DEFINITELY the last Futurama News Thread ever...maybe... [Warning: SPOILERS]

[Reply #360 on:]

Last question: Yes, meh, no.

TOFP dance

[Reply #361 on:]

Are they really, though? Some people were harsh on the seasons as they came out, but I imagine that was more people complaining about how illogical Paul McCartney showing up in "Lisa the Vegetarian" was and getting upset about it because it represented a noticeably weaker episode of the show up until that point. Nowadays, most people I know claim to hate The Simpsons, ignoring the good old episodes, just because the new ones suck so hard. Have seasons 15-25 aged well in people's memories? Some of them have had 10 years to do so.

The notion that some idiots complained about brilliant episodes doesn't mean that the new episodes don't suck. It's a stupid argument.

As for there not being stand-out episodes of Futurama? Really? Do you honestly not find episodes like "Roswell that Ends Well" or "The Late Philip J. Fry" or "The Luck of the Fryrish" to be stand-outs?

It's just a matter of opinion -- my opinions are no more facts than yours.  But I strongly believe that when the entire run is airing endlessly on cable, time will judge modern seasons more favorably, especially as the series is pulled from further production.  My point was to refute the notion that The Simpsons is no longer popular, which is absurd as the series is still among television's top watched programs after 25 years.  Yes, it's not as popular but that's to be expected with a 25-year-old show that was once (arguably) television's most popular program globally, especially with the wide breadth of programming available today.

And I said there were no standout SEASONS of Futurama, not individual episodes.  Of course the show has its standouts, although I'll disagree with some of your personal selections.

[Reply #362 on:]

I take back what I said.

Fox has cancelled this show as fast as FUTURELLA!

They've really streamlined the process!

http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/10/08/fox-wont-air-animated-series-murder-police

The network has several more animated series in development.

Who knew?!?! 

[Reply #363 on:]

Well, that was fast. But Murder Police didn't sound that good to me anyway, so I'm not bummed.

[Reply #364 on:]

Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter are reporting that Fox has no other Anination Domination series ordered / in development, and at this point it's too late to "find" another series in time for next fall; only ADHD series are in devopment.

[Reply #365 on:]

I am glad about Murder Police, it looked heinous.

Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter make it sound like Fox is going to try and squeeze out as much Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, and FG while they can still get ratings but are slowly preparing to ending animation domination (and all these cartoons) forever.

[Reply #366 on:]

The Simpsons is still a successful show, it's just handicap by a poor syndication deal.  It seems likely that Fox believes the opportunity cost of cancelling the show & cashing in it what may be its peak syndication value may be best for the network's bottom line.  Family Guy isn't going anywhere -- unquestionably it has lower production costs (given McFarlane's mass involvement), commands the second-highest 30-second ad buy on television, has a strong syndication deal & sells episodes/DVD well.  The first two episodes of The Simpsons outperformed Family Guy, but that has a lot to do with FG going head-to-head with Sunday Night Football (which commanded 20-25% of the entire 18-49 viewing audience); people choose to time-shift FG but will rarely do so with live sports.

Fox has committed to 2.5 years of ADHD, to give the series time to develop.  Ratings have been poor, and the series was originally scheduled as a 90-minute block (Family Guy encores were suppose to book end the final 30-minutes, but that changed to The Cleveland Show) but has been trimmed to 60-minutes.  Deadline is suggesting that Fox may yank the block, and use the low-budget material to fill out a more edgy AD line-up next year.  Which would be interesting, because Axe Cop & High School USA are really, really bad, although they'll be replaced with new material soon.

The NFL's decision to broadcast its weekly national marquee match-up on Sunday evening has clearly hurt AD; for example, Family Guy is a top 5 time-shifted program in the Fall, but drops off substantially in the winter.  Given that few people watch the commercials in playback, this hurts the ratings & thus future ad rates.  Fox is expected to expand its MLB playoff coverage next fall (but also has the option of doing so via its new network Fox 1, which is suppose to compete with ESPN), so we may not see new AD episodes until November, anyway.

[Reply #367 on:]

Deadline is suggesting that Fox may yank the block, and use the low-budget material to fill out a more edgy AD line-up next year.  Which would be interesting, because Axe Cop & High School USA are really, really bad, although they'll be replaced with new material soon.

I disagree about Axe Cop being bad, and haven't seen High School USA yet, though how would the latter even work in a primetime slot? Didn't most of its episodes get a TV-MA rating?

[Reply #368 on:]

I disagree about Axe Cop being bad, and haven't seen High School USA yet, though how would the latter even work in a primetime slot? Didn't most of its episodes get a TV-MA rating?

Actually, ADHD isn't in primetime; it airs at eleven o'clock at night.

[Reply #369 on:]

I disagree about Axe Cop being bad, and haven't seen High School USA yet, though how would the latter even work in a primetime slot? Didn't most of its episodes get a TV-MA rating?

