Futurama Cancelled (Again)

Good news everyone! by mpdolan37 · 2013-04-22 05:44 · Score: 5, Funny

Wait. there will be no more 'Good news everyone!'

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Re:Good news everyone! by Mitreya · 2013-04-22 06:02 · Score: 5, Interesting

So... how much Kickstarter money would they need to make another season...?
Also, imagine how much money a guest voice role on Futurama could fetch!!
Re:Good news everyone! by TWiTfan · 2013-04-22 06:19 · Score: 4, Insightful

Please don't. And I say this as a huge Futurama fan from the beginning. The Comedy Central episodes were just fucking awful, even worse than those movies they did. You just can't go home again.

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Re:Good news everyone! by eln · 2013-04-22 06:33 · Score: 4, Interesting

"Fucking awful" is a bit strong, but they definitely weren't up to par. I'm not surprised it was cancelled, and at this point I'd be much happier if they put the series to bed instead of continually trying to bring it back, as it will inevitably get worse every time they do.
Re:Good news everyone! by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-22 07:06 · Score: 5, Funny

How come The Simpsons manage to stay fresh and funny?
Re:Good news everyone! by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-22 07:10 · Score: 5, Informative

They didn't. Though they did last longer than Futurama, the newer episodes are soul-crushingly bad.
Re:Good news everyone! by zap1992 · 2013-04-22 07:11 · Score: 5, Insightful

The Simpsons manage to stay fresh and funny? When did that start again?
Granted I haven't watched the last few seasons, but I don't think that show has been funny in years.
Re:Good news everyone! by amicusNYCL · 2013-04-22 07:25 · Score: 4, Informative

certainly cutbacks can be made to get per-episode costs to something low enough to kickstarter fund.
That's correct. The cutbacks would presumably be not having the original voice cast, writing team, or production crew. You would still need to purchase the rights from Fox, though. The syndication rights that Comedy Central bought from Fox are said to be the single most expensive acquisition for Comedy Central. They paid Fox $400k per episode just for syndication rights.

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Re:Good news everyone! by omnichad · 2013-04-22 07:27 · Score: 4, Interesting

I picked it up again from Season 20 when it went to HD. It's hit or miss, but pretty good overall. Definitely not the same show it was 20 years ago, but riffs on pop culture more often in the vein of Family Guy. And I'd still much rather watch The Simpsons than Family Guy.
Re:Good news everyone! by HairyNevus · 2013-04-22 08:22 · Score: 4, Insightful

Agreed. When they were brought back suddenly they became all about making modern-day topical jokes (about Lady Gaga, Twitter, etc.) and throwing the whole "it's the year 3001" bit out the window. Plus, after Leela banged Zap Brannigan, again, willfully...something was just lost. In the sexing-up of the characters was another huge detraction.
All that to say, I bet if it had been brought back on Adult Swim, things would have been different.

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Re:Good news everyone! by Reverand+Dave · 2013-04-22 08:23 · Score: 4, Interesting

When Futurama first premiered in 2000, it was the most expensive cartoon on air to produce due to the quality and the mix of CG with hand drawn animation. That is part of the reason it was initially cancelled by Fox. It had more to do with the cost than the actual ratings. I don't think that is the case anymore, but still when you watch the opening sequence, realize that there are over 80 layers of animation in just that few second span.

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Re:Good news everyone! by amicusNYCL · 2013-04-22 08:43 · Score: 4, Interesting

I apologize for confusing you all of these years. Soviet Russia jokes are from the comedian Yakov Smirnoff, who used Soviet Russia jokes to contrast life under a Communist regime with life in the US. His punchlines were that things in Soviet Russia are opposite from the US. The implication behind my signature is that in the US corporations control the government.

