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123-470: The Jetsons is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions . It originally aired in prime time from September 23, 1962, to March 17, 1963, on ABC , then later aired in reruns via syndication , with new episodes produced from 1985 to 1987. It was Hanna-Barbera's Space Age counterpart to The Flintstones . While the Flintstones lived in a world which was a comical version of

246-432: A flatscreen television , newspaper on a computer -like screen , a computer virus , video chat , a tanning bed , home treadmill and more. In January 2009, IGN listed The Jetsons as the 46th best animated television series. Animated sitcom The Flintstones , which debuted in 1960, is considered the first example of the animated sitcom genre. A similar cartoon, The Jetsons , which took place in

369-405: A reboot-comic book revealed that an environmental apocalypse caused humans to seek refuge in aerial cities. Maloney also notes the lack of people of color in the show and theorizes how discrimination against impoverished groups and developing countries could've taken place, stating "though long held up as the quintessential utopia, The Jetsons is a perfect dystopia, built on the corpses of

492-515: A "few cult hits and flops in the '90s", with almost nothing in the 2000s and more in the 2010s. Some critics called Duckman , based on a comic of the same, a "Simpsons-inspired sitcom" which had a pilot in 1991 and premiered in 1994 on the USA Network as part of the "network's Saturday night programming." The show features humans, animals, and hybrids of both intermingling, with "every design intentionally exaggerated and distorted", looking like

615-411: A "force for adult animation." In 1999, Family Guy debuted on Fox . The series was cancelled twice in the first three years, but became one of the network's longest-running series. It would later be praised for its humor, "cynical commentary, and sci-fi adventures" while having a sincere but tragic and real relationship between Brian and Pearl Burton. Beavis and Butt-Head , which began airing in

738-532: A "surprise hit with adult audiences." Even though some argued that The Flintstones later influenced The Simpsons , other scholars said that although the show caused a boom in primetime animation and "subverted conventional TV", the result would be driving animation out of primetime "for almost three decades". Despite this, scholar John Libbey argued that the show utilized "subversive qualities of animation." From 1972 to 1974, Hanna-Barbera produced Wait Till Your Father Gets Home , an adult-oriented sitcom in

861-409: A 2013 interview, Pat Carroll indicated that the court had ruled in favor of Hanna-Barbera. The show's original run consisted of 24 episodes that first aired on ABC from September 23, 1962, to March 17, 1963, and, as was standard practice at the time, contained a laugh track . In 1984, Hanna-Barbera began producing new episodes specifically for syndication ; by September 1985, the 24 episodes from

984-535: A Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation , argued that culture and events of 1990s "can all be understood through a Simpsons prism." Some critics argued that The Simpsons was responsible for "popularizing adult animation" while influencing "satirical cartoons" like South Park and Family Guy . Others even said that The Simpsons opened the "door for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim" and praised it for being "extremely unique and ... constantly evolving." Andrew J. Crow of Time magazine noted

1107-473: A billions-strong underclass deemed unworthy of a life in the clouds." Added characters: Other differences include the following: Television films Television specials Theatrical releases Direct-to-video films A 1974 proposal would have created a sequel series to The Jetsons , set roughly ten years after the original series. CBS rejected the proposal and it was retooled into Partridge Family 2200 A.D. Paramount Pictures first tried to film

1230-418: A comic book company named Dearfield Publishing. Active from 1946 to 1951, Dearfield's titles included "Red" Rabbit Comics , Foxy Fagan , and Junie Prom . Quimby accepted each Academy Award for Tom and Jerry without inviting Barbera and Hanna onstage. The cartoons were also released with Quimby listed as the sole producer, following the same practice for which he had condemned Ising. Quimby once delayed

1353-501: A day, two days a week. His boss is Cosmo Spacely, the bombastic owner of Spacely Space Sprockets. Spacely has a competitor, Mr. Cogswell, owner of the rival company Cogswell Cogs (sometimes known as Cogswell's Cosmic Cogs). Jetson commutes to work in an aerocar with a transparent bubble top. Daily life is leisurely, assisted by numerous labor-saving devices, which occasionally break down with humorous results. Despite this, everyone complains of exhausting hard labor and difficulties living with

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1476-447: A family, but it gives a "new take on the typical American family." Some described The Boondocks as profound, comedic, smart, silly, has social commentary on class relations, racism, and with a unique animation style. Some said that Apple TV+ 's Central Park was one of the best shows of 2020 and described it as the network's "first foray into adult animation." Certain comedians have created their own animated sitcoms. This includes

1599-431: A gift for timing, story construction, and recruiting top artists. Major business decisions would be made together, though each year, the title of president alternated between them. A coin toss gave Hanna precedence in the naming of the new company first called H-B Enterprises but soon changed to Hanna-Barbera Productions . Barbera and Hanna's MGM colleague George Sidney , the director of Anchors Aweigh , became

1722-495: A good, basic thought." The revamped characters first appeared in 1941's The Midnight Snack . Over the next 17 years, Barbera and Hanna worked exclusively on Tom and Jerry , directing more than 114 popular cartoon shorts. During World War II, they also made animated training films. Tom and Jerry relied mostly on motion instead of dialog. Despite its popularity, Tom and Jerry have often been criticized as excessively violent. The series won its first Academy Award for

1845-504: A job at a bank and continued to pursue publication for his cartoons. His magazine drawings of single cartoons, not comic strips, began to be published in Redbook , The Saturday Evening Post , and Collier's —the magazine with which he had the most success. Barbera also wrote to Walt Disney for advice on getting started in the animation industry. Disney wrote back, saying he would call Barbera during an upcoming trip to New York, but

1968-660: A lasting impact on television animation. Cartoons they created often make the greatest lists. Many of their characters have appeared in films, books, toys, and other media. Their shows had a worldwide audience of over 300 million people in the 1960s and have been translated into more than 20 languages. The works of Barbera and Hanna have been praised not only for their animation but for their music. The Cat Concerto (1946) and Johann Mouse (1952) have both been called "masterpieces of animation" largely because of their classical music. The Hanna–Barbera team won seven Academy Awards and eight Emmy Awards, including

