'Futurama' may get new lease on life Toon with a past may get new life on Fox TV

from variety

By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER

"Futurama" may live to see the year 3000 after all.
Talks have begun at 20th Century Fox TV to revive the animated skeinskein, which takes place in the next millennium, much in the same way "Family Guy""Family Guy" found new life after cancellation.

The studio is in early discussions to put "Futurama" back in production and create a limited number of episodes of the Emmy Award-winning skein -- although it's too soon to tell where those segs might end up. A reprep for 20th Century Fox TV declined comment.

The final original episode of "Futurama" aired on Fox in August 2003. But since then, the skein has found new life -- and fans -- via DVD releases and repeatedly high-rated airings on the Cartoon Network.

"Futurama" remains popular enough that Comedy CentralComedy Central even stole away off-netoff-net rights to the show's repeats late last year; it will switch to the laffer cablercabler in 2008.

A similar resurgence in interest for "Family Guy" persuaded 20th Century Fox TV to revive that show, which has produced two seasons of new episodes and a DVD since coming back from the dead. "Family Guy" now resides as Fox's Sunday 9 p.m. tentpole.

"Futurama" scored three Emmys in its five-season run, including the 2002 award for animated series. But it lived an unusual existence on Fox, with short seasons, late launches and long gaps between airings. That allowed Fox to air five seasons of "Futurama," even though technically only four were produced.

"The Simpsons""The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening and "Simpsons" vet David X. Cohen were behind "Futurama," which bowed on Fox in March 1999. The animated skein revolved around Fry, a pizza delivery boy who's accidentally frozen for 1,000 years. He wakes up in the year 3000 and befriends cyclops Leela and cranky robot Bender -- all of whom work for the intergalactic delivery service run by Fry's distantly descended nephew, Prof. Farnsworth.

Before "Futurama" comes back into being, however, 20th first must secure deals with the show's production team, as well as voice stars including Billy West (Fry), Katey Sagal (Leela) and John DiMaggio (Bender).

Meanwhile, even after the cancellation new "Futurama" stories have continued to be churned out via the "Futurama" comicbook, published by Groening's Bongo Comics imprint.

Date in print: Wed., Jan. 4, 2006, Los Angeles

Cool. Coulda been a better read with out all the double speak.\, but still pretty nifty.
K

Well it was from Variety...the doublespeak has a purpose there.

It's good to see Futurama back in TV Land...it's one of those shows that the more you watch it the more you like it. I was always a fan but I found myself enjoying them much more on the Cartoon Network.

Bender is GOD...

Dont agree? kiss my shiney metal ass !!

yeah It pisses me off that FOX is too busy throwing money at idiots like bill oreilly, that they got rid of thier best shows.- and then tried to bring them back when another network, that's actually is in touch with people that aren't in thier fifties and living in texas, got good ratings from them.

I had my doubts about family guy, but it was just as good as ever. but I never watched it at 8 on fox sundays, I waited till they aired it on the much prefered adult swim. I don't know about futurama though, id' hate to see it go the way of the Simpsons. Futurama had more to it then just repetitive slapstic gags. I think it would devolve into that same thing as the Simpsons where you don't really feel any connection to the story or the characters. It's more like a modern day bugs bunny then a slice of life of the american family. To me i'd much rather see a series go toward an aim, and then end after achieving it. everything that keeps going past the point of creativity, just to keep going as long as it can, will ultimatly lose my interest.

There is something to be said for taking a hiatus before picking the series back up....

Rather than running the show into the ground (ala the Simpsons) a break in production can give the writers a chance to improve them selves before re starting. I mean you know that David Cohen must have thought a thousand times "Damn, that would have been a great idea if we were still making futurama."

Now he can actually put them all to use. :D

i heard somewhere that it costs 1milion an episode for futurama
computer time and the voice actors cost a bit i've been bummed ever since it ended i would easily trade king of the hill and american dad for it and every other half hour sit-com on fox

maybe they were afraid of a groenig hour

i wish they could bring back boston public
i really wanted to find out what became of ronnie and the new art teacher

the dvds are hilarious, the commentary is funny. everytime theres a pic of one of the female characters in not much clohthes they say "that scene was very popular with the internet guys"

american dad is awesome. no more of that crazy talk

Zombie Family Guy is not as good as the original, but I still would be into seeing Futurama return.