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Author Topic: A justification for the end? Worth a read.  (Read 963 times)
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1969

Crustacean
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« on: 08-09-2003 18:24 »
« Last Edit on: 08-09-2003 18:24 »

I guess when you think about it...

As much as we hate it, Fox is a business out to make money.
And as a business, they have deemed Futurama an unprofitable product. While I love Futurama as much as anyone, we all have to realize Futurama was not about making us giggle, making us cry, making us fall in love with, empathize with, feel sorry for, laugh at and laugh with one of the best written collections of chracters ever assembled, but about making us watch the advertisements in between our 22 minutes of genius.
Which is a saddening and sobering thought once you come to that realisation.

Futurama was and still is a work of art, gold plated animation, killed before it's time and unappreciated by many. Unnapreciated by it's viewers (The TV public in general, not us    :) ), unappreciated by the people who paid for it, yet loved and cherished by some.
I guess my point is here, 'It's better to have loved and lost than to not have loved at all.' And we should be thankful really for the four seasons we have been gifted. I believe we should try not to think of Futurama as the theft of something, but the giving of something we love now and will for many years to come.

I know my DVDs will be copping a hiding for a while yet    :cool: Perhaps we will never hear from Fry, Leela, Bender and co. ever again, but what we do have couldn't possibly be of a better quality.

And that's why we'll miss it so much.

Thanks.
N.
[-mArc-]

Administrator
Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #1 on: 08-09-2003 18:27 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by 1969:
And as a business, they have deemed Futurama as an unprofitable product.
deemed made
Mango

Starship Captain
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« Reply #2 on: 08-09-2003 18:28 »

...maybe that's true, but it doesn't make me feel any better.  :cry:
1969

Crustacean
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« Reply #3 on: 08-09-2003 18:31 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by [-mArc-]:
 
Quote
Originally posted by 1969:
And as a business, they have deemed Futurama an unprofitable product.
deemed made

?

aslate

Space Pope
****
« Reply #4 on: 08-09-2003 18:40 »

Futurama is easily a great show, with a slight bit of advertising and effort to give it a normal timeslot it would bring the the money. But by not advertising it, not helping it along, they have made it an unprofitable product.
HamNEggs116

Delivery Boy
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« Reply #5 on: 08-09-2003 18:40 »

He means that FOX "MADE" Futurama an unprofitable product. With their non-existant advertisment and flat out dislike for the show.
1969

Crustacean
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« Reply #6 on: 08-09-2003 18:46 »

Ah yeah, gotcha Marc.

Thought I'd stumbled into pedantic central  :)

I think it's really a case of chicken and the egg.

First time I saw it, I wasn't that impressed. When it aired it was when the Simpsons was at it's best, and S1 was the worst IMHO for laughs, and it compared badly. So most people tuned out before they got a chance to realise how great it was. And then they stopped advertising it and was downhill from then.

I think the people we see here are the people who have been able to realise it's greatness, while most people I talk to have only watched SP3K then tuned out.
payn
Bending Unit
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« Reply #7 on: 08-09-2003 22:06 »

Actually, when Futurama started, the Simpsons was beginning its slide into craptasticity. By the third season of Futurama, the Simpsons was at its worst ever (it's definitely been much better the past two years).

I know many people who followed Futurama--not religiously, like most of us here, but to the extent a non-geek can love an animated TV show--but gave up because of Fox.

Frequent unannounced cancellations, a near-complete lack of advertising, etc. led many people to believe that it had disappeared long before it actually had.

Also, bear in mind that audience the timeslot attracted. A slot between football and King of the Hill might be perfect for a show aimed at attracting an unsophisticated male southern audience, but an animated sci-fi comedy for semi-geeky adults would obviously have done much better between, say, the Simpsons (an animated adult comedy from the same creators) and the X-Files (a sci-fi drama for semi-geeky adults with a similar relationship side-story).

And despite their horrible misscheduling, according to every press release, trade article, AskFox answer, etc., Futurama was the most successful 7pm comedy ever all the way through its first three seasons.

