Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Star Trek Back to TV
10-13-11, 09:00 PM
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Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Star Trek Back to TV
Back in August, Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show mastermind Seth MacFarlane raised eyebrows by joining up as a producer on a sequel to astronomer Carl Sagan's 1980 miniseries Cosmos. It turns out that space might not be too far outside the funnyman's interests. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, MacFarlane expressed a desire to see Family Guy behind him and a new TV incarnation of Star Trek ahead.
More concrete plans on MacFarlane's agenda include The Flintstones and preparation on a pitch for yet another animated series.
From the Hollywood Reporter piece:
More concrete plans on MacFarlane's agenda include The Flintstones and preparation on a pitch for yet another animated series.
From the Hollywood Reporter piece:
MacFarlane is particularly eager to reboot one of his favorite franchises, Star Trek, for TV. "I don't know who would give me the keys to that car," he jokes, acknowledging that the films have been so profitable for Paramount that he isn't so sure they have a lot of interest in getting back into the TV business. "But I’d love to see that franchise revived for television in the way that it was in the 1990s: very thoughtful, smartly written stories that transcend the science fiction audience.”
"Part of me thinks that Family Guy should have already ended. I think seven seasons is about the right lifespan for a TV series," he says of a show that launched its tenth season last month. "I talk to the fans and in a way I'm kind of secretly hoping for them to say we're done with it. There are plenty of people who say the show is kind of over the hill… but still the vast majority go pale in the face when I mention the possibility." As he sees it, there’s something to be said for wrapping up the series and doing a movie once every couple of years. "Creatively, that would be the way to do it for me. Do a really fantastic final episode while the show is still strong," he says, acknowledging that there are plenty of powerful reasons -- including the viewer demand and the amount of people employed by the series, some 300 people in total -- to give him pause. (There is a deal in place for a Family Guy movie, which he is writing with series co-producer Ricky Blitt; it's now a matter of finding time in MacFarlane's schedule to make it happen.)
"Part of me thinks that Family Guy should have already ended. I think seven seasons is about the right lifespan for a TV series," he says of a show that launched its tenth season last month. "I talk to the fans and in a way I'm kind of secretly hoping for them to say we're done with it. There are plenty of people who say the show is kind of over the hill… but still the vast majority go pale in the face when I mention the possibility." As he sees it, there’s something to be said for wrapping up the series and doing a movie once every couple of years. "Creatively, that would be the way to do it for me. Do a really fantastic final episode while the show is still strong," he says, acknowledging that there are plenty of powerful reasons -- including the viewer demand and the amount of people employed by the series, some 300 people in total -- to give him pause. (There is a deal in place for a Family Guy movie, which he is writing with series co-producer Ricky Blitt; it's now a matter of finding time in MacFarlane's schedule to make it happen.)
10-13-11, 09:14 PM
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Re: Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Star Trek Back to TV
I think, maybe like him, that Star Trek belongs on TV. When I think of the "Worst of Star Trek", it's a scattering of episodes in the different TV series (just a small fraction of the total) and then the majority of the movies. Just on a quality basis, Star Trek is a great TV franchise but a lousy film franchise.
10-13-11, 09:22 PM
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Re: Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Star Trek Back to TV
Trek should be on TV... as 6-13 episode seasons, at best. Leave out all the endless filler episodes -- let's face it, for every good TNG/DS9/VOY episode, there were about 3-4 miserably mediocre ones. Keep the seasons short and make every episode count.
Tonight I'm getting drunk.
Tonight I'm getting drunk.
10-14-11, 09:35 AM
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Re: Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Star Trek Back to TV
I think, maybe like him, that Star Trek belongs on TV. When I think of the "Worst of Star Trek", it's a scattering of episodes in the different TV series (just a small fraction of the total) and then the majority of the movies. Just on a quality basis, Star Trek is a great TV franchise but a lousy film franchise.
As for Seth doing it? I know people are leery because of his previous output, but when he parodies something like Trek or even Star Wars, it's not just the easy jokes (coughSpaceballscough), but it's tweaks at the little oddities and such that exist within the episodes and movies.
I doubt he'd be involved with the day to day writing and such, but with his name as executive producer he would have the clout to gather writers and showrunners around him that would make it good.
10-14-11, 10:14 AM
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Re: Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Star Trek Back to TV
Kirk: Spok, these aliens annoy me more then the week I spent as a Ferengi slot machine. < quick shot of Kirk standing in a casino when Quark walks up and pulls his arm, causing coins to fall out of his mouth >
Uhura: Captain, I'm getting a hailing...
Spok: Shut up Uhura or I'll replace you with Sulu.
Uhura: Captain, I'm getting a hailing...
Spok: Shut up Uhura or I'll replace you with Sulu.