2091-418: A live-action version of The Jetsons in 1985, which was to be executive produced by Gary Nardino, but failed to do so. In the late 1980s, Universal Pictures purchased the film rights for The Flintstones and The Jetsons from Hanna-Barbera Productions. The result was Jetsons: The Movie , which was released in 1990. In November 2001, screenwriting duo Paul Foley and Dan Forman were brought onboard to revise

2214-417: A lowly cartoon at that. But this little show—for better and for worse—has had a profound impact on the way that Americans think and talk about the future." After the announcement of the fall 1962 network television schedule Time magazine characterized The Jetsons as one of several new situation comedies (along with The Beverly Hillbillies , I'm Dickens... He's Fenster , and Our Man Higgins ) that

2337-535: A massive hit among American audiences. In response, ABC , CBS and NBC each developed animated series to air in prime time, but none of the shows were successful. One series, Capitol Critters , focused on subjects such as gun control, interracial violence and political corruption. In his review of the series, Variety critic Brian Lowry wrote that he felt that the series' approach was "muddled", and that "the bland central character and cartoonish elements ... will likely be off-putting to many adults, who won't find

2460-507: A parody of The Real World , which follows the misadventures of the housemates in the fictional show of the same name and uses a sitcom format with a reality TV show setting, was followed by a direct-to-video film and series finale titled The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie! . Another antimated sitcom was Brickleberry which aired on Comedy Central from 2012 to 2015. It was created by Waco O'Guin and Roger Black , executive produced by O'Guin, Black, and comedian Daniel Tosh . It

2583-439: A popular streaming hub. Critics praised Tuca & Bertie and Solar Opposites for their take on humor and comedy . Shaurya Thapa of Screen Rant argued that Tuca & Bertie offered "a fresh and realistic take on the sitcom formula" while Rafael Motomoyer of Collider argued that Solar Opposites not only mixes "crude humor and knack for violence ... with a long-standing tradition of animated sitcoms" centered on

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2706-399: A promised raise to Barbera by six months. When Quimby retired in late 1955, Hanna and Barbera were placed in charge of MGM's animation division. As MGM began to lose more revenue on animated cartoons due to television, the studio soon realized that re-releasing old cartoons was far more profitable than producing new ones. In 1957, MGM ordered Barbera and Hanna's business manager to close

2829-444: A screenplay, with Rob Minkoff attached as director and Denise Di Novi as producer. On March 18, 2003, it was announced that the script was again being reworked, with Adam Shankman entering negotiations to direct and co-write the film. In June 2004, with Shankman still onboard as director, Di Novi confirmed that the latest draft was penned by Sam Harper . By May 2006, the project was re-launched with Adam F. Goldberg confirmed as

2952-575: A seven-minute cartoon decreased from 14,000 to nearly 2,000, and the company implemented innovative techniques such as rapid background changes to improve viewing. Critics criticized the change from detailed animation to repetitive movements by two-dimensional characters. Barbera once said that they chose to adapt to the television budgets or change careers. The new style did not limit the success of their animated shows, enabling Hanna-Barbera to stay in business, providing employment to many who would otherwise have been out of work. Limited animation paved

3075-517: A sneak peek on Cartoon Network on December 30, 2000, the series officially premiered on Adult Swim on September 2, 2001, the night the block launched. It ended on July 22, 2007, with a total of 39 episodes , over the course of four seasons. Later, in October 2018, a special , entitled Harvey Birdman: Attorney General , premiered, and a spin-off, Birdgirl , was ordered in May 2019. Some described

3198-555: A unique style, and centered around "therapist discussions with real celebrities". In March 2000, the first few episodes of God, the Devil and Bob aired on NBC , with nine episodes unaired. The series didn't return until 2011, when the nine remaining episodes aired, from January to March 2011, on Adult Swim . Some said this was because Christian groups, like the American Family Association , had boycotted

3321-594: A worldwide audience of over 300 million people in the 1960s and have been translated into more than 28 languages. Joseph Barbera was born at 10 Delancey Street in the Little Italy , Lower East Side section of Manhattan , New York, to Italian Sicilian immigrants Vincenzo Barbera (1884–1969), born in Castelvetrano and Francesca Calvacca (1892–1974), born in Sciacca , her mother, also named Francesca,

3444-462: Is "as much about New Frontier 1962 as about the distant future. Its ditzy slapstick is like the peanut-butter-and-jelly mix Goober Grape —if you didn't love it as a kid, you're not going to acquire the taste as an adult—and the pop-culture gags ... have not aged well. But the animation is still a classic of gee-whiz atomic-age modernism." The review of the DVD release from Entertainment Weekly said

3567-455: Is a "veteran of adult animation" as he worked on Family Guy in the past. In June 2011, two scholars analyzed queer characters and themes in animated sitcoms, arguing that they create "space for queer resistance," analyzing themes, and text, in the animated series Family Guy . They also argued that analyzing the show using postmodern thematic analysis , it creates " deconstructionist instances" that, in their view, "expose and subvert

3690-613: Is a key difference in the nature of the colonization: in Funderful Suburbia , humans colonize outer space in order to escape the problems of planet Earth , while the Jetsons live in a place where space colonization is already established. Life in outer space is depicted as a fact of life, and the reasons behind humanity's takeover of outer space are never explained. Lehman argues that the series offers no explanation for its science fiction premise and does not directly satirize

3813-489: Is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. Most of the cartoons Barbera and Hanna created revolved around close friendship or partnership; this theme is evident with Fred and Barney, Wilma Flintstone and Betty Rubble, Dick Dastardly and Muttley, Tom and Jerry, Scooby and Shaggy, Ruff and Reddy, Jake Clawson/Razor and Chance Furlong/T-Bone, The Jetson family and Yogi & Boo-Boo. These may have reflected

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3936-404: Is changing, saying that it can be something that is "sophisticated, dramatic, beautiful and nuanced" rather than "crass and cruel." In January 2020, TZGZ , Syfy 's new adult animation block, ordered six 15-minute episodes of the series, which would later become Magical Girl Friendship Squad . At the same time, the short form version, Magical Girl Friendship Squad: Origins , began airing on