Actually, ADHD isn't in primetime; it airs at eleven o'clock at night.

I know. Hence why I was asking how it would work in a primetime slot, since PNS2CLT's post seemed to suggest Fox may be putting them on during Animation Domination now instead.

[Reply #370 on:]

Oops, I seem to have misread that guy's post. Sorry about that.

[Reply #371 on:]

So you should be! Shame on you, Lost My Phone. Shame on You.

[Reply #372 on:]

I think that out of my two months here, that's the first shame I've ever gotten. I was doing so well until now!

[Reply #373 on:]

Two months here is shame within itself.

[Reply #374 on:]

It's nothing compared to my 13 years on AOL. But that's not a message board, so I guess that doesn't count.

[Reply #375 on:]

I disagree about Axe Cop being bad, and haven't seen High School USA yet, though how would the latter even work in a primetime slot? Didn't most of its episodes get a TV-MA rating?

One goal of ADHD was to add a pair of new series each year (two more are debuting in January, with previews next month), so Fox would have some additional options.  And if Fox decided to merge the ADHD programming into AD, no doubt it'd only keep the low-cost, quick in-house turnaround concept, with shows being written/designed more toward a prime time audience.  

The current shows are targeted at the under-35 crowd (and arguably the under-25) and averaging about 1M viewers per episode (nearly all within the core demographic).  They premiered to 1.5M viewers, so quite a big drop-off.  Fox expected a ratings bump for the fall season, especially given the shows are airing after college football.  But it hasn't happened.

- - -

Murder Police becomes the second Fox animated comedy to be cancelled before it ever aired -- the first was Gary & Mike back in 2000.  Gary & Mike was sold to UPN; allegedly, the rights + then-remaining episodes of Family Guy were included in the deal, but as UPN had no interest in further developing either series, Fox decided to keep it themselves as they believed in the series potential (it was later cancelled, but offered to Adult Swim on a free trial basis).

[Reply #376 on:]

Futurama could be revived as an Xbox exclusive.

[Reply #377 on:]

This may or may not be a good idea. It would definitely increase the sales of Xbox One, but I kind of doubt that an Xbox-exclusive revival would last for more than a season or two. Still, this gives us some hope.

[Reply #378 on:]

NO.

FUCK NO. NO. NO.

JUST NO.

[Reply #379 on:]

As an 'Xbox exclusive' it would be crappy and cheap compared with the CC run.
And they'd probably make you buy the $500 XBONE just to watch it instead of a cheap 360.

FUCK NO... is about right SS.

The Simpsons is still a successful show, it's just handicap by a poor syndication deal.  It seems likely that Fox believes the opportunity cost of cancelling the show & cashing in it what may be its peak syndication value may be best for the network's bottom line.  Family Guy isn't going anywhere -- unquestionably it has lower production costs (given McFarlane's mass involvement), commands the second-highest 30-second ad buy on television, has a strong syndication deal & sells episodes/DVD well.  The first two episodes of The Simpsons outperformed Family Guy, but that has a lot to do with FG going head-to-head with Sunday Night Football (which commanded 20-25% of the entire 18-49 viewing audience); people choose to time-shift FG but will rarely do so with live sports.

Fox has committed to 2.5 years of ADHD, to give the series time to develop.  Ratings have been poor, and the series was originally scheduled as a 90-minute block (Family Guy encores were suppose to book end the final 30-minutes, but that changed to The Cleveland Show) but has been trimmed to 60-minutes.  Deadline is suggesting that Fox may yank the block, and use the low-budget material to fill out a more edgy AD line-up next year.  Which would be interesting, because Axe Cop & High School USA are really, really bad, although they'll be replaced with new material soon.

The NFL's decision to broadcast its weekly national marquee match-up on Sunday evening has clearly hurt AD; for example, Family Guy is a top 5 time-shifted program in the Fall, but drops off substantially in the winter.  Given that few people watch the commercials in playback, this hurts the ratings & thus future ad rates.  Fox is expected to expand its MLB playoff coverage next fall (but also has the option of doing so via its new network Fox 1, which is suppose to compete with ESPN), so we may not see new AD episodes until November, anyway.

You are well informed.. but wrong on one count; The Simpsons is ranked #6, and FG is ranked #7 with T.V. advertisers.

[Reply #380 on:]

Why such negative reactions to Futurama potentially being on Xbox? Are the shows on there really low-quality or something?

[Reply #381 on:]

No, it would just be impossible to watch the episodes since I do not plan on buying an Xbox One.

Also, I feel like it's had a good run, and don't necessarily think that more episodes would be necessary.

[Reply #382 on:]

Xbox exclusive

One I don't an Xbox just a PS3 so that is useless
Make it a Netflix or Hulu exclusive

[Reply #383 on:]

You are well informed.. but wrong on one count; The Simpsons is ranked #6, and FG is ranked #7 with T.V. advertisers.

