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No New Series of Futurama
Nikoth writes "It seems that Billy West got it wrong when he announced that there are 26 new episodes of Futurama on the way, and instead there will only be the 4 movies as planned. "
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I should have submitted a story that Elvis was still alive. Tons of traffic - no facts needed!
- Andrew
I meta-moderate because I care.
With hookers! and Blackjack!
Looks like Bender has been using "The What If Machine".
Jonathanjk.com
F*** you, Fox Network!
why in the hell is he saying that another season was in the works if he didn't have a contract signed for it? One would muse that the lead voice actor for a television show would wait until the ink has at least dried on his contract before announcing his next venture.
from BillyWest.com: I do live to give good Futurama news to people.So I must've died or something.
Isn't it obvious? He has a brain slug!
Does this sig remind you of Agatha Christie?
How hard is it to understand that Fox makes a habit of canceling good shows (or prempting them every week) and holding there rights in limbo and then puting on unwatchable trash.
The return of Famly Guy was a sign, we can vote with our wallets here we don't need to stand for being told what we like anymore.
I don't give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way.
Mark Twain
maybe.... billy west was told about this, and told its a secret, forgot that it was a secret, told the fans of futurama, when it got out that people know, billy was told to tell them its not true... to keep the secret...
portfolio
It seems like early adopters of rumors of this nature experience more bugs!
CmdrTaco: Hey, I heard that Futurama is back
Hemos: No. we just thought you would enjoy that for a moment.
Anyway, that was the best nanosecond of my life
Life is hilariously cruel.
what can I do to get this series brought back, I've already bought *legally* all 4 DVD box sets! it was a fantastic series, and the DVD sales have been going well... why would they kill really good shows just to stick crap on. I remember the joke at the start of the newest series of family when they went through all the crap shows which have gone down the tiolet since it was cancelled...
*''I can't believe it's not a hyperlink.''
It almost seems like nerdy clique shows don't generally rake in a large enough share of the ad revenue for their time slots and get cancelled because more people will sit down and watch a fat woman screaming about GAHGOYLES than a "witty" starship captain and his zany adventures.
It almost seems like tv execs are trying to make money rather than pander to you personally.
What an unfair world we live in.
From now on, I buy only Intel.
I think the buzz was there, but they just didn't pick it up. At least fans get the movies, though.
Anyway, I was pretty clear about it when I read the previous report about Futurama that it was speculation and hearsay. Fortunately, some of us know how to take a source into context and realize that this is a quasi-news site, not a courtroom. Speculation and hearsay, presented as such, is and should be welcome... so long as it's newsworthy to someone.
Good News, Everyone!
:/
er...
"You raised my hopes and dashed them quite expertly sir!"
In the spoon, there is no Soviet Russia!
Imho more than 1 movie on any theme is a disaster, stretching reapeating boring stuff. Just look at chuck or seagal, these dudes play the same record for years (or decades, depends on the actor).
The series were nice tho, i think it's one of the funniest tv cartoons that we have had in the last 10 years.
Must kill all humans
I'd tell you the chances of this story being a dupe, but you wouldn't like it.
all together now : "doh!"
oh wait, wrong series...
Bender should not be allowed on TV!
dolphins still missing
so long and thanks for all the fish
I think so, Brain. But where will we get a duck and a rubber hose at this time of night? --Pinky
Good news, everyone! There's a report on /. with some very bad news!
you're all figments of my deranged imagination
The team should make an "open source" Futurama series.
-> Mozilla Futurama
-> SpreadFuturama.com
-> Fundraising (i would pay)
-> Mozilla Futurama NY Times ad
-> FuturamaFlicks.com
I don't recall seeing any fan created versions of Futurama, Family Guy, etc. after they left the air - it seems to me that it would be easier to create an animation homage than do live action movies (like Star Trek). Have there been any home-grown versions of animated series?
ah.clem
"Life is not magic." Dr. Ron Weiss - "If we don't play God, who will?" Dr. James Watson
I'll be in the Angry Dome.
Fortunately, some of us know how to take a source into context and realize that this is a quasi-news site, not a courtroom.
A courtroom-style format would be a breath of fresh air.
