The Life Expectancy of TV ‘Toons

The Great Toon-In of 1999 is turning into the Big Tune-Out of 2000.

Inspired by the success of “The Simpsons,” “King of the Hill,” Comedy Central’s “South Park” and several animated series on cable, networks, in their never-ending search for bigger audiences last year, embraced animation as the hot new trend. “The PJs,” “Dilbert,” “Family Guy,” “Home Movies” and several other series that debuted last season were the first drops in what became a tidal wave of new animation poised to wash over prime time in the 1999-2000 season.

But now, as network executives plan their announcements of the new fall schedule, the ‘toon tide has been turned back.

The current season has been marked by the high-profile tune-out of several animated projects, including “God, the Devil and Bob,” “Mission Hill,” “Home Movies” and “Dilbert.” Other animated series face roadblocks. Fox’s “The PJs,” which drew controversy when it premiered last spring with its depiction of an inner-city housing project, has been off the air this season, and is not scheduled to return until late May. Another dimensional-animated Fox comedy originally slated for midseason, “Gary & Mike,” will not air until the summer. NBC’s “Sammy,” about a father-son relationship loosely based on co-creator David Spade’s childhood, is “on hold and probably will not be aired,” said an NBC spokeswoman.

“Quints” which was being developed for UPN by actress Meg Ryan, never made it out of the starting blocks. “Clerks,” based on the edgy independent film by Kevin Smith, has been on and off ABC’s schedule, and may be pulled again before its planned May 31 airdate. The family comedy “Family Guy,” say Fox executives, is “on the bubble” as far as its chances for a second season.

Even more telling, the four major networks only have one animated series among their fall pilots: Fox’s “Clone High,” about a high school attended by clones of famous people.

Producer Bob Greenblatt, whose production company, Greenblatt Janollari, is developing an animated comedy for UPN, is aware of the foreboding climate for animation: “Yes, everyone is quick to say now that the genre is dead.” Added an NBC executive, “I really don’t get the feeling that viewers want to see cartoons on network television.”

One executive said the lackluster reception of network animation is merely the cyclical nature of the television business playing itself out once again.

“What happened is just the grand history of TV encapsulated,” said Mike Lazzo, senior vice president of programming and production for the Cartoon Network. “The networks are just behaving the way they always have. It’s the second time a phenomena like this has happened. Right after ‘The Simpsons’ became a hit, it begat a whole wave of animation like ‘Capitol Critters,’ ‘Fish Police’ and ‘The Critic.’ They all came and went rapidly. ‘Fish Police’ was just awful.

“Now with the success of what the Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and MTV has done with animation, it’s happening again. It’s inevitable that ‘The Simpsons’ and ‘King of the Hill’ will stay around, but shows like ‘God, the Devil and Bob’ and ‘Mission Hill’ will fall by the wayside. It’s great for animation to be seen in prime time. But it’s not good to mindlessly rush into anything.”

Peter Roth, president of Warner Bros. Television, said that producers and writers of the new animated projects concentrated more on the form rather than the content.

“Whenever there is a success, everyone wants to clone it,” said Roth, one of the key executives behind the development of “The Simpsons” and “King of the Hill” when he was at 20th Century Fox Television and the Fox network. “It’s like it is now with the game shows. Everyone thinks there is a magic formula. But it’s never about the form, it’s about the content.”

Judging Each Series on Its Own Merits

To be sure, there were specific problems with the failed shows. “The PJs” may have been too controversial and delicate for Fox (the same may not hold true for the WB, which traffics in edgier fare and may soon pick up the show). “God, the Devil and Bob,” about an everyman caught between the devil and a God that looked like the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia, drew mixed reviews, offended some religious leaders and NBC affiliates, and never caught on with audiences. “Sammy” received negative buzz from critics and others, and was said to be the lowest testing pilot in NBC’s history.