10-14-11, 10:39 AM
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Re: Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Star Trek Back to TV
I was hoping Seth would do that often rumored "Star Trek II" parody episode of "Family Guy" like he did for the "Star Wars Trilogy". I think that would rock. All they have to do is wrangle the rights from Paramount. I think the fact that they were allowed footage from the film a few weeks ago for the "goat gag" was a step in the right direction.
I can see Stewie as Khan Noonien Singh right now.
I can see Stewie as Khan Noonien Singh right now.
10-14-11, 08:52 PM
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Re: Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Star Trek Back to TV
I've wondered for a while if an anthology type format would work for Trek
stand alone episodes with crews we haven't seen, and occasionally crews we have if they could talk the actors into reprising their roles years later, in a variety of time periods
they could even make 3 or 4 crews/ships to focus on per season with each getting 5-6 episodes
stand alone episodes with crews we haven't seen, and occasionally crews we have if they could talk the actors into reprising their roles years later, in a variety of time periods
they could even make 3 or 4 crews/ships to focus on per season with each getting 5-6 episodes
10-15-11, 09:33 AM
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Re: Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Star Trek Back to TV
If Star Trek does come back to TV, I agree that it should be in 13-16 episode seasons. Hopefully effects are now cheap enough that it could be done on cable instead of network. I'd want arcs like DS9 had more than the largely standalone TOS and TNG. I'd also suggest that it is perfectly acceptable to have a movie franchise in the TOS era with a TV show in the TNG/DS9/Voyager era that would follow the destruction of Vulcan. Recast Data and follow him (or her if you want to go all Battlestar Galactica) through his career, making each season a different stop in Data'a career. Make each season a very serialized arc.
04-29-12, 05:41 PM
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Re: Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Star Trek Back to TV
Last night, Patrick Stewart told an audience of about 7000 people that he'd do a new animated series of Star Trek, but only if MacFarlane wrote it. I still don't think Paramount would go for it.
Oh, and, since it's somewhat relevant, I saw the ENTIRE ORIGINAL MAIN CAST of Star Trek: The Next Generation last night! For the first time ever, they did a 90-minute panel, all together. Totally awesome.
That's right, every single one of these people was there:
And Q showed up halfway through!
Oh, and, since it's somewhat relevant, I saw the ENTIRE ORIGINAL MAIN CAST of Star Trek: The Next Generation last night! For the first time ever, they did a 90-minute panel, all together. Totally awesome.
That's right, every single one of these people was there:And Q showed up halfway through!
04-29-12, 06:14 PM
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Re: Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Star Trek Back to TV
I've always said Trek needs a long break (at least 10 years) since Enterprise, but animated doesn't sound like a bad idea. Not sure about Seth McFarlane though. It can't be worse than Abrams though.
04-29-12, 07:32 PM
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Re: Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Star Trek Back to TV
Would this be on at Primetime though? I don't think American Television has ever had a serious Animated Drama for Adults. I wonder how the ratings would do?
05-02-12, 08:20 PM
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Re: Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Star Trek Back to TV
I'm generally all for animation but for Star Trek, no thanks. I'm sort of interested in the idea of a new Star Trek series but I hope whatever they decide to do next is done right.
05-02-12, 10:19 PM
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Re: Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Star Trek Back to TV
an animated series would work, I liked TAS, but I'd want somewhat realistic art style. might even be easier to get the actors to reprise their roles, although like my previous post I'm not saying focus on previous cast but have them pop up here and there
05-02-12, 11:54 PM
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Re: Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Star Trek Back to TV
Last night, Patrick Stewart told an audience of about 7000 people that he'd do a new animated series of Star Trek, but only if MacFarlane wrote it. I still don't think Paramount would go for it.
Oh, and, since it's somewhat relevant, I saw the ENTIRE ORIGINAL MAIN CAST of Star Trek: The Next Generation last night! For the first time ever, they did a 90-minute panel, all together. Totally awesome. That's right, every single one of these people was there:
And Q showed up halfway through!
Oh, and, since it's somewhat relevant, I saw the ENTIRE ORIGINAL MAIN CAST of Star Trek: The Next Generation last night! For the first time ever, they did a 90-minute panel, all together. Totally awesome.
That's right, every single one of these people was there:And Q showed up halfway through!
Here's the story at TrekToday (my photo op pic is in the header!)
http://www.trektoday.com/content/201...-expo-reunion/
"You were a pain in the ass. But you were *our* pain in the ass."
--LeVar Burton to Wil Wheaton.
05-03-12, 08:51 AM
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Re: Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Star Trek Back to TV
I read this and was a little confused at first, then remembered that Stewart is heavily involved in American Dad (and occasionally Family Guy).
I have no problem with MacFarlane and like the Abrams reboot as well (save for his obsession with up nose close-ups), so I'm down for whatever comes our way.
I have no problem with MacFarlane and like the Abrams reboot as well (save for his obsession with up nose close-ups), so I'm down for whatever comes our way.