Moderators: Objection! Poster is a troll!
Meta-mods: I'll allow it.
Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
And yet I read this morning on Yahoo News that Fox is renewing the dreck that is "King of the Hill" for an 11th season, and that "King of the Hill" has been a subject of frequent pre-emptions for Fox's NFL football coverage, the network has enough fresh episodes for the rest of this season.
WTF?? That was exactly the reason "Futurama" was cancelled in the first place, because Fox claimed it was getting low ratings. Of course it was getting low ratings, it was always pre-empted by football! Mike Judge must be blowing Rupert Murdock to keep that garbage on the air!
"A Bird In The Hand Will Poop On Your Wrist"-Benny Hill,1982
no, wait. the other thing. tedious.
MORTAR COMBAT!
Advertising revenue. When you're dealing with the people who watch nerdy niche programming, you're dealing with an uncommonly tech-savvy crowd that owns TiVos, refuses to watch commercials and never pays for anything anyway. You've got a fan base of freeloading music and software and movie pirates. Just look at the ads that run during reruns of Star Trek. It's all penis enlargement and debt relief. It's pretty obvious that this isn't a crowd that has much disposable income to squeeze out of it.
There's a lot of demand for the 18-35 male population, because it spends a lot of money. But our niche, for whatever reason, is VERY undesirable. The above reasons are probably why.
Note: I am not suggesting that everything in the first paragraph is TRUE, and certainly not of every single person who watches Futurama. But look at the commercials that run on Spike and during Next Gen rebroadcasts... it's obvious what their advertisers think of us, and they hate us. Hence, you can run Battlestar Galactica at 10:00pm on a Friday and get record numbers of us to tune in - they know we're not doing anything else on Friday night from 10-11 pm.
Anyway ... there's some assumptions being made about their demographics and those assumptions fuel the types of advertisers they get and thus their revenue off broadcasting. I think some of those assumptions can be borne out, as uncomfortable as that may make some of you.
"I have never won a debate with an ignorant person." -Ali ibn Abi Talib
I call it the fing-longer!
/I will use it to wipe the tears away from mine eyes =(. Truly the worst cock tease in history!
Well, except for TiVos, HD sets, fancy home theater gear and the like.
You've got a fan base of freeloading music and software and movie pirates. Just look at the ads that run during reruns of Star Trek. It's all penis enlargement and debt relief. It's pretty obvious that this isn't a crowd that has much disposable income to squeeze out of it.
Now that's just a gross generalization. Geeks are perfectly willing to pay for good content. Also: I see tampon ads during the Simpsons. What does it prove? Not much, other than the advertisers sometimes have targeted spots, and sometimes they don't, and sometimes they mix both pools together.
Besides I think Star Trek is a terrible example anyways.
There's a lot of demand for the 18-35 male population, because it spends a lot of money. But our niche, for whatever reason, is VERY undesirable.
This might be true, but only because they tend to be more difficult to sell pablum to. You can get practically any idiot to watch American False Idol but if you need to actually hire (for example) sci-fi writers that are competent, or license Sigur Ros for the soundtrack, it costs more and you still get less viewers. I don't think the group is any less desirable, just a harder 'get'.
Note: I am not suggesting that everything in the first paragraph is TRUE,
Oh, good.
There's your answer. Look at the commercials Spike and NG run any time. Its the same. More to do with the network than anything else.
Anyway ... there's some assumptions being made about their demographics and those assumptions fuel the types of advertisers they get and thus their revenue off broadcasting. I think some of those assumptions can be borne out, as uncomfortable as that may make some of you.
I think your larger point is probably correct but that does not make me uncomfortable. Sure it would be better to have high-quality, engaging entertainment shoved down my throat than the guano that suffices for pop culture we actually get, but just the same I'm ok seeking out my own enjoyment. It is the geek ethos, after all. I mean its not like we make it real easy either; how do you advertise to a group of people who desperately would like to take your product home, bust it open, re-wire it, add several capabilities it that were never intended, and a blue LED? Some have pulled it off (see Robosapien) but it is 'incompatible' with the 'consumer lifestyle'.