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No surprise, really. by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-22 05:45 · Score: 5, Interesting

The newer episodes just haven't had that same flare the older ones did.
A couple of them even felt forced.
Better end a series on a decent note than to drag it on forever (Simpsons, Family Guy, etc)

Re:No surprise, really. by Rotag_FU · 2013-04-22 05:53 · Score: 3, Insightful

I agree with you regarding the "movies" that were really just 4 episodes with a loosely coordinated plot-line. That seemed to be more about making the economics of reviving the show work (i.e., direct to video sales plus delayed airings on CC). However, I thought they really fell flat on their face and were not engaging. It was obvious that the writers just couldn't make a 2 hour plot line broken up into 4 parts work.
However, I thought the follow-up season on CC was actually pretty decent. I would not argue that they were the best the series had to offer, but they seemed like worthwhile inclusions, imho.
Re:No surprise, really. by ackthpt · 2013-04-22 06:05 · Score: 3, Insightful

The newer episodes just haven't had that same flare the older ones did.
A couple of them even felt forced.
Better end a series on a decent note than to drag it on forever (Simpsons, Family Guy, etc)
Like Family Guy, IMHO, the jokes and themes were funny for a while, but wear thin in time. I can't even be bothered to see what's happening on the Simpsons, since I stopped watching it about ten years ago. Futurama has effectively flogged every dead horse the writers could find. Time to move on.

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Re:No surprise, really. by kannibal_klown · 2013-04-22 06:06 · Score: 4, Informative

Agreed on all points.
Bender's Big Score was OK in parts; I kind of dug it. I particularly liked how stuck-in-the-past Fry realized he was Lars and had the emotional bit.
But after that, weak sauce.
Re:No surprise, really. by evilRhino · 2013-04-22 06:06 · Score: 4, Insightful

The new seasons are worth it just for the evolution episode.
Re:No surprise, really. by sconeu · 2013-04-22 06:08 · Score: 4, Insightful

The problem with the movies was that they all had a "MESSAGE" that was driven home with a sledgehammer (possible exception: Bender's Game).
MESSAGE episodes are usually turn-offs. "Tonight, on a Very Special Futurama...."

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Re:No surprise, really. by KClaisse · 2013-04-22 06:10 · Score: 5, Interesting

Couldn't agree more with this sentiment. The old episodes felt very clever and smart with their jokes often playing on scientific themes to make the punchline. That's what I really enjoyed about the original Futurama. After their comeback it seemed like they had changed to appeal to a wider audience, making more generalized jokes and story lines. I found early on I could predict the outcome of most episodes, at first anyway. By the end of their comeback the episodes were so disjointed it felt like the entire plot twisted two or three times an episodes. In the end I'm not even the least bit surprised they were canceled again. Fans like me were hoping and expecting Futurama to come right back to the old smart funny ways but were instead greeted with another generic cartoon spewing generic jokes to a futuristic theme. Maybe it was a mistake to come back in the first place, maybe they had a good run and should have been left with the cult following it had. Now its just a flop for the general audiences. C'est la vie.
Re:No surprise, really. by synapse7 · 2013-04-22 06:20 · Score: 3, Informative

The hipster one was pretty good also.
Re:No surprise, really. by Aerokii · 2013-04-22 07:18 · Score: 3, Funny

Ran your main character into the ground? Why not Zoidberg?
Re:No surprise, really. by nabsltd · 2013-04-22 07:29 · Score: 4, Informative

The big problem was reduced running time. Going from 21 minutes down to 18 really hurts storytelling.
The first half of season 7 of Futurama averaged 21:20 per episode (sans commercials, including credits), with none less than 21 minutes.
Re:No surprise, really. by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-22 08:22 · Score: 4, Interesting

That was the thing: the original run had left wing "propaganda" in it, too (global warming, garbage, oil tankers, Al Gore, vegetarianism, etc.) but they always turned those things on their head to make them funny. I never felt like they were beating me over the head with their message. Instead, it just felt like a natural part of the story. More recently, though, there was less funny and more message, which just isn't really that fun. If I want to be preached at, I'll just surf the web.

Kickstarter by F34nor · 2013-04-22 05:48 · Score: 3, Interesting

Put you money where your mouth is.