4059-471: Is not the only model for such animation, due to new shows coming to TV and streaming platforms like BoJack Horseman , Big Mouth , Rick and Morty and Undone , which some call a boom at the time that "high-quality adult animation shows" are being produced in France, Japan, and in other parts of the world, a new group of creators is pushing existing boundaries. Even so, fans of The Simpsons turned Hulu into

4182-615: Is one of the few series to have aired on each of the Big Three television networks in the United States. On February 21, 2021, The Jetsons began airing on MeTV . The series' theme song, by composer Hoyt Curtin , became a pop hit in 1986. Animation historian Christopher P. Lehman considers that the series shares its main science fiction theme with Funderful Suburbia (1962), a Modern Madcaps animated short. Both feature people involved in space colonization . However, there

4305-419: Is performed by a robot maid named Rosie , who handles chores not otherwise rendered trivial by the home's numerous push-button Space Age -envisioned conveniences. The family has a dog named Astro that talks with an initial consonant mutation in which every word begins with an "R", as if speaking with a growl; a similar effect would also be used for Scooby-Doo . George Jetson's work week consists of an hour

4428-743: Is said that Jeremy is actually heterosexual but left his wife and children for Richard, who offered him an easy, no-maintenance life as his trophy husband. The following year, from January to December 2012, Unsupervised , an adult animated sitcom ran on FX . Although it was cancelled in November 2012 after one season, it was praised by critics as a coming-of-age story, with two clueless and ridiculous protagonists, while having "realistic looking backgrounds," contrasting with show's look in general. Jeff & Some Aliens , an animated sitcom aired on Comedy Central from January to March 2017. The plot surrounds three aliens who travel to Earth to find

4551-399: Is the case with Disenchantment , Final Space , Solar Opposites , Central Park , the short-lived series, Hoops , and Q-Force . This positioned Netflix as a leader of adult animation content. The creator of Bojack Horseman , Raphael Bob-Waksberg , said that the show is about "ourselves looking outwards" and argued that the voice actor for Bojack, Will Arnett , can find

4674-625: The Aleutian Islands Campaign . Barbera's father, Vincent, was the prosperous owner of three barbershops who squandered the family fortunes on gambling. By the time Barbera was 15, his father had abandoned the family, and his maternal uncle Jim had become a father figure to him. Barbera displayed a talent for drawing as early as the first grade. He graduated from Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn in 1928. While in high school, Barbera won several boxing titles. He

4797-473: The Roomba are widespread, and various high-tech devices are used for leisure. Tucker notes that The Jetsons depicts neither a grim dystopia nor an idyllic utopia , but rather a world where capitalism and entrepreneurship still exist and technology has not changed fundamental elements of human nature. In 2017, Devon Maloney from The Verge described the show as a "bone-chilling dystopia", stating how

4920-495: The Stone Age , with machines powered by birds and dinosaurs, the Jetsons live in a comical version of a century in the future, with elaborate robotic contraptions, aliens, holograms , and whimsical inventions. The original had 24 episodes and aired on Sunday nights on ABC beginning on September 23, 1962, with prime time reruns continuing through September 22, 1963. It debuted as the first program broadcast in color on ABC, back in

5043-824: The Television Hall of Fame in 1994. In March 2005, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and Warner Bros. Animation dedicated a wall sculpture at the Television Academy's Hall of Fame Plaza in North Hollywood to Hanna and Barbera. In 1992, Barbera met with pop musician Michael Jackson , an avid cartoon fan, in an unsuccessful attempt to arrange for Jackson to sing in Tom and Jerry: The Movie . Barbera drew five quick sketches of Tom and Jerry for Jackson and autographed them. Jackson autographed

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5166-582: The Warner Archive Collection ) released The Jetsons: Season 2, Volume 2 on DVD in Region 1 as part of their Hanna-Barbera Classic Collection . This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and Amazon.com. Warner Archive followed up by releasing Season 3 in the same way on May 13, 2014. The complete ABC series was released on Blu-ray on September 10, 2019, by Warner Home Video (again via

5289-535: The baby boomers who grew up with them." In contrast, economist Jeffrey A. Tucker wrote in 2011 that The Jetsons is "distinguished in science-fiction lore by the fact that it is a rare attempt in this genre that actually succeeds in predicting the future ." Apart from flying cars , which are as yet unfeasible in the real world ("a lot of fun, until that first accident occurs"), much of the technology of The Jetsons has become commonplace: people now communicate via video chat on flat screens ; domestic robots such as

5412-493: The hegemony of heteronormativity ." Allen Gregory had a short run in 2011 and was cancelled after the first season. This series featured Richard and Jeremy De Longpre, the fathers of the title character, Allen. Jeremy is a former social worker who had a loving wife and family, although this changed after Richard became one of his clients. Richard was attracted to Jeremy to the point where he started stalking him and his family until Jeremy finally agreed to be his husband. It

5535-400: The social problems of any era. The setting is combined with standard sitcom elements, which serve as the series' main focus. Smithsonian's Matt Novak, in an article called "Why The Show Still Matters" asserts, "Today The Jetsons stands as the single most important piece of 20th century futurism." Novak continues, "It's easy for some people to dismiss The Jetsons as just a TV show, and

5658-455: The "foxhole humor" in Bob's Burgers has kept it going, and even argue that the humor in the children's animation, Animaniacs was "far more adult" than the original series in the 1990s . Later in 2020, the reboot of Animaniacs , an all-ages animation had an episode pulled which included a real sex hotline number, with the series no stranger to adult humor as the showrunner, Wellesley Wild,

5781-419: The "most watched cable television series." In 2019, it was announced that a writer for Disenchantment , Shion Takeuchi, would be heading her own upcoming Netflix show titled Inside Job , with Alex Hirsch as an executive producer, With a woman named Alma as the protagonist, Takeuchi said she hoped it would "push the boundaries" of adult animation. Hirsch was also quoted as noting that adult animation

5904-621: The 11th short, The Yankee Doodle Mouse (1943)—a war-time adventure. Tom and Jerry was nominated for 14 Academy Awards, winning 7, more than any other animated series featuring the same characters. Tom and Jerry also made guest appearances in several of MGM's live-action films, including Anchors Aweigh (1945) and, Invitation to the Dance (1956) with Gene Kelly , and Dangerous When Wet (1953) with Esther Williams . In addition to his work in animated cartoons, Barbera and Tom and Jerry layout artist Harvey Eisenberg moonlit to run

