Posted by Duke_of_Fluke at 194.129.43.14 on February 21, 2000 at 20:42:26:
Read your post about ABC. Man, it's a depressing read, and frankly, kind of disappointing.
OK, studio execs lied to you. I can't believe you weren't expecting this, or if you were, I can't believe you took it so hard. Of course they're gonna treat the cartoon like shit! I was surprised at how they hyped it so hard in the beginning, what with the Superbowl commercial. They weren't buying your cartoon, necessarily, they were buying something they thought would make them money - I'll bet they thought they were buying the new Southpark, and when it didn't look like the new Southpark to them, they dumped it into the May slot.
The fact is, your show is a risky venture. (A) It's taken from a low budget black and white movie about 2 guys in a shop which (B) may have a good cult following, but hardly anyone saw it. Can you blame them for having second thoughts? They have a difficult job, trying to figure out what will make them money when they have no concept of what entertaining TV is, purely because everything they watch they're watching to see how much money it will make (I think that makes sense). Fuck the suits, they're just doing their job, just like the people who released all your other stuff.
The public hasn't seen it yet. Your loyal fanbase hasn't seen it yet. Fans in Europe, Australia and everywhere else haven't seen it yet, and you're saying the whole thing is fucked because of the date it's released? Thanks for the vote of confidence, man. You realise it's already being talked about in the UK movie press? Do you also realise that we never get to hear about TV shows in the US until they're on TV here, unless there is an EXCEPTIONAL buzz? We didn't hear about The Sopranos in advance, for example, and yet plenty people know there's a Clerks cartoon coming.
The fat lady has not sat down and watched the cartoon yet. We're all gonna watch it, even if we have to tape it, just like we all went to see Dogma, and Dogma didn't bomb, did it? So much for the previous "fucking" from Disney - I can't see how their fear of Dogma did you any harm at all. You're still making a profit on Dogma, aren't you? It is far from over, and unless the show is substandard (doubt it!), I think you're unduly panicking.
So I don't see what all the fuss is about. Don't assume that because conventional wisdom dictates that your show gets put in a shitty time-slot that it's already dead. You could put it on in the primetime slot on the biggest TV watching day of the year and people are still gonna turn it off cos they don't like it. You already have a decent-sized audience who have been waiting for this for months, and then you can add to that the people that will see it and like it. I have no doubts at all about the quality of the show, I know it will be excellent (if it ever gets released over here - another fucking stumbling block).
And another thing - you keep dissing people and companies here, you're bring unecessary shit down on your head. Personally, I respect the fact that you keep it real, that you're not afraid to tell PTA/ABC how you feel, but I'm in the minority. It never helps, you've already got a buzz (not saying goo, not saying bad) about the Magnolia shit, as you know, and people only remember shite like that.
OK, I'm done telling you how to live your life. Next week - how to dress.
Duke