Why Futurama is more disliked from simpsons?

[on:]

Why Futurama is more disliked from simpsons?

[Reply #1 on:]

By whom?

Wouldn't it be better if you would ask:
Why do some people like the Simpsons more than Futurama?
or:
What reasons do you think some people have for not liking Futurama over the Simpsons?

-Not everybody likes sci-fi.
-Some people don't get the jokes (mainly the brainy jokes and jokes about American celebrities and politicians who are unknown outside the U.S.).
-Cartoons simply aren't just for kids, but lots of people don't think this way.

[Reply #2 on:]

I have to disagree with your first point, Zeej. Lots of people like sci-fi. Just think about all the sci-fi movies that have crossed over into the mainstream: "Spider-Man", "The Matrix", "Back to the Future", "Star Wars", etc...

I believe people will like things not based upon genre, but upon how good it is. Futurama is good.

The reason most people don't like it can be traced back to that bogey-man FOX. FOX doesn't air it much or promote it at all, so people don't know about it. Some of my non-Futurama watching friends didn't even know that the show was still on until I showed them a few episodes.

If FOX actually showed and promoted Futurama from the begining, more people would have liked it. It's a good show that needed a boost out of the starting gate. Promotion and a decent time-slot can do wonders...just look at the success of "The X-Files".

But I do agree with your second point. The Simpsons is 'low' enough to appeal to everyone. Shows that require people to think generally aren't as popular as the mindless entertainment.

[Reply #3 on:]

There are two different questions here: why is it not watched as much as The Simpsons, and why do some people violently dislike Futurama?

I would agree with Evan on the first question, as well as many view Futurama as "less good" than The Simpsons as well as nostalgia for the good old days of The Simpsons.  This leads to not bothering to go out of their way to watch Futurama.

The second question I agree with ZJ, but I also think that many have the feeling that "Nothing can be better than the Simpson's, ever!" so they dismiss Futurama.

[Reply #4 on:]

 

Originally posted by futureman:
Why Futurama is more disliked from simpsons?

Why is Futurama more disliked then the Simpsons? <-That's a grammatically correct question!

Some Simpsons fanatics hate the show, maybe they see it as a threat?
And of course, the lack of advertising by FOX (not Cartoon Network, nice job!) and over in the UK the lack of support by C4. I remember the TV Page calling 6PM-7PM the 'Matt Groening hour';
6:00-6:20 Simpsons
6:30-7:00 Futurama
Shame they aren't both on the BBC, i bet they'd do a better job with Futurama.

[Reply #5 on:]

 

Originally posted by aslate:
 Why is Futurama more disliked then the Simpsons? <-That's a grammatically correct question!

  No it isn't.  It shoud be disliked than, not then.

[Reply #6 on:]

1. people are idiots
2. People will like what you tell them to like i.e. what FOX tells them to like.
3. No advertising
4. Crap timeslot
5. Only about 3 episodes get shown a year.

loads of other reasons relating to Fox

[Reply #7 on:]

 

Originally posted by McGrady:
    No it isn't.  It shoud be disliked than, not then.

Meh, close enough! It's better then his one.

[Reply #8 on:]

 

By evan:
Promotion and a decent time-slot can do wonders...just look at the success of "The X-Files".

I don't remember whether or not it was promoted at all, but The X-files definitely did not have a decent timeslot. Friday's at 9...has anything survived there?

But somehow, it became a big mainstream hit. And it's scifi, so go figure.

I'm not sure why people don't like Futurama. Obviously it's not promoted at all, or even shown in some parts of the country(mine). But even when the series premiered after The Simpsons, most reactions I heard were along the lines of "it was ok, but not as good as The Simpsons".

That's another problem. People assumed it would be just like The Simpsons. And people thought it would instantly be as good as The Simpsons, not realizing that it took a few seasons for The Simpsons to get really funny. I'd take the first season of Futurama over The Simpsons anyday.

If FOX had kept Futurama in the Sundays/8:30 timeslot, I honestly think it would have overcome the initial negative buzz. There were a few early season 2 episodes that got people in my family talking. (In particular, I remember my brother retelling jokes from Fry and the Slurm Factory, and my uncle talking about X-mas Story. I guess you'd have to know my family to realize how shocking that is, but needless to say, they don't fit into the expected Futurama demographic).

But since the move to 7pm, nobody talks about it. Nobody knows it's on, really. Sometimes I'll mention Futurama and people will say "oh yeah, I remember that show". 'Remember'? It's still fucking on!

Geez, this post is long. Sorry guys. Anyway, to sum it up, the show is better than The Simpsons, but thanks to its slow start and disgusting mishandling by FOX, nobody knows it(aside from us nerds, but network execs don't care about nerds).

