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Futurama Rumored To Return On Comedy Central

avajcovec points out a brief note on Collider.com that Comedy Central has ordered 13 new episodes of Futurama. Quoting: "Though still technically a rumor at this point, word is that 'Futurama' production offices have already opened and that casting is about to move forward. This should be a welcome surprise to fans of the show who have already gone through the series' cancellation and resurrection as direct-to-DVD movies."

259 comments

  1. Obligatory... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Good news everyone!

    1. Re:Obligatory... by derGoldstein · · Score: 5, Funny

      Puny Humans Rejoice!

      --
      Entomologically speaking, the spider is not a bug, it's a feature.
    2. Re:Obligatory... by Tokerat · · Score: 3, Funny

      NEWS DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY!

      --
      CAn'T CompreHend SARcaSm?
    3. Re:Obligatory... by Forty+Two+Tenfold · · Score: 5, Funny

      I am looking forwAll glory to the hypnotoad!

      --
      Upward mobility is a slippery slope - the higher you climb the more you show your ass.
    4. Re:Obligatory... by BizzyM · · Score: 5, Funny

      Sweet llamas of the Bahamas

    5. Re:Obligatory... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Here, put on this hat

    6. Re:Obligatory... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      How i hate that hypnotoad meme, do you have nothiALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD!

    7. Re:Obligatory... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I wonder what would happen if a brain slug were to implant itself on hypnotoad, would it be like an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, or thermite & ice? (that was a cool Mythbusters episode)

    8. Re:Obligatory... by thhamm · · Score: 4, Funny

      All glory to the hypnotoad!

      This show is going downhill since season 3!

    9. Re:Obligatory... by OtoFX · · Score: 2, Funny

      Wooohooo!

    10. Re:Obligatory... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it's a suppository!

    11. Re:Obligatory... by Drakkenmensch · · Score: 4, Funny

      Warning: The enema you are about to receive is extremely hot!

    12. Re:Obligatory... by Sulphur · · Score: 0, Redundant

      All problems are communication problems All glory to the hypnotoad!

    13. Re:Obligatory... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      The universe would implode, creating a whole new, inverted, universe.

      Oh god, i'd have to relearn my way around town!

    14. Re:Obligatory... by jackharrer · · Score: 3, Funny

      Bite my shiny metal ass!

      --

      "an experienced, industrious, ambitious, and often, quite often, picturesque liar" - Mark Twain
    15. Re:Obligatory... by Sj0 · · Score: 1

      It would cause an infinite loop and crash.

      --
      It's been a long time.
    16. Re:Obligatory... by orsty3001 · · Score: 1

      I read this in Farnsworth's voice.

    17. Re:Obligatory... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sweet Yeti of the Serengeti!

    18. Re:Obligatory... by CritterUXH · · Score: 2

      Ride the Walrus!!

      This message brought to by Fishy Joes

      --
      -Critter Hart
    19. Re:Obligatory... by slack_justyb · · Score: 1

      Farnsworth's voice?! I'll be sure to remind you that the universe ends at Dogdoo six.

      Also I'm surprised that no one pointed out the si!Toda gloria al Hypnotoad!

    20. Re:Obligatory... by bstamour · · Score: 2

      Sweet zombie Jesus!

    21. Re:Obligatory... by bstamour · · Score: 1

      Would this inverted universe by chance be a cowboy universe? If so, that would be awesome.

    22. Re:Obligatory... by thebigbadme · · Score: 1

      yeah, well, in Soviet Russia...

      --
      "It's the Law of the Universe, and I'm the sheriff." Slash-cott 2/10-2/17
    23. Re:Obligatory... by Capt.DrumkenBum · · Score: 2

      Suddenly my sig in on topic.

      --
      If I were God, wouldn't I protect my churches from acts of me?
    24. Re:Obligatory... by Weaselmancer · · Score: 1

      Yup, we're boned.

      --
      Weaselmancer
      rediculous.
    25. Re:Obligatory... by adamofgreyskull · · Score: 1

      The universe would implode, creating a whole new, inverted, universe.

      There are those who claim this has already happened.

    26. Re:Obligatory... by oojah · · Score: 1

      Do you have any better hostages?

      --
      Do you have any better hostages?
    27. Re:Obligatory... by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      Personally, I favor unreasonably high subsidies to the brain slug planet.

    28. Re:Obligatory... by TheoMurpse · · Score: 2

      You'd better get used to it. Hypnotoad is the new Candlejack. If would behoove you toALL GLORY TO THE HYPN

    29. Re:Obligatory... by xgr3gx · · Score: 1

      Sweet Guinea Pig of Winnipeg!

      --
      Shameless plug alert: Game server control panel
    30. Re:Obligatory... by wgoodman · · Score: 1
    31. Re:Obligatory... by uberjack · · Score: 1

      *monotone* I concur.

    32. Re:Obligatory... by uberjack · · Score: 1

      You're a horse's butt?

    33. Re:Obligatory... by onemorechip · · Score: 1

      You forgot the link.

      --
      But, I wanted socialized health insurance!
    34. Re:Obligatory... by thhamm · · Score: 1

      let's all walk around not wearing a helmet.

    35. Re:Obligatory... by Sulphur · · Score: 1

      Should have used quote parent button. Sorry.

  2. "Have you ever tried just turning off the TV by Norsefire · · Score: 4, Funny

    sitting down with your children

    and hitting them?"

    1. Re:"Have you ever tried just turning off the TV by Kratisto · · Score: 5, Funny

      Oh great! A lesson in history from Mr. I'm-My-Own-Grandpa!

      --
      Conscience is the inner voice which warns us that someone may be looking.
    2. Re:"Have you ever tried just turning off the TV by dkleinsc · · Score: 1

      Bender should not be allowed on television, according to Fathers Against Rude Television (FART).

      --
      I am officially gone from /. Long live http://www.soylentnews.com/
    3. Re:"Have you ever tried just turning off the TV by MickyTheIdiot · · Score: 1

      how about hitting the programming team at Comedy Central?

      They still deserve several dozen whacks to the back of the head for cancellation of MST3k to put on dreck like Craig Kilborn's version of The Daily Show.

    4. Re:"Have you ever tried just turning off the TV by kimvette · · Score: 1

      That was Bender, actually. Not Fry.

      --
      The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
    5. Re:"Have you ever tried just turning off the TV by modmans2ndcoming · · Score: 2, Insightful

      which lead directly to Jon Stewart's Daily Show and the awsome spin off, the Colbert Report.

      In all, it was a good move.

    6. Re:"Have you ever tried just turning off the TV by Drakkenmensch · · Score: 1

      "This time, I've gone too far! I should not be allowed on television!!!" - Bender

    7. Re:"Have you ever tried just turning off the TV by ConceptJunkie · · Score: 1

      MST3K was at least able to continue on the (so-called) Sci-Fi channel. Of course, they cancelled MST3K* around 1999, but these days, all the principals of that classic show are doing what they do best in other formats: Rifftrax, The Film Crew and especially Cinematic Titanic.

      We get the riffs we love and they are no longer beholden to that evolutionary cul-de-sac known as network executives.

      * Probably needed more room on the schedule for no-budget horror films. Yes, the Sci-Fi channel has been involved in some great material (e.g., Dune, BSG) but mostly it is a dumping ground for stuff that was too bad even for the USA Network.

      --
      You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.
    8. Re:"Have you ever tried just turning off the TV by eltaco · · Score: 1

      "(...) who does this guy think I am?!"

      --
      It's not about fate, it's about character.
      there be no shelter here, the frontline is everywhere!
    9. Re:"Have you ever tried just turning off the TV by geminidomino · · Score: 1

      * Probably needed more room on the schedule for no-budget horror films.

      But that was the beauty of MST3K. Actually made No-budget horror films ENTERTAINING.

    10. Re:"Have you ever tried just turning off the TV by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      I don't tell you how to tell me what to do, so don't tell me how to do what you tell me to do.

  3. Brought to you by: by derGoldstein · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Brought to you by: Torgo's Executive Powder! "a million and one uses!"

    --
    Entomologically speaking, the spider is not a bug, it's a feature.
  4. Let me be the first to say by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes!

