'Simpsons in Space'

[on:]

I've heard a lot of rumors that FOX wanted to cancel Futurama because it wasn't 'The Simpsons in Space'.  What did they mean by that?  A show where The Simpsons are living in the year 3000 or a cartoon that's just as dark-humored and heartless as The Simpsons?

BTW, I saw Jurassic Bark last night!  It was worthy of the Emmy, not some lame Simpsons episode where Homer rooms with gay guys.

Please forgive the Simpsons bashing.  I haven't liked it since the 3rd season.

[Reply #1 on:]

What they really wanted was The Jetsons. 

[Reply #2 on:]

Do you mean to say that Futurama isn't dark-humored? Its abundant dark humor and scathing social commentary is a large part of what GIVES it heart!
And yeah, FOX wanted The Jetsons.

[Reply #3 on:]

Oh and, what have you got agianst The Simpsons! It is possible to love both.

[Reply #4 on:]

normal to as well.
you haven't liked simpson's since the third season?
it was after that it became brilliant

[Reply #5 on:]

They wanted a show that was exactly like The Simpsons, but in a sci-fi setting I think, is what is usually meant by that phrase.
Hmm, I don't think the first two series of the Simpsons were as good as any after.  But that doesn't really belong in General Discussion.

[Reply #6 on:]

You're all wrong.  It's been scientifically proven that The Simpsons peaked in Season 3.

[Reply #7 on:]

thats pseudo-science.

[Reply #8 on:]

Don't step on my blue psuedo science.

[Reply #9 on:]

They cancelled it because Fry refused to have a perpetual five-o'clock shadow and get a beer belly. He was right. It wasn't worth selling his soul.

[Reply #10 on:]

Futurama wasn't 'The Simpsons in Space' because it actually made you THINK.

[Reply #11 on:]

Regarding Simpsons, its actually been scientifically proven that season 4 was the peak.  But they've also scientifically proven that seasons 1-3 are almost as good.  Don't be hatin' some of the best seasons ever.

I think Fox didn't really know what they wanted honestly.  I think they wanted "Simpsons in Space", yet something new at the same time.  They wanted signature Simpsons-esque humor, yet they didn't like the (at least somewhat)Simpsons-esque humor of Bender or the suicide booths. 

You can't trust network executives to ever really know what they want. 

[Reply #12 on:]

To quote from the Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show episode, courtesy of SNPP.com:


 Man: How many of you kids would like Itchy & Scratchy to deal with
          real-life problems, like the ones you face every day?
    Kids: [clamoring] Oh, yeah!  I would!  Great idea!  Yeah, that's it!
     Man: And who would like to see them do just the opposite -- getting
          into far-out situations involving robots and magic powers?
    Kids: [clamoring] Me!  Yeah!  Oh, cool!  Yeah, that's what I want!
     Man: So, you want a realistic, down-to-earth show... that's
          completely off-the-wall and swarming with magic robots?
Kids: [all agreeing, quieter this time] That's right.  Oh yeah,
          good.



Talk about reality  mimicking art 

[Reply #13 on:]

 

Originally posted by DotheBartman:You can't trust network executives to ever really know what they want. 

Amen, brotha! Testify! *waves hands in air*

[Reply #14 on:]

It's very simple what FOX wanted- they wanted a show that was essentially the Simpsons but with a different name. They just wanted another show that would bring them success like the Simpsons did.

I guess 'The Simpsons in Space' sounded like a good idea to them :/

[Reply #15 on:]

FOX wanted it to be Simpsons meets Jetsons, but then the show became more than that. FOX then couldn't afford to put anything clever or original on their network, so they cancelled it. Be-fucking-utiful.

[Reply #16 on:]

 

Originally posted by Shadowstar:
FOX then couldn't afford to put anything clever or original on their network, so they cancelled it. Be-fucking-utiful.

I mean, a network like Fox would just refuse point blank to fund an concept TV show that would take place in "real time"...

...but yeah, I know most of Fox's output is shamefull

[Reply #17 on:]

 

Originally posted by Vamsi:
To quote from the Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show episode, courtesy of SNPP.com:


 Man: How many of you kids would like Itchy & Scratchy to deal with
          real-life problems, like the ones you face every day?
    Kids: [clamoring] Oh, yeah!  I would!  Great idea!  Yeah, that's it!
     Man: And who would like to see them do just the opposite -- getting
          into far-out situations involving robots and magic powers?
    Kids: [clamoring] Me!  Yeah!  Oh, cool!  Yeah, that's what I want!
     Man: So, you want a realistic, down-to-earth show... that's
          completely off-the-wall and swarming with magic robots?
Kids: [all agreeing, quieter this time] That's right.  Oh yeah,
          good.



