Futurama May Strike Back (on DVD)

Nik writes "Hot on the heels of Family Guy's revival, Can't Get Enough Futurama is reporting that 'there is renewed talk at FOX about bringing fresh Futurama content directly to DVD.' While nothing is confirmed at this point, it is apparently the first time that a division of Fox has considered producing new episodes of the animated sci-fi series in some time."

Comments

Sound Great

[knoebelsPT]

No commercials, new episodes, no network censors. I'll be the first in line

Niche marketing vs. Broadcasting

[PornMaster]

Well, it makes sense that if they didn't see enough financial benefit to broadcasting it, but there's a strong enough fan base, to sell it to them directly. Capitalism working well. Bravo!

Re:Niche marketing vs. Broadcasting

[SamSim]

Animation costs much more to make than, say, reality shows. For a reality show all you really, honestly need is, I dunno, one camera and an idea. And most seem to get away with just the camera.

Re:Niche marketing vs. Broadcasting

[zaffir]

The adult swim show block on Cartoon Network is doing great by offering this "niche" content. They run Futurama and Family Guy reruns every night in addition to anime and some of their own original shows.

If you get the chance, walk down the hallway of a college dorm building a little after 11:00 PM EST. Nearly every room with a TV in it will have Adult Swim on.

YEY! Adult swim helps us all out~

[cocoacow]

I think this is proof that adult entertainment is really evolving. And who do we have to thank for all this wonderfullness? Adult Swim.
They have really shown the world that we want more animation, just like they get in japan. And what better then more episodes of my most favorite show of all time, (besides the simpsons). Seems the quick dissemination of television shows to DVD also really helps show those network borgs just how much we really love a show. Take that Nielsen!

Re:YEY! Adult swim helps us all out~

[Tim Browse]

Hmm...except, I love the Simpsons and Futurama, but the fact that they are animated has nothing to do with it - it's mainly because they are well written and acted comedies.

Obviously both shows get some mileage from being animated, in that you can do things that would normally be expensive (esp. in Futurama), but that is for me, very much a side issue.

I don't ever think "Yay! Futurama's on! I love animation!", I think "Yay! Futurama's on! Bender is great! Deal with it!"

Re:YEY! Adult swim helps us all out~

[Scrameustache]

I think this is proof that adult entertainment is really evolving. And who do we have to thank for all this wonderfullness? Adult Swim.

Yeah, er, you do that.
I'm gonna keep thanking Japan and Europe for leading the way.

Re:Let it die

[akeru]

Clearly you have never watched Futurama. The Simpsons, Family Guy and (now) American Dad: all pretty much the same "let's make fun of the 'Leave It To Beaver' family" with appropriately similar jokes involving the idiocy of the father. Futurama does away with almost all of that. The only similarity is in the "stupidity jokes". Think before you speak.

Someone state the obvious

[tfcdesign]

Bring new episodes to TV on Adult Swim! Geeze, you'd think these guys who are running the show would have a clue about market and demographic.

Re:I'll believe it when I see it

[ucblockhead]

Not necessarily, as airtime is a limited resource. They probably assume that they can put another show in its place that'll bring in more ad revenue. This is quite rational if a show has a strong fan base but gets low overall numbers.

The shows that do best are stuff that appeals enough to lots and lots of people so that they watch it instead of the other channel. (Roughly speaking.) Lots of people watch stuff on TV just because it's there. A show that most people don't care for but that a few people love will do horribly.

DVD sales are the opposite. A show makes lots of money on DVD if it can convince someone to pay $59.95 or more for a season. The only people who are going to do this are rabid fans. So on DVD, a show with a bunch of rabid fans will do better than a show that everyone sort of likes but no one loves.

That's why a "Firefly" can sell more DVDs than "Everybody Loves Raymond". Fewer people like "Firefly", so it got poorer ratings. But the number of people who loved "Firefly" is greater than those who loved "Everybody Loves Raymond", so it sold more DVDs.

If shows start going "straight to DVD", it could be very good for those of us who likes niche shows. Producers will have to worry less about appealing to the entire TV viewing population and will pay more attention to the rabid fanbase.

How about new episodes of alternate-Enterprise?

[davidwr]

I want to see more of the intrigue and backstabbing of The Empire between the undoubtedly short reigh of Empress Sato and the arrival of "our" Spock and Kirk in Mirror, Mirror.

Send those direct to video, or if it's too expensive to film, direct-to-the-bookstore.

Futurama Family Guy

[miyako]

I'm really glad to see that it's being considered, though I'm not going to hold my breath. It always stuck me as odd that Family Guy got so much more support than Futurama. While I think familiy guy is a perfectly good show as shows go, I think that Futurama is perhaps the best pure-comedy show I've ever watched.