Re:Kickstarter by dgatwood · 2013-04-22 06:21 · Score: 4, Interesting

Is it bad that I read that in Bruce Willis's voice, complete with the trailing expletive?
Speaking of fun plots, they should have done one in which they unfreeze John McClane (voiced by Bruce Willis, of course). He falls for Leela, but keeps calling her Leeloo. Then he happens to be at a spaceport when they discover that an asteroid is heading towards earth, and the only way to stop it is to foil the terrorists who have taken the spaceport hostage so that he can steal a ship and mine the asteroid. Meanwhile, he is constantly being annoyed by Dr. Zoidberg who keeps talking in a high-pitched voice while wearing a light blond wig and a bizarre leopard-print suit.
Spoiler: it ends with the Earth blowing up when the asteroid hits it.

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7 seasons and several movies... by Orleron · 2013-04-22 05:48 · Score: 5, Insightful

Honestly not a bad run for any show. Can't see a reason to complain.

Re:7 seasons and several movies... by cervesaebraciator · 2013-04-22 07:01 · Score: 5, Funny

Oh, there are lots of reasons to complain. Airing only 13 new episodes a year? Taking two years to airs a 'season'?
So, I'm guessing you're not a Red Dwarf fan.

Well yeah, it sucked by rastoboy29 · 2013-04-22 05:50 · Score: 5, Funny

Don't bring a show back unless you can do it at similar quality as before. Family Guy is a great example of the right way to do it. Futurama is the wrong, sad, terrible way.

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Re:Well yeah, it sucked by SpeZek · 2013-04-22 05:56 · Score: 4, Insightful

Family Guy is a great example of the right way to do it.
Mods, give this man +5 Funny.
Re:Well yeah, it sucked by badbart · 2013-04-22 06:02 · Score: 5, Insightful

If I had mod points, you'd get them. FG is a great example of how bad it can be.

We can make them change their minds yet... by UnCivil+Liberty · 2013-04-22 05:50 · Score: 4, Funny

10 hours of Hypnotoad: http://bit.ly/13O13rl

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Time to petition? But this time... by N0Man74 · 2013-04-22 05:51 · Score: 5, Insightful

Maybe folks can petition asking Netflix to pick it up?

Or... we can just let the show die and make room for new ideas and shows. I loved Futurama, but it's OK for shows to end, even good shows. It's better to die out than to see a show that drag on way too long.

Re:Time to petition? But this time... by MightyMartian · 2013-04-22 05:56 · Score: 4, Insightful

Let the show die. The direct-to-video movies were by and large second rate, and the new season, while it had some high points, just didn't have the charm of the old seasons.

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who's gonna pick this up and make $BIG MONIE$$$?!! by Thud457 · 2013-04-22 06:03 · Score: 5, Interesting

Doesn't matter if they've been slipping. Throw in enough lame geek in-jokes and the fanbois will beat a golden path to your door.

Right now, all the online content providers are looking to content creators to get brand lock-in.

Who's gonna bring Futurama back from the dead again?
Amazon?
Hulu?
Google?
Netflix?

It's inevitable.

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Re:Put beavis and butthead in it's place that show by newcastlejon · 2013-04-22 06:13 · Score: 3, Interesting

Put beavis and butthead in it's place that show needs to come back.

It did back in 2011, but quietly died again shortly afterwards.

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Final frontier by Sponge+Bath · 2013-04-22 06:14 · Score: 3, Funny

Hollywood can grunt out a live action version. Hey, it worked for the Flintstones!

not necessarily the end by roc97007 · 2013-04-22 06:32 · Score: 3, Interesting

TFA (maybe not this FA, but some FA I read this morning before I saw it on Slashdot) says that Groening is looking for another home for the show as "we still have more stories to tell". I know I know, they always say that, but all I'm saying is, Groening reportedly has not made the decision to irrevocably end the show. So it's not exactly like the browncoat thing, where sad overweight acne-encrusted fans in poorly made costumes plead with... I'm sorry, did I say that out loud?

