It will be interesting to see how they tie this tragedy into an a capella rendering of “Save Tonight” by Eagle Eye Cherry, but if anyone can do it deftly, it’s the master of subtlety, Ryan Murphy.

Just kidding. I’m guessing even Ryan Murphy doesn’t watch Glee anymore. In any event. Tomorrow night, if you’re feeling particularly mad at yourself, make yourself an individual serving of microwave popcorn, force your cat upon your lap, and watch this bullshit.

Glee, Thursdays at 9 on FOX.

*The other two are being gay and being in a wheelchair.

With vampires being WAY over, FOX has decided that witches should do just fine, having picked up Half Bad, a young adult book franchise from Sally Green that will of course become a young adult movie series that will in turn of course make over a billion dollars.

Sticking with what she knows, Karen Rosenfelt is producing, having done her time with Twilight and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, which sounds like a joke title, but is actually an honest-to-God upcoming movie.

Unless these witches get burned at the stake or drowned by angry, ignorant townspeople, I don’t think there’s much here for Screen Junkies’ audience. But it’s always nice to stay plugged in with the young folks, no?

The network has given a put-pilot with series penalty commitment to a live-action comedy from MacFarlane and the writers behind summer box office hit Ted…

Put-pilot?

Series penalty commitment?!?!?

Ignore the gibberish in the first part of the sentence and just focus on the fact that Seth MacFarlane, Fox, and the Ted writers are all getting together to write a TV show about a couple guys whose fathers move in with them. MacFarlane will executive produce and, let’s face it, probably try to find a way to sing on the show.

This is MacFarlane’s nine millionth collaboration with Fox, including The Winner, Family Guy, The Cleveland Show,  and American Dad. Okay. Fifth. But that’s still a lot. I mean, how many development deals have you struck with Fox?

Probably zero, I bet.

Why, Kanye West, of course. The mad genius rapper is in talks to sit as a judge on American Idol to have contestants explain why the auto-tuned unicorn sounds were so low in the mix, only to have them say that there were never any auto-tuned unicorn sounds in the mix, and that he must have been hearing what he wanted to hear.

While Yeezy is uncertain that he wants the gig (because isn’t banging out Kim Kardashian mainstream enough?), the $18 million per year that he’s being offered serves as a compelling argument.

Nicki Minaj is also close to signing on to sit, meaning that the producers would possibly need a fourth judge’s seat to serve Mr. West.

For some reason this doesn’t sit well. Kanye’s idiosyncrasies lend themselves much more to late-night Twitter rants than they do primetime TV, but it’s like Kanye West always said:

Ever had sex with a Pharaoh? Put the pussy in a sarcophagus.

Wait. No. That’s not it.

No more drugs for me, pussy and religion is all I need.

No, that’s not right either.

I got two white Russians but I also need some drinks.

Not that one either.

Maybach bumper sticker read “What would H.O.V.A. do?”

Hmm. No.

Bow in the presence of greatness. 

Eh. Close enough.

Remember that movie The Beach, that capitalized on Leo DiCaprio‘s post-Titanic buzz only slightly better than The Man in the Iron Mask did? The film that will forever be known as Danny Boyle’s underachievement?

IT’S GONNA BE A SERIES, PROBABLY!

For reasons that will probably never be known, Fox has hired a writer to turn the film’s premise into a weekly series that follows a group of self-imposed castaways as they basically do what the people on Lost did, only with more weed.

As the tone here indicates, I’m skeptical, but all that skepticism will be washed away if they give us All Saints’ “Pure Shores” as the theme song. That was my JAM in summer of 2000.

In addition to an in-the-works deal to run a multi-camera comedy for Fox, Harmon is now looking at a blind script deal for CBS as well. “Blind script deals” I’ve been told are not hilariously-positioned sitcoms about men with bad vision getting into wacky misunderstandings, but rather a sacred bond between studio and showrunner that tacitly say, “I TRUST you, fat bearded, unhappy showrunner. I TRUST you.”

I hope he does a super-meta show about community college students. Just to be a dick.

This is currently just a pilot order but it seems that Fox has commited themselves to becoming a home for cool comedy. New Girl was a huge hit and will soon have The Mindy Project and Ben and Kate airing in the same comedy block. Whatever Harmon is cooking up would be right at home with that bunch. Let’s hope this becomes a breakout hit instead of going the way of the 784 shows* Fox has canceled in the past fifteen years.