[Reply #9 on:]

If Matt Groening used a different name for producing it (just like you get authors using) and it was then not related to the Simpsons, it would've done alot better i expect. People were expecting another Simpsons.

[Reply #10 on:]

 

Originally posted by aslate:
If Matt Groening used a different name for producing it (just like you get authors using) and it was then not related to the Simpsons, it would've done alot better i expect. People were expecting another Simpsons.

I 'm not sure about that.
Eventually the viewers would find out it is done by Matt Groening & Co, because the animation style looks a lot like the Simpsons. They couldn't keep it secret forever.

[Reply #11 on:]

 

Originally posted by FishyJoe:
I don't remember whether or not it was promoted at all, but The X-files definitely did not have a decent timeslot. Friday's at 9...has anything survived there?

I remember in middle school, sometimes they would have dances on Friday nights. All of my friends, we'd all go, but we made sure to have one of our parents tape "The X-Files" that night. During the downtime of the dance, most of us would talk so excitedly about what would be on that night's episode. And this wasn't just a nerd thing - lots of non-nerds got really excited for the show.

But, anyways, back to the topic at hand. TV shows just aren't allowed to grow anymore. "Futurama" couldn't be a run-away success like "The Simpsons", because most, if not all shows, take time to hit their stride. "The Simpsons" didn't get really, really funny until its 3rd or 4th season.

Now, a show would be lucky to have that much time to grow. Some shows are cancelled even before they're finished with the first season. "Mission Hill" only had around 2 episodes aired at first, if I remember right. Execs won't give anything time.

So, once again, blame Fox.

[Reply #12 on:]

for aussies it's obviously on at 10:25 and Simpsons is on at 7:30!

note futurama is back on check aussie tv

[Reply #13 on:]

Simpsons pratically set up the whole prime time cartoon thing. Since then, King of the Hill, Futurama and others have always been seen as "followers." That and that people think it's Simpsons because of the similar style.

[Reply #14 on:]

All Fox's fault. Advertising, timing ect.

[Reply #15 on:]

I agree with the fact that it is not popular due to FOX not giving it a decent time slot and they need to advertise it more

[Reply #16 on:]

i reckon cos futurama is more "adult"  so the fans watching simpsons would mostly make up futurama's too , but that being for kids to kinda puts em out, to thick for the jokes thats wot i say, eg. my mate likes the simpsons alot but hates futurama, saying it aint funny?

[Reply #17 on:]

ezy234 is rite,
alot of people don't like it as much cause they just dont get the jokes. IGNORANCE!!

[Reply #18 on:]

I'll agree that FOX advertising and poor time-slot selection has a lot to do with it.

Honestly, the whole sci-fi setting of the show really turns a lot of Simpsons fans off.  My roommate loves The Matrix and The Simpsons, but he can't get past the fact that Futurama is set in the future for some reason.  People like this make me crazy.

Oh, and I hate FOX.

[Reply #19 on:]

Ladies and Gentleman...

Both shows are the finest exports from the US networks ever - that's this Brits opinion anyway!! Better than Frasier, SITC, Gilligans Island etc. However, Futurama's obstacle to total acceptance, is that it is far too clever for its own good, and the Sci-Fi theme combined with this 'cleverness' gives the show a 'nerdy' appeal. I'm not saying that all F'rama fans play wargames instead of football - but the sci-fi association won't win everyone over. It'll win the majority, but it won't have the all round human appeal of the Simpsons.

Also - it's impossible to topple the greatest comic creation of the 20th century - Homer Simpson! ( But Bender runs a close second!)

Anymore theories Professor?

[Reply #20 on:]

As to why the Simpsons are still more popular than Futurama is beyond me.  I started watching Futurama and the Simpsons about the same time, which was about a year-and-a-half ago (yes, that's right, I've only started watching the realtively Simpsons recently.  And no, I wasn't living in a hole all these years.)  Anyway, I'm no sci-fi fan, but I liked Futurama so much right away, that right from the start I considered the Simpsons the lesser show, and Futurama the superior one.  Which makes me wonder, why the average old Joe on the street likes the Simpsons better.  The reason?  I've come to the conclusion that Fox is to blame.  I remember faintly all the promotion back in 1999 (which I didn't care for.  But I would've been too young too understand the Simpsons or Futurama, anyway), and then, after that, I completely forgot that the show was in existence.  So, the fault lays on Fox.  Fox made Futurama disappear into oblivion.

