Futurama repeats to go to Comedy Central in 2008

[on:]

 http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/cabletv/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001391210

Credit goes to "Binky" at the No Homers Club forum for finding this.  I'm assuming 2008 is the year Adult Swim's contract runs out.

[Reply #1 on:]

That is good news!  By then the DVD movies will be out.  Maybe it could even be followed by South Park!  I could just see it now, "The Futurama/South Park Hour".   Futurama will never die! 

[Reply #2 on:]

Hmmm. Series ends, reborn on Cartoon Network, gets movie contract, then goes to Comedy Central... Have I mentioned that I know tons of people that watch CN and CC? This could be the sign for FOX...

[Reply #3 on:]

Considering that this may be the best move ever, this is the best move ever. Now I can watch Futurama with the channel that brings reruns of Dilbert, The Critic, and Duckman and MadTV, plus with another great animated show in Sout Park. I don't care about all the signs that said Futuram's coming back, this is the last sign.

Too bad it'll be 2008...

[Reply #4 on:]

SAY WhAT?!! if movie sales do not revive the show, than this should

[Reply #5 on:]

It's not hard for the movie to revive it...very possible.. i mean, we've all anticipated a movie right?

[Reply #6 on:]

Comedy Central is a whole different crowd. I don't think it'll do very well on it. It doesn't "push the envelope" enough.

[Reply #7 on:]

I don't know about that, sure South Park/Drawn Together/Chapelle's show is very edgy.

But the Daily Show is a very smart show and has tons of viewers, Futurama could fit in nicely w/ that crowd.

[Reply #8 on:]

 

Originally posted by Professor Zoidy:
It's not hard for the movie to revive it...very possible.. i mean, we've all anticipated a movie right?

Where have I heard that said before?

[Reply #9 on:]

In all fairness though, Firefly was far less mainstream then Futurama.  Whereas Futurama is an established success in cable reruns and dvd, Firefly pretty much just had it's hardcore dvd buying fans, and aside from the extremely short Fox run went basically unseen by anyone who didn't buy the dvds.  Essentially, I could ask random people on the street if they'd heard of Futurama and by now a lot of them (particularly in younger demographics) would actually be familiar with it, whereas with Firefly I'd probably be lucky to find almost anyone who knew about it.  Not a good foundation at all for a 39 million dollar film, especcially with the theater business apparently being in a major slump right now.

While releasing a big-budget Futurama film to theaters would also probably be overly risky, I don't see a relatively low-budget dvd film having the same kind of trouble Serenity did.

[Reply #10 on:]

According to Variety, Comedy Central is shelling out a record $400,000 an episode to re-run Futurama.  That's more than twice what the Cartoon Network is paying. 
 http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=upsell_article&articleID=VR1117931802&categoryID=14&cs=1

[Reply #11 on:]

Yeah, nowadays in my school, Futurama seems to be catching on and Family Guy is falling by the wayside. It's no longer a very rare occurance to walk down the hall and hear someone quote Futurama. I think a Futurama Direct to DVD movie could probably come close to the sales of, say, the Family Guy movie.

[Reply #12 on:]

 

Originally posted by DotheBartman:
 http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/cabletv/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001391210[/ URL]

It's really strange that 'This failed Series' is so popular.  When is FOX going to pull their heads out of their asses and realize that when given a stable timeslot and promoted properly, this series is a powerhouse?

Cartoon Network is the reason that Futurama has the huge following - they promoted it and have given it a stable timeslot - if not for CN, I would have never discovered it.

[Reply #13 on:]

I guess this is good news. It'll be sad to see it depart from [as] but it does show that the franchise can still make alot of money, even in syndication...

[Reply #14 on:]

$400,000 per episode?!?! That shows Futurama won't go to the land of animated reruns on Saturday morning but may be MadTV-like in its reruns on CC.

I too have seen Futurama's catching on. I got a Futurama lunch box, and everybody loved it. Some said they'd steal it from me.

[Reply #15 on:]

And here everyone seemed to be losing faith in Futurama.  The classmates I teach in school, they're all Futurama/Family Guy fans themselves!  Some like Futurama better, some like Family Guy better, and most of them like both shows equally. 

Futurama will make a comeback!  As I said before, by 2008, the DVD movies will be out by then!  Maybe CC could show the new DVD movies on Comedy Central's Secret Stash!  Futurama does seem Comedy Central material! 

[Reply #16 on:]

Futurama on Comedy Central... I still can't even imagine it.

[Reply #17 on:]

Does anyone know what's the average price of a Futurama-episode? I mean how much it cost to create an episode? If it comes close to 400.000 (probably it will be a lot more), but if it's close, then maybe... maybe... hope hope... they'll consider to make more episodes... or has FOX still the rights of the series?

[Reply #18 on:]

 

Originally posted by scumbagsteve976:
I don't know about that, sure South Park/Drawn Together/Chapelle's show is very edgy.

But the Daily Show is a very smart show and has tons of viewers, Futurama could fit in nicely w/ that crowd.

Yes but the daily show is closer to what a sketch comedy is. And I laugh at the person who thinks it costs 400 dollars to make an episode of Futurama. Try $960,000 more sweetie.

[Reply #19 on:]

What a beautuful day for Futurama!!!!!!! I knew it would come back, but I didn't see this one coming! I think CC fans will ADORE Bender. And who cares if CC fans don't like Futurama. We do and, hopefully, we'll still be watching it just on another channel. Things can only go up from here.

[Reply #20 on:]

I think it will be a great thing especially if it is put on at like 8 or 9. It was on 2 late for most on cartoon network.