*estimated number

It’s easier to show what I’m talking about than it is to describe it. Note: Murdoch’s hands are one of those things you cant unsee, like childbirth or Stevie Wonder’s eyes.

Enjoy the gallery, folks.

As of right now the talks are only preliminary. The show is very expensive to produce on account of dinosaurs being extinct and all, and who knows what Netflix can afford. I get the feeling that people may freak out if there’s another price hike. (Deadline)

Now, that dream is a reality thanks to Family Guy Online. It allows you to upload a picture and have it transformed into an avatar in the likeness of a Family Guy character. From there, you take your avatar and play a 3-D multiplayer game, which is a great way to run out the clock on a Friday afternoon.

Of course, many celebrities have already been run though a Family Guyzer of sorts by appearing on the show, and it hasn’t always been pretty. If a star has a notable feature, it’s often grotesquely exaggerated to hilarious and cruel proportions. So that “beauty mark” mole you have? That thing could sprout hair and start talking just like Chris’ pimple did. Just ask Gary Busey and Renee Zellweger. Scroll through the pics above and see for yourself.

The intention now is to shop the show around to other networks, so there is some hope for fans. I hope that it does find a home some place that can afford it. It’s an expensive series that never found its way creatively. That is to say, we hardly ever got to see dinosaurs eat anybody. This is your second chance. Make the dinosaurs terrifying and you’ll have a hit on your hands. (Deadline)

Always good to see the monorail getting some use.

Read an in-depth essay on this classic episode at Deadspin.com.

“Homer at the Bat” was probably the first funny episode that stood out for me. “Stark Raving Dad” with the Michael Jackson song is probably more enduring due to its sweetness, but “Homer at the Bat” is much, much funnier and set the tone for the show’s golden years.

It featured Roger Clemens, Ken Griffey Jr., Don Mattingly, Ozzie Smith, Jose Canseco, Mike Soscia, and Daryl Strawberry, among others. The fact that the producers were able to cram in some of the episode’s ephemeral baseball stars (Steve Sax?) and still make it funny is a testament to how great it was.

In honor of the anniversary, here’s a clip of Barney and Wade Boggs getting into a fistfight over who was the greatest Prime Minister of England…in Spanish.

What this demonstrates more than anything else, is

a) The Simpsons has been on for a hell of a long time, and

b) the evolutionary trajectory that the network has taken since its infancy in the late 80′s.

It went from airing a mix of cheap and cutting edge shows (It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, Tracy Ullman) to airing a whole lot of dumb shows (Herman’s Head, Drexel’s Class, Babes, Cops) to some really sleazy programming in the vein of Who Wants To Marry A Millionaire? and Temptation Island to what it’s become today, which is more or less a normal TV network with a whole evening of scheduled cartoons. And you can undoubtedly thank (or blame) The Simpsons for that as well.

After combing this list, I realize I’ve seen 34 of these shows, and that feels like plenty.

Say what you will about The Simpsons outstaying their welcome on primetime television, but it’s hard to argue that we would want any other show from this list outlasting The Simpsons. Could you imagine what the 23rd seasons of Drexel’s Class or Models, Inc. would be like? Ugh.

Stroll down memory lane with this list, and don’t forget to take a sweater. It’s supposed to be chilly tonight.

‘Til Death (2006–2010)
24 (2001–2010)
30 Seconds To Fame (2002–2003)
413 Hope St. (1997–1998)
Action! (1999)
Alien Nation (1989–1990)
Allen Gregory (2011)
Ally McBeal (1997–2002)
American High (2000)
American Juniors (2003)

 Anchorwoman (2007)
Andy Richter Controls the Universe (2002–2003)
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? (2007–2009)
Arrested Development (2003–2006)
Babes (1990–1991)
Back to You (2007–2008)
Bakersfield P.D. (1993-94)

Banzai (2003)
Between Brothers (1997–1998 Fox)
Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990–2000)
Booker (1989–1990)

Boot Camp (2000–2001)
Boston Public (2000–2004)
Brimstone (1998–1999)
Brothers (2009)
Canterbury’s Law (2008)
Cedric the Entertainer Presents (2002–2003)
Celebrity Boxing (2002)
Celebrity Duets (2006)
Class of ’96 (1993)
Comic Strip Live (1989–1994)
Costello (1998)
Cracking Up (2004)
D.E.A. (1990)
Dark Angel (2000–2002)
Do Not Disturb (2008)
Dollhouse (2009–2010)
Don’t Forget the Lyrics! (2007–2009)
Down the Shore (1992–1993)
Dream On (1995)
Drexell’s Class (1991-1992)

