Originally Posted by iaindb:
“As incompetent as ever..”
I'd like to pretend that this is a new level of incompetence but I'd just be lying to myself!
Originally Posted by Jonwo:
“Clearly FOX has no faith in either Allen Gregory or Napoleon Dynamite if they're ordering more episodes of Bob's Burgers. Think it would be easier for 2012-2013 just to keep the Animation block intact and maybe have Bob's Burgers at 7.30pm at midseason until The Flintstones debuts. FOX haven't had a hit animated show that isn't from Seth MacFarlane. I wonder if maybe they should consider an animated action drama which I don't think has been attempted outside of Cartoon Network.”
In truth Seth MacFarlane's hit rate hasn't been particularly good. Family Guy (eventually) exploded but American Dad and Cleveland haven't. I think at this stage Fox isn't really sure what they're doing with Animation Domination because try as they might they cannot launch a new hit there. I think if The Flintstones doesn't breakout it might be the straw that breaks the camels back so to speak and they'll dramatically rethink Sunday nights. Although having said that Animation Domination is generally a profitable block because it attracts young men and they do well in late night syndication in particular. Its a tricky beast but with The Simpsons seemingly ready to wrap and Family Guy fading they need a new hit to power that block sooner rather than later.
Originally Posted by sn_22:
“Well the makers certainly have the option - I'm sure the BBC wouldn't end it. I was only saying because the received wisdom is they're operating to a 5 year plan. That said, the glory of a prequel means as long as they can keep the core actors in place they can go on and on, really.”
That its a prequel is why I was never entirely sure why it would have to end after the five year plan. And frankly so many shows go on beyond their supposed five year plans that I'm not sure that matters anymore either. If the main cast are willing to stick around then I can't see any reason why they'd end it after five years. Creatively there's enough material to mine for a few more years yet.
Originally Posted by sn_22:
“Merlin, Doctor Who and Strictly on the same schedule is certainly mighty strong - but it would rather expose the paucity of Saturday nights for the rest of the year! I'm surprised the BBC haven't launched another Saturday family drama, to be honest. I know they're expensive to get off the ground - but the omens are pretty good. Since 2005, Doctor Who became the flagship drama to define the channel, Merlin is an international hit looking stronger than ever in a fourth series, and even the weakest of the trio, Robin Hood, managed two strong series before a weaker third saw it canned. That's a pretty good hit rate, in any book.”
I think the fact that Saturday night is basically a wasteland outside of Strictly makes it a little tricky to launch a new Saturday night family drama. Lets face it Doctor Who really only worked because it was a known brand. If they'd tried launching something new I suspect it wouldn't have gone anywhere near as well, And indeed Robin Hood and Merlin both used the Strictly lead-in to launch. If The Voice takes off then they obviously have more options open to them in the future but I think they'd probably have to move Merlin (and now Doctor Who) away from Strictly to launch a new family drama now.
I continue to feel its a shame that the Kudos Pirate drama never made it out of development. Doctor Who, Merlin and Pirates sounds like a pretty brilliant family drama slate to me. Or I suppose they could get on the fairy tale theme that's hitting the US networks and try some kind of 'modern fairy tales' drama on Saturday nights. Or dinosaurs... although I suppose Primeval took that one off the table.