“Dilbert,” with its satirical look at office politics, may have gone over the heads of the network’s younger viewers. Scott Adams, creator of the “Dilbert” comic strip and an executive producer of the UPN series, said: “I don’t know, given the natural disadvantage of UPN’s audience, if it would have ever worked. We were starting in a hole.”

Creators of the shows most likely misjudged the audience. “Beavis and Butt-head” creator Mike Judge, who is one of the producers on “King of the Hill,” speculated, “I don’t think people sit at home and say, ‘I feel like watching some animation tonight.’ These shows aren’t failing because they’re animated. The ones I’ve seen lack a heart and soul. They look like they’ve been made by a committee. I also think that not enough attention is paid to the voice fitting with the way the character is drawn. Shows really work when the voice and the character fit.”

Tom Turpin, CEO of Portland-based Will Vinton Studios, the developers of “The PJs” and “Gary & Mike,” suggested that too many of the animated series looked alike, and audiences lost interest in the novelty of the form.

Said Turpin: “The bulk of prime-time animation is still cel animation. Sure, it’s visually distinctive from live action, but they all kind of looked alike. There’s just a whole lot of room for costuming or other elements. Because of the lack of variety, that kind of animation becomes gimmicky.” Even more unique and realistic animation such as the style Vinton Studios developed for “The PJs” and “Gary & Mike” run into trouble “because we wind up competing with ourselves.”

But despite the near-total collapse of new animation on the networks, the genre is not totally tuned out.

The “grand old men” of animation--”The Simpsons” and “King of the Hill,” both on Fox, continue to reap the benefits of a loyal viewership, with no end in sight. “Futurama,” the space age comedy from “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening, has also caught on with audiences--although to a lesser extent than the two veteran shows--and is in production for a second season.

Dana Walden and Gary Newman, presidents of Twentieth Century Fox Television, which produces “The Simpsons” and “King of the Hill,” said the two shows may have kept viewers from checking out the new projects. “We have the advantage of being out in front of the trend,” Newman said. “It’s a whole lot harder now to get noticed and to find viewers to invest in another animated series. It’s a tribute to ‘Futurama’ and ‘Family Guy’ that they’ve done as well as they have.”

Added Walden: “We’re very lucky to be in business with the right people.”

Animation is still thriving on MTV, Nickelodeon and the Cartoon Network, with numerous projects in development. The fledging WB and UPN networks are both developing animated series for the upcoming season.

Strong Interest for Something New

As always, it’s not enough to merely have a good idea. How the idea is executed plays a significant role in success. Roth pointed to “The Simpsons”: “That show is one of the most consistently well-crafted shows of the last decade. The quality and acting talent is outstanding. That’s the lucky charm of the show.”

In spite of the flops, the networks are still looking at animation, said Sarah Baisley, editor of Animation Magazine. “They’re accepting pitches like crazy,” she said. “And there’s a lot of interest in Internet animated shows.”

Warner Bros. Television and the WB have high hopes for “The Oblongs,” a comedy about a dysfunctional family from producer Bruce Helford, co-creator of “The Drew Carey Show.” The WB is also proud of “Baby Blues,” which is based on the syndicated comic strip, and will schedule the series over the summer. UPN has three animated shows on their slate--”Doomsday,” about a futuristic family; “Clayton,” a comedy set in high school from “Celebrity Death Match” creator Eric Fogel; and “Rat Bastard,” based on a futuristic comic book about a rat.

“We’re still excited about animation,” said Kelly Edwards, vice president of comedy development at UPN. “We’ve looked at everything that has worked and hasn’t worked. It’s still a viable form for TV. Just because some shows haven’t worked doesn’t mean animation is dead. You have to look at the big picture.”

Bob Greenblatt, who is helping to develop “Clayton,” added, “Everyone said the sitcom is dead. Then ‘Will & Grace’ and ‘Malcolm in the Middle’ came along. It’s just the matter of having a great show.”