At this weekend’s TCA Winter Press Tour, Fox president Kevin Reilly dropped a bombshell on animation fans everywhere by cancelling Jonah Hill’s already-classic Allen Gregory. We can add this to the pile of Fox shows taken from us too soon, alongside Firefly, Sarah Connor Chronicles and Arrested Development. Why does Fox always take away such great shows? When will they learn?
(Pictured: A child on a date with an elderly fat woman, comedy gold.)
Oh, screw it. I can’t keep this up. That blight of a series is gone and I couldn’t be happier. Allen Gregory was a terrible show, but someone at Fox must have thought there was some good in it since they still want to work with Hill on new projects.
Fear not, however, fan of Allen Gregory, guy out there that likes unfunny animation about unlikable characters.* You’ll still be able to get your fix since Fox is jumping onboard with the trends and fads the kids were all into eight years ago with this month’s premiere of the Napoleon Dynamite cartoon.
Speaking of just catching on, Fox is preparing their answer to Adult Swim. The animation block will debut in January 2012 and air Saturday nights from 11-12:30 e. It’ll feature new programming and will be headed up by Nick Weidenfeld (former head of program development for Adult Swim and executive producer of Childrens Hospital and The Boondocks) and Hend Baghdady (Warren The Ape, The Andy Milonakis Show).
What’s really cool about this is the digital channel aspect they’re launching in 2012 for the new programming block. Of course there’s the usual stuff about multiple platforms like the web, apps, game consoles and On Demand, and it being a place to find Fox animated shows online. Where it shines is user-generated content. It seems that this will be a place where animators can exhibit their work for possible use as a pilot. And that’s just amazing.
Lastly, if you live in or near LA and have four free days to kill in the beginning of February you might be interested in this. To celebrate the 500th episode of The Simpsons, Fox is trying to break the Guinness World Record for continuous TV viewing. The record right now stands at 86 hours, 6 minutes and 41 seconds, so the plan is to fill a theatre and marathon the series. The entire series. This would crush the current record. It looks like the person that lasts the longest wins a prize, $10,500 and a bunch of Simpsons merch.
If you’re interested in taking part in The Simpsons Ultimate Fan Marathon Challenge, it’s at Hollywood & Highland in Los Angeles on February 8. Go to the Simpsons Facbook page or thesimpsons.com for more info.
* – I’m talking to you, Craig Burke of Mitchell, SD.