Talk about reality  mimicking art   

intresting that david s cohen wrote that episode, maybe he was thinking of futurama ideas.

as for simpsons (sorry moderators please dont close the thread)
i think its pretty subjective which, is best, there were different writing styles, just because it changed and didn't have such strong emotion generally after season 3, doesn't mean it peaked, i loved oakley and weinsteins era (7 and 8) most to be honest.

but anyway this the futurama section so lets finish discussion about simpsons peaking
before a moderator closes the thread

[Reply #18 on:]

As DotheBartman pointed out, the Fox execs really didn't know what they wanted.  Futurama has the same witty, satirical, Groening-esque humor of The Simpsons (well, before season 9, anyway).  Hell, in fact, the Futurama characters even look like they came right out of The Simpsons, except for the fact that they're not yellow.  But the execs still hated it.  That makes no sense.  But as Matt Groening himself pointed out, Hollywood never makes sense.

[Reply #19 on:]

i think fox execs probably forget how dark simpsons could be, when you look to the first series, you have homer about to commit suicide,
lisa getting severley depressed, an albanian spy thats about 10, and some evil french winemakers. there was an evil babysitter in the first ep, bart getting a crazy vietnam veteran to get back at a bully. hell it was even darker than futurama

[Reply #20 on:]

Maybe its the emotional significance that the Futurama characters have. I mean, I never actually feel sorry for a character in the Simpsons.

There hasnt been an episode where you get a lump in your throat or you weep like a little girl, wheras Futurama has had several, (Leelas Homeworld and Jurassic Bark being the most notable)

You get too connected with the characters as they actually live their lives rather than get sucked into a crappy adventure every night. The Futurama guys are too... lovable (right word?)

Damn cold hearted Fox bastards...

[Reply #21 on:]

i don't know, i got a little lump in my throat when Bart sold his soul and was tearfully  begging God to get it back. or when Homer is trying to comfort Bart and Lisa just before his heart surgery. there are various examples , but they do keep the emotion to a minimum. the Simpsons is a very different show than Futurama. i personally don't think that one is better than the other. just different. i will agree that the story lines have gotten weaker over the past few years, but i'll take the good with the bad.

[Reply #22 on:]

 

Originally posted by Shadowstar:
FOX wanted it to be Simpsons meets Jetsons, but then the show became more than that.

Something I read when the season 1DVD set was released in America:

 

From the FOX store's section on the seaosn 1 DVD:
Join Fry, Leela, Bender, and the rest of the crew in this outrageous Jetsons-meets-Simpsons satire of pop culture, science fiction, and life as we will someday know it!

Despite Groening saying muliple times, this is not the case, they keep pressing the issue.

Also from the SP3K audio commentaries:

John: "Was this the highest rated debut in FOX history? ... Am I mistaken in saying that?"
David: "Eehhh..."
Scott (Vanzo): "I think it was."
Matt: "Idunno. I can't remember. We did really well. And much to the surprise of FOX, becuase they were really alarmed by this show, by this episode. David and I went in to pitch this thing, and everybody got really excited, they ordered 13 episodes on the spot. And they said, well show us what you've got, and all we had was some notes for this script and they couldn't understand ... 'cause we said we didn't want the future to be dark and drippy like Bladerunner, but we didn't want it to be bland and boring like the Jetsons ... and they LOVED the Jetsons. They were all "Oh, it's THE GREATEST" you know. And, eeehhh, they couldn't understand how the future could be fun with, ehh, a one-eye alien woman and, ehh, a crazy..."
David: "And the suicide booth."
Matt: "And the suicide booth. They said: "why are people line up to kill themself on newyears-eve if this is so great, hmmm?""

Way to jump to conclusions, FOX. Alfa, Beta and Gamma need a tune-up on their voice-recievers.

[Reply #23 on:]

 

Originally posted by Teral:
 Gregg (Vanzo): "I think it was."

Fixed.

[Reply #24 on:]

 

Originally posted by Love_For_Leela:
Maybe its the emotional significance that the Futurama characters have. I mean, I never actually feel sorry for a character in the Simpsons.

There hasnt been an episode where you get a lump in your throat or you weep like a little girl, wheras Futurama has had several, (Leelas Homeworld and Jurassic Bark being the most notable)

You get too connected with the characters as they actually live their lives rather than get sucked into a crappy adventure every night. The Futurama guys are too... lovable (right word?)

Damn cold hearted Fox bastards...