6027-503: The 1950s and 1960s, putting many people in the industry out of work. Hanna-Barbera was key in developing of an animation technique known as limited animation , which allowed television animation to be more cost-effective but often reduced quality. Hanna and Barbera had first experimented with these techniques in the early days of Tom and Jerry . To reduce the cost of each episode, shows often focused more on character dialogue than detailed animation. The number of drawings for

6150-557: The 1960 award for The Huckleberry Hound Show , which was the first Emmy awarded to an animated series. They also won these awards: Golden Globe for Television Achievement (1960), Golden IKE Award – Pacific Pioneers in Broadcasting (1983), Pioneer Award – Broadcast Music Incorporated (1987), Iris Award – NATPE Men of the Year (1988), Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association award for Lifetime Achievement (1988), Governors Award of

6273-514: The 1963–1964 season. The program would spend the next two decades on Saturday mornings, with subsequent runs on CBS (1964–65 and 1969–71) and NBC (1965–67; 1971–76; 1979–81 and 1982–83). The Jetsons began airing in syndication in September 1976, and these runs continued after the program returned to NBC's Saturday morning schedule. Along with fellow Hanna-Barbera production Jonny Quest and Warner Bros. ' Looney Tunes shorts, The Jetsons

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6396-677: The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (1988), Jackie Coogan Award for Outstanding Contribution to Youth through Entertainment Youth in Film (1988), Frederic W. Ziv Award for Outstanding Achievement in Telecommunications – Broadcasting Division College – Conservatory of Music University of Cincinnati (1989), stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1976), several Annie Awards , several environmental awards, and were recipients of numerous other accolades before their induction into

6519-507: The Boot , which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best (Cartoon) Short Subject . The studio wanted a diversified cartoon portfolio, so despite the success of Puss Gets the Boot , Barbera and Hanna's supervisor, Fred Quimby , did not want to produce more cat and mouse cartoons, believing that those were already enough. Surprised by the success of Puss Gets the Boot , Barbera and Hanna ignored Quimby's resistance and continued developing

6642-518: The Kids' WB episodes can still be streamed, thanks to much of the website being preserved by the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine . Forbes magazine valued Spacely Sprockets at $ 1.3 billion, on its "The 25 Largest Fictional Companies" list. The original cartoon series had several devices that did not exist at the time but subsequently have not only been invented but are in common usage:

6765-493: The Warner Archive Collection), sourced from new 2K scans of the original broadcast masters while maintaining the show's original 4:3 aspect ratio. William S Higgins writing for The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction noted that the show "has become a popular metonym for 'the future'. While satirizing Space Age notions of a better tomorrow, the series seems also to have visually codified expectations of

6888-467: The actions of the characters, as well as removing all references to fire from the episodes. As Beavis and Butt-Head began entered its last season in 1997, a new adult animation began airing on MTV which was titled Daria . It would praised for its "progressive characters", sense of humor, and ability to capture absurdity of teen life in suburbs. Beginning around the same time was South Park . It became an "icon for anti-censorship and free speech" and

7011-644: The call never occurred. Barbera took art classes at the Art Students League of New York and the Pratt Institute and was hired to work in the ink and paint department of Fleischer Studios . In 1932, he joined the Van Beuren Studios as an animator and storyboard artist. He worked on cartoon series such as Cubby Bear and Rainbow Parades and an earlier Tom and Jerry . This Tom and Jerry series starred two humans; it

7134-410: The cartoon division and lay off everyone phone. Barbera and Hanna found the no-notice closing puzzling because Tom and Jerry had succeeded. In 1957, Barbera reteamed with his former partner Hanna to produce cartoon films for television and theatrical release. The two brought their different skills to the company as they had at MGM. Barbera was a skilled gag writer and sketch artist, while Hanna had

7257-427: The cat-and-mouse theme. By this time, Hanna wanted to return to working for Rudolf Ising , to whom he felt very loyal. Barbera and Hanna met with Quimby, who discovered that although Ising had taken sole credit for producing Puss Gets the Boot , he never worked on it. Quimby, who wanted to start a new animation unit independent from Ising, then permitted Hanna and Barbera to pursue their cat-and-mouse idea. The result

7380-526: The children, Sheila enjoyed the Hollywood social scene that Barbera often frequented. During high school, Barbera worked as a tailor's delivery boy. In 1929, he became interested in animation after watching a screening of Walt Disney 's The Skeleton Dance . During the Great Depression , he tried unsuccessfully to become a cartoonist for The NY Hits Magazine . He supported himself with

7503-528: The close business friendship and partnership that Barbera and Hanna shared for over 60 years. Professionally, they balanced each other's strengths and weaknesses very well, but Barbera and Hanna traveled in entirely different social circles. Hanna's circle of personal friends primarily included other animators. Barbera socialized with Hollywood celebrities— Zsa Zsa Gabor was a frequent visitor to his house. Their division of work roles complemented each other, but they rarely talked outside of work since Hanna

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7626-422: The comedy in anything. Nasdaq argued that shows like Disenchantment were "original content" which had helped Netflix "dominate the online video streaming market," and said that demand for original content will allow Netflix to expand its base of subscribers. This allowed Netflix to gain allegiance of smaller, but more fervent, fanbases, which garnered a wide viewership. Some critics noted that The Simpsons

7749-437: The confirmed involvement stating negotiations with West via conference call was merely "preliminary and exploratory and introductory". In February 2012, Warner Bros. hired Van Robichaux and Evan Susser to rewrite the script. On January 23, 2015, it was announced that Warner Bros. is planning a new animated Jetsons feature film, with Matt Lieberman to provide the screenplay. As of May 25, 2017, Conrad Vernon will direct

7872-473: The content but that ABC, and their corporate owner Disney Company , reneged on their promises, and called the show "dead" even though there were six episodes that had not aired. Six episodes of the show, based on Kevin Smith 's 1994 comedy of the same title , were produced, but only two episodes aired before the show was cancelled by ABC. While the pilot of Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law first aired as