Drive (2007)
Encounters (1993)
Family Double Dare (1988)
Fastlane (2002–2003)
Firefly (2002–2003)
Flying Blind (1992-1993)
Forever Eden (2004)
Fox NHL Saturday (1994–1999)
FreakyLinks (2000–2001)
Free Ride (2006)
Fun House (1990–1991)
Futurama (Fox 1999-2003)
Get a Life (1990–1992)
Get Real (1999–2000)
Get Smart (1995)
Girls Club (2002)
Greed (1999–2000)
Greg the Bunny (2002)
Grounded for Life (2001–2002)
Guinness World Records Primetime (1998–2001)
Happy Hour (2006)
Hardball (1994)
Harsh Realm (1999–2000)
Haywire (1990-1991)
Head Cases (2005)
Herman’s Head (1991–1994)

Holding the Baby (1998)
Hole in the Wall (2008–2009)
Human Target (2010–2011)
In Living Color (1990–1994)
In the Flow with Affion Crockett (2011)
Invasion of the Hidden Cameras (2002)
It’s Your Chance of a Lifetime (2000)
Joe Millionaire (2003–2004)
John Doe (2002–2003)
Jonny Zero (2005)
Justice (2006)
K-Ville (2007)
Keen Eddie (2003–2004)
Kelsey Grammer Presents The Sketch Show (2005)
Key West (1993)
Killer Instinct (2005)
Kindred: The Embraced (1996)
King of the Hill (1997–2010)
Kitchen Confidential (2005)
Lie to Me (2009–2011)
Life on a Stick (2005)
Living Single (1993–1998)
Lone Star (2010)
Love and Marriage (1996)
Luis (2003)

M.A.N.T.I.S. (1994)
MADtv (1995–2009)
Malcolm in the Middle (2000–2006)
Married by America (2003)
Martin (1992–1997)
Melrose Place (1992–1999)
Mental (2009)
Method & Red (2004)
Millennium (1996–1999)
Million Dollar Money Drop (2010-2011)
Models Inc. (1994–1995)

More to Love (2009)
Mr. Personality (2003)
Murder in Small Town X (2001)
My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss (2004)
My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance (2003)
Nanny 911 (2004–2007)
Nashville (2007)
Ned & Stacey (1995–1997)
New Amsterdam (2008)
New York Undercover (1994–1998)
Night Visions (2001)
Normal, Ohio (2000)
North Shore (2004–2005)
Oliver Beene (2003–2004)
Open House (1989–1990)
Opposite Sex (2000)
Osbournes: Reloaded (2009)
Pacific Palisades (1997)
Paradise Hotel (2003)
Parker Lewis Can’t Lose (1990–1993)

Party Girl (1996)
Party of Five (1994–2000)
Pasadena (2001)
Past Life (2010)
Playing It Straight (2004)
Point Pleasant (2005)
Prison Break (2005–2009)
Profit (1996)
Quintuplets (2004–2005)
Renovate My Family (2004–2005)
Reunion (2005)
Roar (1997)
Roc (1991–1994)
Roseanne‘s Saturday Night Special
Running Wilde (2010)
Sightings (1992–1998 Fox)
Sit Down, Shut Up (2009)
Skating with Celebrities (2006)

Skin (2003)
Sliders (1995–1998 Fox)
Sons of Tucson (2010)
South Central (1994)
Space: Above and Beyond (1995–1996)
Stacked (2005–2006)
Stand By Your Man (1992)
Standoff (2006–2007)
Stargate Infinity (Fox 2002–2003)
Strange Luck (1995–1996)
Super Greed (2000)
Talkshow with Spike Feresten (2006–2009)
Temptation Island (2001–2003)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008–2009)
That ’70s Show (1998–2006)
That ’80s Show (2002)

The $treet (2000)
The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. (1993–1994)
The American Embassy (2002)
The Ben Stiller Show (1992–1993)
The Bernie Mac Show (2001–2006)
The Casino (2004)
The Chamber (2002)
The Chevy Chase Show (1993)
The Chicago Code (2011)
The Crew (1995–1996)
The Critic (Fox 1994–1995)
The Edge (1992-1993)
The George Carlin Show (1994–1995)
The Good Guys (2010)
The Heights (1992)
The Inside (2005)
The Jury (2004)
The Last Frontier (1996)
The Lone Gunmen (2001)
The Loop (2006–2007)
The Moment of Truth (2008)
The Next Great American Band (2007)
The O.C. (2003–2007)
The Outsiders (1990)
The Pitts (2003)
The PJs (Fox 1999–2001)

