Futurama: Volume 3 - Includes Season 3 & 4 ???? (1 Viewer)

[Dan Rudolph]

Also an issue is that Futurama costs a lot more to produce than Family Guy. About twice as much, I believe thanks to the more expensive animation and voice talent.

 

[Jean-Michel]

Why won't Fox bring Futurama back? Simple: Matt Groening retained the merchandising rights. Fox owns the merchandising rights to Family Guy. Sorry to be cynical but I really think that's a big part of it.

 

[Scott Weinberg]

Why won't Fox bring Futurama back? Simple: Matt Groening retained the merchandising rights. Fox owns the merchandising rights to Family Guy. Sorry to be cynical but I really think that's a big part of it.

I think that's more of an astute observation than a cynical one. Based on what little I do know about the life of Futurama on Fox, it seems to me that the execs had little or no love at all for the series from the word "go".

The lack of marketing profit simply sealed the show's doom.

Ah well, the network's treatment of the show has nothing at all to do with the superlative quality of Groening's sophomore series. I consider it one of the smartest and wittiest TV shows ever produced; we should be surprised it lasted four full seasons!

 

[Joey Gunz]

I gotta agree with Scott. From the beginning, FOX didn't appear to be a fan of the show. It's a wonder that it lasted 4 years. I wish it could have gone on for many more. :frowning:

By the way, I remember when Futurama first aired, Matt Groening mentioned in a T.V. Guide article that he had plans to make a full-length animated Futurama feature film for the big-screen. I wonder if he's still interested in doing it.

 

[Dane Marvin]

I wonder if he's still interested in doing it.

According to multiple interviews I've read, he and co-creator David X. Cohen always toss around the idea of a feature-length movie. They released a video game after the demise of the series and continue to release comics and other merchandise, so a movie would be just the thing to keep it alive.

 

[TedT]

Why won't Fox bring Futurama back? Simple: Matt Groening retained the merchandising rights. Fox owns the merchandising rights to Family Guy. Sorry to be cynical but I really think that's a big part of it.

That's exactly it.

I've quoted this before and I'll quote it again:

Matt Groening at the San Diego Comic-Con '02: "Fox doesn't get Futurama. Fox doesn't even get the Simpsons. The reason why Fox doesn't mess with the Simpsons is because they know it makes them money."

 

[Casey Trowbridg]

I absoultely can't wait to own this entire series on DVD. I have no complaints with the sets, and I think the audio commentaries are some of the most lively and fun I've heard on any release.

 

[Steve Berger]

I believe Matt Groening also retained editorial rights on Futurama so Fox couldn't dictate script changes.