In fact, according to Fox, the reason it stayed in that horrible timeslot for the fourth season was not because they were afraid it would fail at another time, but because they were afraid any other show they put in its place would fail.
Killerfox

Professor
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« Reply #8 on: 08-09-2003 22:54 »

yeah, if you put your back into it you can make it the most famous show and we have seen it cuz look at CN, what a sucsess has it made of Futurama in the last months!
zoidburgisking

Crustacean
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« Reply #9 on: 08-09-2003 23:18 »

Killerfox is right, if Fox had spent money promoting the show it would have been successfull,CN showed how successfull it could have been on Fox. 
payn
Bending Unit
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« Reply #10 on: 08-09-2003 23:49 »

It's always possible that one day, Gail Berman and friends will be kicking themselves just like the bygone NBC execs who cancelled Star Trek, decided Seinfeld didn't deserve better than "possible mid-season replacement" after its first season, thought SNL would be better if they turned it over to an old sports hand, etc. We can all pray.
Killerfox

Professor
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« Reply #11 on: 08-09-2003 23:51 »

if they dont kick themselves i can do it for them
Chriswell

Bending Unit
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« Reply #12 on: 08-10-2003 00:19 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by payn:A slot between football and King of the Hill might be perfect for a show aimed at attracting an unsophisticated male southern audience
Blow it out your ass payn.
Yeah that's right if you're southern you're unsophiticated, so what of the football fans up north or in other sections of the country?
Oh do they watch football drinking chardonnay while eating caviar.

Of course King Of The Hill is for redneck goobers right payn. Never mind the people all over the country who are fans, me included.

Hey payn, allow me to give you a salute.  :finger:

-cs
Andrea Huckstep

Bending Unit
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« Reply #13 on: 08-10-2003 00:29 »

I feel like I'm gonna cry...
Killerfox

Professor
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« Reply #14 on: 08-10-2003 00:42 »

that was really civilised
[-mArc-]

Administrator
Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #15 on: 08-10-2003 02:10 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by Chriswell:
 
Quote
Originally posted by payn:A slot between football and King of the Hill might be perfect for a show aimed at attracting an unsophisticated male southern audience
Yeah that's right if you're southern you're unsophiticated, so what of the football fans up north or in other sections of the country?
That's not what he said. He basically said that football tends to attract more males (and on average the 'rough' or 'unsophisticated' ones at that) and KotH attracts more southerners than northeners.

The sane thing to do would have been to either put KotH right after football or take an unscripted (because of 'in progress') show that can blend the two audiences. Futurama is far from that.
evan

Urban Legend
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« Reply #16 on: 08-10-2003 03:41 »

This gets back to the original post.

Since the Season 1 DVD set came out, more and more of my friends that never gave Futurama a second glance have been turning over to our side. They knew about the show, but because of the usual Fox bullshit, they never really could get into it. Now, ever since Season 1 came out, they've become hooked hard. When Season 2 comes out, I know that more than myself will pick it up.

Here's the problem. Fox is a business, but it's also political. Could it be that the Season 1 (and Season 2, etc..) box sets were released late in the U.S. in hope that it would be too far gone? If my friends were exposed earlier on, could it have been possible to save the show? Let's say that each person who bought S1 showed it to 3 friends. Since S1 did so well in the States, we can assume that the viewership could rise 300 %. Could this have worked for us? Was S1 purposefully delayed?
Britz

Starship Captain
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« Reply #17 on: 08-10-2003 04:02 »

...Oh... Oh... Oh yeah? To hell with you buddy!
Beamer

DOOP Secretary
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« Reply #18 on: 08-10-2003 04:11 »

The blame rests entirely with Fox as far as I'm concerned. It's Fox's fault the show got poor ratings - not Futurama's. If you need further proof, just look at how popular the ratings are for late-night repeats on Cartoon Network. Fox never put their full weight behind this show. They never believed in it. One can only imagine just where the show would be now if they did...
SpaceCase

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #19 on: 08-10-2003 05:24 »
« Last Edit on: 08-24-2008 12:55 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by Beamer:
... Fox never put their full weight behind this show. They never believed in it. One can only imagine just where the show would be now if they did...

And that, my friend, is what irks me the most:

It might have been.
  :mad:   :cry:
VelourFog

Space Pope
****
« Reply #20 on: 08-10-2003 08:35 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by payn:
but an animated sci-fi comedy for semi-geeky adults

*snort*

From Fox's standpoint of "let's make a lot of money" sure it makes sense to cancel Futurama. Now that doesn't mean that they did all they could (hah) to support the show and grow it's viewer base. Futurama costs a  million dollars an episode and has low ratings, a reality show costs $7 and a party size sub and has high ratings. It makes sense that Fox, a company founded to make money, would cancel Futurama.
Killerfox

Professor
*
« Reply #21 on: 08-10-2003 08:50 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by Evan:
This gets back to the original post.

