Saturday Morning memories thread

[Ilikemuppets]

Great! We'll be grumpy old persons by then!

You mean were already not?

 

[Son of Enik]

You mean were already not?

We're getting there!

 

[Xerus]

Here are some ideas that I think might save today's Saturday Mornings.

1. Create more cartoons based on comic strips.

2. Make a variety cartoon or "Friends" series like the Cattanooga Cats, C.B. Bears, Rocky and Friends, or the Groovie Goolies and Friends, where you'll never know which cartoons you'll see each week.

3. Make new giant puppets series like those Krofft shows.

4. Make a live action kids' show with a host and a crazy cast and show regular cartoon shorts.

5. Maybe make a new racing or sports cartoon like they did with the Wacky Races, Laff-A-Lympics, and Yogi's Space Race where regular teams compete and you would never know who would win at the end of each episode.

6. And air fun educational and musical shorts during the commercials like in Schoolhouse Rock and Time for Timer.

These types of shows were pretty much what the glory days of Saturday Morning were about.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

I don't think unnecessarily, that repeating things they once did will make Saturdays morning great again. I just think they need some good quality shows that kids will want to see. But I think eventually they will get there.

 

[Drtooth]

1. Create more cartoons based on comic strips.

Not gonna work, since there really aren't any good mainstream comics anymore (Unless someone gives a certain Kevin a call). Plus, the last time shows were based off comics, they were for an adult audience. Baby Blues, Boondocks... The comics seem to be made more for adults riding to work, reading the paper than a kiddy audience. Maybe Foxtrot would work, but it seems better as a sitcom style cartoon. Ditto Zitz.

Curtis would be cool, though.

2. Make a variety cartoon or "Friends" series like the Cattanooga Cats, C.B. Bears, Rocky and Friends, or the Groovie Goolies and Friends, where you'll never know which cartoons you'll see each week.

Unfortunately, that premise of a variety cartoon died out with Toonsylvania. Animaniacs, Tiny Toons... those were the last majorly successful ones like that, anyway.

3. Make new giant puppets series like those Krofft shows.

Ehhhhh... No. The Kroft's appeal was basically stuck up in Generation X. 10 years ago would have been the best chance for a revival. But then, With the way that the new Land of the Lost turned out, I think they nipped that one in the bud. Plus, unless kids have parents that have all the DVD box sets and watch them with their kids, what kid's gonna get the reference?

4. Make a live action kids' show with a host and a crazy cast and show regular cartoon shorts.

Being an Uncle Crock's Block fan, you should know that that didn't exactly work in the 70's, so the idea wouldn't carry well to this generation. Closest thing is the Spongebob special episodes hosted by the pirate and the parrot. No kid's gonna get the reference unless their parents explain it. Trust me. I kinda looked into that myself. Satirically of course.

5. Maybe make a new racing or sports cartoon like they did with the Wacky Races, Laff-A-Lympics, and Yogi's Space Race where regular teams compete and you would never know who would win at the end of each episode.

I think it could work... but only if Pixar was willing to make a cartoon based off of Cars. There's a new Speed Racer cartoon, but there's not really that much buzz around it. And since the movie's not doing that good, it doesn't look like it will become that successful. unless DIC somehow licensed a NASCAR cartoon (I think they actually tried that years ago. I forget) I don't think it would be that successful.

If Warners were still making cartoons, however, a Wacky Races revival could work. If done right, that is. Look at how good the new Tom and Jerry did.

6. And air fun educational and musical shorts during the commercials like in Schoolhouse Rock and Time for Timer.

With all the whining and moaning about the health of our youth, I'm surprised they didn't try this harder. Other than the odd PSA featuring a popular character, you rarely see anything like Timer. I mean, we could have the TMNT or Spider-Man talk about these sort of things in new shorts outside of the cartoon. That would be great.

Here's my take..

1) Hire network programming directors that want to take a chance, win or lose. Not just a bunch of cheap studio run ditto head employees that put up lip service TV/EI reruns from their cable networks.

2) There are a lot of cartoonists out there, well established ones, that have excellent ideas. Try calling them up and asking them for assistance. One of them will come up with something that will fit your guidelines and will become a mild success.

3) More superhero programs. Spidey and TMNT seem to be the biggest things we got this season. I mean, Batman and Legion may be gone, but try some other comic companies. If Nicktoons didn't get first dibs on the new Iron Man and X-Men cartoons, you could have had something there.

4) Kids don't like reality shows about other kids. Stop doing that. The Adreniline project was a humongous failure.

And 5) If all else fails, sell off to an up and coming company that has great ideas and cartoons all ready to air somewhere... if only someone can actually air them.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

4) Kids don't like reality shows about other kids. Stop doing that. The Adreniline project was a humongous failure.

Well, you see to me, it's all about the timing and the execution of these things. Like if they put in on after a cartoon block and well, just made better show and actually relate to this audience.

 

[wwfpooh]

Kids don't like reality shows about other kids. Stop doing that.

But they like shows about a physic whose visions often fail, a popstar with a dual life, two twin brothers who run amok in a ritzy hotel, etc.

 

[Drtooth]

Well, you see to me, it's all about the timing and the execution of these things. Like if they put in on after a cartoon block and well, just made better show and actually relate to this audience.

It didn't matter what time slot they put it in. No one wanted to watch it at all. You get enough of that crap on adult programming.

But they like shows about a physic whose visions often fail, a popstar with a dual life, two twin brothers who run amok in a ritzy hotel, etc.

But it's not reality, now is it? Personally, even I'd take a crappy premise like that to a reality show anyday. Even one that completely stole the plot from Home Alone 2. Man, when it was Macauly Culkin pulling that stunt on Tim Curry (was it him, I haven't seen HA2 in eons), it actually was hillarious.

 

[wwfpooh]

Man, when it was Macauly Culkin pulling that stunt on Tim Curry (was it him, I haven't seen HA2 in eons), it actually was hillarious.

Yes, the semi-evil hotel worker who schemed against Kevin was indeed played by Tim Curry.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

IBut it's not reality, now is it? Personally, even I'd take a crappy premise like that to a reality show anyday. Even one that completely stole the plot from Home Alone 2. Man, when it was Macauly Culkin pulling that stunt on Tim Curry (was it him, I haven't seen HA2 in eons), it actually was hillarious.

Oh! You meant reality programming. Well besides like Wild And Crazy Kids, you're right about it not working.