Just don't read too much into the ads. I wouldn't judge you by your spam folder. :)
If Jesus wants me it knows where to find me.
I disagree. I actually "wish" the networks would learn that 2-4 seasons of a show is a good goal and would start writing tighter story lines based on not extending a show past it's viable prime. (Simpsons... I'm looking at you!) I actually wrote a post on newsvine.com that looks into the possibilities of this model concerning network TV. You can read it here.
The world's blankiest blank.
Hence, you can run Battlestar Galactica at 10:00pm on a Friday and get record numbers of us to tune in - they know we're not doing anything else on Friday night from 10-11 pm.
Hmm...you know, I've seen this argument before, and now that I think of it, I'm not so sure about its accuracy. I mean, take someone outside of the usual "Sci Fi watcher" sterotype, i.e. someone who goes out into the world on Fridays. The bars & clubs don't really get hopping until 11/midnight anyway. Why not watch some Sci Fi with your pregame? ^_^
*cough* BSG + Moonshine = WIN!
In that case I'll just get back in this suicide booth line here.
The days of the digital watch are numbered.
This is the only show out of the current Adult Swim lineup that I still watch. In a block of programming that, IMHO, jumped the shark a long time ago, Futurama is a shining beacon of comedy with replay value.
I've seen every episode multiple times, own the DVDs, and I'll still sit down and watch it if it's on when I wander past the television. How the hell King of the Hill remains on television while Futurama can't catch a break is beyond me.
Game... blouses.
Matt Groening told me personally that the series was going back into production for television.
I actually think that Fox may be onto something with their "cancelling great shows" habit. I know you and I think of television as an ongoing thing; success in the American market usually means a long pre-syndication primetime run. But other areas of the world are perfectly willing to run single-season shows. The perfect example of this is Anime - many popular shows, such as FLCL, Evangelion, Trigun, and Cowboy Bebop were written with a single story arc, 26 episodes or less, intended to be taken together as a single work. This seems to be what Fox is stabbing at, especially with shows like Arrested Development and Family Guy which had definitive "endings."
Why would Fox do this? There are plenty of advantages to creating (essentially) long form movies like these. For one, they can sell single-unit hard copies of the show long after it has gone off the air; and if they could sell television shows like DVD movies, that would be a great source of revenue. But the real sauce is in merchandising. Family Guy became a merchandising cash cow after it was cancelled, and the DVDs of the series became an entertainment staple. Futurama has seen similar retail success, and anyone else notice the amazing upsurge in Firefly merch as Serenity approached?
Making one season of a good show is also a lot cheaper and a lot faster. Firefly has basically leapt from "new show" to "movie franchise" in the time it took to make the entire Star Trek original series, and its success was far cheaper. And dare I point out that the format doesn't burn out the writers, and keeps them happy coming up with new ideas for yet more shows?
Of course, I don't know Fox's financials, but I'm willing to bet that they've made more from merchandising and syndicating Family Guy, Futurama, Firefly, or Arrested Development than they get from selling advertising on most of their other shows. (And I bet reruns of those have a better ad index than most of their "fresh" shows, too - the shows were cancelled before they could make any bad episodes!)
A strain of paranoid prevention can be worse than the disease, whate'er the intention.
No way.
A student film typically runs about 45 seconds to 2 minutes. It takes one person about four months to storyboard, do layout, animate, clean up and colour. You need a 12-field scanner, which isn't cheap. You need thousands of dollars worth of proprietary software licenses if you want to actually distribute your film. Student films also tend to be simple... 20 cuts at most.
Now, you can knock out a flash film in much less time, but Futurama it won't be. Futurama had very high-quality traditional animation. It's about as close to feature quality as you'll see made for TV. The jokes relied on surprisingly subtle and complicated staging. The cost of making it was huge.
You might do Family Guy in flash without losing much. The scenes in Family Guy that have the most action are often the least entertaining.
Live action is much easier for an amateur. You roll cameras. Anywhere you invest less time or effort will reduce the quality, but it won't prevent the footage from getting made. You can make a film in a weekend. It won't be good, but it will exist.
In animation, if you don't put in the effort, the footage doesn't get made.