“South Park” scores renewal deals with Comedy Central, Hulu

New deal takes Cartman and Co. through 2019 and also renews Hulu pact South Park fans received some good news Wednesday as Comedy Central renewed the half-hour animated comedy for three more seasons and thirty episodes, thru the 2019-20 television season. Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone continue to write, produce, and edit each episode. The renewal takes South Park through […]

“Simpsons” make serious “D’oh” with new cable deal

Twentieth Television sells to corporate sibling FXX for an estimated $750 million-$1 billion For fans eager for more Simpsons beyond the offerings on Fox and in broadcast syndication, finally some good news – but it comes with some strings attached. After two decades, The Simpsons are finally coming to cable in a $750-$1 billion mega deal with recently-launched FXX, 21st […]

Lou Scheimer: An Appreciation

Another surviving member of the Saturday Morning cartoon wars has passed on. Lou Scheimer, who helped found Filmation with Hal Sutherland, passed away at the age of 84 Thursday, as first reported by Cartoon Brew. Filmation had a fierce rivalry in from the late 1960’s through the 1980’s with William Hanna and Joseph Barbara of Hanna-Barbera Productions. From roughly 1967 […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag: Tony Malatia out at WBEZ

Chicago Public Media needs a new chief. Tribune to sell a few stations. Fox launches new Saturday night animation block.  – As first reported by Robert Feder on Friday, Torey Malatia resigned from his post as Chicago Public Media CEO and from the Board of Director after approximately twenty years. During Malatia’s watch, WBEZ created successful radio programs such as […]

Comic-Con: Animation Special

Of course, it’s not Comic-Con without some animation being presented, right? From adult favorites to kids’ fare (a.k.a. programming that also attracts the stoner crowd), many panels were held for fans over the four-day event. Here’s a quick synopsis on what went down: – Though this time without Seth MacFarlane or Mila Kunis, Family Guy made the trek to Comic-Con […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag: “Futurama” to end run

Plus: North Carolina media news, Glee is renewed, and somehow Jim Laski gets back on the air – Unlike the fate of The Cleveland Show, this cancellation is confirmed: Comedy Central announced the end of Futurama after seven seasons. The animated comedy from Simpsons creator Matt Greoning ran on Fox from 1999-2003 for 72 episodes, and was picked up by […]

“Family Guy”, “American Dad” renewed through 2014

NBC renews four shows for next season; ABC renews ten In the “this doesn’t come as a surprise” department, Fox has renewed Family Guy and American Dad for two more seasons through 2014. However, no decision has been made on The Cleveland Show past 2013. All three shows are part of Fox’s Animation Domination Sunday night block. The moves come […]

2012: A look ahead

Happy New Year, everyone! There will be a lot going on in 2012 – elections, international summits, the Olympics, and much, much, more! Here’s what to look for in 2012: – Look for CBS to continue their prime-time ratings domination. – With Family Guy running on empty and The Cleveland Show shifting time periods every week, look for Fox’s Animation […]

“South Park” renewed for three more years

We’ll just keep on killing Kenny: Comedy Central and the producers of South Park have come to an agreement to keep the series on the air through the 2016 season. This means the series is guaranteed to reach its twentieth season, only behind The Simpsons, who notched its own renewal deal last month with a deal that guarantees its 25th […]

Meet WGN-TV’s new late night host… a sheep

The late-night battle for viewers is quite fierce. Battling for audience – and all those ad dollars, you have Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Craig Ferguson, George Lopez, Chelsea Handler, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Monique, and Frank Woolanski. Wait a minute… who’s Frank Woolanski?? In news first reported by CRM yesterday, Tribune-owned WGN-TV announced it […]

"Bob’s Burgers" back for a second season

“Futurama” syndie clearances reach 90% Serving up burgers in a restaurant is just as hard as serving up laughs – but Bob’s Burgers may have made it work. In a surprise move, Fox has picked up thirteen more episodes of Burgers for its second season, which is likely to commence early next year. While ratings for the series does lag […]

Happy Yabba Dabba Doo Day!

In honor of The Flintstones 50th Anniversary today, here’s a clip of the opening theme: When The Flintstones premiered on ABC on September 30, 1960, the “Meet The Flintstones” theme song didn’t even exist! It used an instrumental piece for the first two seasons, though it was replaced in syndication with the more well-known theme. Here’s a clip of the […]

Marvel forms TV division

In its first move since being acquired by The Walt Disney Company, Marvel Entertainment announced it is forming a television division in order to create programs to take advantage of the medium. Jeph Loeb will head the division’s effort as the Executive Vice President in charge of Television. He will oversee the production of animated and live-action programs and direct-to-video […]