7995-482: The early 1960s when only a handful of ABC stations were capable of broadcasting in color. In contrast, The Flintstones , while always produced in color, was broadcast in black-and-white for its first two seasons. The show was originally scheduled opposite Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color and Dennis the Menace and did not receive much attention. Due to poor ratings, it was cancelled after its first season but

8118-449: The early 1990s, another sitcom, was also controversial. This was due to its portrayal of brief nudity, profanity and violence. Although the series was intended for adult audiences, it was shown in the afternoons, and multiple parents claimed that their children had imitated the show's characters. After an incident, MTV responded by moving the series to a later airtime and adding disclaimers to future episodes stating explicitly not to imitate

8241-419: The film. On August 17, 2017, ABC ordered a pilot for a live-action sitcom version of The Jetsons to be written by Gary Janetti and executive produced by Janetti, Jack Rapke and Robert Zemeckis . In 1990, Hanna-Barbera Home Video released six episodes from the show on videocassette. Warner Home Video released season 1 on DVD in Region 1 on May 11, 2004; upon its release, James Poniewozik wrote that it

8364-520: The first animators to realize the enormous potential of television. Leonard Maltin says the Hanna–Barbera team "held a record for producing consistently superior cartoons using the same characters year after year—without a break or change in routine. Their characters are not only animated superstars, but also a very beloved part of American pop culture". They are often considered Walt Disney's only rivals in cartoon animation. Barbera and Hanna had

8487-666: The first part of season 2 of Disenchantment was released on Netflix . In February 2021, it was announced that Tyler, the Creator had teamed up with Lionel Boyce and Davon 'Jasper' Wilson to develop an animated comedy named Shell Beach . In March 2021 it was reported that King of the Hill would be revived, with characters aging 15 years from the end of the series. Joseph Barbera Joseph Roland Barbera ( / b ɑːr ˈ b ɛər ə / bar- BAIR -ə Italian: [barˈbɛːra] ; March 24, 1911 – December 18, 2006)

8610-492: The first season were combined with 41 new episodes and began airing in morning or late afternoon time slots in 80 U.S. media markets , including the 30 largest. The 41 new episodes were produced at a cost of $ 300,000 each, and featured all of the voice actors from the 1962–1963 show. During 1987, 10 additional "season 3" episodes were also made available for syndication. Following its prime time cancellation, ABC placed reruns of The Jetsons on its Saturday morning schedule for

8733-399: The future rather than the past, followed in 1962. Marc Blake argued it started the " science fiction sitcom sub genre". Animated sitcoms have been more controversial than traditional cartoons from the onset. The Flintstones was originally oriented at parents, as an animated version of The Honeymooners , though it was primarily popular with children. David Bennett argued that when it

8856-432: The future to a great many viewers: when the twenty-first century arrived, complaints that flying cars and jet packs were missing often mentioned The Jetsons .". The show influenced the turn-of-the-millennium show Futurama , which made a number of references to The Jetsons , or reused its tropes. Boomerang has aired reruns of the show since April 1, 2000. Cartoon Network aired the show from 1992 to 2004 and returned

8979-417: The growing relationship between Fry and Leela and an "alien relationship" (Kif and Amy). John Evershed, formerly showrunner on Happy Tree Friends and current founder of Mondo Media , argued that the "enduring popularity" of this genre is a result of The Simpsons , a massive "animation franchise," and said this proves "the time-tested formula" of the genre works, even though it was "controversial" when it

9102-404: The history of television," in terms of shows like Family Guy and South Park . These shows, and their subsequent franchises, were said to be part of a shift in the early 2010s toward adult animation , with darker and "more intricate animated comedies" such as Bojack Horseman and Rick and Morty released, with the latter reaching nine million viewers after the first season. Drawn Together ,

9225-704: The influence of The Simpsons on adult animation, with Family Guy , King of the Hill , and Bob's Burgers , among others, featuring some version of the same structure, while "non-family-based shows" have drawn from "Matt Groening's hyper-referential style, irreverence and slapstick humor." He quoted Alex Hirsch , creator of Gravity Falls , as describing adult animation as an "arms race of different ways to copy The Simpsons ." Two of Hirsch's friends from CalArts, Pendleton Ward (creator of Adventure Time ) and J. G. Quintel (creator of Regular Show ) were also inspired by The Simpsons. In 1989, The Simpsons began airing on Fox Broadcasting Company in prime time, becoming

9348-490: The latest script draft for The Jetsons by Goldberg was further along in development. In January 2012, recording artist Kanye West was mistakenly reported as creative director over the project, though West clarified on social media that "I was just discussing becoming the creative director for the Jetson [ sic ] movie and someone on the call yelled out.. you should do a Jetsons tour!" Longtime producer Denise Di Novi denied

9471-427: The mid-1990s, Hanna-Barbera was producing several original series for Cartoon Network, among them Dexter's Laboratory and The Powerpuff Girls . In 1996, Turner merged with Time Warner, owners of Warner Bros., who would eventually absorb Hanna-Barbera into Warner Bros. Animation . Barbera and Hanna continued to advise their former company. They periodically worked on new Hanna-Barbera shows, including shorts for

9594-797: The more than 100 cartoon series they produced were The Quick Draw McGraw Show , Top Cat , Jonny Quest , The Magilla Gorilla Show , The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show , Scooby-Doo , Super Friends , and The Smurfs . The company also produced animated specials based on Alice in Wonderland , Jack and the Beanstalk , Cyrano de Bergerac , and feature-length films Charlotte's Web and Heidi's Song . As popular as their cartoons were with 1960s audiences, they were disliked by artists. Television programs had lower budgets than theatrical animation, and this economic reality caused many animation studios to go out of business in

9717-494: The most average person to test and understand humans. Most episodes revolve around Jeff having a problem that the aliens can fix with a strange device. In December 2017, the series was canceled after one season. It was described as being "a witty and fun stoner alien romp" which is a comedy akin to Rick and Morty . Other animated sitcoms include Paradise PD , Tuca & Bertie , The Boondocks , and Momma Named Me Sheriff . Some series are on streaming platforms, as

