Futurama Series Finale

[Imran Siddiqui]

SU: The X-Files was basically a cult show in the first years of its existance, as was Seinfeld. I fail to see how a 'cult' show would not break out of that under any circumstances, seeing how Fox torpedoed each show.

[Harry Seldon]

You don't start a show from the middle, SU. If they would have done that for the X-Files then it would have never taken off at all. Start from episode one and work forward and it would have been cancelled before midseason.

Pretender was alright for an NBC show but I thought John Doe was more intense.

If I had any show to pull back it would be Millenium. That show was awe inspiring when CC took time from the X-Files to do it right. The X-File/Four Horseman bull**** was so lame it made me cry. I want a real ending, damnit!

OT: Does anyone have the intro song to Millineum? I can't find it anywhere.

[St Leo]

Originally posted by Static Universe
I hate to see Futurama go, but let's face facts here: that show was hyped to hell and back when it first came out and it still never broke out. It was never going to develop more than a cult following.

Did you miss the bit where football games prevented anyone from actually seeing it most of the time?

Anyways, the episode was a great finale. I downloaded it from IRC the day before broadcast, watched that twice, and then watched the Fox version with commercial breaks added on tv for the complete experience.

I loved the mocking of operatic conventions, the role of HedonismBot (first introduced in Crimes of the Hot?), and the Buggalo leg running gag.

[MattH]

****, how could I have missed that?

[Static Universe]

Originally posted by St Leo

I loved the mocking of operatic conventions, the role of HedonismBot (first introduced in Crimes of the Hot?), and the Buggalo leg running gag.

I think this pretty much sums up why the show never broke out with general audiences.

[monolith94]

Dude, HedonismBot is a character anyone can relate to!!!

[Static Universe]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
SU: The X-Files was basically a cult show in the first years of its existance, as was Seinfeld. I fail to see how a 'cult' show would not break out of that under any circumstances, seeing how Fox torpedoed each show.

Yes, but they weren't essentially one note shows like Futurama or the Family Guy.

Granted, these are both cartoons, but unlike the Simpsons where they left a lot of wiggle room for character development and plot, once you understood that Bender was a drunk, or the dog was a drunk or Peter was going to do something wacky or there would be a hovering head of a celebrity who would say something wacky, you've pretty much figured out every episode Futurama and Family Guy.

The problem with these shows wasn't that people didn't watch them and like them when they first came out, because they did. The problem is people tuned out of the re-runs and never came back because for general audiences it ceased to be funny after a while. And both these shows got plenty of PR up front as well.

John Doe is failing not because it isn't a decent show, but because it isn't pulling in more female viewers, which might have kept it alive long enough for it to catch on. That's the kiss of death for a Fox show on Sundays, which has always been geared equally to men and women, such as the X-Files, Simpsons, Malcolm, Married WIth Children, etc. And due to FOX's heavy commitment to crappy reality TV, there isn't anywhere else to put it.

Firefly was never going to be a success on Fox, because the show should have been put into syndication in the first place. It was a decent show, but not something that was going to pull a primetime audience in, no matter what anybody says. There hasn't been a genuine sci-fi success in prime-time for years, not even ST:TNG was prime time.

Millenium just shot itself in the foot. I think that probably could have broken out big time, but on the other hand it was a pretty dark show, so who knows.

[Static Universe]

Originally posted by monolith94
Dude, HedonismBot is a character anyone can relate to!!!

But not my Grandma, unfortunately. But she sure can dig on those wacky adventures of Bart and Lisa.

And I'm sure she has no idea who Benjamin Disreali is...

[St Leo]

And I'm sure she has no idea who Benjamin Disreali is...

Weren't they classmates?:P

[CyberGnu]

Not sure if this adds anything to the discussion, but I don't think Banzai is a FOX show. I saw it on swedish television like two years ago, so they must have bought it from somewhere.

And I had no idea this was the series finale... To bad, I will miss the show. Eh, I missed the last five minutes - how did it end? Did Fry get Leela? (use spoiler tags, please)

[Imran Siddiqui]

Yes, but they weren't essentially one note shows like Futurama or the Family Guy.

Many people would disagree with your entirely. On Seinfeld, I have heard many say it is simply a one note show about annoying Jewish people. On the X-Files, one note show where the characters really didn't matter too much at all (the show didn't die because Duchovney left, it died because the plots became dumber).

Hell, I've even heard plenty say the Simpsons is a one note show... Homer is the moron father, Bart the mishaving son, Lisa the overachiever, etc... and once you figure that you have everything.

You can say anything is a 'one-note' show if you really wanted to.

[GePap]

Futurama was not a one note show!

Hey Imran, for a guy who loves the lost city of Atlanta, you sure love them Family Guy Yankess to much.

[Imran Siddiqui]

So I see you saw the Futurama last night on Cartoon Network as well, eh?

[St Leo]

And I had no idea this was the series finale... To bad, I will miss the show. Eh, I missed the last five minutes - how did it end? Did Fry get Leela? (use spoiler tags, please)

Spoiler:

She asked him to play the ending once everyone left and their stick figures walked off into the sunset to upswelling music. Quite moving, though perhaps not as moving as the ending of Jurassic Bark.

[CyberGnu]

thanks!