Well, this is out of left Bedrock. Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane has just signed a deal to reboot The Flintstones. Considered amongst the most beloved animated characters of all-time, the prehistoric nuclear family had their first television show in the early 1960s. From there, the brand snowballed to include numerous spin-offs, reboots, comedy hours and movies. It only makes sense the most prolific current animated show runner would eventually try his hand at reworking the icons.
Generically titled The Flintstones, work on the animated series will begin almost immediately with an eye toward making its way into the Fox line-up in 2013. That may seem like a long way off, but it takes time to properly work out the specifics when dealing with such a developed brand. We all saw what happened to the hastily put together Wonder Woman reboot. No one involved here wants to see Fred and Wilma meet the same fate.
Joking about his decision to do the show, Seth MacFarlane justified it by saying, “I think America is finally ready for an animated sitcom about a fat, stupid guy with a wife who’s too good for him.” Humor aside, the animator reportedly practiced drawing Fred Flintstone as a little kid, and it’s been a secret dream of his to put his own spin on the characters.
The only real question remaining is what the hell are the Flintstones going to act like in MacFarlane’s hands? For years, the family has been decidedly PG-rated, but that’s hardly its new author’s scene. Plus, if the show ends up running on Sunday nights as expected, it’s going to seem very out place opposite The Simpsons and Family Guy if the edge isn’t ratcheted up. It’s a dicey line MacFarlane needs to walk, but with two years to prepare, it seems likely he’ll find the right middle ground.