9840-629: The most popular animated sitcoms in each U.S. state . They found that South Park is popular in Colorado , The Simpsons is popular in Oregon and Massachusetts , Family Guy popular in Connecticut , and King of the Hill popular in Kentucky and Tennessee. The report also stated The Simpsons and South Park are the two most popular animated sitcoms, while Rick and Morty is among

9963-786: The most successful television animation studio in the business, producing programs such as The Flintstones , Yogi Bear , Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? , Top Cat , The Smurfs , Huckleberry Hound , and The Jetsons . In 1967, Hanna-Barbera was sold to Taft Broadcasting for $ 12 million, but Hanna and Barbera remained heads of the company. In 1991, the studio was sold to Turner Broadcasting System , which merged with Time Warner , owners of Warner Bros. , in 1996; Hanna and Barbera stayed on as advisors. Hanna and Barbera directed seven Academy Award films and won eight Emmy Awards . Their cartoon shows have become cultural icons, and their cartoon characters have appeared in other media, such as films, books, and toys. Hanna-Barbera's shows had

10086-633: The network, and 17 NBC-affiliated stations agreed, leading to the show being stopped only after four episodes had aired. Even so, some religious leaders in the United Kingdom supported the show, and critics like Caryn James called it "a little risky" but "relatively benign" when compared to South Park , The Sopranos , and Sex and the City which aired at the time. In June 2000, Kevin Smith criticized ABC over its animated sitcom, Clerks: The Animated Series , telling EW that they delivered

10209-741: The new Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio in California in 1937. He found that Los Angeles suffered just as much from the Great Depression as Brooklyn and almost returned to Brooklyn. Barbera's desk was opposite that of William Hanna . The two quickly realized they would make a good team. By 1939, they had solidified a partnership that would last over 60 years. Barbera and Hanna worked alongside animator Tex Avery , who had created Daffy Duck and co-created Bugs Bunny for Warner Bros. and directed Droopy cartoons at MGM. In 1940, Hanna and Barbera jointly directed Puss Gets

10332-482: The new screenwriter, and Donald De Line was added as producer alongside Di Novi. In May 2007, director Robert Rodriguez entered talks with Universal Studios and Warner Bros. to film a CGI adaptation of The Jetsons for a potential 2009 theatrical release, having at the time discussed directing a film adaptation of Land of the Lost with Universal. Rodriguez was uncertain which project he would pursue next, though

10455-461: The ongoing series, Duncanville , is airing on FOX , co-created by Amy Poehler , Mike Scully , and Julie Thacker . Poehler said the series is inspired by The Simpsons . Another animated sitcom on Fox, Bless the Harts , starred Kristen Wiig , and was created by former Saturday Night Live staff writer, Emily Spivey . A September 2018 report by AT&T , using Google Trends , identified

10578-412: The original comics, with theme music from Frank Zappa and set its sights on "1990s incarnations of political correctness and censorship", making it, a critic argued, a precursor to Family Guy and BoJack Horseman . As for King of the Hill , some noted it had the a great example of "young, adolescent love" within adult animation, specifically between Bobby and Connie. The show was also described as

10701-567: The political satire biting enough to merit their continued attention. Similarly, kids probably won't be as smitten with the cartoon aspects or look". The series was cancelled after one month. The Critic was somewhat more successful, but achieved low ratings because of ABC's sporadic scheduling, and was cancelled by the network. Fox picked up the series, but cancelled it four months later. While Fox allowed The Simpsons to portray animated depictions of human buttocks, ABC would not allow similar scenes to appear on The Critic . Others stated that it

10824-419: The remaining inconveniences. In later productions, Jeff Bergman has voiced George, Elroy, and Mr. Spacely. Bergman completed voice work as George and Spacely for Jetsons: The Movie (1990) after George O'Hanlon and Mel Blanc died during production. Controversially, Janet Waldo was replaced—after recording all of her dialogue—by then-popular singer Tiffany for Jetsons: The Movie . Lauri Fraser has provided

10947-549: The return of Tom and Jerry to the big screen. His final animated project was the direct-to-video feature Tom and Jerry: A Nutcracker Tale (2007). On December 18, 2006, Barbera died of natural causes at his home in Studio City , Los Angeles , California , at 95, ending a seventy-year career in animation. His wife Sheila was at his side at the end; he was also survived by three children from his first marriage: Jayne (who worked for Hanna-Barbera), Lynn, and Neal. He

11070-482: The roles of George Jetson and Jane Jetson, respectively. Although their contracts stipulated they would be paid US$ 500 an episode with a guarantee of twenty-four episodes (i.e., a full season) of work, they recorded only one episode before being replaced. Several sources claimed the change had occurred as a result of sponsor conflict between Amsterdam's commitment to The Dick Van Dyke Show and Carroll's to Make Room for Daddy . The case had been closed by early 1965. In

11193-424: The same late-night programming block. In February 2020, Fox released an animated sitcom produced by Seungyong Ji and Jordan Grief titled Duncanville , focusing on the story of a kid who "daydreams of making it big without having to wear a suit and tie to do so." In September 2020, Magical Girl Friendship Squad began airing on SYFY. In interviews the same month, series creator Kelsey Stephanides hoped that

11316-855: The series The Cartoon Cartoon Show and feature film versions of The Flintstones (1994) and Scooby-Doo (2002). In a new Tom and Jerry cartoon produced in 2000, The Mansion Cat , Barbera voiced the house owner. Ten days before Hanna's death from throat cancer in March 2001, Hanna-Barbera was absorbed into Warner Bros. Animation , with the unit dedicated to the Cartoon Network original series spun off into Cartoon Network Studios . Barbera remained active as an executive producer for Warner Bros. on direct-to-video cartoon features and television series such as What's New, Scooby-Doo? and Tom and Jerry Tales . He also wrote, co-storyboarded, co-directed, and co-produced The Karate Guard (2005),

11439-481: The series October 2012. Also, some of the 1980s episodes were available for viewing on In2TV prior to its shutdown; these episodes were later moved to the online version of Kids' WB . Also the first two seasons of The Jetsons are available to download on Sony's PlayStation Network , Apple's iTunes Store and at the Xbox Live Marketplace . The Kids' WB website eventually shut down in 2015, however,