  5. Good news by illumastorm · · Score: 2, Funny

    Good news, everyone! The site is already not loading.

  6. Casting by Tokerat · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Though still technically a rumor at this point, word is that 'Futurama' production offices have already opened and that casting is about to move forward.

    Let's hope it's all the original cast. Wrong-sounding Muppets where no picnic, either (to paraphrase Family Guy).

    --
    CAn'T CompreHend SARcaSm?
    1. Re:Casting by jellomizer · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Even if they do. You can get use to it. Unless you get uptight about some odd natural order of thing that are not natural or in order. Why does TV and Movies break their own cannon, well to keep the current story more entertaining. Oh no they changed actors, we for God sake try to pretend that this is the same person, and don't try to explain it in some odd way. Ill bet you will be much happier. And just enjoy the show and live the rest of your life.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    2. Re:Casting by Svippy · · Score: 3, Informative

      Sounds unlikely they are going to change actors though.

      All of the actors are still very much alive, and not to mention are still very interested in Futurama, so doubting the return of the actors is not very justified.

      But even if they can't get an actor back, remember what the writers of The Simpsons did when Phil Hartman died? Yeah, they retired his characters, in his honour.

      Billy West, for instance, who voices Fry, Farnsworth, among others, have since the release of Into the Wild Green Yonder (well, and before) spoken out about the possibility of a return of the show. And have mention on occasion that Futurama was the best gig he ever had.

      I recommend reading this article, for a timeline of what happened since Bender's Game with the possibility of a return.

      --
      Clicked pie.
    3. Re:Casting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Family Guy, the show that replaces Lacey Chabert with Mila Kunas in Season 2? People deal.

    4. Re:Casting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      I'm old enough to remember when they replaced the Flintstone's character "Barney"s voice-actor in the 1960s
      It always sounded weird to me... I can't imagine Fry or Lela or Dr. Zoidberg having different voices
      Amy could probably be replaced and the rastafarian guy, but most of the others cannot

    5. Re:Casting by sorak · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Though still technically a rumor at this point, word is that 'Futurama' production offices have already opened and that casting is about to move forward.

      Let's hope it's all the original cast. Wrong-sounding Muppets where no picnic, either (to paraphrase Family Guy).

      Of course, Meg Griffin has been voiced by three different actresses (not counting the ones used for singing), so it wouldn't necessarily be the kiss of death for the show.

    6. Re:Casting by Kjella · · Score: 1

      Of course, Meg Griffin has been voiced by three different actresses

      Teenager's voice changes? Well, that never happened before.

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
    7. Re:Casting by Culture20 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Amy could probably be replaced and the rastafarian guy, but most of the others cannot

      But don't replace Amy's voice with Hermes', because that would be weird.

    8. Re:Casting by ari_j · · Score: 1

      That works for some characters, but Futurama is unlikely to be anything close to as good without a few of the key voice actors. It's not just the voices, it's the five completed seasons of being in character for all those characters that they cover. Each one of them has perfected those voices, which is not a quick task even for the best voice actors you can find (arguably, a list starting out with four or five members of the Futurama cast).

    9. Re:Casting by hedwards · · Score: 1

      That was my thought, they had a huge hit with it and will likely get well paid for the new episodes. On top of that from what I gather the most important voice actors seem to all have enjoyed working on Futurama.

      So more likely than not it's going to hinge upon actual availability.

    10. Re:Casting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It depends entirely on who you're using. Real actors tend to be absolutely terrible at voice acting - they have exactly one voice, or at best a couple that sound a lot like their real voice. Good voice actors are usually capable of coming up with any number of original voices, none of which sound anything like their real voice, and are usually very good at mimicking other voices.

      On Futurama's cast, Billy West and Maurice LaMarche are pretty good voice actors (have a peek at their Wikipedia pages - the number of different characters they've voiced is insane, and I'd never have identified most of them), and John DiMaggio seems to be pretty prolific as well (although I've either never heard or can't remember any of his other roles in anything). Certainly in Futurama, you wouldn't be able to notice how many roles these three voice, almost all of whom sound completely different. Same goes for the Simpsons - between them, Dan Castellaneta, Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer voice most of the characters, and you'd never be able to pick out who does what character.

      That's why I always find in puzzling that developers of video games or animated films (particularly Dreamworks) tend to use TV or film actors to do voice-over work. They just aren't very good at it.

    11. Re:Casting by boeroboy · · Score: 1, Informative

      Careful! Remember John Goodman voiced the original Santa in their first Christmas special. He wasn't available so John di Maggio did it. It was seamless. You almost couldn't tell until the DVD commentary.

    12. Re:Casting by boeroboy · · Score: 0

      Correction - John Goodman wasn't available for the SECOND Xmas special.

    13. Re:Casting by Gabbermatt · · Score: 1, Funny

      No one likes Meg, so she doesn't matter.

    14. Re:Casting by Golddess · · Score: 1

      Even if they do. You can get use to it.

      You're right that you get used to it. Anyone who's watched the show from the beginning is, in theory, proof of this. The cast itself may not have changed, but if you listen to one of the first episodes back-to-back with one of the later ones, you can definitely tell that the voices changed slightly over the course of the show as the actors found the right voice for each character.

      But that was a gradual change over the course of the show. If a brand new voice were to suddenly take over for one of the characters, that would be a lot more difficult to accept. That is, they would "sound wrong" for longer than if the voice had gradually changed to that new voice. Some might argue that jumping right into a new voice like that, the character would never sound right.

      Why does TV and Movies break their own cannon, well to keep the current story more entertaining.

      You're trying to compare live action to cartoons, and that just doesn't work very well. If you get a new actor in a live action film or TV series, you're getting both a new voice and a new face, which at least for me, generally makes it easier to immediately accept the change, because my brain isn't getting confused hearing a different voice come out of the same face.

      --
      "I'm not sure I like the fugnutish tone you used in your post!" -RogL (608926)-
    15. Re:Casting by SEWilco · · Score: 1

      If you don't like some of the characters just watch for the ad in Variety and tell your favorite cartoon characters to go to the casting call.

    16. Re:Casting by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'll never get used to it. There is no substitute for Billy West.He voiced half the show.

    17. Re:Casting by jazzmans · · Score: 1

      Good News, Everyone!

      It was obvious to me when goodman wasn't santa in the second Xmas special, looking up the credits just proved it.
      AFAIK, all the original voice actors will be in the new series.

      The second greatest Tv series ever! (south park is the king)

      Now I can't wait to get my own torgo's executive powder.

      jaz

      --
      Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans. No-one sees motorcycles
    18. Re:Casting by RealGrouchy · · Score: 1

      Wrong-sounding Muppets where no picnic, either (to paraphrase Family Guy).

      So, to follow Family Guy... Mila Kunis as Leela, then?

      - RG>

      --
      Hey pal, this isn't a pleasantforest, so don't waste my time with pleasantries!
    19. Re:Casting by genner · · Score: 1

      just enjoy the show and live the rest of your life.

      We have no lives and you know it!

    20. Re:Casting by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      At least they never changed the theme music on Monk so that they'd be forced to write an episode to make fun of those complaining about it.

    21. Re:Casting by TheoMurpse · · Score: 1

      Spluh!

    22. Re:Casting by nofx_3 · · Score: 1

      Fry and Zoidberg are both voiced by the same person (Billy West), who I can all but guarantee would return for any additional shows (he always speaks very highly of the project). Leela's voice is basically just Katey Segals voice (Peg Bundy from Married with Children) would be extremely difficult to replace if she did not return.

      --
      Visualize Whirled Peas
    23. Re:Casting by Culture20 · · Score: 1

      Spluh, Mon!

    24. Re:Casting by Tokerat · · Score: 1

      That was for the better. Futurama was awesome the way it was, and after 4 seasons and however many movies now, the characters are a little ingrained in our heads. I'm not saying it would automatically make the show suck, but it would certainly run the risk.

      --
      CAn'T CompreHend SARcaSm?
  7. Absolutely wonderful by Jarlsberg · · Score: 4, Insightful

    As long as they get the original cast and no restrictions imposed on the show with regards to somebody thinking about "the children" :)

    1. Re:Absolutely wonderful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, I'm just dying to see more nudist Prof Farnsworth episodes. BRISK!