Since the Season 1 DVD set came out, more and more of my friends that never gave Futurama a second glance have been turning over to our side. They knew about the show, but because of the usual Fox bullshit, they never really could get into it. Now, ever since Season 1 came out, they've become hooked hard. When Season 2 comes out, I know that more than myself will pick it up.

Here's the problem. Fox is a business, but it's also political. Could it be that the Season 1 (and Season 2, etc..) box sets were released late in the U.S. in hope that it would be too far gone? If my friends were exposed earlier on, could it have been possible to save the show? Let's say that each person who bought S1 showed it to 3 friends. Since S1 did so well in the States, we can assume that the viewership could rise 300 %. Could this have worked for us? Was S1 purposefully delayed?
That is so true!, my friends didnt gave it a chance before, they knew it existed but it wasnt of their interest, scince the s1 DvD lets say they are 500% more into it :)
The Master Con
Crustacean
*
« Reply #22 on: 08-10-2003 11:47 »

 
Quote
... Fox never put their full weight behind this show. They never believed in it. One can only imagine just where the show would be now if they did...

Pressure keeps the wit sharp. IMO the episodes come at better quailty when it is demanded, much like anything. IMO the show while it may not be a sucess had everything going for it creativly. The writers had the ability to now do their own thing after Matt and FOX's fight. The show would always be on the edge having the writers to think of better and tip-top ideas. My only problem is that I feel Season 4 was very rushed, I suppose Fox was tired of having this "thorn" in its side and wanted to get rid of it. And that I've got the feeling that while they managed to fit in episodes such as "The Why of Fry" and "Leela's Homeworld" the show never got to expland and end more naturally.
1969

Crustacean
*
« Reply #23 on: 08-10-2003 12:52 »

Yeah, the S1 DVDs are what got me into it again, as Australian TV never gave it a chance beyond S1.

Also, Fox payed for Futurama in the first place and gave you 73 eps of it. At least give them that much.
(BTW, if there was 73, 72, 74 or whatever eps, I don't care, don't bother to correct me.)
Australian Guy

Liquid Emperor
**
« Reply #24 on: 08-10-2003 12:55 »

Im glad it died, ow its a cult series and everyone loves it for what it is.
If it had gone on, it would have been corrupted by the mainstream.
Chump

Urban Legend
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« Reply #25 on: 08-10-2003 12:56 »

The article I read today said that due to the show only running 4 seasons, it won't be syndicated... but its on CN... is this true? Or does the fact that it has been shown over 5 seasons make up for this?

Anyway, I often has a futurama reference in my MSN name, and so many people ask me, what is it from, I tell them and they ask if its still on.
ThreeDLou

Delivery Boy
**
« Reply #26 on: 08-10-2003 13:21 »

I can understand that we all have very strong feelings for the show, no doubt.  I'm not sure it justifies lashing out at each other to make a point.  Granted, the show ends today and there is a only a less-than-slim to none chance that it will ever come back, CN or other.  While I hate to say it, there is a part of me that doesn't want it to become another Simpsons-type driven-into-the-ground show.
We have a great run of episodes to watch and, no doubt, re-watch.  It's a James Dean, a Halley's Comet, an Art Deco era.  Futurama is a short life of greatness that ended before it could die an even more unnatural and horrible death at the hands of FOX executives by staying on for 10 more years.   
Chump

Urban Legend
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« Reply #27 on: 08-10-2003 13:47 »

No man, I wanted Futurama to go out like Seinfeld, at the peak of its popularity, before it could ever jump the shark. Futurama had about 3 seasons before that point. Same with Family Guy.
1969

Crustacean
*
« Reply #28 on: 08-10-2003 13:57 »

 
Quote
Originally posted by Chump:
No man, I wanted Futurama to go out like Seinfeld, at the peak of its popularity, before it could ever jump the shark. Futurama had about 3 seasons before that point. Same with Family Guy.


Yeah, Futurama has heaps of life left in it, I at no point have ever felt it was ever running out of steam, so to speak.
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