It depends on the source; actual figures are proprietary, and rate compilations are based upon what advertisers reported paying.  For example, last year Advertising Age reported that New Girl was the third most expensive (excluding live sports) program to advertise on, on ALL of television, which is rare for a sophomore show - especially one who's ratings plunged throughout its first season.  More reliable sources guesstimate Family Guy at #2 (sometimes #3), although when reports are released for this year, Big Bang and Modern Family will undoubtedly surpass it. 

[Reply #384 on:]

Christ, people. It'd still find its way onto DVD/legal downloads elsewhere, eventually, even it was an XBox exclusive.

And there are always alternative means to get these things if it's not within your power to see them reasonably soon. How do you think us in the UK have been keeping up with new episodes? They've only just aired 6B over here.


I'd be very concerned about Futurama having the budget it needs to operate on XBox, but if they could do it well enough, great.

But, that article is pretty much nothing but speculation, so don't get upset/your hopes up yet.

[Reply #385 on:]

Second. It's nothing but speculation. The initial release format means nothing, it will still wind up on dvd, on various download sites (both legal and otherwise) and in syndication eventually. I'm happy with Futurama returning in ANY form, so long as the budget and overall quality aren't impacted significantly.

[Reply #386 on:]

Well, there was a game for it on XBOX at one time.....

Thanks for article Just Fan. 

[Reply #387 on:]

...

A game is not a TV series.

And even the game couldn't afford to hire Lauren Tom or Phil LaMarr, which sort of proves the point that people are making about the budget issues.

[Reply #388 on:]

It will be interesting to see what happens with the show now that we know that there is interest internally at companies in a 3rd revival.

I doubt Major will convince anyone, but you never know b/c FOX might catch wind of this and just call Microsoft up and ask them if they want to make more.

You never know?!?!

[Reply #389 on:]

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Futurama-The-Complete-Series/19068

Futurama: The Complete Series on DVD gets package art update.

[Reply #390 on:]

Eh... it's a little simplistic for my tastes.

[Reply #391 on:]

I agree. It just seems too plain to me. I'm disappointed that they couldn't come up with something more creative.

[Reply #392 on:]

At least it keeps with the current DVD set's style. 
I'd have preferred a group photo on it or something like that, as it's meant to represent the entire series.

[Reply #393 on:]

The comic con 2013 poster would've looked a lot better as the box art.

[Reply #394 on:]

Heck, I'd have preferred it if they just re-used the art from that poster.
Whatever, though. At least we're getting an updated complete set. It's better than nothing, I guess.

[Reply #395 on:]

I kinda like the simplicity. Assuming the inside will just be all of the updated box sets, that is?

[Reply #396 on:]

Cool cover for the DVD!   

[Reply #397 on:]

It will be interesting to see what happens with the show now that we know that there is interest internally at companies in a 3rd revival.

I doubt Major will convince anyone, but you never know b/c FOX might catch wind of this and just call Microsoft up and ask them if they want to make more.

You never know?!?!

This is being blown out of proportion IMO.  A Reddit reader sent a private message to a Microsoft employee suggesting that Microsoft should consider ordering an additional season as an Xbox content exclusive; he received no response but posted the suggestion months later on Reddit during a Q&A session with that employee.  I'd liken the response he received to being a polite way of blowing him off.

I do agree that Futurama's best chance for revival would be through a medium such as Netflix; while Microsoft One will compete with Netflix, Futurama is too much of a costly, high-risk project to take on.

[Reply #398 on:]

Eh... it's a little simplistic for my tastes.

For a simplistic appearance, they should imho have used the traditional, familiar logo.
But the shown image basically just shows the word "Futurama", written in a different, unfamiliar layout.

But then again:
I doubt any package will ever be able to beat the nearly 1:1 Bender head in terms of coolness

[Reply #399 on:]

It will be interesting to see what happens with the show now that we know that there is interest internally at companies in a 3rd revival.

I doubt Major will convince anyone, but you never know b/c FOX might catch wind of this and just call Microsoft up and ask them if they want to make more.

You never know?!?!

This is being blown out of proportion IMO.  A Reddit reader sent a private message to a Microsoft employee suggesting that Microsoft should consider ordering an additional season as an Xbox content exclusive; he received no response but posted the suggestion months later on Reddit during a Q&A session with that employee.  I'd liken the response he received to being a polite way of blowing him off.

I do agree that Futurama's best chance for revival would be through a medium such as Netflix; while Microsoft One will compete with Netflix, Futurama is too much of a costly, high-risk project to take on.

I agree, but I hope this gets Fox thinking there is still interest in the show.

I personally would like three more Blu-ray movies to comprise a 13 episode eighth production season and call it quits forever.
Also that way the final movie would be five episodes long and could tell a bigger story.
Also no writers strike to effect the quality this time!