[Reply #21 on:]

Well, I use to like the Simpsons alot before I watched Futurama, of course I still like The Simpsons. I also think that people like Simpson more because it's been around more longer than Futurama (ten years to be precise)
 Also, the jokes are different. People do watch Futurama but like the Simpson's jokes are more funnier than Futurama jokes, I don't know why.
 Some people also don't like Sci-fiction, my mum does and loves Futurama and my sister doesn't but still likes Futurama (maybe because I do)
 I conclusion, I think that there is no difference between Futurama and the Simpsons at all, but different people have different views! 

[Reply #22 on:]

Maybe it's just me. But it seems like Fox should have killed the Simpsons, THEN introduced Futurama. Obviously Futurama won't do well, as it's more or less a competitor for Groening's existing smash hit (Simpsons), while that hit exists. That is, Futurama targets a lot of the same fanbase, but why would people pay attention to Futurama when they're already getting all the groeningy goodness they can handle from Simpsons running every day of the week?

[Reply #23 on:]

Easy reasons: FOX SUCKS!
And the joke are more likely to be either biting sarcasm, throwaway gags, or dumb puns. Most people just don't see the real humor of life. *sigh*

[Reply #24 on:]

 

Originally posted by clampybot:
for aussies it's obviously on at 10:25 and Simpsons is on at 7:30!

Don't forget it also wasn't on tv for a whole 2 years.  Who would of known it still existed? 

And even now we've had futurama on 3 weeks out of the 9 or so it should of been on...its almost worse than fox!

[Reply #25 on:]

 

Originally posted by TheMadCapper:
Maybe it's just me. But it seems like Fox should have killed the Simpsons, THEN introduced Futurama. Obviously Futurama won't do well, as it's more or less a competitor for Groening's existing smash hit (Simpsons), while that hit exists. That is, Futurama targets a lot of the same fanbase, but why would people pay attention to Futurama when they're already getting all the groeningy goodness they can handle from Simpsons running every day of the week?

You've got a good point there. That's pretty much what killed Voyager, being run alongside DS9, and trying to target the same niche of viewers. Of course, by the time DS9 went off the air in 1999 the two shows were so radically different in their approches to the Star Trek universe that virtually no DS9 fans "migrated" to Voyager.

Which brings up an interesting point : I wonder if Groening was getting first dibs on writers for Futurama over The Simpsons? This would explain both the high quality of the former and (IMHO) the slow decline in quality of the latter. I'm probably way off base here, though.

Of course, the obvious reason is the fact that The Simpsons is (was) a much more down to earth concept (no pun intended), but which while having plenty of high-brow satirical humour, had plenty of good old fashioned physical/sitcom humour to supplement it. Presumably in TV network terms, this translates to a veritable goldmine - a show which appeals to a wide range of - *ugh* - demographics. Futurama, by contrast, has a much lower amount of physical/sitcom humour (except perhaps I, Roomate - and FOX hated that!).

And just to fit in, it's all FOX's fault  .

[Reply #26 on:]

 

Originally posted by CyberKnight:
 You've got a good point there. That's pretty much what killed Voyager, being run alongside DS9, and trying to target the same niche of viewers. Of course, by the time DS9 went off the air in 1999 the two shows were so radically different in their approches to the Star Trek universe that virtually no DS9 fans "migrated" to Voyager.

Acually when Voyager and DS9 were running side by side, I believe it was DS9 that got the poorer ratings.  What killed Voyager was lack of imagination, repetitive plots, reused storylines and unoriginal ideas.

[Reply #27 on:]

But you have to take into account that DS9 was syndicated, and Voyager was network broadcast. What I meant about Voyager being killed is precisely what you pointed out about Voyager. Most of the more experienced and respected writers (like Ron Moore) went with DS9, leaving the less experienced writers to Voyager. Add to that the intense network pressure on Voyager to keep UPN afloat and you've got a recipe for going straight for the lowest common denominator, purely for ratings.

(I'd just like to point out that I actually LIKED Voyager (or at least Seasons 1-3), as it was the first ST show I watched).

Essentially, you have the reverse situation with Futurama - at the time Futurama was created, The Simpsons had been going for almost ten years, and I believe the general perception at the time was that it was going to be wrapped up in a year or two (hah!), so I imagine most of the writers applying for new jobs on the two Groening shows would have chosen Futurama, since it would be more likely to be going farther into the future than The Simpsons (dangit, another unintended pun  ). Of course, all of this is conjecture. As I say, I'm probably way off base. But I have to have something to occupy my conspiracy-filled mind!

[Reply #28 on:]

 

Originally posted by ZombieJesus:
By whom?

Wouldn't it be better if you would ask:
Why do some people like the Simpsons more than Futurama?
or:
What reasons do you think some people have for not liking Futurama over the Simpsons?

