before you start craving something with more substance (ER, The Simpsons, The Practice, Law and Order).

      So, replacing a show with one that gets higher ratings might be a good move in the short term, but if you put quality television on that draws viewers in with subtle and/or intelligent and/or entertaining plotlines, you will eventually get a locked-in core audience that can support your network's other endeavors. The Simpsons has such a locked in audience. That's why the current execs are so loathe to cancel it; while it sort of straddles the border between "good" tv and "fox" tv, it was given a chance to capture a core audience - it is now an unstoppable juggernaut.

      Fox needs to hold on to its potential juggernauts, and stop cancelling them! I mean, fer chrissakes ... stop changing timeslots, even! That would solve half the problems.

  26. Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus! by Neuticle · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!!!!!!!!!
    Except he's a giant killer robot santa with joy-seeking missiles

    Everybody sing along now!

    He knows when you are sleeping,
    He know when you're on the can,
    He'll hunt you down and blast your ass from here to Pakistan!
    Ohhhhhh
    You better not breathe,
    You better not move,
    You're better off dead, I'm telling you dude,
    Santa Claus is gunning you DOWN!!!!

    Run for your LIVES!!!!!

    God I love Futurama

    --
    "Cheeze it!" - Bender
  27. No one's posted this yet? Shame on you! by SuperMo0 · · Score: 5, Funny

    1. Create insanely funny, brilliant show. Allow critics and internet forum readers to rave about said brilliance while it airs on FOX.
    2. Allow FOX to cancel your series after a few seasons.
    3. Send out a couple of DVDs that sell millions of copies.
    4. Air reruns on Cartoon Network that become insanely popular.
    5. ???
    6. PROFIT!

  28. Hey Fox, Let me program Sundays for you by ScottGant · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Here's the new Fox lineup starting at 8pm, 7 central:

    8:00 = The Simpsons

    8:30 = Futurama (Oliver Bean was funnier when it was called "The Wonder Years")

    9:00 = The Family Guy (Malcome in the Middle should be Malcom in the Unemployment line)

    9:30 = Arrested Development (this is a GREAT show, please keep it idiots)

    Please note, there are no laugh tracks in any of the above shows...as you don't need to tell us when something is funny. (Animated before a live audience?)

    Also, Fox WILL stop from the idiotic news teases such as "Alarming news about a certain new food you could be eating right at this very moment that could instantly kill you...we'll tell you about it at 10pm".

    --

    "Music is everybody's possession. It's only publishers who think that people own it." - John Lennon.
    1. Re:Hey Fox, Let me program Sundays for you by hotspotbloc · · Score: 4, Funny
      (Animated before a live audience?)

      This has been tried before but the artist's hands got very sore half way through the show.

      --
      "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity but they've always worked for me" - HST
    2. Re:Hey Fox, Let me program Sundays for you by TrentL · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I think any day from Monday to Thursday, from 8:00pm onward, would be a great time. The Sunday pre-8:00pm timeslot SUCKS. It sends a message that a show isn't important, and it's inconvenient. I'm usually watching 60 Minutes at that point.

    3. Re:Hey Fox, Let me program Sundays for you by G-funk · · Score: 4, Funny

      "No, Homer. Very few cartoons are broadcast live, it's a terrible strain on the animators' wrists."

      --
      Send lawyers, guns, and money!
    4. Re:Hey Fox, Let me program Sundays for you by Ctrl-Z · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I'm usually watching football at that point ... on FOX.

      --
      www.timcoleman.com is a total waste of your time. Never go there.
    5. Re:Hey Fox, Let me program Sundays for you by utahjazz · · Score: 4, Funny

      Please note, there are no laugh tracks in any of the above shows

      Not yet. Anyone remember when Comedy Central picked up "Sports Night" and added a laugh track to it? It was downright creepy.

      Imagine someone taking your favorite drama, and adding a laugh track to the 'funny' parts.

      Bones: "Damnit Jim, I'm a doctor not a cement mixer!"
      [laughter]

      Cipher: "I don't even see the codes anymore, just blonde..brunette"
      [laughter]

      Luke: "More than you can imagine"
      Han: "I can imagine a lot"
      [laughter]

    6. Re:Hey Fox, Let me program Sundays for you by Chewie · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Oh, and add Greg the Bunny in there. Any show with Eugene Levy, Seth Green, and Bob Gunton has my vote.

