Football sure killed Futurama (1 Viewer)

[Michael St. Clair]

Yeah, as soon as the NFL season is over and Futurama can't be "pre-empted" any more, Fox changes their schedule to show double Simpsons and King of the Hill reruns instead.

Fox has wanted to kill Futurama since day one because they don't own the reruns. Just ask David X. Cohen.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Perhaps it would have had better ratings if it weren't pre-empted by a bunch of cretins who can't tell time every week.

 

[Jason Harbaugh]

Futurama has gotten the shaft from Fox ever since it lost its original timeslot to newcomer Malcom in the Middle.

Thank goodness we are finally getting them on dvd in region 1. They can't put these out fast enough.

 

[Jeremy Allin]

Put me down as another who is pissed by what has happened to Futurama.

I will be picking up S1 on its release date.

 

[AndrewD]

Don't forget Futurama is also on Cartoon Network Sunday through Thursday night at 11p. They're about half way through Season 2.

 

[Benson R]

Perhaps it would have had better ratings if it weren't pre-empted by a bunch of cretins who can't tell time every week.

I don't understand why everyone gets so upset about football. Its not the nfl's fault. Fox has no intention of showing any original programming directly following the game or else they wouldn't go to another game in progress when the one in your market is over. They know that whatever has that time slot gets preempted. Obviously Fox is doing it on purpose.

 

[andrew markworthy]

Well, in the UK, there's no football excuse. However, it's safe to say that Futurama sank like a lead balloon over here.

I've got to say that I liked the first season, but then realised that after that it was just more of the same. Bender will do always something immoral, Fry will be stupid, there were about three endlessly recycled plots, the in-jokes seemed to be directed solely at the sort of guy who spends *way* too much time hanging round comic book stores, etc, etc. There wasn't enough light and shade in the characters as there is in e.g. The Simpsons.

 

[MickeS]

Well, I'm watching it every night on cartoon Network now, and I must say it's an excellent show. I don't care how Fox treated it anymore.

 

[Jay H]

I too am watching it on my Dish PVR and it's amazing the amount of stuff I missed because of football. Haven't missed an episode since cartoon network picked it up.

Just watched the Flexo, evil Bender, episode last night.

Jay

 

[DougWright]

Andrew,
the same can be said for most shows...
I mean Seinfeld was the same, George would do something immoral, Kramer would do something stupid etc etc. Seinfeld was nice cause they would all usually tie in at the end. But their character's also had not much depth.

I really enjoy Futurama every time I see it, but I have given up on Fox, they just dont know how to treat any show.
It is always a sad day when a show I think looks promising in the fall preview turns out to be going on Fox.

I hope the Canadian Cartoon Network picks up Futurama so I can see all the one's I missed. If the DVD is priced right and is actually seasons, I will buy it.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

I don't understand why everyone gets so upset about football. Its not the nfl's fault. Fox has no intention of showing any original programming directly following the game or else they wouldn't go to another game in progress when the one in your market is over. They know that whatever has that time slot gets preempted. Obviously Fox is doing it on purpose.

Yes, it IS the NFL's fault. If they could learn how to count, there would be no problems. 60 minutes does not equal 3 hours last time I checked.

They could VERY easily make sure the game ended on time by not stopping the clock.

 

[Martin Rendall]

Jeff,

That logic escapes me. What's that got to do with Fox deliberately setting up Futurama to be pre-empted? Fox knows that 60 minutes on a clock which isn't always running really takes 3 hours on a clock which always is running. Fox schedules the shows. Fox switches to other games after the scheduled one is finished.

Martin.

 

[Benson R]

Jeff football is game that takes 3 hours to play, get over it. Fox is not getting rid of football. It is probably their biggest ratings draw. Leave the NFL alone and concentrate your anger on Fox for trying to kill a show that could have been the replacement for the fast declining in quality Simpsons.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Actually, your local station switches to the other game. It is OPTIONAL to switch to the other game. In fact we did not see Futurama's season premiere because they did that here. They got 40 or 50 angry phone calls at the time I called.

The NFL should learn that their events are televised, and that there is quality narrative programming waiting to be shown. If they cannot stay in their 3 hours, fuck Heidi, they deserve to at the very least be picture in pictured in favor of something with a story where more than the last second matters.

 

[CharlesD]

Football did not kill Futurama, FOX did. FOX (and just about everybody else) understands and accepts that NFL games take over three hours, yet FOX persisted in scheduling the show in a timeslot that simply does not exist for much of the US.

 

[Jason Seaver]

The NFL should learn that their events are televised, and that there is quality narrative programming waiting to be shown. If they cannot stay in their 3 hours, fuck Heidi, they deserve to at the very least be picture in pictured in favor of something with a story where more than the last second matters.

Jeff, get over it. People like sports, they like seeing the entire game, and the network likes it because a larger cross-section of the audience watches it and those people are less likely to tape it to watch later without commercials. Programming like the NFL is much more lucrative to Fox than Futurama. Okay?

Sports programming does not have a designated end time. It may run longer than what the network estimates (or, perhaps, deliberately and cynically underestimates). Understand this concept and deal with it.

 

[Benson R]

Fox used to have the right idea about how to handle football. Having America's funniest which could be made an hour or 10 minutes depending on how late game ran. This was a great idea. By placing Futurama on the schedule directly after the game Fox made it clear Futurama was disposable programming and was just being used as filler.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Jeff, get over it. People like sports, they like seeing the entire game, and the network likes it because a larger cross-section of the audience watches it and those people are less likely to tape it to watch later without commercials. Programming like the NFL is much more lucrative to Fox than Futurama. Okay?

I won't get over it until sports stop cancelling my shows by preventing them from buidling/keeping an audience

RIP

Space Above & Beyond
Earth 2
Futurama
Firefly

 

[Martin Rendall]

Sports doesn't cancel your shows: networks cancel your shows. Along with all those bastard viewers out there who won't watch the shows you like.

And to say that sports killed Firefly is rediculous. One preemption! Less than other shows which are doing fine. And Earth 2 sucked.

Martin.

 

[Adam Nixon]

I've gotta agree -- sports DIDN'T kill Firefly, but Fox bungled many things about the show.