New series from Family Guy creator

[stevelabny]

Saw this on ICV2.com
http://www.icv2.com/articles/home/3529.html

"Variety is reporting that Fox Broadcasting has ordered a half-hour animated series pilot from Seth MacFarlane, creator of the Family Guy animated series. Family Guy was cancelled by Fox, but has proven to be a big success on the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim and a huge hit on DVD. MacFarlane and veteran Family Guy writers Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman have come up with what Variety describes as a twenty-first century take on All In the Family. American Dad, as the series is now known, features a family headed by a CIA agent (with a right wing political viewpoint), who is in semi-constant conflict with his liberal daughter. Conflicts also abound with an effeminate alien named Roger, who is not allowed to leave the house, and a French-speaking goldfish--the result of a CIA experiment to put the brain of a Frenchman in a fish."

Ok, can someone explain to me the logic behind Fox's programming decisions?
First Family Guy got the post-Super Bowl spot, then they didn't stand behind it at all. Moved it around, treated it like dirt, cancelled, changed their mind and renewed it, cancelled it AGAIN. But now its getting huge ratings in reruns on Cartoon Network and huger DVD sales so all of a sudden lets give this Seth kid another try?

They've cancelled two of the best TV shows EVER (Family Guy and Firefly) in the last two seasons, and both have a great chance of living on despite the Fox execs' ineptitude, so I have ZERO FAITH that this show will be given a chance to suceed at all.

Especially since at first glance, it seems potentially MUCH more offensive than Family Guy ever was.

 

[Holy Bovine]

...features a family headed by a CIA agent (with a right wing political viewpoint), who is in semi-constant conflict with his liberal daughter. Conflicts also abound with an effeminate alien named Roger, who is not allowed to leave the house, and a French-speaking goldfish--the result of a CIA experiment to put the brain of a Frenchman in a fish

Honestly - this sounds like crap. And I like the Family Guy. Hopefully they will just bring back Family Guy, Firefly and Futurama (don't worry I'm not holding my breath)

 

[LightPhoenix]

"...features a family headed by a CIA agent (with a right wing political viewpoint), who is in semi-constant conflict with his liberal daughter. Conflicts also abound with an effeminate alien named Roger, who is not allowed to leave the house, and a French-speaking goldfish--the result of a CIA experiment to put the brain of a Frenchman in a fish."

Honestly - this sounds like crap. And I hate the Family Guy. (Sorry HB, just couldn't resist ). Seriously, this sounds terrible.

Hopefully they will just bring back Family Guy, Firefly and Futurama...

I would love it if they could bring back Firefly and Futurama. Especially Futurama... it's Simpsons when the Simpsons was fresh and not "hey look at all the clever little jokes we can work into half-an-hour... again".

The reason it won't happen is two-fold though: one, Fox won't do it, it'll make them look bad (which they are). Two, if I were a producer like Seth or Joss or Matt, I would give them the finger. And I'm sure all three probably would.

 

[Crothian]

Well, it's not like Family Guy was killing in the ratings, it was getting killed. I highly doubt we will ever see a canceled show brought back, and I'm not familiar with it ever happening. Least we have them all on DVD.

And I'll agree the show does sound less then apealing.

 

[stevelabny]

Well, it's not like Family Guy was killing in the ratings, it was getting killed. I highly doubt we will ever see a canceled show brought back, and I'm not familiar with it ever happening.

Not killing in the ratings? What day was it on? Oh, right...
I think the correct answer to that question is Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday depending on which part of its run. I think its most steady slot was Thursday night at 830 where it did OK, and when was the last time Fox got strong ratings on a Thursday?
The show got great reviews, had good demographics (us geeks) , and as it has shown on Cartoon Network and DVD, would have found a bigger audience if given half a chance. Most of the pople I've heard talk about Family Guy lately never even knew what it was during its run on Fox.

Same thing with Firefly. Great reviews, but it was marketed so poorly and given the Friday night death-slot. Even still it did OK. Fox has to realize that OK ratings (for Fox and in bad slots) can be BUILT on rather than just pull the plug and move on to the next show hoping to catch lightning in a bottle.

 

[s/LaSH]

Hmm... Firefly? Family Guy? Futurama?

They better not put an F into the next series' title...

 

[Aaron L]

Television executives are notorious as the stupidest people in the universe.


Oh, add Farscape to the F titles.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Hmm... Firefly? Family Guy? Futurama?

They better not put an F into the next series' title...

Did they not have one called Fastlane too? Another network but Farscape, you may have something with that "F" thing, I know the have people that say what letters are hot, like "X"!

 

[Psychotic Dreamer]

I do remember reading that they were working on a direct to video movie for Family Guy. They had all the cast signed on again and everything. I think I read about it on either www.cinescape.com or www.scifi.com/scifiwire, but that was a while ago. I think they said it wouldn't be out until late 2004 at the earliest.

 

[Henry]

Y'know, for all the fussing we do about Fox's propensity to kill good shows, (I'm including myself in the fussing), a thought hit me today:

How many other channels besides Fox and UPN even take a CHANCE on this kind of programming?

Very darned few. ABC, CBS, and NBC are constantly airing the 257th recombination of Survivor/Friends/BigBrother/AreUHot, and couldn't give a darn less about something smart, funny, and appealing to anything beyond mass audiences. The above "F" shows may be dead, but they at least saw a clapper board go "slam."