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Producing Credit: Bender B. Rodriguez by CanHasDIY · 2013-04-22 06:43 · Score: 5, Funny

Fine, I'll go make my own TV show! With blackjack! and hookers!

In fact, forget the TV show!

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Re:Producing Credit: Bender B. Rodriguez by Brett+Buck · 2013-04-22 07:35 · Score: 3, Insightful

And the blackjack

Oh you and your sentimentality. by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-22 06:56 · Score: 5, Insightful

Futurama is brilliant, especially when pitted against the.brain dead "Ow my balls" class of reality of television.

The new seasons had excellent character growth and development. While the original series was great, it was childish and down right infantile at times, the movies were awkward like the teenage years, and the two new seasons were the beginning of a quality adult audience show. It is one of the ONLY animated shows on television at the moment that caters specifically to the 18-25 demographic, and it's smart too. Take the mathematical proof they created for the show. When was the last time any television show created a tangible real world theorem?

It seems the operators of the Panama Wormhole, Earth's Comedy Central channel for shipping, are making the same fateful mistake as the idiots at the Box Network.

Re:Oh you and your sentimentality. by MrHanky · 2013-04-22 07:19 · Score: 5, Insightful

True. The Late Philip J Fry is easily one of the best episodes of the entire series. Of comedic science fiction, in fact.
Re: Oh you and your sentimentality. by root_42 · 2013-04-22 08:41 · Score: 3, Interesting

This, this, a thousand times this! "The Late Philip J. Fry" is my favorite Futurama episode. So witty and full of good jokes and quotable lines. ("Just slow it down, I'll shoot Hitler out the window.")
But I must concur, the quality of the episodes varies in the last two seasons. I hope there'll be new, excitong shows around the corner.

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Re:another futurama? by Darth_brooks · 2013-04-22 07:02 · Score: 4, Interesting

Cute Kid: Hubert (who was added explicitly as the annoying 'cute' kid.)

Wedding: That's the last episode, according to the rag sheets

Inexplicable actor replacement: WELSHIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (ok, granted, it was a guest star, and was done only because James Doohan politely declined to do the Star Trek episode)

So other than that you've got Jumping the Shark, which most folks would call the movies. I'd fine with the show either way. It had a nice run, even if the comedy central episodes didn't quite have that mind blowing awesomeness (which, who knows, maybe after a few years in reruns they'll develop.)

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Souls crushed, while you wait! by Pharmakeus+Ubik · 2013-04-22 07:40 · Score: 5, Informative

Apparently those of us viewing it at my house have souls made of sterner stuff. Maybe it just seems enjoyable compared to Seth McFarlane's triple parade of misogyny, but I get more laughs per 22 minutes out of the Simpsons current season than most of what's on television.

Re:Souls crushed, while you wait! by Anonymous Coward · 2013-04-22 08:08 · Score: 5, Insightful

Funnier than Family Guy and The Cleveland Show? Setting the bar pretty low, aren't we?
Re:Souls crushed, while you wait! by Opportunist · 2013-04-22 08:30 · Score: 3, Insightful

You have to admit, though, that the competition ain't that stiff to begin with...

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Re:Souls crushed, while you wait! by hairyfeet · 2013-04-22 09:40 · Score: 5, Insightful

That is easy to explain, the constant bashing of your skull with reality shit like Honey Boo Boo has left you brain damaged so that even half ass jokes are funny.
But if you compare the first couple of season of both shows to recent episodes there really is no comparison as it was MUCH funnier and written better in those first seasons than it is now. You are simply so horribly pummeled by the reality dreck that honestly anything actually written and having a punchline will seem like the best of Richard Pryor compared to the white trash fights and farting that is considered humor today.
Personally I'm waiting for "Ass:The Movie" or "Oww my balls" to air because it feels like we have just about dumbed down that damned far.

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