    2. Re:Absolutely wonderful by Threni · · Score: 1

      And as long as the quality returns to that of the series, and doesn't stay at the level of the (later, at least) movies...

    3. Re:Absolutely wonderful by ikkonoishi · · Score: 1

      Yeah the movies reminded me of Pet Cemetery. The fans wanted the series back so much they took drastic action, but it all turned out horribly wrong.

    4. Re:Absolutely wonderful by Lord+Bitman · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Some of the best jokes in the show were only there because of the censors forcing re-writes. What do we get the moment they have some wiggle-room? Bender's Big Score. I may hate censorship, but these writers don't seem to work well without it.

      --
      -- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
    5. Re:Absolutely wonderful by Cainage · · Score: 2, Funny

      Agreed. Sometimes...dead is better.

    6. Re:Absolutely wonderful by hedwards · · Score: 1

      I wish people would stop badmouthing Bender's Big Score, I for one liked it a lot. Complaining because years of wait increased the expectations is completely unfair. Sort of like all the nits that are convinced that Vista was a horrendous mistake.

    7. Re:Absolutely wonderful by soxos · · Score: 1

      I don't have mod points, but +1 funny if I did.

    8. Re:Absolutely wonderful by ca111a · · Score: 1

      one has to suffer to create a masterpiece

    9. Re:Absolutely wonderful by nine-times · · Score: 1

      Comedy Central doesn't seem to censor South Park too badly. I mean, maybe they do, but that show still gets away with an awful lot.

    10. Re:Absolutely wonderful by Citizen+of+Earth · · Score: 1

      Balls thoroughly licked!

    11. Re:Absolutely wonderful by SwordsmanLuke · · Score: 1

      I think the reason for this is that it's easy to be (at least marginally) funny when you're allowed to be crude. Look at the million and a half "Teen Movie" films. They're not great, but they get a lot of mileage out of quick bawdy gags.

      While I'm not a fan of censorship, I do feel that the pressure it provides to avoid the easy but bawdy gags forces writers to think a little longer and the result is a better (if cleaner) joke. I'm no prude, I love the odd dirty joke, but that's not the tone of Futurama. It's at its best when its jokes are geeky, not dirty.

      --
      Any plan which depends on a fundamental change in human behavior is doomed from the start.
    12. Re:Absolutely wonderful by mog007 · · Score: 1

      Comedy Central has only censored South Park once, and that was during their two-part Family Guy spoof, Comedy Central wouldn't let them actually show Muhammad on screen. Comedy Central doesn't have to censor South Park's language, because it's actually done by the South Park people before they send the episode to Comedy Central for airing purposes, and they even had an episode where the word "shit" went uncensored, with a running total in the bottom of the screen on how many times it was said.

      Aside from that, the only thing Comedy Central really does to censor South Park, is that if an episode airs and they get a ton of complaints about it, they'll pull it out of reruns for a while. They did it with the Scientology episode, and the one about the Virgin Mary statue bleeding a few episodes later.

    13. Re:Absolutely wonderful by gilgoomesh · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I completely agree: Bender's Big Score was fantastic. It was a great, densely written, intricate and heartfelt story. Plus, it came with a dash of Torgo's Executive Powder.

    14. Re:Absolutely wonderful by Lord+Bitman · · Score: 1

      The expectation was for it to be at least as funny as the least-funny Futurama episode. Name one thing in any previous Futurama episode which is less-funny than Nudar.

      --
      -- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
  8. Cut and Paste by EdIII · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I have a feeling that after a few days we will be able to cut and paste entire scripts from episodes from all the posts... Just a weird feeling...

    P.S - Casting? Uhhhh, that's been done. Long time ago. If they change the voices, that would be a bit too much. They did not change the voices for the movie, why the hell start now?

    1. Re:Cut and Paste by Svippy · · Score: 1

      Incidentally, if you watch the first season (production season, obviously) again, you will notice (in particular Hermes, but this also continues into season 2 for him) that several, if not all the characters' voices sound a lot different than they do later on, in season 3 and 4.

      In my opinion, I can slightly feel that the actors were slightly rusty when they began voicing the films, but you quickly get over it, that, or they started to get a grip of their characters' voices. But since casting is probably not for the main characters, but rather for guest characters, I don't think you should put that much into it. Alternatively; it may just be a technicality.

      --
      Clicked pie.
  9. Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by meist3r · · Score: 1

    If you get cancelled, voted back on petitions, re-released as direct-to-dvd and get back on TV you can stay no matter how crap most of your episodes are. I truly love Seth MacFarlane's shows but some of it is just: meh (and that's a gross overstatement). Even more so after they got back on the air. The Futurama movies were twice as long as they should have been. I would have liked 45min episodes much better.

    Blackjack and Hookers or we are all doomed ... DOOOOOOMED.

    1. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by daniel_mcl · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Admittedly, "The Beast with a Thousand Backs" or whatever it was called did more to creep me out than to amuse me. That being said, as a literary critic I can't agree with the assertion that a single second of any episode of "Family Guy" could be classified as "meh." For thousands of years comedy has not developed past Aristophanes -- indeed, fewer than a hundred years ago the great cultural historian Edith Hamilton compared the popular entertainment of the previous generation to his oeuvre. The cutaway scenes in Family Guy represent the first departure from classical comedy I've ever been aware of. In my (professional) estimation Seth McFarlane is the single most important writer in the English language since the time Shakespeare, Coleridge, and Blake.

      So there's that.

      --
      I used to read Caltizzle. I was a lot cooler than you.
    2. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by meist3r · · Score: 5, Insightful

      For thousands of years comedy has not developed past Aristophanes -- indeed, fewer than a hundred years ago the great cultural historian Edith Hamilton compared the popular entertainment of the previous generation to his oeuvre. The cutaway scenes in Family Guy represent the first departure from classical comedy I've ever been aware of. In my (professional) estimation Seth McFarlane is the single most important writer in the English language since the time Shakespeare, Coleridge, and Blake.

      So there's that.

      Oh so you haven't heard? I was under the impression that everybody had heard that latest news of a certain avian variety.

      And just to break your stride ... there are several episodes that are just un-funny. Just because you cut to something completely apeshit crazy during a sketch doesn't mean it's fun to watch or entertaining. Yes I go "what the fuck?", yeah I think "that was brilliant" but I don't laugh. If I see a joke and go "That was good" but no smile ever crosses my face ... it's not that good. I've seen every episode of Family Guy and American Dad ... high, drunk and completely sober. Some of them are just awfully bad. Painfully predictable and can't be saved by a two second cutaway to a giant chicken beating a guy. Then again ... the entire last season of Simpsons didn't have more than a handful of good jokes in it. Maybe I'm getting a little overfed and/or spoiled.

      As for the Futurama movies I thought most of the plot was too irrelevant and merely spooned in to stretch it out to 90 minutes format on all four occasions. Had they told two distinct stories per 90 minutes instead of shoe horning all of them into one I thought it would have been much more enjoyable but who am I to argue. Still love the movies.

    3. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by Bluesman · · Score: 1

      You must have missed Laugh-In.

      --
      If moderation could change anything, it would be illegal.
    4. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by Lord+Bitman · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Family Guy's use of cut-away humor is the same tired old "Let's insert a random fantasy!" crap that's been going on in every prime-time |/FOX\| comedy, and to a large extent many comedies on other networks, since at least Ally McBeal. (Why was Arrested Development cancelled? the cut-away humor was done in flashback/callback form, rather than fantasy)

      Funny things can happen in cut-away humor, but the cut-away itself is lame.

      --
      -- 'The' Lord and Master Bitman On High, Master Of All
    5. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by duguk · · Score: 1

      Oh so you haven't heard? I was under the impression that everybody had heard that latest news of a certain avian variety.

      Meist3r, What are you talking about?

      *giggles manically*

    6. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by JustOK · · Score: 1

      You forgot the Spanish Inquisition!

      --
      rewriting history since 2109
    7. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by ari_j · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Have we been watching the same Family Guy? Which episode are you referring to where there's a two-second clip of the chicken fight saga? I don't recall one less than a minute.

    8. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by Spad · · Score: 1

      Have you *seen* Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy?

      I lost the will to live after about 5 minutes of terrible attempts at humour.