[Reply #21 on:]

 

Originally posted by scumbagsteve976:
I don't know about that, sure South Park/Drawn Together/Chapelle's show is very edgy.

But the Daily Show is a very smart show and has tons of viewers, Futurama could fit in nicely w/ that crowd.

Actually, this might be a good thing now that I think about it... Cartoon Network and Adult swim are very focused on attracting certain crowds. But Comedy Central is a lot more diverse. Like you said, there are shows like the Daily Show on that attract more intelligent types, and then Mad TV for those who liked the good old days, with their Big, Big Movie nights and everything, I think it's going to give a much bigger opportunity for Futurama to really get put out into the open. Plus, there aren't very many adult-cartoons on Comedy Central. 

[Reply #22 on:]

You know there was an article in the paper about this today. I found it and presented it to the history class. Ok I understand if my teacher didn't care but was it really necessary to ask the whole class if they cared or not? Rude much. Oh well I'm happy for Futurama. And this other kid in my class, pain in the ass as he is also cared. I'm holding that against my teacher for a while. That hurt my feelings. 

[Reply #23 on:]

My attempt at thread-making has been owned once more.

Anyway, I think this is a damn good thing for the show; it's guaranteed to be on TV into the next decade, it's back in prime time, and was quite highly priced.  The more revenue the show generates, the more attention it will get from its root-license holders, which cannot be described as a bad thing.

[Reply #24 on:]

I think it's a good thing, too.  A move to primetime could only expand Futurama's exposure.  How about showing it as a nice lead-in for The Daily Show?     And I was genuinely shocked at the price per episode.  $400k per for repeats that have already been shown over and over on another cable network?!  Wow!

[Reply #25 on:]

I am now officially stoked!!! I'm not sure if I can wait for 2 more years... no offense to Adult Swm of course. 

[Reply #26 on:]

Well, Adult Swim has shown some neglect to Futurama lately. They changed its slots from being on from Saturday to Thursday to the current Monday through Wednesday. Some may say this is to give new shows a chance, but when they give its Sat. slot to anime and its Thurs. slot to American Dad, two things I hate, I say it's neglect and a hint that they were in the stages of getting rid of it. Luckily, Comedy Central will use the show well. I mean, they paid $28,800,000 for cable rights to all 72 episodes.

[Reply #27 on:]

Actually, Futurama _is_ on Thursdays. 

[Reply #28 on:]

Does anyone know if that's a typical price for a larger Cable company to pay for a 72-episode license.  I realize that CN payed alot less for it at first but I was just wondering how that compares to other deals recently to get some idea of how badly Comedy Central wanted the show.

[Reply #29 on:]

i_c_weiner:
I always had a cold preminition (sp?) about Futurama's neglect, like it was obvously going to happen. After they are getting new shows thrown into the picture and FG getting new eps, they might just be looking at those dust-ridden tapes and wonder if they should stick with "old-reliable". Either way, It's going to be a heck lot better when it gets to Comedy Central. Adult Swim remains to be on the lower part of the food chain, and having a much more suitable throne waiting on Comedy Central would definently up the awareness. Wait.. have I repeated myself? <_< >_>
And as a side note: Your avatar is absolutely horrible, poor puppy! 

[Reply #30 on:]

Kurt: After you said that, I checked the [adult swim] site to see that Futurama is not on on Thursdays other then the 2am repeat of the Wednesday episode. Also when I went there, they listed the Wednesday episode as "Future Shock".

[Reply #31 on:]

 

Originally posted by Bandit Ruler:
i_c_weiner:
I always had a cold preminition (sp?) about Futurama's neglect, like it was obvously going to happen. After they are getting new shows thrown into the picture and FG getting new eps, they might just be looking at those dust-ridden tapes and wonder if they should stick with "old-reliable". Either way, It's going to be a heck lot better when it gets to Comedy Central. Adult Swim remains to be on the lower part of the food chain, and having a much more suitable throne waiting on Comedy Central would definently up the awareness.

Definitely. In a sense, it won't have that crappy rusted half-paper crown AS has given it now (thanks stupid American Dad and crappy anime  *no offense to thseo who love it*), it'll have a freakin' sweet grown made of glorious metal...that shines more than Bender's glorious golden ass..hopefully

[Reply #32 on:]

In defense of CN, Futurama is getting stale.  It has run continuously since early 2003, with only 72 eps AND all the eps available on DVD, I'm sure that viewership has decreased.  Also, CN is losing Futurama in 2 years - that will come sooner than we can imagine, so it's best for CN to start showcasing new shows (they're crappy, but anyway) and hope something is good enough (ratings-wise) to replace Futurama.

CC has a good plan on placing Futurama on during prime-time - that will increase the audience that's available to watch the program.  There'a a lot more eyes available at 8 pm than at midnight to view a program.

I'm not in the know, but I would assume that 28.8 million greenbacks for a 5 year commitment is unique, particuarly for a show that's been out of production for several years with no visible hope for new eps (unless there is some under-the-table dealings that we're not aware of).

Anyway, if FOX will finish being stupid...

[Reply #33 on:]

This is the bet news I've heard all day! Let's get every channel to carry the repeats. Then maybe, just maybe, Fox will pick it back up. 

[Reply #34 on:]

Ha! That's a laugh, though something I read in CGEF news said its downfall was due to the people working there at the time... That doesn't mean that they were fired in the least though. Oh my, no.

[Reply #35 on:]

Well, somebody should have! 

[Reply #36 on:]

I totally agree on that one Bandit...