      "I'm afraid this weekend's no good for me. I was planning on spending the weekend in wine country, which is what I call the room above my garage."

      --
      49 20 68 61 76 65 20 74 6F 6F 20 6D 75 63 68 20 66 72 65 65 20 74 69 6D 65 2E
    7. Re:Hey Fox, Let me program Sundays for you by Beardydog · · Score: 2, Funny

      The first time I saw it luagh-tracked, it was all I could do to watch in mute, slack-jawed horror. Then my friend took me too a celebrirt baseball game with Casey in it, because she thought he was cute. Meatloaf stood in the outfield blowing plumes of water, and at some point commented on the fact that I was wedged between two girls in the stands.

      What was I saying?

      Oh, yeah. Laugh track bad. And Adult Swim is the best thing to happen to television since my decision to stop watching The Simpsons (which was a brilliant revolution in observed quality). I'm sure I'd enjoy more Futurama, but this is one of the few times that I have to say I wouldn't mind it staying dead. The last episodes were beautiful, and provided closure for me, and getting more would be like getting back with an old girlfriend for a year of awkward attempted romance, knowing full well it couldn't last.

    8. Re:Hey Fox, Let me program Sundays for you by Chewie · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I'll agree with you on The Tick. It had a lot of potential that just didn't click. I think if they hadn't burned through cash like nothing, it could have worked.

      GTB, on the other hand, made me laugh every single episode. Some didn't like it, others thought it was great. I am clearly in the latter camp.

      --
      49 20 68 61 76 65 20 74 6F 6F 20 6D 75 63 68 20 66 72 65 65 20 74 69 6D 65 2E
    9. Re:Hey Fox, Let me program Sundays for you by no+reason+to+be+here · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I like Malcolm a lot as well. They took a few episodes before they really began to get funny, but now they are very consistently funny, IMO. Also, if i'm not mistaken, they are another show without a laugh-track.

    10. Re:Hey Fox, Let me program Sundays for you by Chewie · · Score: 3, Funny

      Yeah, and Jimmy Kimmel gets her.

      Hey, Sarah! If you wanted fat and not funny, I could have toned down my sense of humor for you, baby!

      --
      49 20 68 61 76 65 20 74 6F 6F 20 6D 75 63 68 20 66 72 65 65 20 74 69 6D 65 2E
    11. Re:Hey Fox, Let me program Sundays for you by Dog135 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      On an animation forum I'm on, we talked about this. If you get enough artists together, and do the animatics ahead of time, you can actually do it.

      But you'd need 3600 animators, each given 5 minutes to finish a frame, or 720 animators with 1 minute per frame.

      --
      "That's so plausible, I can't believe it!" - Leela
    12. Re:Hey Fox, Let me program Sundays for you by kwiqsilver · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The reason fox doesn't like Futurama or Family Guy (and kept moving them around and eventually gave them crappy time slots) is ownership.
      Fox wants to own every show on Fox. Groening owns Futurama. Fox would rather show a stupid show it owns (like Oliver Beane) that gets worse ratings, but gives Fox a lionshare of the profits.

    13. Re:Hey Fox, Let me program Sundays for you by ChrisMaple · · Score: 2, Funny
      Animated before a live audience?

      They're called puppet shows. Yuck.

      --
      Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
    14. Re:Hey Fox, Let me program Sundays for you by mini+me · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Not to mention that Futurama was always preempted due to Football. How does FOX expect a show to get good ratings when it's never on? Is there not something wrong when the general public understands FOX's marketing better than they do themselves?

    15. Re:Hey Fox, Let me program Sundays for you by RotJ · · Score: 2, Funny

      "Clerks" the animated series was alternately "filmed before a live studio audience", "drawn before a live studio audience", "filmed by a live studio audience", and "drawn by a live studio audience". Having it drawn by the live studio audience is a good idea. It saves a lot of money.

  29. News From The Fox Boardroom by cdavies · · Score: 5, Funny

    *Buzzing Sounds* (Together) We will reinstate Futurama... All glory to the hypnotoad.