    9. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by mrsquid0 · · Score: 2, Informative

      > In my (professional) estimation Seth McFarlane is the single most important
      > writer in the English language since the time Shakespeare, Coleridge, and Blake.

      Well now we know. Seth MacFarlane is the hypnotoad.

      --
      Just because you are paranoid does not mean that no-one is out to get you.
    10. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by arb+phd+slp · · Score: 1

      Oh so you haven't heard? I was under the impression that everybody had heard that latest news of a certain avian variety.

      Meist3r, What are you talking about?

      duguk, wait! Don't...

      --
      There's a perfect xkcd for my sig but I'm too lazy to look it up. sudo someone go find it.
    11. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by arb+phd+slp · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Family Guy's use of cut-away humor is the same tired old "Let's insert a random fantasy!" crap that's been going on in every prime-time |/FOX\| comedy, and to a large extent many comedies on other networks, since at least Ally McBeal. (Why was Arrested Development cancelled? the cut-away humor was done in flashback/callback form, rather than fantasy)

      Funny things can happen in cut-away humor, but the cut-away itself is lame.

      This was painfully obvious to me in the first few weeks of [adult swim] after the switch to Family Guy from Futurama. The cutaways have funny things in them, but the show as a whole is inferior to Futurama is so many ways. It's just so forced.

      --
      There's a perfect xkcd for my sig but I'm too lazy to look it up. sudo someone go find it.
    12. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by Sj0 · · Score: 1

      Your post has made me madder than that time Jesus told me off!

      (Wait, we had a clip for that, didn't we? No clip? Ok then.)

      --
      It's been a long time.
    13. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by robert899 · · Score: 2, Funny

      In my (professional) estimation Seth McFarlane is the single most important writer in the English language since the time Shakespeare...

      Is that you Seth?

    14. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by Eli+Gottlieb · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yeah, well he wasn't expecting it.

    15. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by Hatta · · Score: 2, Informative

      The cutaway scenes in Family Guy represent the first departure from classical comedy I've ever been aware of.

      They did the exact same thing in Parker Lewis Can't Lose. I'm no scholar, but I'd find it hard to believe that's the first time it's been done.

      --
      Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
    16. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by sootman · · Score: 1

      The cutaway scenes in Family Guy represent the first departure from classical comedy I've ever been aware of.

      Six words: "And now for something completely different."

      --
      Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
    17. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by Tetsujin · · Score: 1

      You must have missed Laugh-In.

      (+1: Interesting)
      (-1: Stupid)

      --
      Bow-ties are cool.
    18. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by DeadDecoy · · Score: 1

      I believe there are four movies out now:

      1. Bender's Big Score
      2. Beast with a Billion Backs
      3. Bender's Game
      4. Into the Wild Green Yonder

      IMHO Bender's Game was brilliant and the best out of the collection (haven't seen 4, but it didn't seem as interesting).

    19. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by nine-times · · Score: 1

      Your post reminds me of the time Jesus entered a hotdog eating contest.

      (Meh. It's not that hard.)

    20. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That being said, as a literary critic I can't agree with the assertion that a single second of any episode of "Family Guy" could be classified as "meh."

      Er... no.

      Family Guy is repetitive and unfunny. Futurama is 1000000x better.

    21. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's for the *ooh, look at that bird* newer *I'm hungry* generation. They *shiny!* don't quite have *let's see what's on digg* a laudable *time to surf for pron* attention span.

    22. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by spartacus_prime · · Score: 1

      Nobody does, to be fair.

      --
      If you can read this, it means that I bothered to log in.
    23. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by joggle · · Score: 1

      Yea, the only plus to the endless cutaways in Family Guy is that it led to a great parody episode by South Park. Now whenever they insert a really random cutaway bit I'll think to myself, "I guess those manatees were at it again."

    24. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by genner · · Score: 1

      Seth McFarlane is the single most important writer in the English language since the time Shakespeare, Coleridge, and Blake.

      So there's that.

      Thus proving my theory that nothing of literary consequence has happend since Blake.

    25. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by TheoMurpse · · Score: 1

      The cutaway scenes in Family Guy represent the first departure from classical comedy I've ever been aware of.

      Non sequitur.

      Oh wait. You were trolling. Damn.

    26. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unless I'm mistaken, in Parker Lewis (and now in Scrubs, which copies Parker Lewis) the cutaways were at least apropos of the dialogue.

      In Family Guy they are often complete non sequiturs.

    27. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I typed an example scene, but I put it in angle brackets and it didn't show; here it is:

      Parker Lewis / Scrubs: (something surprising happens, delivery guy appears "sign here for this ton of bricks", ton of bricks falls on character)

    28. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by geekoid · · Score: 1

      Almost like there using different humor styles. Shocking, simply SHOCKING!

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    29. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by mog007 · · Score: 1

      Arrested Development was cancelled because the Fox executives are assholes. They love to cancel the good shows, even if they're actually doing well. Case in point: Titus, Arrested Development, Firefly, Family Guy, Futurama, The Tick, Dark Angel. The list goes on.

    30. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by Chris+Tucker · · Score: 1

      man, that forced attempt at humor is even worse than the time I had to give Hitler a sponge bath!
      (jumpcut to Hitler's Berlin bunker, circa 1943)
      (Hitler): "Zo, de spongebath, it comes mitt der Happy Ending, ja?"

      --
      Guaranteed! This comment 100% Anthrax free!
    31. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by spudda · · Score: 1

      I concur. Into the wild Green yonder (considering at the time it was considered the end of the story) was a major let down. Especially with the limited time devoted to Fry and Leela's feelings for each other which has been a major story focus for the entire life of the series

    32. Re:Let's hope the Family Guy effect holds true by symbolset · · Score: 1

      The Family Guy is funny, in a sitcom sort of way. I'll agree Futurama had more depth to their humor, and a better grasp of irony. A better show overall.

      They're both fun when I happen to catch them, but I don't have time to set aside for either (or any, frankly).

      --
      Help stamp out iliturcy.
  10. bonk by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    GEILOZACK!

  11. Wow! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    How long did it take them to get a clue?

    More than 6 years?

    And it's still only a rumor that they now have a clue... LOL

  12. Direct-to-DVD "movies" by IBBoard · · Score: 2, Informative

    They may have been "Direct-to-DVD", but I don't think it took them long to then go "and onwards to Sky TV as multi-part episodes". I know there aren't many Futurama episodes, but Sky seem to have played the "Direct to DVD" ones more than normal!

  13. Re:Who gives a fsck... by wintermute000 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I can't believe you equate Robot Chicken (or any of seth macfarlane's work) with Futurama

    They're both goofy but robot chicken is a sequence of short attention span non-sequiteurs ditto w/ family guy.

    Futurama has tonnes of very intelligent and subversive themes, and actual plots.

  14. Funny? Bah! by Norsefire · · Score: 4, Funny

    Emotions are dumb and should be hated.

    1. Re:Funny? Bah! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Morbo is that you?

    2. Re:Funny? Bah! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That isn't a quote from Morbo

    3. Re:Funny? Bah! by ari_j · · Score: 1

      I was going to mod you down for your s/stupid/dumb/, but instead I'm going to write my own comment. With blackjack. And hookers. In fact, forget the comment.

    4. Re:Funny? Bah! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      hate is an emotion...

    5. Re:Funny? Bah! by fuzzlost · · Score: 2, Funny

      Your post lacks subtlety! You can't just have your posts say how they feel! That makes me feel angry!

  15. Into the Wild Green Yonder by Rik+Sweeney · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I wonder if it will continue from where Into the Wild Green Yonder left off.

    1. Re:Into the Wild Green Yonder by derGoldstein · · Score: 1

      *warning: spoilers!*

      That would be very interesting, and challenging. Futurama has created an entire world of content that keeps re-appearing, so that veteran viewers get a lot more out of watching an episode in season 4 than a new viewer. It relies, heavily, on in-jokes and references (and they do it well, IMO). If they now have to send the cast of characters somewhere completely new, will we have a show without Morbo and Nixon?... At least Kif managed to jump onboard right at the end.

      --
      Entomologically speaking, the spider is not a bug, it's a feature.
    2. Re:Into the Wild Green Yonder by TheThiefMaster · · Score: 1

      Holy crap I missed that one!