The Preston Episodes (1995)
The Princes of Malibu (2005)
The Rebel Billionaire: Branson’s Quest for the Best (2004)
The Reporters (1988–1990)
The Return of Jezebel James (2008)
The Rich List (2006)
The Simple Life (2003–2005 Fox)
The Swan (2004)
The Tick (2001–2002)
The Visitor (1997–1998)
The Wanda Sykes Show (2009–2010)
The War at Home (2005–2007)
The Wedding Bells (2007)
The Winner (2007)
The X-Files (1993–2002)
Time of Your Life (1999–2000)
Titus (2000–2002)
Too Something (1995–1996)
Top of the Heap (1991)
Totally Hidden Video (1989–1992)

Trading Spouses (2004–2007)
Traffic Light (2011)
Tru Calling (2003–2005)
True Colors (1990–1992)
Unan1mous (2006)
Undeclared (2001–2002)
Unhitched (2008)
Vanished (2006)
Vinnie & Bobby (1992)
VR.5 (1995)
Wanda at Large (2003)
Wild Oats (1994)[4]
Wonderfalls (2004)
Woops! (1992)
World Idol (2003–2004)
World’s Wildest Police Videos (1998–2002)

During a recent press conference in England, a reporter mentioned the Fox report to Kermit and Miss Piggy. Being the media-savvy swine that she is, Piggy (well, the person with her hand up Miss Piggy’s butt) absolutely shut down the cable news channel.

Take notes, Chelsea Handler. (via /Film)

Ace Merrill – Stand By Me

Kiefer Sutherland‘s town bully is one of the worst in film history. Considering that the town depicted in Stand By Me is filled with criminals and abusive alcoholics, you have to be pretty sinister to shake the kids. Sutherland’s Ace Merrill was the baddest of the bunch. But after a journey that included being attacked by a junkyard dog, nearly killed by a train, and covered in leeches, Sutherland seemed a lot less threatening. No matter how hard he tried, he’s just not as scary as a leech in the underpants.

Doc Scurlock – Young Guns

Doc Scurlock is the level-headed one in Billy the Kid’s group of Regulators. Known more for his calm intellect, he isn’t afraid to fire a gun when forced. After riding off into the sunset with the love of his life, he narrates the end of the story, revealing where the Regulators ended up in life. They all went off to new work opportunities, except for Billy who was killed by Pat Garrett.

However, Billy is still alive and well in Young Guns 2 when Doc dies in a blaze of glory. Are we to believe he is a ghost narrator? A cowboy ghost narrator nonetheless?

Jane Carrey is 24 years old and her career is listed as “waitress,” which probably doesn’t mean much, other than “Jim Carrey’s daughter” isn’t the type of thing you put you your tax returns. It’s also a little surprising to learn that Jane has a kid, named Jackson Riley Santana, making Jim Carrey a grandfather.

Ok. That’s fun trivia. But can Jane sing?

Yeah. She doesn’t bellow like Xtina or Mariah or anything, but she seems to have some chops in this video‘s brief rendition of the ubiquitous “Something to Talk About.” I wouldn’t bet on her to win, or even make it more than a few rounds, but she’s a sweet, cute girl that doesn’t make me want to chuck my remote at the TV.

And she’s also Jim Carrey’s daughter. Really can’t stress that enough.

To create awareness for the upcoming program, FOX set-up shop at the corner of Hollywood and Highland, offering to the public a food truck serving quesadillas and tots, tetherball, THE Tina the Llama, a bizarre little nook called “Deb’s Crafts,” and a surprise appearance by the cast of the film and show. Honestly, their appearance may have only been a surprise to me due to my lack of preparation for the event, but whatever, the amount of jewelry the guy that plays Pedro was wearing was shocking no matter what your expectations were.

However, the real spectacle here was a Napoleon Dynamite impersonation contest, which garnered hundreds, if not thousands (actually, more like “dozens”), of entrants. Unfortunately, the contest got off to a late start because a) this didn’t seem like a particularly well-run event, and b) there was a whole grip of Koreans who were keen on Jesus demonstrating on the street, and they made it hard to hear anything other than the Koreans bellowing on about how great Jesus is. You can find this guy just singing his heart out at about 1:25 on our video.

