SETH MACFARLANE GETS WARNER BROTHERS OK TO REBOOT "THE FLINTSTONES"

[DToTheJ]

Also of interest, this series means that the Flintstones will have been on four different major TV networks, one of the few series to be able to say that...

So that means Fred Flintstone and John Madden would be in exclusive company!

...The only real drawback could be MacFarlane's obvious political bent -which may turn off more than a few viewers.

I can see the John McCain jokes on the new "Flintstones" show now... :

 

[LKellerIII]

Also of interest, this series means that the Flintstones will have been on four different major TV networks, one of the few series to be able to say that...

So that means Fred Flintstone and John Madden would be in exclusive company!

...The only real drawback could be MacFarlane's obvious political bent -which may turn off more than a few viewers.

I can see the John McCain jokes on the new "Flintstones" show now... :

And wasn't Larry King already on the air back then?

 

[Scoobyfan1]

This is a big mistake on Warner Brothers' part to allow this project to go forward. Did anyone at WB learn from what happened to "Wonder Woman" about not to tamper with a classic?

What an overreaction. Warner Bros. Studios (owner of the Hanna-Barbera library to which The Flintstones originally belonged), probably sees the same cross-generational viability seen in a franchise like Scooby-Doo. There are easily grandparents and grandchildren who have tuned in to a scripted adventure featuring those associated characters since the show first debuted in 1969. Saturday morning cartoons, animated and live-action films, merchandising...it's all been done before, and successfully.

(See also Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Charles Schultz' Peanuts, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers, etc. It IS possible to do successful updates to such creative works.)

Funny you mention Scooby Doo Nate Wesley, yes the show has been around since 1969(I am a big fan of it actually, hence my username), but some feel that maybe the show has run its course and its time for something different.

Sure, there is a current show called Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated that has the basic five characters(Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby) and a few twists and turns in the basic idea of the show(a season long story arc for one), but its the same show that it basically has been for 41 years.

Now, WB and Hanna Barbera have tried other things with the franchise(Scrappy, having Daphne around solving mysteries with Shaggy, Scooby and Scrappy, taking away Fred, Daphne and Velma, introducing real monsters and magic into the show), but for the most part its the same show as its always been.

This is why Hanna Barbera has tried the various different series, with different plots and cast changes and such, because of ratings. Actually that's the main reason why Scrappy was introduced, he got ratings for the show and kept it around another five years or so.

But yet everybody vilifies him and says that he ruined people's childhoods; I even didn't like him at first, but i've turned around on him; now I like Scrappy and think he's a decent character. But yet, some people still hate him, which is why we got him being a villain in the first live action Scooby movie.

In talking to some fellow Scooby fans in chats and on message boards, I brought up the idea of a Scooby Doo The Next Generation, in which the gang is all married and is retired from mystery solving. While either their kids, or a new generation of teen sleuths tries their hand at solving cases.

This if it was aired would get great ratings I feel, because like Star Trek Next Generation and succeeding shows, its using familiar characters and a familiar brand as a starting point and then adding new characters, and introducing new things to the mix.

However, because WB is making a ton of money with the current Scooby show, and Scooby shows and movies featuring the same characters and the same recycled plots, its never going to happen.

As you mentioned Nate, Scooby has been around since 1969 and has probably been milked(or should have) been milked for ideas a long time ago. So a successor series would work perfectly here; actually, if you get a chance, watch Scooby Doo on Zombie Island the next time it airs on TV, numerous people i've talked to said that movie would have been a great way to send the gang off into the sunset.

Then, you could still do the last ten or so years of Scooby shows and movies, but with a different cast and characters.

As for the Flintstones, I think it could work, and I think would be very succesful if done correctly, and I think Seth McFarlane might just be the one to do it.

 

[Nate Wesley]

Imagine a revived Flintstones that skewered the cultural and political wars of the past few decades, in an allegorical sense, set back in the stone age....it could potentially be comedy gold. The only real drawback could be MacFarlane's obvious political bent- which may turn off more than a few viewers.

I don't believe this, because nobody's tuning in to Family Guy, American Dad, The Cleveland Show, etc. solely for political humor or guidance.

 

[justpassingthough]

Imagine a revived Flintstones that skewered the cultural and political wars of the past few decades, in an allegorical sense, set back in the stone age....it could potentially be comedy gold. The only real drawback could be MacFarlane's obvious political bent- which may turn off more than a few viewers.

I don't believe this, because nobody's tuning in to Family Guy, American Dad, The Cleveland Show, etc. solely for political humor or guidance.

I'm not asking you to believe it, its not fact, just an opinion. I would hope no one is tuning into these shows for political humor or guidance.

 

[BlueWanderer]

So, this makes it four shows that he'll be working on at once. I don't know if this is wise to focus on that many shows within that time frame. I think the reason why Family Guy and maybe American Dad are declining in quality is because of The Cleveland Show's existence. I had these same thoughts when Futurama was first starting out right around the time The Simpsons started going downhill.

I remember on one episode of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, Fred Flintstone was parodied mainly as a mob boss. Lots of Mafia movie references in that episode.

 

[Nate Wesley]

Imagine a revived Flintstones that skewered the cultural and political wars of the past few decades, in an allegorical sense, set back in the stone age....it could potentially be comedy gold. The only real drawback could be MacFarlane's obvious political bent- which may turn off more than a few viewers.

I don't believe this, because nobody's tuning in to Family Guy, American Dad, The Cleveland Show, etc. solely for political humor or guidance.

I'm not asking you to believe it, its not fact, just an opinion. I would hope no one is tuning into these shows for political humor or guidance.

Not a well sourced opinion, but whatever.

 

[jsu5381m]

Instead of the Flintstones, why not rip off Matt Groening and call it Pastarama?

 

[vchimpanzee]

I had these same thoughts when Futurama was first starting out right around the time The Simpsons started going downhill.

I'm going to the mountains in a couple of weeks. When I went last year that was the last time I saw "Futurama". The "Beast with a Billion Backs" movie, to be specific. I can't afford cable so I wish Fox would not only bring it back but show all the reruns I missed over the years.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Regardless of what happens, if Seth MacFarlane's name is on it, I just have to watch it. While I have sometimes found "The cleveland Show" too raunchy, I have really enjoyed some of the jokes.

 

[KyDXIn]

I DO NOT want a Flintstones reboot to be anything like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsOwEhJGYX8&feature=related

 

[KyDXIn]

OR THIS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_KvKriBvMQ&feature=related

 

[KyDXIn]

Won't Disney be next??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYEovm_Tg8c&feature=related