      Hope it's better than "beast with a billion backs".

    3. Re:Into the Wild Green Yonder by Moebius+Loop · · Score: 1

      <spoilers>

      I would think so. That was the whole point of that ending, to give them either a final conclusion (the crew is dead, or basically gone from our universe), or an easy way to back out of that conclusion.

      Remember, they went through a wormhole earlier in the plot (the final hole of the golf course), and it only took them a "short" distance away, so they can pretty much pop up anywhere and go back to business as usual. There's no need (as someone else mentioned above) to 'reboot', or have them in a different universe, or anything like that.

      </spoilers>

      One of the best things about Futurama is the characterization of the universe in the future. Basically anything can happen anytime anywhere, so there's never any need to use major plot devices to 'reboot' the plot.

      OTOH, Futurama, unlike the Simpsons, is far more willing to make major continuity events, like the Fry and Leela situation. I'll be interested to see how they handle that; I'm embarrassed to say I knew enough about the show Friends that I wouldn't want to see the "Ross and Rachel" debacle take place on Futurama.

      --
      have you been seen on slash?
    4. Re:Into the Wild Green Yonder by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dude, they destroyed the entire universe in season 2! They also put the universe in a box that Fry used as a chair, and nearly destroyed the space time continuum in order to win a basketball game.... I think they'll do whatever they think the audience will find funny!

      If there's any universe-bending problem, I'm sure Bubblegum Tate and his funky globetrotter algebra will explain it to us! :-)

    5. Re:Into the Wild Green Yonder by Eli+Gottlieb · · Score: 1

      OTOH, Futurama, unlike the Simpsons, is far more willing to make major continuity events, like the Fry and Leela situation. I'll be interested to see how they handle that; I'm embarrassed to say I knew enough about the show Friends that I wouldn't want to see the "Ross and Rachel" debacle take place on Futurama.

      Remember "Beast with a Billion Backs"? OK, now that I've jogged your memory have the suppressed images come back to mind? That film reset every major character relationship in the entire show. Yet another reason it sucked, in addition to being a really transparent author tract on polyamory.

    6. Re:Into the Wild Green Yonder by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, it will begin with the last min of into the yonder, and then they'll just reappear back where they started. BAM! They'll talk about how much fun they had (and for kicks, wearing funny hats) Bender will say "Lets go again!" and the new episode will begin.

      Funny, lame, but funny.

    7. Re:Into the Wild Green Yonder by Moebius+Loop · · Score: 1

      Remember "Beast with a Billion Backs"? OK, now that I've jogged your memory have the suppressed images come back to mind? That film reset every major character relationship in the entire show. Yet another reason it sucked, in addition to being a really transparent author tract on polyamory.

      I started responding and this got long, so, apologies in advance....

      I don't think it's fair to say it reset any relationships. Amy has always been promiscuous and easily manipulated, but as far as we know has been completely faithful to Kif, and did think he was permanently dead. Despite Kif's anger over her affair with Zapp, by 'Green Yonder' it was clear that he wanted her back, and the ending set us up to believe they are together again.

      As for Fry and Leela, there are constant scenarios throughout the continuity where it seemed obvious they cared for each other and wanted to be together, but one or the other pursued another relationship instead. Think of "The Sting" or "Devil's Hands", where we're taken out on very poignant examples of how close they are, only to be followed by "Bender's Score" when Leela has no compunctions about going after 'Lars'.

      That same fickleness about relationships (you know, like what happens all the time in real life) have been going on throughout the series, which is why they're in a dangerous position now. The Fry/Leela dynamic is easily one of the most significant focus points of the show, which is why I'm afraid the authors will be compelled to escalate their relationship, which could easily be disastrous.

      I enjoyed all the movies a great deal, so I can't agree with you about "Beast" sucking, but I think the writers' intent was to cover both sides of the issues of polyamory and promiscuity. Depending on your perspective, you could read it both ways. Obviously one perspective is to see how happy Universe Gamma was and assume it was a pro-polyamory (or anti-jealousy) piece.

      Myself, at no point did I perceive Yeebo as anything but an antagonist, and assumed Bender's demonic army plans were meant to give him the Anti-Hero attitude that he does so well. I thought his closing statement of, "There is no great love without great jealousy!" caps everything off and reverts the continuity appropriately, as long as you were prepared to assume that human happiness is *NOT* always the highest goal.

      --
      have you been seen on slash?
    8. Re:Into the Wild Green Yonder by Moebius+Loop · · Score: 1

      er, "Yivo", of course

      --
      have you been seen on slash?
    9. Re:Into the Wild Green Yonder by geekoid · · Score: 1

      It's futurama for crying out loud. They could just appear in the hanger and say "What are the odds of that professor?" ""wha..?" [insert witty self deprecating remark]

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    10. Re:Into the Wild Green Yonder by mpeskett · · Score: 1

      On the other hand, remember the end of Into the Wild Green Yonder? Fry and Leela saying they loved each other... just before they noticed the wormhole. Then the whole thing ended on a kiss (ok technically a kiss followed by an exterior shot of swooping into a wormhole, but you know what I mean.

  16. Re:I hope it's funny! by Macrat · · Score: 0

    Yup. It's worse than Family Guy.

  17. Re:I hope it's funny! by Rogerborg · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Now that you explain it that way, it seems so obvious: I just think it's funny because I enjoy watching it and it makes me laugh by respectfully parodying beloved memes. But since you don't get it, it must be objectively un-amusing, therefore I'm obviously just mired in cognitive dissonance.

    Now that I think about it, I nearly busted a gut laughing at Galaxy Quest, so I guess by your measure that must suck harder than a Thai ladyboy trying to fund her final op.

    --
    If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
  18. Re:I hope it's funny! by daniel_mcl · · Score: 0, Troll

    I'm pretty sure that the reason that nobody on Slashdot agrees with you has more than a little to do with the fact that you're a "Married with Children" fan.

    --
    I used to read Caltizzle. I was a lot cooler than you.
  19. Re:Who gives a fsck... by LMacG · · Score: 4, Informative

    For homework, please write an essay comparing and contrasting Seth McFarlane with Seth Green; be sure to compare and contrast their respective television productions.

    Extra credit may be available for extended treatises on Greg the Bunny.

    --
    Slightly disreputable, albeit gregarious
  20. The movies didn't work by abigsmurf · · Score: 4, Insightful

    From the first film they seemed to get progressively worse, both in terms of story and in terms of jokes. I know they had fewer writers working on them but the jokes weren't as snappy the plots didn't flow properly (Benders Game was the worst for that) and they relied too much on references to previous jokes and stories, one of the worst things about post season 10 Simpsons was how insular the humour became.

    If it was because they struggled to fill the running time than a new series could be brilliant. If it's because the current writers aren't a patch on the original team, it could go the family guy route of being stale almost immediately after it returned to screens.

    1. Re:The movies didn't work by derGoldstein · · Score: 1

      The interesting thing about the movies is that if they were vetted by a good editor, they could have clipped them into a very good half-length features. Bender's Big Score could have been great if they shaved off around 30 minutes of "filler". Unfortunately, as you said, Bender's Game was really weak, it barely had enough good material for a ~40 minute feature.

      --
      Entomologically speaking, the spider is not a bug, it's a feature.
    2. Re:The movies didn't work by VShael · · Score: 3, Interesting

      it could go the family guy route of being stale almost immediately after it returned to screens.

      I'll agree that Family Guy was a shadow of its former self, once it returned from cancellation.

      It took some time, but the show *has* returned to something like it's former levels of comedy though.

    3. Re:The movies didn't work by TeknoHog · · Score: 1

      Agreed, I think Futurama works best in the short form. The best episodes are like complete mini-movies, and the requisite trimming is probably what made them so good. This also made some of the geeky references more subtle, as you had to be quick to notice them.

      --
      Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
    4. Re:The movies didn't work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Personally, I really liked Bender's Big Score, and Into the Wild Green Yonder. They had actual plots, and they both felt like single, longer episodes of Futurama. They did contain slightly too much filler, and they might have been better if they'd trimmed it a bit. Instead of having each one being three episodes long, maybe two would have worked better.