    1. Re:News From The Fox Boardroom by Enigma2175 · · Score: 2, Funny
      *Buzzing Sounds* (Together) We will reinstate Futurama... All glory to the hypnotoad.

      "Everybody Loves HypnoToad" has been going downhill since season 3.

      --

      Enigma

  30. Let's fighting love by bangular · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You're telling me you didn't laugh at let's fighting love? and butters getting a throwing star in his eye? or "you got served"?

    1. Re:Let's fighting love by matt_gaia · · Score: 2, Funny

      Actually, if I remember correctly, it was McGuire, Barry Bonds, and Jason Giambi, and most definitely priceless. Brought back memories of an episode they did a few years back when they did the same spiel to the Ramsey Family and OJ and they were talking about killers.

    2. Re:Let's fighting love by taernim · · Score: 2, Funny

      Awesome-O thinks South Park is... awesome. ;-)

      --
      "PC Load Letter? What the $@#% does that mean?!"
  31. Sarcasm by beders · · Score: 2, Funny

    Wow! web based petitions really do work!

  32. 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.

  33. Yay! More Hypno Toad by CrackedButter · · Score: 2, Funny


    TV: All Hail the Hypno Toad. MMMMMMMM
    Fry: This show has been going downhill since season 3.

  34. Re:FP by EricWright · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Hello... "Do the executives ever watch these programs...?"

    Well, yes... they probably do. But, since they're executives, there's a slim chance that they're also geeky enough to "get" Futurama. Futurama was packed with side jokes related to programming, physics, linguistics, etc. No executive worth his washroom key would understand any of that...

  35. Fox Execs by Paulrothrock · · Score: 3, Funny

    I don't know why it's doing so poorly! All we did is move its timeslot around and then preempt it with sports that its target audience doesn't want to watch.

    [as] is like the nice, sweet geek friend who loves a girl (great cartoons) who's with a horrible boyfriend (Fox). He treats her wrong, and she runs to her geek. But as soon as she's feeling better, the dumbass boyfriend wants her back.

    I'm not sure how to feel about this. Part of me says "woo hoo! New Episodes!" But another part says "Now it will be in the mainstream again, complete with lots of disgusting, annoying commercials and no funny cards."

    --
    I'm in the hole of the broadband donut.
  36. Your link was borked......... by Ride-My-Rocket · · Score: 2, Informative

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

  37. Futurama probably won't come back by David_Bloom · · Score: 3, Insightful
    I love Futurama, it really was the best show on television, but I think the reference to its "revival" in this article is just some stupid reporter misinterpreting some stuff somebody told them. We'd have gotten a more official, specific news article about this if the show was really being revived.


    Now, Family Guy, on the other hand, has a shot - I've seen articles about its possible revival thanks to strong DVD sales.


    Everyone, put your CSS and region-control concerns behind you, and buy a fuckload of Futurama DVDs.

    --

    Karma: Excellent (fuck, even in the future moderation doesn't work!)
  38. Spoon! by Art_XIV · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Now if only Fox would bring the back The Tick. (The animated version! The animated version!)

    --
    The only thing that we learn from history is that nobody learns anything from history.
  39. Re:You're all a bunch of geeks around here! by Christianfreak · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If you don't like Futurama you probably didn't get the jokes. :)

  40. Re:Oh goodie! by Gandalf_Greyhame · · Score: 2, Funny

    Bender should not be allowed on TV

    Fathers Against Rude Television, or F.A.R.T.

    --
    I am not stubborn. I am right!
  41. Where's that 'Hopefully' mod when you need it... by tjwhaynes · · Score: 2, Interesting

    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.

    You've got to hope that someone holding the money sees the light. A friend lent me the DVD box set of the Firefly episodes (as I'd missed them all first time around) and I'm hooked. I'm also totally pissed off that when I get to the end of Disc 4 there isn't any more to go round, so I'm praying that the movie is good enough to get another series going.

    Cheers,

    Toby Haynes

    --
    Anything I post is strictly my own thoughts and doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the opinions of IBM.
  42. The real reason FG got canceled ... by zonix · · Score: 3, Interesting

    ... was because Seth MacFarlane's old school headmaster got the sponsors of the show to pull out.