-Not everybody likes sci-fi.
-Some people don't get the jokes (mainly the brainy jokes and jokes about American celebrities and politicians who are unknown outside the U.S.).
-Cartoons simply aren't just for kids, but lots of people don't think this way.

Futurama is getting shut down by fox and simpsons is staying that is why i think that Futurama is liked less

[Reply #29 on:]

Also, after thinking about it some more, I've come up with another possible reason. Both Futurama and The Simpsons are (incorrectly) classified as primarily children's shows (which is denoted by the early timeslots etc.) However, The Simpsons could just about get away with it because of Bart and Lisa, two primary young regular characters. However, Futurama has no young regulars (Dwight and Cubert aren't regulars), so it's harder to fit them to that template.

[Reply #30 on:]

Yeah also that and Simpsons is better.

[Reply #31 on:]

alot of people that watch simpsons arent very bright. they like simpsons because of the simple jokes but dont get the really funny complex jokes. Futurama has more of these advanced jokes and the simpsons fans dont get them and automatically asume if they dont get something its not funny.

[Reply #32 on:]

 

Originally posted by clampybot:
Yeah also that and Simpsons is better.

::slaps Clampy around a bit::

Blasphemy! Have you seen the last 3 seasons?

The DS9/V'Ger explanation sounds very convincing. Another explanation on that was that DS9 tried to raise the bar, and aim for quality stories with an overall story (first rebuilding Bajor, later the standoff with the Dominion), while V'Ger very quickly settled for the lowest common denominator, with lots of fighting, action and shcoking revelations (which had absolutely zero continuity consequences).

Besides as compelling as the character of Seven was there's a reason why it was Jeri Ryan in a that catsuit (not that I'm complaining) and not Roseanne Barr.

[Reply #33 on:]

Everyone says Simpsons is completely degrading, but those simple jokes can be extremely funny.  And I don't think Futurama has all complex jokes, they say some funny stuff just offhand!  The reason is definately Fox!  Fox like a lot of other networks isn't getting the good stuff, instead they get crap, but for what reason.  I believe the aliens have a strangle hold on our government which is actually controlled by fox......   

[Reply #34 on:]

Yah simpsons have gone really downhill, really REALLy lowbrow, i dont evn watch it anymore. I think when groinig left fox replaced him with someone who would do what he was told, so like all other fox shows it now appeals to the lowest common denominator.

[Reply #35 on:]

You just like me praising DS9, Teral  .

But seriously, even though I was a Voyager fan from the start and not really much of a DS9 fan, that doesn't preclude me from realising which was the better series.

Also, I didn't find Seven that compelling (and yes I am a heterosexual male  ). It was just that she was a blatant attempt to add sex appeal to a show. Janeway went psycho and hypocritical as well.

Voyager's the only ST series where I would prefer to watch an episode from it's first three seasons than the last four.

[Reply #36 on:]

Futurama IS better than the Simposons!!!!  But 'The Simpsons THINK they can bring in more CASH than FUTURAMA' yeah, go figure.

[Reply #37 on:]

I figured it was because Fox had more of a stake in the show than Futurama. 

 Plus, that awful 6:00 PM central time zone slot. Makes me hate sports (or as Amy would say "Aiyaadondayatasaney!" ).  But then, I'm an animator, and I really don't like sports at all.  Ah, the life of a pencil pusher, and Fox has probably dispensed with Futurama's wonderful pencil pushers. 

Sad that Futurama is going the way of Family Guy, Invader Zim and Clerks: The Animated Series.

  I guess it's like Fry said: 'No one wants original.  They just want the same old thing they've seen a thousand times before.  Which explains I figure, why 'Friends' is still alive.

[Reply #38 on:]

i havent read all the entries and i dont know if it has been said but i think hardcore simpsons fans were annoyed by the arrival of Futurama, taking some of the limelight and refused to watch the show.

we were all hardcore simpsons fans b4 futurama came (admit it....) but we accepted futurama and it's (sensored) awsome!

[Reply #39 on:]

I've found that a lot people simply see Futurama as a rip-off of the Simpsons. Even people who aren't 'Simpsons-purists' have never watched Futurama because they assume its just the Simpsons in space. It doesn't help that the lack of promotion on Fox's part didn't encourage them watch either. But nearly every animated show is seen as a follower of the Simpsons, even now its gradually degrading so there are few shows that can escape that label.

It's a different sort of humour as well. Instead of being 'smarter' I think it has more bite then the Simpsons. The Simpsons has warm, family-orientated humour while Futurama is much more of a social commentary and is definitely more cynical. It's also much more risque in it's subject matter.

And the sci-fi setting I don't think is as important as some people think. There are lots of people I know who love Sci-fi and hate Futurama, and vice-versa. In terms of promoting the show it may have put quite a few people off though.