      Bender's Game was OK, but it basically felt like a series of jokes and D&D references strung together. The parts were kind of funny in places (although I'd have got nothing out of it had I known nothing about D&D), but as a whole it didn't really work. No plot as such, and kind of dodgy pacing.

      As for The Beast with a Billion Backs... The less said about that, the better. While it wasn't bad - it was certainly better than any Simpsons episode produced this century - it just didn't work.

      Futurama doesn't really work in such a long format. I think the time limit was helpful here - the writers were forced to cut out parts that didn't work, to streamline the script, and make every line count. Much the same problem happened in the Simpsons movie - there was just so much stuff in there that didn't really work, and would have been cut if they hadn't had an entire movie to fill.

    5. Re:The movies didn't work by elrous0 · · Score: 1

      Not only were they missing a bunch of their better writers, but they were trying to do feature length movies, which Futurama just isn't well-suited for. It was almost as bad as the Aqua Teen Hungerforce movie (great in 15 minutes chunks, torture for a full 90 minutes).

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
    6. Re:The movies didn't work by prestomation · · Score: 1

      I agree. I thought Bender's Big Score was brilliant, but the other movies just seemed a little drawn out.

    7. Re:The movies didn't work by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      Hmm, I liked Bender's Big Score. If viewed as separate episodes that are loosely connected instead of one long movie, they were pretty good. Better than a lot of junk on TV. But as a full movie it was pretty rambling.

      Of course, I may have just been in a state of euphoria that Futurama was actually back and wasn't being critical enough :-)

    8. Re:The movies didn't work by geekoid · · Score: 1

      You are exactly the person Comic book guy was created to make fun of.

      Think on that.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    9. Re:The movies didn't work by geekoid · · Score: 1

      I here that often on the internet, but I ahve watched the timing and social commentary humor, of family guy as a study*. and it didn't really change that much. I think a lot of people over reacted at the cancellation and then built of this big internal idea of how great that thought it was.

      *Why yes I do dazzle the ladies.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  21. TV series = movies redone...? by ufoolme · · Score: 1

    As I understand it this was always part of the plan, the movies were to be remade into a full tv series for the comedy chan.

  22. Re:Who gives a fsck... by xororand · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Futurama Season 1, Episode 5 "Fear of a bot planet" is based on a short story by Stanisaw Lem. David X. Cohen, the head writer of Futurama, acknowledged that Stanisaw Lem is among his favorite Sci-Fi writers.

  23. Re:Who gives a fsck... by xororand · · Score: 1

    Correction: Stanislav Lem. Slashdot didn't like my Unicode.

  24. Good News (possibly) by Apple+Acolyte · · Score: 2, Insightful

    A new season of the show could represent good news, assuming that the writers still have sufficient material not yet exhausted. The movies had a lot of potential but just seemed not to translate to movie length well. Part of the problem with having movie length episodes was that it constrained the writers to working with overarching plots. Less comedic punch, under utilized, diluted characters and greater reliance on cheap gimmicks. The show just works better in 23 minutes. On the downside, the last season of the show had some really poor episodes (bordering close to average Family Guy episode on the crap scale), so if it turns out that those kinds of episodes are the best the creators can do, count me only reluctantly and perhaps inconsistently in.

    --
    Part of the hardcore faithful who believed in Apple long before it was cool again to do so
    1. Re:Good News (possibly) by DahGhostfacedFiddlah · · Score: 1

      Huh, that's weird. The 4th season was by far my favourite. It felt as if the writers were taking more chances and running some interesting stories that weren't purely about the comedic punchline.

      To each their own, I suppose.

    2. Re:Good News (possibly) by Apple+Acolyte · · Score: 1

      The last season was Season 5, and I came off overly harsh. There are great episodes (arguably some of the best, like The Devil's Hands and Jurassic Bark, but two real stinkers stand out: Bend Her and A Taste of Freedom. I don't care for a gay Bender personally; while he's great in a supporting role, any Zoidberg-centric episode stinks out loud.

      --
      Part of the hardcore faithful who believed in Apple long before it was cool again to do so
    3. Re:Good News (possibly) by DahGhostfacedFiddlah · · Score: 1

      Ah - fair enough. I hadn't considered the movies to be a season, but you're right. I did enjoy Bender's Big Score, but the rest of them? Meh.

  25. Slashdotted by Brama · · Score: 2, Informative

    Here's another link: http://tv.ign.com/articles/992/992321p1.html

  26. For fuck sake... by GeorgeStone22 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Kill the simpsons already.

    1. Re:For fuck sake... by bitt3n · · Score: 1

      Kill the simpsons already.

      they're so far gone that even that wouldn't be funny.

    2. Re:For fuck sake... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We tried. But they won't stay dead.

    3. Re:For fuck sake... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Perhaps an online petition would do the trick?

    4. Re:For fuck sake... by geekoid · · Score: 1

      no, Like the Simpsons, and I have watched since the beginning..yes THAT beginning.

      I still enjoy there witty commentary on modern culture.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    5. Re:For fuck sake... by geekoid · · Score: 1

      Sorry for secondary reply, but I am curious:
      How old were you when you started watching and hold were you when you decided it wasn't any good to you anymore?

      I wonder if people who started watching it in there teens, or earlier, stopped enjoying it in the twenties as opposed to people that started watching it when they were older.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    6. Re:For fuck sake... by GeorgeStone22 · · Score: 1

      Started watching when I was about 10, maybe younger. Stopped watching when I was 16 and all we got in the UK was re-run after re-run. Then I enjoyed 1 or 2 series on sky. By about 16 I had stopped watching.

  27. Unnecessary by Nursie · · Score: 1

    I have the entire transcript (except film 4) as a set of fortune databases, and an email-random-quote-autoresponder :)

  28. Meh by smoker2 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    The episodes I've seen of Futurama have been good. I've not seen many, as I don't subscribe to pay tv. The episodes I've seen of Family Guy uniformly suck. And WTF is "The Life and Times of Tim" ? If that is a "hit US comedy", then they missed an S in the summary. Furthermore, if that's a hit, I would really hate to see the misses.
    Bring back Ren and Stimpy !

    1. Re:Meh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The episodes I've seen of Family Guy uniformly suck.

      So what you're saying is you have no sense of humor and nobody should pay attention to you.

      You could have just started out telling us that, you know.

    2. Re:Meh by CaseCrash · · Score: 0

      The episodes I've seen of Family Guy uniformly suck.

      Watch the old ones, not the new ones

      And WTF is "The Life and Times of Tim" ? If that is a "hit US comedy", then they missed an S in the summary. Furthermore, if that's a hit, I would really hate to see the misses.

      I'm an american who watches cable tv everyday and I've never heard of it. Don't believe the internet as to what's a "Hit"

      Bring back Ren and Stimpy !

      I second this motion (except they fucked up with the "new" ren & stimpy episodes they made a couple years ago *shudder*)

      --
      No, that link you posted to a web comic we've all seen a hundred times is not "obligatory."
    3. Re:Meh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      it was YOU who coveted my ice creme bar

    4. Re:Meh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You think Family Guy sucks but you enjoy Ren and Stimpy?

      Go piss on an electric fence.

    5. Re:Meh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They did bring back Ren and Stimpy in a much less censored version geared more towards adults awhile back, although I can't remember exactly who and when (Google it) I thought it would be good, watched one episode and saw Ren pounding Stimpy in the ass, which was basically akin to my childhood being buttraped... Some shows should never come back. Others should have, like Family Guy and Futurama, both great shows that were prematurely killed off by the idiots at FOX.

    6. Re:Meh by evilned · · Score: 1

      They did bring back Ren and Stimpy a few years ago. It sucked.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren_%26_Stimpy_%22Adult_Party_Cartoon%22

      --

      "My head hurts, My feet stink, and I dont love Jesus." -Jimmy Buffett

  29. Re:Who gives a fsck... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bender: Hey, brobot, what's you serial number?
    Flexo: 3370318.
    Bender: No way! Mine's 2716057!
    Fry: I don't get it.
    Bender: We're both expressible as the sum of two cubes.

