Futurama Back From the Past.

[Signe]

"Futurama" Pulls a "Family Guy"

By Gina Serpe 1 hour, 44 minutes ago

Comedy Central is going back to the Futurama.

Three years after the show last aired on prime time, the cable net has signed a deal to resurrect the former Fox animated series for a minimum 13-episode run.

Comedy Central will start airing the new shows in 2008.

"We are thrilled that Matt Groening and 20th Century Fox Television have decided to produce new episodes of Futurama and that Comedy Central will be the first to air them," said David Bernath, the cable net's senior VP.

The new episode order is part of a larger deal Comedy Central made with the production company last year, when they bought the syndicated rights to Futurama's 72-episode library.

"There is a deep and passionate fan base for this intelligent and very funny show that matches perfectly with our audience, and it is great that we can offer them not just the existing library but something they've never seen as well," Bernath told the Hollywood Reporter.

The offbeat show was the brainchild of The Simpsons mastermind Groening and writer David X. Cohen and debuted on Fox in March 1999. The series revolved around Fry, a pizza delivery boy who is accidentally frozen for a thousand years. When he wakes up in the year 3000, he befriends a sassy one-eyed pilot, Leela, and a cranky robot, Bender, who both work for an intergalactic delivery service run by a distant nephew of Fry's.

In August 2003, after five seasons and three Emmys, including the 2002 award for Best Animated Series, Futurama was canceled due to low ratings.

Reruns of the show, however, were picked up by Cartoon Network, and just like cable home did with Family Guy before it, the move paved the way for a Futurama revival.

Both shows aired on the Cartoon Network and quickly built up unexpectedly robust ratings.

In 2004, Stewie & Co. were resuscitated by to Fox thanks to staggering DVD sales--the show ranks as the fourth-biggest TV series seller ever--and its proliferation in reruns.

In January of this year, 20th Century Fox began talks with Comedy Central to revive the long-gone Futurama as well, thanks to its resurgence in popularity courtesy of its second life in reruns and high--though not Family Guy high--DVD sales.

The cable net has already re-signed voice stars Billy West,
Katey Sagal and John DiMaggio to reprise their animated roles.

In the meantime, new Futurama plots can already be had in comic book form, with Groening's Bongo Comics releasing the stories.

Source

[tazelbain]

Adult Swim continues to perfect the art of Necromancy.
I hope they get working of Mission Hill and Oblongs next.

[Surlyboi]

Totally. I'd love some more Mission Hill.

[Viin]

I want more Home Movies damn it.

[Fabricated]

Comedy Central is getting the series? Good god, it's gonna end up animated like stick figures if it gets the traditional Comedy Central budget.

[Yegolev]

Comedy Central is getting the series? Good god, it's gonna end up animated like stick figures if it gets the traditional Comedy Central budget.

They can just use that Chapelle bankroll.

[tazelbain]

Crap I missed that.  They have no love for Cartoon Network.

I don't in chance for Home Movies. It already had it's second chance.  Home Movies is too dry current Adult Swim audience.  No worries, Brendan Small's Metalocalypse is in August.

[Fabricated]

While Comedy Central has the money to do Futurama right, I doubt CN does without significant help from their parent company. That's probably why CN didn't get it.

Most of the Adult Swim shows made in-house are made on a Top Ramen budget.

[Righ]

Stand by for a terrifying message from AL GORE.

[Johny Cee]

All glory to the hypnotoad!

[Llava]

Al Gore:  And this is Gary Gygax, creator of Dungeons and Dragons.
Gygax:  It's a *rolls dice* pleasure to meet you.

[Simond]

All glory to the hypnotoad!

http://www.r33b.net/

[Yegolev]

Most of the Adult Swim shows made in-house are made on a Top Ramen budget.

They are, however it is done so purposely.  I'm not going to try to tell you that Williams Street itself has lots of money, but it's not as if CN (or wherever the $$$ goes) is poor.  If they wanted to do it, I think they could, however there is plenty of money to be made selling low-budget shows.

[Llava]

The Boondocks certainly seems like it has a pretty decent sized budget.  Big name voice actors with pretty good animation.

[Grand Design]

(Necro'd)

http://dvd.ign.com/articles/810/810144p1.html

November 27 - preorder available via Amazon.



I'm as happy as a little girl.

[Signe]

I LOVE Furturama.  (plus I buy anything with Coolio in it because, it's... well... you know... coolio.)

(now I can't stop saying coolio out loud  )

[Grand Design]

I don't read / watch previews, but I really, really hope that Zap Branigan is in this and has a prominent role. 

Favorite Zap quote:

"If we hit that bull's eye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards ... checkmate."

[Evildrider]

Yep I've been waiting for this for a year.. woo. 

Futurama trumps Simpsons and Family Guy in my book.  :-D

[Triforcer]

Furturama.

Please, no.

[Signe]

[Evildrider]

I don't read / watch previews, but I really, really hope that Zap Branigan is in this and has a prominent role. 

Favorite Zap quote:

"If we hit that bull's eye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards ... checkmate."

Bah!  It's all about Bender.

      “Yeah, well I'm gonna build my own lunar space lander! With blackjack aaaaannd Hookers! Actually, forget the space lander, and the blackjack. Ahhhh screw the whole thing!”

[Stormwaltz]

Favorite Zap quote:

"If we hit that bull's eye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards ... checkmate."

"Stop exploding, you cowards!"

[Evil Elvis]

It's exactly like me, Flexo - the fun-loving love machine fembots love to love.

[bhodi]

I knew that killbots had a pre-set kill limit, so I simply sent wave after wave of my own men at them until they shut down. Right men? (You suck!)

[Bunk]

The episode about Fry's dog was the saddest moment on (fictional) TV for me since the musician guys died on the M.A.S.H. finale.

[Mazakiel]

Bender's Big Score is out today, just picked it up from Best Buy.  Hopefully it's as good as I've anticipated. 

[Evildrider]

Bender's Big Score is out today, just picked it up from Best Buy.  Hopefully it's as good as I've anticipated. 

I liked it, and I'm a big Futurama fan.

I saw it about a week ago.. off one of them torrent things.   
I'm getting the dvd for christmas.. just couldn't wait that long.

[Nerf]

Quicksilverscreen has benders big score up already, watching it tonight.  They've got A Scanner Darkly up too, what an odd fucking movie that was.

[cmlancas]

The episode about Fry's dog was the saddest moment on (fictional) TV for me since the musician guys died on the M.A.S.H. finale.

I cried. I absolutely turn off Adult Swim every time it comes on. It's just too damn depressing. I'll go read some goddamn Hemingway if I feel like kicking myself in the balls that badly. 

[Selby]

I cried. I absolutely turn off Adult Swim every time it comes on. It's just too damn depressing.

The saddest part was that until the last 90 seconds it is one damn hilarious episode.  And then the ending comes and I can't take it.

[Margalis]

I liked A Scanner Darkly a lot, but I love Dick. 

[Mazakiel]

Overall, I liked the dvd alot.  Probably the biggest weakness it had was squeezing in so many characters from throughout the series into cameos or bit parts. 

[Llava]

I think it's worth mentioning that the DVD carries a full-length episode of "Everybody Loves Hypnotoad".

[Phildo]

They could definitely hve skipped out on the musical numbers.

[Grand Design]

DVD will be here tomorrow via Amazon.

Earlier today it was #3 on Amazon's best sellers this week.

That bodes well for new episodes after the movies are complete!