11562-532: The series as funny, entertaining, zany, and amusing. From August to October 2002, the final few episodes of The Oblongs , another adult animation, would air on Adult Swim after The WB did not air the last five episodes of the series. The latter, which some called a "stray gem in the early 2000s," was noted for the romance between a married couple, Bob and Pickles Oblong, who had a healthy relationship where both would "constantly support each other." In 2008, Usha M. Rodrigues and Belinda Smaill argued that bro'Town

11685-706: The series finale to the television show, though it failed to achieve critical and commercial success. In the future, the Jetsons are a family residing in Orbit City. The city's architecture is rendered in the Googie style and all homes and businesses are raised high above the ground on adjustable columns. George Jetson lives with his family in the Skypad Apartments: his wife Jane is a homemaker , their teenage daughter Judy attends Orbit High School, and their son Elroy attends Little Dipper School. Housekeeping

11808-438: The series would expand the "types of new animated stories" with more variety in adult animation, allowing for "different ways" to do adult animation in the future. In December 2020, Hoops was cancelled by Netflix after its first season received low ratings and negative reviews. Hoops was described as "puerile comedy ... perfect for Trump 's America," not funny, and "crude, rude, and aimless." On January 15, 2021,

11931-512: The show "trots through surprisingly dated sitcom plots about blustery bosses, bad lady drivers, and Elvis Presleyesque teen idols, all greeted with laugh tracks" but points out "it's the appeal of the retro-prescient gadgets (recliner massagers, big-screen TVs, two-way monitors) that still carries the show." Season 1 was released on DVD in Region 4 on July 5, 2006. Season Two, Volume 1 was released on DVD almost three years later, on June 2, 2009, for Region 1. On November 8, 2011, Warner Home Video (via

12054-509: The show boosted the studio to the top of the TV cartoon field. The company later produced a futuristic version of The Flintstones , known as The Jetsons . Although both shows reappeared in the 1970s and 1980s, The Flintstones was far more popular. By the late 1960s, Hanna-Barbera Productions was the business's most successful television animation studio. The Hanna-Barbera studio produced over 3000 animated half-hour television shows. Among

12177-538: The sole English-language mainstream adult-oriented animated sitcom until the 1990s, which saw the debuts of Beavis and Butt-Head , King of the Hill , South Park , Daria , Family Guy and Futurama . Some scholars argued that Matt Groening emulated the sci-fi genre shown in The Jetsons . Futurama would be complimented for its "intelligent, scientifically accurate, and humanized" approach to adventures, romances, and parodies of sci-fi. This included

12300-508: The story. In his autobiography, Barbera said of his efforts ... "I was, quite honestly, not in the least disappointed. I had proven to myself that I could do a storyboard, and that I had gained the experience of presenting it. For now, that was enough." The original storyboard, passed down through the Barbera family, went on sale at auction in November 2013. Lured by a substantial salary increase, Barbera left Terrytoons and New York for

12423-747: The style of All in the Family . The series dealt with subjects such as feminism and the generation gap . In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a number of animated television programs appeared which challenged the Standards & Practices guidelines, including The Simpsons , Beavis and Butt-Head , The Critic , The Brothers Grunt , The Ren & Stimpy Show , Rocko's Modern Life , Cow and Chicken , I Am Weasel , SpongeBob SquarePants , Duckman , and All Grown Up! . In 1987, The Simpsons shorts debuted on Fox 's The Tracey Ullman Show . This show aired in prime time, meaning it

12546-624: The third partner and business manager in the company and arranged a deal for distribution and working capital with Screen Gems , the television division of Columbia Pictures , who took part ownership of the new studio. The first offering from the new company was The Ruff & Reddy Show , a series which detailed the friendship between a dog and a cat. Despite a lukewarm response for their first theatrical venture, Loopy De Loop , Hanna-Barbera soon established themselves with two successful television series: The Huckleberry Hound Show and The Yogi Bear Show . A 1960 survey showed that half of

12669-496: The viewers of Huckleberry Hound were adults. This prompted the company to create a new animated series, The Flintstones . A parody of The Honeymooners , the new show followed a typical Stone Age family with home appliances, talking animals, and celebrity guests. With an audience of both children and adults, The Flintstones became the first animated prime-time show to be a hit. Fred Flintstone 's signature exclamation, "yabba dabba doo," soon entered everyday usage, and

12792-506: The voice of Jane Jetson in television commercials for Radio Shack . The first season for the series was produced and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera . When Warner Bros. Cartoons closed in May 1961, several of its animators, including Gerry Chiniquy and Ken Harris , joined Hanna-Barbera to work on the first season. In 1963, Morey Amsterdam and Pat Carroll each filed $ 12,000 suits against Hanna-Barbera for breach of contract , claiming they had been cast and signed to

12915-626: The way for future animated series such as The Simpsons , SpongeBob SquarePants , and South Park . In December 1966, Hanna-Barbera Productions was sold to Taft Broadcasting, renamed Great American Communications in 1987, for $ 12 million. Barbera and Hanna remained at the head of the company until 1991. The company was sold to the Turner Broadcasting System for an estimated $ 320 million. Turner began using Hanna-Barbera's television catalog as material for its new Cartoon Network cable channel in 1992, and by

13038-740: Was "stretching further than ever for their situations"; after all the season's new shows had premiered—a season "responding to Minow's exhortations "—the magazine called the series "silly and unpretentious, corny and clever, now and then quite funny." Almost all of the new sitcoms disappeared at the end of the season; only The Beverly Hillbillies would be renewed for new episodes in 1963–64, while The Jetsons would continue in Saturday morning reruns, eventually leading to its 1980s revival. Thirty years later, Time wrote: "In an age of working mothers , single parents and gay matrimony ( same-sex marriage ), George Jetson and his clan already seem quaint even to

13161-428: Was a "home grown animated sitcom" that is comparable to The Simpsons . Adult animation became more popular, premiering critically acclaimed shows such as Drawn Together , Family Guy , American Dad! , Archer , Bob's Burgers , Rick and Morty , BoJack Horseman , F Is for Family , and Big Mouth . Some argued that animated sitcoms have formed some of the "most enduring and valuable franchises in