    119**3 + 119**3
    -951**2 + 952**2

    For those keeping track

  30. I liked movie 2 & 4, by unami · · Score: 1

    they were a different style than 1 & 3 (more story, jokes less shallow). but i absolutely agree with you, that "Benders Game" was worst. Lame story & the same joke repeated over 2 hours.

  31. Too late by MobyDisk · · Score: 5, Funny

    How many years has it been? By now, all the actors will be older and they won't look the part. It will be worse than Harry Potter or Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey.

    1. Re:Too late by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When all your actors are just heads floating in jars you can have more meaningful dialog.

  32. Re:Who gives a fsck... by Movi · · Score: 1

    Actually it's Stanislaw Lem. He's Polish (like me) and we don't use the letter v.

  33. Morbo mocks your foolish comedy! by Drakkenmensch · · Score: 1

    It shall be obliterated when the invasion fleet reduces your puny civilization to ashes! Now let's go to entertainment news. *Mary Heart look-alike laughs vapidly*

  34. Bite my shiny metal ass!! by murphyd311 · · Score: 2, Funny

    10. Chump
    9. Chumpette
    8. Yours
    7. Up
    6. Pimpmobile
    5. Bite
    4. My
    3. Shiny
    2. Daffodil
    1. Ass

    1. Re:Bite my shiny metal ass!! by Drakkenmensch · · Score: 1

      "That chair is really hard, it hurts my... what's the word again? Oh yeah, lower back."

    2. Re:Bite my shiny metal ass!! by tuxicle · · Score: 1

      Antique-ing?

    3. Re:Bite my shiny metal ass!! by ari_j · · Score: 1

      Hot diggity daffodil!

    4. Re:Bite my shiny metal ass!! by TheTrollToll · · Score: 1

      As every good commander knows, one of the most important tactics in army is the element of surprise... SURPRISE!!!

  35. I won't watch it on Comedy Central by AMSmith42 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Comedy Central took Futurama away from Adult Swim who faithfully aired it for years in syndication. Adult Swim fans were the sole reason Futurama was revived. Adult Swim doesn't seem to get one bit of gratitude from Comedy Central or Fox. I love Futurama, but I'm not going to turn my back on Adult Swim and reward Comedy Central by watching it anymore. If I get withdrawals, I'll just Netflix it.

    1. Re:I won't watch it on Comedy Central by evilned · · Score: 1

      uh, the actual makers of the show got paid more by Comedy Central than they did from Adult Swim, thats why Futurama switched. I like Adult Swim too, but I'd rather have the shows creators paid better than hold some allegiance to a tv network brand.

      --

      "My head hurts, My feet stink, and I dont love Jesus." -Jimmy Buffett

    2. Re:I won't watch it on Comedy Central by whiledo · · Score: 1

      Wait, what? Did you not listen to the commentary on the Futurama DVDs? It's an incredibly expensive show to make - the most expensive animated show of all time. It takes nine months to make an episode. That's nine months of labor, plus all the cost for doing all the 3d effects they do. We're talking about in the ballpark of a million dollars per episode.

      Now, Adult Swim was great in playing all the reruns of Futurama. But they paid 10 million dollars to rerun the hell out of 72 episodes. That's chump change compared to how much it costs to actually make original episodes. Do you think Cartoon Network was willing to shell out the kind of money that they need to even just cover costs?

      Not bloody likely. That's not in the profit model of Cartoon Network. Yes, they are a business just like all the other channels.

      So if you want to support Futurama, then be realistic and realize that this has nothing to do with not showing gratitude to Adult Swim. Having Comedy Central shell out for new episodes of Futurama will actually help Adult Swim, as now they'll be able to buy the reruns for those. It's win-win! Turning your back on Comedy Central in effect is also screwing over Adult Swim.

      --
      Moderators: Before moderating a comment Insightful/Informative, check to see if a child post has already refuted it.
  36. Re:Waste by hazah · · Score: 1

    Why would understanding your current culture hold you back?

  37. Re:I hope it's funny! by Hognoxious · · Score: 1

    I suppose Bud reminds them of themselves too much.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  38. Re:I hope it's funny! by sorak · · Score: 1

    so I guess by your measure that must suck harder than a Thai ladyboy trying to fund her final op.

    That's not funny, but asian transvestites get sucked in by the old "haha, that's a Thai ladyboy reference I understand" meme, and think it is.

    And, by the way, you're no "Married with Children". "Married with Children" had toilet flushing sounds and required three uses of the word "boobie" per episode. Nothing can compete with that kind of social commentary.

  39. Re:Who gives a fsck... by ari_j · · Score: 2, Funny

    Actually it's Stanislaw Lem. He's Polish (like me) and we don't use the letter v .

    There! You did it right there!

  40. This Article Brought To You By Lightspeed Briefs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Lightspeed fits today's active lifestyle.

    Whether you're on the job ... ... or trolling Slashdot while on the job.

    Lightspeed briefs, style and comfort for the discriminating crotch.

  41. Re:Who gives a fsck... by Joebert · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Translation, if you watch Futurama you likely setup elaborate courses with loops and death defying jumps for your prized matchbox cars.
    If you watch Family Guy you probably just smashed the shit out of them between two cinder blocks and laughed about it for the rest of the day.

    --
    Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
  42. Re:Who gives a fsck... by jshackney · · Score: 1

    Extra credit may be available for extended treatises on Greg the Bunny.

    So, when is that show coming back? It was no less funny than Futurama or Family Guy.

  43. wow by Coraon · · Score: 1

    this show has more lives then zombie Jesus.

    --
    -Ours is the wisdom of Solomon, the magic of Merlyn, the fall of Icaris.
    1. Re:wow by Tetsujin · · Score: 1

      this show has more lives then zombie Jesus.

      Don't be ridiculous... zombies aren't even alive, they're just... undead...

      --
      Bow-ties are cool.
  44. Re:Who gives a fsck... by baKanale · · Score: 1

    Given the fact that Robot Chicken is entirely composed of the ever so popular "short clip of something funny that relies on toilet humor and pop culture references" that Family Guy is known for (and that Seth MacFarlane and Seth Green do voice acting on eachother's shows) one could be forgiven for mistakenly thinking they are produced by the same entity.

  45. Re:Who gives a fsck... by magnusrex1280 · · Score: 1

    I can't believe you equate Seth McFarlane with Seth Green. Is it really that hard to read the last names in a show's credits? Simplified Translation: The guy behind Family Guy and American Dad has nothing to do with Robot Chicken.

  46. Thanks, Slashdot. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
    Add some Futurma ascii to your cowsay folder and this to your bash aliases:

    function futurama() { wee=$(curl -Is slashdot.org | egrep '^X-(F|B|L)' | sed 's/^..//'); if [[ $wee = "Fry"* ]]; then cowsay -f fry $(echo $wee | sed 's/^Fry: //'); fi; if [[ $wee = "Ben"* ]]; then cowsay -f bender $(echo $wee | sed 's/^Bender: //'); fi; if [[ $wee = "Lee"* ]]; then cowsay -f leela $(echo $wee | sed 's/^Leela: //'); fi; }

  47. Re:I hope it's funny! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You're and executive for Fox, aren't you?!

  48. Ahead of Time by evan_arrrr! · · Score: 1

    Let's just hope that Futurama remains ahead of it's time. When the show originally aired back in 1999, it was far ahead of the pack as far as comedy goes, and it still remains my favorite show of all time. I dare say, it's even better than the Simpsons (and I have friends who back me up on this point). Anyway, it's been six years since we've gotten any new material (other than the movies, which I haven't seen). Does anyone really think the writers will be able to top what was once so profound (yes, I am calling Futurama profound)? The social commentary was biting and harsh, but still hilarious. Does anyone really think they can bring back the same feeling? I guess I'm just hoping the show doesn't just devolve into another Family Guy. I'm also afraid that my favorite show will be ruined by these new episodes, if they do indeed start the show up again.