    Of course it's total BS, but he's the real person to blame for this, not the Fox execs, as such. What could they do? No money, no deal, right?

    BTW, Family Guy rocks! Go Family Guy! :-)

    z
    --
    What would an EWOULDBLOCK block, if an EWOULDBLOCK could block would? -- me
    1. Re:The real reason FG got canceled ... by JoeShmoe · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I can't find the article, but Family Guy's greatest opponent was Catholic advocacy groups. Family Guy was 100 times harder on Catholism than Judism or the handicapped. Practically every episode had some dig, from...

      Peter: "We need a book to potty train our son."
      Clerk: "This is the most popular book 'Everybody Poops'. It has won many awards"
      Peter: "Ah, we're Catholic"
      Clerk: "Oh in that case you'll want "You're a Very Bad Boy and That's Concentrated Evil Coming Out of You'"

      to the numerous episode where the Pope get placed in undignified positions or hob-nobs with the Griffin family members with-a da cheezy-a Italiana accento. Not to mention Peter's stereotypical Irish Catholic father role...and his overly-stereotypical Irish Catholic father.

      Anyway, Catholics are a rather large group, and I think enough letters were written to get FOX nervous. Supposedly, outrage from Catholic groups over the first pope episode was the reason it was put on hiatus the first time, only it won an Emmy that year so FOX decided it was worth the risk...but when ratings failed to materialize from the award (thanks to timeslot shuffle) the continued pressure from Catholic groups finally made FOX buckle.

      This was like five years ago, so I have no clue where to look for the article, but it made sense to me.

      - JoeShmoe
      .

      --
      -- I wonder which will go down in history as the bigger failure: the War on Drugs or the War on Filesharing
  43. Re:You're all a bunch of geeks around here! by mrscorpio · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Yeah, that's why Jeff Foxworthy isn't popular at all....NOT.

    Chris

  44. Interesting by cubicledrone · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Isn't it? How something has to be canceled before anybody notices it was doing well? Someone needs to figure out what it is about middle management that makes them insist on canceling/firing/destroying as a first alternative for everything.

    Profits down? Fire people. Ratings down? Cancel it. Not making seven figures pure pocket-stuffing profit a day? Destroy it. What if these guys worked in agriculture? They'd probably bulldoze the whole fucking farm because they weren't shipping truckloads of wheat bread and salsa by Thursday.

    --
    Business isn't willing to pay for products, innovation and careers, so we get brands, mortgage commercials and layoffs.
  45. Actually.... by dackroyd · · Score: 2, Insightful


    You are one hundred percent wrong.

    Decent cartoons actually cost far more than the crap reality shows to make. Alledgedly Futurama cost something like $1 million dollars an episode to produce, due to it's high quality animation.

    Thats why Fox canned them in the first place - they did it to bump their short term profits.

    However quality shows like Futurama and Family Guy have much greater long term value - they can be shown on TV for years and DVD sales are also very great - whereas who gives a rats ass about last years reality shows ? And who wants to watch repeats of them for years on end ?

    --
    "Free software as in beer, copy protection as in racket" - Telsa Gwynne
  46. This is excellent news by jayhawk88 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Nice to see that Futurama may have a second chance at getting pre-empted for football every week and shuffled throughout the Fox lineup until Ethan Fucking Edwards couldn't find it.

    This is still Fox we're talking about people. If both Futurama and Family Guy do end up coming back, don't expect the second coming or anything. They'll get some hype when they first come back, get thrown into some God awful time slot when American Idol: This Time It's Personal goes on the air, and will be forgotten by 90% of this country inside of 3 weeks.

  47. 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?
  48. Re:And in related news... by hambonewilkins · · Score: 2, Insightful
    Matt Groening will be guest starring as himself this Sunday on the Simpsons in his first speaking role!

    Proof positive that the jumping of the shark has commenced. Seriously, stick a fork in it, it's no longer funny. What used to be the greatest sitcom of "ALL TIME!" is now pretty weak and is painful for me to watch.