Of course, the demonstration ruined my interview with the cast, and caused the impresonation contest to be delayed so long that no one really stuck around to see it, but when you think about it, I was there to cover the Napoleon Dynamite animated series, and they were there to save mankind from eternal damnation, so I didn’t really feel like I had a valid gripe.

Beyond that, no one seemed to really care about the tetherball installation, save for one crazy guy who just went batshit on it (solo), and the crafts didn’t seem to be terribly popular either. The llama kept biting people and was just kind of an asshole in general. We didn’t stick around for the impersonation contest because, after a two-hour delay, we just didn’t want to, knowing we could find footage of it online.

We were wrong. There seems to be no footage of the sound-a-like contest at all. Shit.

In summation, the event was cut from the same cloth as the Napoleon Dynamite film – it was a little overhyped, some mild fun, and just weird and dumb enough to keep my interest. I would tell you the premiere time and date of the cartoon on FOX, but they didn’t give the press free tots OR quesadillas.

Hmm. Now I feel bad. As a compromise, here’s a link to the premiere date and time.

A very special thanks to Matt McVay for editing, filming, and basically doing all the work on this piece.  A less special thanks to Michaela Kuenster for just sorta being there. 

Well, Kiefer got his, too. Like Party Down, the film will be a direct continuation of the series finale. Also like Party Down, very few people saw the series finale, so maybe they’ll give us one of those “Previously…on 24” montages that lasts for 43 minutes, showing the audience so many double agents, betrayals, and “dammits” that their eyes will begin to bleed.

Kiefer is touting an April filming date, despite the fact that the project hasn’t announced a director, nor has a script been approved by Fox. Mere details, I’m sure.

The film will once again follow Jack Bauer around during one of his trademark cuh-razy days, but with a run time of around 90 minutes, rather than the 18 hours. They might want to rethink that, though. Theater owners could make a killing off concessions should they make the movie 18 hours long.

Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly announced the new strategy at the TCA press tour over the weekend. He noted that one of the problems with the Fox Sunday night block of animated programming is that a lot of material is developed that could never work in prime-time. It only makes sense to air that stuff after Grandma goes to bed.

Adult Swim’s Nick Weidenfeld and Warren the Ape’s Hend Baghdad have been placed in charge of the new unit, which is expected to role out the new late-night Saturday slate in January of 2013. Fingers crossed that this awesome idea isn’t perverted into the animated adventures of Nick Cannon and Wanda Sykes. (Deadline)

Not everyone was happy to see the early footage though, including 20th Century Fox chairman Tom Rothman. Rothman told the press that the leak was “heartbreakingly unfair” to the finished product. We’re not sure why he’s worried. Most people are smart enough to understand that a grainy bootleg doesn’t represent what a finished film will look like, and if anything the hype generated by the trailer has boosted the film’s profile. Still, we appreciate his concern for the integrity of all of Fox’s cinematic art, especially since the last several years have taken a hammer to that sterling reputation. Here are nine Fox studios moments we found a bit more heartbreaking than the Prometheus trailer.

The Day the Earth Stood Still Gets Remade

The original The Day the Earth Stood Still is a sci-fi classic that has aged beautifully. The story, dealing with an alien race that has come to wipe out humanity before we can harm other planets with Nuclear weapons, has an anti-war message as relevant now as it was sixty years ago. Naturally, Fox decided to remake the film, only this time leaving out the strong characterization or storytelling. When a Keanu Reeves performance is only the 4th worst thing about your film, you know you have a problem. Instead of just promoting a gem of its back catalogue with a nice new DVD release, Fox forced out this turd of a remake, which not only tanked at the box office, but will likely harm the original’s reputation in the memories of future generations of film fans.

Avatar… in 3-D!