  49. Re:All hail The Merciful Lord Obama! by Homr+Zodyssey · · Score: 2, Funny

    Once again, the conservative, sandwich-heavy portfolio pays off for the hungry investor. --Dr. Zoidberg

  50. Re:Who gives a fsck... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    bigot.

  51. Quotes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "The present may stink, but at least now we can look forward to a better yesterday."
    - Fry, Futurama

    "Why am I sticky and naked? Did I miss something fun?"
    - Fry, Futurama

    "That's so plausible I can't believe it!"
    - Leela, Futurama

    "I saved the space-time continuum, and 40% of your rectum."
    - Nibbler, Futurama

    More here:
    http://www.quoteaddict.com/quotes.php?search=futurama

    1. Re:Quotes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Computers are twice as fast as they were in 1973!

  52. Re:Who gives a fsck... by Tetsujin · · Score: 1

    Correction: Stanislav Lem. Slashdot didn't like my Unicode.

    I don't like your Unicode, either.

    --
    Bow-ties are cool.
  53. Be considerate to others or I will bite your torso by Tetsujin · · Score: 1

    Not only were they missing a bunch of their better writers, but they were trying to do feature length movies, which Futurama just isn't well-suited for. It was almost as bad as the Aqua Teen Hungerforce movie (great in 15 minutes chunks, torture for a full 90 minutes).

    Don't like it? WALK OUT!

    --
    Bow-ties are cool.
  54. Am I too late... by KarlIsNotMyName · · Score: 1

    to get karma from quoting Futurama?

    --
    We are all God's parents.
    1. Re:Am I too late... by certsoft · · Score: 1

      Yes, I'm afraid so...

  55. FuturaWHO? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I would much rather watch Space Pilot 3000.Now that was a show.Frozen pizza boy and a one eyed chick,some robot that bends metal.....

    Anyone who likes this futurama thing can "bite my shiny metal ass."

    As long as you don't make me smell Uranus. To prevent 'Your anus' jokes we renamed it. . . Urectum.

  56. uniU by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Come on universe, you big, mostly empty wuss. Give me all the juice you got.

  57. Re:Who gives a fsck... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Enemy wessels approaching!

  58. Re:I hope it's funny! by domatic · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I can't stand Married With Children now but at the time it was a very welcome antidote to The Cosby Show which my parents were gonzo fans of. Antidotes are generally as bad as the poisons they treat.

  59. Please, be real! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I love Futurama, I'm willing that information is true

  60. Re:Who gives a fsck... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The guy behind Family Guy and American Dad has nothing to do with Robot Chicken.

    He's done voice acting on it, though...

  61. Re:Who gives a fsck... by nine-times · · Score: 1

    Futurama has tonnes of very intelligent and subversive themes, and actual plots.

    Not only that, but the plots are often weirdly interwoven and planned out in advance. Nibbler's shadow is briefly visible (you'd hardly notice it) in the first episode, which is something that remains unexplained for long time. You don't even get introduced to Nibbler for a while.

  62. there is some cross over by BitterAndDrunk · · Score: 1

    In voice acting - mila and Brian (forget who does him) are on a lot of Robot Chicken eps.

    --
    You better watch out, there may be dogs about . . .
    1. Re:there is some cross over by clintp · · Score: 1

      Robot Chicken: All the fun of the Family Guy cut-aways without having to endure the awful episodes they're embedded in.

      --
      Get off my lawn.
  63. My personal favorite: by TheQuantumShift · · Score: 1

    Great three toed sloth of the ice planet Hoth!

    --

    Shift happens. Fire it up.
  64. David Foster Wallace wrote about Married With. . . by BitterAndDrunk · · Score: 1
    I think DFW was too smart for his own good, but he asserted that Married With. . . Children was an ironic self parody of the sitcom.

    I was kind of blown away because that seemed way too smart/subversive for such a low-brow show.

    --
    You better watch out, there may be dogs about . . .
  65. Dear G-d, No! by Amazing+Quantum+Man · · Score: 3, Funny

    Just think of the horror... Everyone you meet in this cowboy universe is CowboyNeal!

    --
    Fascism starts when the efficiency of the government becomes more important than the rights of the people.
  66. That's why Arrested Development failed by BitterAndDrunk · · Score: 1
    The jokes built on each other to the point that anyone following AD through season 2 thought it was brilliant, while newbies couldn't get what the fuss was about.

    It was also the best show on television for a time despite that failing.

    --
    You better watch out, there may be dogs about . . .
  67. as a former Family Guy hater by BitterAndDrunk · · Score: 1

    I think the "starter episode" should be "Wasted Talent". That will bring the appreciation of what FG was trying to do, and makes a lot of the other stuff more accessible.

    --
    You better watch out, there may be dogs about . . .
  68. Don't re-hash the movies, please! by Vrallis · · Score: 1

    I just hope that their return isn't like Family Guy and Tripping the Rift, where they just start out by hacking up a movie into half a season worth of episodes (and call it a full season, too).

  69. Let's hope they can keep the original quality by noewun · · Score: 1

    Because the movies mostly sucked. And I say that as someone with a Bender action figure on his desk.

    --
    I am a believer of momentum and curves.
  70. Re:Who gives a fsck... by Joebert · · Score: 1

    And in case anyone's wondering, I stood beside the last death defying jump in the elaborate course I setup, holding a cinder block.

    --
    Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
  71. Why is this noteworthy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Great job slashdot! I came here specifically to absorb television advertisements. Stay classy.

  72. That will teach those inepts executives by geekoid · · Score: 1

    at BOX network.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  73. can wait by OrangeMonkey11 · · Score: 1

    got my stocks of Clagnars Human Rinds ready to go It's a buncha, muncha, cruncha human

  74. Still no Firefly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why must you torture us so. Not saying that Futurama is bad...

  75. Re:Who gives a fsck... by geekoid · · Score: 1

    And if you like them both?

    Comedy is a rainbow, no color is better then another. Some people just happen to like red as opposed to suck.

    Oh, and matchbox SUXX0RS!!!1!!! Hot Wheels all the way!

    For the record mine either did death defying loops that crescendo with two cars hitting each other mid air, or got launched in a rocket, sans parachute.

    And to my best of knowledge, I am the only one to ever make a Barbi rocket. As in it actually lifted of and flu a few hundred feet into the air. also, sans parachute.

    really, the parachute was a pain in the ass and rockets were cheap.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  76. Re:Who gives a fsck... by geekoid · · Score: 1

    heh, man you are going to be flamed for a week.
    Good luck with your new /. ID.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  77. Good... by Alonzo+Meatman · · Score: 1

    Maybe these will be funnier than the (mostly-disappointing) movies.

  78. Lets stop bashing Bender's Big Score. by Chris+Tucker · · Score: 1

    It was done to stop the hate mail from everyone who saw "Jurassic Bark".

    It is obvious to the most casual of observers that BBS is a retcon of the climax of "Jurassic Bark".

    All that other stuff was just there to pad it out and little bit.

    After all, they couldn't really call it, "OK! Enough Already With The Hate Mail! Look, see, we're fixing it. Seymour had a long happy life with Fry."

    If for no other reason than that long title wouldn't fit on the box.

    --
    Guaranteed! This comment 100% Anthrax free!
  79. Now confirmed by zygotic+mitosis · · Score: 1

    Entertainment Weekly confirms it... Futurama is not dying

    1. Re:Now confirmed by acrobg · · Score: 1

      Variety confirms it as well: a href="http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118004722.html?categoryid=10&cs=1"

  80. Summary and TFA get it (partly) wrong by LionMage · · Score: 1

    Fortunately, there's an update at the same site with the real dope: It's 26 episodes, not 13! So, we get a full season. I know my fiancee and I are going to celebrate...

  81. Re:All hail The Merciful Lord Obama! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Anyone with a brain knows the Iraq war was illegal.

    If we are going to punish those who dont obey UN sanctions why not go for the main offender Israel?

    Its simple really the UN security council did not approve the action so it was illegal.

  82. Casting? by Phoghat · · Score: 1

    There casting??? What happened to the original cast?

    --
    Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
  83. Re:I hope it's funny! by jollyreaper · · Score: 1

    Now that I think about it, I nearly busted a gut laughing at Galaxy Quest [wikipedia.org], so I guess by your measure that must suck harder than a Thai ladyboy trying to fund her final op.

    Wow. I certainly would never admitted to knowing what that was like. You are very brave.

    --
    Kwisatz Haderach
    Sell the spice to CHOAM
    This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
  84. Re:Be considerate to others or I will bite your to by elrous0 · · Score: 1

    Into the sunlight?!?!? No frickin' way, man!

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.