    --

    God Bless America. Why? Did it sneeze?
  49. So many cancellations... by Wateshay · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You know, if Fox were to bring back all the great shows they've cancelled over the years, they could singlehandedly wipe out reality TV (largely because they wouldn't have any time to show it).

    --

    "If English was good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for everyone else."

  50. Brimstone by natedawg282 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Fox killed this show back in 1999 and man I wish everyday they'd bring back that show. It was about a cop who's wife got raped. He caught the guy who did it and killed him. He dies a couple months later and goes to hell. Ten years later, 113 demons escape from hell and the devil sends the cop after em. Go get some of eps at suprnova.

  51. 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

  52. 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.

  53. the network execubots are here! by protohiro1 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Director: The network Execubots are coming!

    Calculon: Dear God!

    [Enter three huge clunky robots on tracks.] Betabot: Presenting the president of the network.

    Network President: Greetings gentlemen, you already know my Execubots. Executive Alpha, programmed to like things that are seen before.

    Alphabot: Hey hey hey.

    Network President: Executive Beta, programmed to roll dice to determine the fall schedule.

    [Betabot rolls two dice.]

    Betabot: More reality shows.

    Network President: And Executive Gamma, programmed to underestimate middle America.

    Gammabot: It's funny but is it going to get them off their tractors?

    Network President: Now, who put this obnoxious dancing robot on my network?

    Director: We were about to fire him sir.

    Network President: Silence hack! We've been monitoring our Nielsen families carefully and during the 12 seconds Bender was on screen, viewer eyeball focus was up 90%.

    Calculon: Sir, children watch this show. Bender's no role model, he's a filth monger!

    Network President: At our network, we love filth! Filthy rich that is! Being filthy rich that is! [He laughs. something fizzles towards the Execubots from the president and they all laugh with him.] "Bite my shiny metal ass" could be a catchphrase.

    Alphabot: 80% likely.

    Gammabot: It will play in Peoria.

    [Betabot rolls his dice.]

    Betabot: Gameshows are back.

    --
    Sig removed because it was obnoxious
  54. I love Futurama, and I don't want it back by The+Wicked+Priest · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The thing is, Futurama was one of those shows that was driven by one character's unrequited love for another. (Although I suppose there are some who'll argue that it was driven by comedy. Pshaw!) It ended with a story where it looked like Fry and Leela were finally getting together, though the writers left some wiggle room. Now, what would happen in a new season? Either:

    1. The writers take advantage of that wiggle room -- no, Fry and Leela didn't really get together; he's still pining for her, she's still turning him down. That's depressing, after everything that happened in the finale. I don't want to see that.

    2. They DO get together, and live happily ever after. I'm glad for them, but I don't want to watch that. It's boring. That's why "happily ever after" is always at the end of the story. It's a nice place to live, but you wouldn't want to visit.

    Alternatively, they could get together, and then have it not work out. That's even more depressing than the first option.

    OK, so I'm a hopeless romantic.

    --
    Share and Enjoy: 09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
    1. 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
    2. Re:I love Futurama, and I don't want it back by ImpTech · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Bah! This is Matt Groening. He has dissolved plotlines with no explaination whatsoever before, he can do it again!

    3. Re:I love Futurama, and I don't want it back by dupper · · Score: 2, Funny
      They DO get together, and live happily ever after. I'm glad for them, but I don't want to watch that. It's boring. That's why "happily ever after" is always at the end of the story. It's a nice place to live, but you wouldn't want to visit.

      *cough* Frasier *cough*

  55. 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?
  56. Forget Firefly, what about Wonderfalls? by opcenter · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Not only did they cancel Wonderfalls short of a full season, they had already paid for the full season and the entire season had already been filmed. Until they bring it back, Fox can kiss my shiny metal ass!!

  57. And How about Chris Carter?? by AnalogDog · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Millenium and Harsh Realm were 2 of the finest shows I have every seen, and if FOX wants to dust something off, it seems that these would be good choices, too.

  58. Another Gem by MateoZero013 · · Score: 2, Insightful

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

    FUCK that. Instead Firefly coming back, the Sci-Fi channel shoul bring back FARSCAPE!!!! Damn you insensitive clods!

    --
    When I want your opinion, I'll beat it out of you