Avatar was a fine film. Its massive success has generated some backlash, and it certainly isn’t perfect, but it’s an entertaining, watchable movie, if maybe a bit too long. None of this is heartbreaking. What is heartbreaking is that it was released in 3-D… and became the highest grossing film ever. This has inspired every studio, especially Fox, to churn it out their new action films in 3-D, whether they were filmed with that in mind or not. This may grab the studios a few extra bucks per ticket in the short term, but it is turning away film goers who either get headaches from 3-D effects or are tired of paying extra for an effect they don’t want. James Cameron made 3-D an essential part of Avatar, and he labored for years to make sure every shot was gorgeous. For most of the rest however, its a cheap gimmick that is fun for a few minutes and quickly becomes annoying.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine is Leaked- In Its Entirety

As stressed out as they are over a leaked trailer, imagine how pissed off Fox was in 2009 when Wolverine was released on the net, in it’s entirety. Fox tried to spin it as an early work print with unfinished special effects, but there were few noticeable differences in the finished film. Worst of all, fans who were honest and paid to see Wolverine were rewarded with two hours of incomprehensible garbage that nearly sunk the X-Men franchise. As if Fox hadn’t already killed enough good will with X-Men: The Last Stand, three years earlier. It all worked out in the end, however, as the recent X-Men: First Class has righted the ship, and Fox has no doubt upped their security to keep such leaks from happening again. Except when it comes to bootlegged trailers.

The episodes will begin airing on Netflix instant sometime in early 2013 as a warm up for the long rumored Arrested Development movie. If this works out, I think we’ll be seeing new episodes of Community sometime around 2016. (Vulture)

“I wrote a script and at the moment Fox is not wanting to do the project,” said Cronenberg, who reportedly finished writing the screenplay last month. In the interview, Cronenberg also stated that he may turn his attention to Eastern Promises 2, so at least there’s a silver lining.

Perhaps the studio is apprehensive about putting millions of dollars into a movie about household pests. But I find that hard to believe, since Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwreched had no problem getting a green light. Are rodents really preferable to insects?

Source

India‘s recent bouts with terrorism have been more frequent than the United States, so tacklin 24 is a pretty topical move on their part. The man behind the push is 20th Century Fox‘s head of international television, Marion Edwards, who is not only working on getting 24 to India, but also Malcolm in the Middle, The Wonder Years, and Modern Family. I guess he passed on Hill Street Blues and The Hogan Family.

24: India (as it is being called internally) will be hitting Indian airwaves in 2012, after Kapoor finishes shooting Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

But in all fairness, I probably should blame Kinberg for the way Last Stand turned out considering Brett Ratner was directing. Kinberg also penned the screenplay for Sherlock Holmes, which wasn’t a bad flick. So unlike myself as well as my immediate family, maybe there’s some hope left for this sequel. (Vulture)

The Jonah Hill-produced Gregory debuted last night between Family Guy and The Simpsons Halloween Special, but failed to rake in more than a 4.7 share, which is apparently a disappointment, even though The Simpsons scored a 4.0 and Family Guy a 3.2.

Huh. Weirdly enough, someone at Fox this morning probably addressed a group sitting around a coffee table and said, “This show isn’t drawing enough viewers. We need a show that more people will watch. Like Bob’s Burgers.”

All hail Bob’s Burgers.

The Punisher is described as an hour-long procedural with a Marvel signature and a new take on one of the comic book giant’s iconic characters, Frank Castle, a rising star detective with the New York Police Department who moonlights as the vigilante Punisher, seeking justice for those the system has failed.

What? Procedural?

I was under the impression that the Punisher was a former marine and war vet who loses his family in a mob hit gone wrong, and then spends his life punishing violent criminals. Now he’s going to be a cop? Why is Fox developing The Punisher at all when they just plan to remake Dexter? I hope this new procedural features a smart allecky police captain who makes Punisher work late, and possibly a hip goth crime lab chick who he can flirt with.

The character has been adapted three times as a film, and although each film had its good points, none of them were a hit. Why this concept is so hard to crack is baffling. Here’s the recipe to a great Punisher story:

Step 1: Show an awful villain beyond redemption committing horrific acts.

Step 2: Show the Punisher killing this villain.

Step 3: Rinse, repeat.

Maybe this show will prove me wrong, and will actually be a kick ass adaptation of my favorite comic book. But it isn’t off to a promising start.

As expected, this decision seems to hinge exclusively on Fox’s financial considerations. Last week the studio released a statement saying that it “cannot produce future seasons under its current financial model,” and that it will have to trim the budget of each episode by 25-30%

Considering the network only wants the show for another season after this one, it’s easy to see why they’re playing hardball. The show is limping along in its twilight years, so they’re not going to extend themselves for a 24th season unless they can do it on their terms, voice actors be damned.

All in all, a cancellation this season or next seems like a small price to pay to get people to stop smugly saying they don’t watch The Simpsons anymore because the quality’s fallen off.