Eh, I don't really think that was the reason, or not the only one anyway.  Its true, by the time Futurama premiered The Simpsons had become very cold and joke-centric (something that Al Jean has tried to rectify), but prior to that there were lots of episodes that went for an emotional depth.  Just look at the first two seasons; "Life on the Fast Lane", "Moaning Lisa", "Lisa's Substitute", and many others created strong emotional reactions with audiences.  As well, its not like Futurama started out as a particularly deep show character wise.  As great as 3ACV and 4ACV could be character and emotional episode-wise (Luck of the Fryrish, Jurassic Bark, Leela's Homeworld, Parasites Lost, etc) I can't think of even one season one episode that made me care about the characters, and all the characters were pretty bland at that time.  Aside from having been frozen in time, Fry almost didn't have any character traits at all, aside from stupidity.  Season one Leela did nothing but nag, and have jokes about her loss of virginity thrown at her.  Bender had the most character, but he was still a fairly empty gag-vessel; every episode he would swear, steal, smoke, drink, etc. and that was basically the entire point of his character at that time.  Even season one is very funny, but given that the show didn't really make audiences care about the characters until season three, I don't know that the emotional edge had much to do with Fox's distaste for it.  They probably didn't notice either way.

[Reply #25 on:]

 

Originally posted by PCC Fred:
Don't step on my blue psuedo science.

  go Fred!

[Reply #26 on:]

 

Originally posted by Love_For_Leela:


You get too connected with the characters as they actually live their lives rather than get sucked into a crappy adventure every night. The Futurama guys are too... lovable (right word?)

Damn cold hearted Fox bastards...

i coudn't disagree more, futurama characters and more realistic which makes them less loveable, it was probably a mistake on matt and davids part to expect the public to put such emotion in it so soon, because there were more realistic they were less funny and loveable, so people dont care about them.
its also hard to relate too because no one living today has been cryogenically frozen
for 1000 years.

[Reply #27 on:]

 

Originally posted by DotheBartman:
You can't trust network executives to ever really know what they want. 

Actually, I think money and power is what they want. I would like to say a few curse words in the general direction of these network executives, but I don't know if swearing is allowed here.

[Reply #28 on:]

It's cause Futurama doesn't have those buildings on poles like birdhouses or a character named elroy that Fox cancelled it....

[Reply #29 on:]

@DoTheBartman:  I think the argument that people are making is that the less lovable characters affected ratings rather than directly affecting fox's opinions on the show.

Although I might be wrong...

[Reply #30 on:]

I believe that americans have a problem following TV-series that doesn't star the Olsen twins.

[Reply #31 on:]

For future reference, who are the Olsen twins?

[Reply #32 on:]

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, The twins who played Michelle in the hit "comedy" series "Full House". They have now grown up beautifully and are the richest teenagers in Hollywood i believe.
I don't mean to be taking the mick out of any american, it's just so easy.
Anyone from California?

[Reply #33 on:]

I remember a show called "Full House" being shown over here, but it was so long ago that I can't remember if it's the American one or a British remake... 

[Reply #34 on:]

I cannot believe that they made a british remake of Full House, I cannot!
If you are making fun of me, sir, you are aiming at the wrong country!
You should see the sitcoms in norway, they are about as funny as a shakespeare comedy!

[Reply #35 on:]

I used to live in California, Futuramama!  But my family decided that South Carolina was better.  And I agreed with what you said about people having a problem following a TV series that doesn't star some loser teen idol! 

[Reply #36 on:]

 

Originally posted by futuramamama:
I cannot believe that they made a british remake of Full House, I cannot!
If you are making fun of me, sir, you are aiming at the wrong country!

No joke.  The UK sometimes remakes American comedies.  "Three's Company" became "Man About the House", and "Who's the Boss" became "The Upper Hand".

A show called "Full House" aired in the UK in the early-mid 80s, but since I was about 4 years old at the time, I don't remember many details.

*checks on Internet*

UK's "Full House"

USA's "Full House"

It's a coincidence.  They're two different shows that just happened to have the same name.

[Reply #37 on:]

it's hard to believe that  FOX, or any network for that matter, would intentionally sabotage and sink a program with a fan base as large as Futurama's. unintentionally, maybe.  it's a damn conspiracy!.......or not.

[Reply #38 on:]

WOW.
And American Gladiators became Father Ted!

[Reply #39 on:]

 

Originally posted by PCC Fred:
No joke.  The UK sometimes remakes American comedies.

And vice versa.  We have an American version of Coupling now.

I don't know why they bother remaking these shows, they could just import the originals.