13284-615: Was an American animator and cartoonist, best known as the co-founder of the animation studio Hanna-Barbera . Born to Italian immigrants in New York City, Barbera joined Van Beuren Studios in 1927 and subsequently Terrytoons in 1936. In 1937, he moved to California, and while working at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Barbera met William Hanna . The two men began a collaboration that was at first best known for producing Tom and Jerry . In 1957, after MGM dissolved its animation department, they co-founded Hanna-Barbera, which became

13407-643: Was born there as well, as stated in his autobiography, My life in 'toons, in which he also described himself as Sicilian. He grew up speaking Italian , He had two brothers, Larry (1909–1982) and Ted (1919–1994), both of whom served in World War II . As a member of the United States Army , Larry participated in the invasion of Sicily . Ted was a fighter pilot with the United States Army Air Forces and served in

13530-400: Was briefly managed by World Lightweight Boxing Champion Al Singer 's manager but soon lost interest in boxing. In 1935, Barbera married his high school sweetheart, Dorothy Earl. In school, they had been known as "Romeo and Juliet". Barbera and his wife briefly separated when he went to California . They reunited but were on the verge of another separation when they discovered that Dorothy

13653-699: Was called "one of the most controversial shows on television." In May 1995, another adult animated sitcom began airing on Comedy Central . It was titled Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist , featured the voice talents of Jonathan Katz , Jon Benjamin , and Laura Silverman , won a Peabody Award in 1998. and was animated in a crude, easily recognizable style produced with the software Squigglevision in which all persons and animate objects are colored and have constantly squiggling outlines, while most other inanimate objects are static and usually gray in color. Some critics stated that this series offered "plenty of cleverness and humor for those who looked", with funny lines,

13776-408: Was described as a welcome addition to the "Sunday lineup," with passionate relationship between Bob and Linda Belcher while maintaining a large audience. In November 2020, the show was approaching its 200th episode. and that Some reviewers called Drawn Together a "bizarre and highly entertaining series" which has a unique style of humor and "level of self-parody." Some reviewers would point to how

13899-483: Was interested in the outdoors and Barbera liked beaches and good food and drink. In their long partnership, in which they worked with over 2,000 animated characters, Barbera and Hanna rarely exchanged a cross word. Barbera said: "We understood each other perfectly, and each of us had a deep respect for the other's work." Hanna once told that Barbera could "capture mood and expression in a quick sketch better than anyone I've ever known." Barbera and Hanna were also among

14022-481: Was later described as one of the "more vulgar adult-animation offerings" of the 2010s, with Kaitlin Olson only staying "for the first season as the female lead," voicing a "recently transferred Yellowstone ranger named Ethel." It was also said that show had a divided reception from critics but received favorably by audiences, who appreciated the show's "shameless sense of offensive humor and fast-paced writing." Archer

14145-464: Was not self-censored as much as programs intended to air on Saturday mornings. As such, the show would have brief nudity and mild language, while dealing with mature themes and subjects such as death, gambling addiction, religion, and suicide. The first full-length episode, " Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire ", debuted on December 17, 1989. It is the first American animated sitcom not to have a laugh track , unlike other animated sitcoms prior. It remained

14268-409: Was not until the early 1990s that "cartoons specifically for adults" rather than children, did not come to "mainstream prominence" until after the success of The Simpsons , with Fox later airing King of the Hill and Family Guy both of which "generated massive audiences." As animation critic Reuben Baron described it, for a long time, "adult action/drama cartoons" were scarce on television, with only

14391-410: Was originally released, it was aimed at an adult audience, and called it the "direct ancestors" of current adult animation, because it covered adult subjects. Bennett stated that it specifically influenced The Simpsons , along with animations on Adult Swim and Netflix . His argument was confirmed by the fact that The Huckleberry Hound Show , created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera , became

14514-505: Was pregnant with their first child. They had four children: two sons, Neal and an infant boy who died two days after his birth, and two daughters, Lynn and Jayne, who has been a producer in her own right. The marriage officially ended in 1963. Shortly after his divorce, Barbera met his second wife, Sheila Holden, sister of British rock and roll singer Vince Taylor , at Musso & Frank's restaurant, where she worked as bookkeeper and cashier. Unlike Dorothy, who preferred to stay at home with

14637-488: Was released. Evershed also said that the show made clear that animation is "more than just kids content ." Others also argued that the show marked a turning point in U.S. attitudes "toward cartoons written primarily for adult audiences" The Simpsons would later win the Guinness World Records award for "Longest-running animated sitcom (by episode count)." Chris Turner , author of Planet Simpson: How

14760-478: Was said to be a "standard bearer" for adult animation and an "eclectic comedy" and praised for its "tight, fast-paced, and ever impressively intelligent dialogue," with a "power couple": Sterling Archer and Lana Kane. American Dad! was praised for breaking away from the "cynicism and formulas of its adult animation contemporaries" with the romance between Stan Smith and Francine said to be a wonderful romantic pair akin to Archie and Edith Bunker . Bob's Burgers

14883-468: Was their most famous creation, Tom and Jerry . Modeled after the Puss Gets the Boot characters with slight differences, the series followed Jerry, the pesky rodent who continuously outwitted his feline foe, Tom. Hanna said they settled on this cartoon's cat and mouse theme because "we knew we needed two characters. We thought we needed conflict, chase, and action. And a cat after a mouse seemed like

15006-513: Was then moved to Saturday mornings, where it went on to be very successful. Following its primetime run, the show aired on Saturday mornings for decades, starting on ABC for the 1963–64 season and then on CBS and NBC . New episodes were produced for syndication from 1985 to 1987. No further specials or episodes of the show were produced after 1989, as the majority of the core cast ( George O'Hanlon , Mel Blanc , and Daws Butler ) had died in 1988 and 1989. The 1990 film Jetsons: The Movie served as

15129-589: Was unrelated to Barbera's later cat-and-mouse series, although both of these cartoons adopted the name created in an 1821 book, Life in London , written by Pierce Egan . When Van Beuren closed in 1936, Barbera moved to Paul Terry 's Terrytoons studio. In 1935, Barbera created his first solo-effort storyboard about a character named Kiko the Kangaroo . The storyline was of Kiko in an airplane race with another character called Dirty Dog . Terry declined to produce

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