26 replies to this topic

[jw7579]

Airs April 22nd at 8:00 PM ET

Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Laura Prepon and Wilmer Valderrama from “That ’70s Show” reunite on camera to remember their earliest break into stardom and growing up on set; and members of one of Hollywood’s most comedic families – Keenen Ivory Wayans, Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans – come together to share stories about their funniest sketches on “In Living Color” during FOX’s 25TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL, airing Sunday, April 22 (8:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). The star-studded special will pay tribute to FOX’s most memorable moments with appearances by FOX talent, highlights from iconic series and specials and reunions with cast members from some of the network’s fan-favorite series, among other surprises.

[jw7579]

And in news the Amish could probably see coming from a mile away, Ryan Seacrest is hosting the special.

Edited by jw7579, Apr 13, 2012 @ 6:12 PM.

[ubi]

I loathe Ryan Seacrest!

I was definitely underwhelmed by this special. Would it have hurt them to show the air dates of the clips through the entire show?

[Writing Wrongs]

I use to love In Living Color.

I think it's funny when actors talk about how relatable their shows were. I never found anything remotely relatable about 90210, but I still watched and enjoyed it.

[vb68]

I thought this whole special was kind of underwhelming and well, anti-climatic. It was edited rather poorly, and I thought they should have had the old stars sitting in a live audience or something. I mean, even the SNL Anniversary shows had some excitement to them. I suppose it should get some points though for not ignoring all the trashy shows Fox has done. My favorite thing in the whole special was the cast of New Girl ragging on all of them. I had forgotten the one hosted by Monica Lewinsky. And boy, Evan Marriott ("Joe Millionaire") has aged badly.

[ubi]

Yeah, why did they show those cartoon bits instead of shots of the audience?

And boy, Evan Marriott ("Joe Millionaire") has aged badly.

Holy crap, did he ever! I suspect there was a lot more to that segment with him that was never aired. I am guessing by the cane in his lap and his vaugue reference to getting injured at his job that he cannot walk very well now.

ETA: "O" != "I"

Edited by ubi, Apr 23, 2012 @ 9:39 AM.

[Rdnzl]

Yeah, why did they show those cartoon bits instead of shots of the audience?

Because there was no audience- just Ryan Douchebag Seacrest talking to a camera.

I thought it was underwhelming, too. I think it would have been better if they had gone in chronological order with the shows, to show how FOX progressed over the years. Instead, it was all over the place.

[rubaco]

One thing it accomplished: it convinced me that it's time for me to do a rewatch of The X-Files. Those brief clips really brought back some good memories. But otherwise, yeah, it wasn't a very interesting special.

[Ty]

I was wondering why they didn't air this special during sweeps. But then I watched it.

An In Living Color "reunion" with Shawn & Marlon Wayans? Really? What did they contribute to the show?

[ubi]

I think it would have been better if they had gone in chronological order with the shows, to show how FOX progressed over the years. Instead, it was all over the place.

Get out of my mind! That's EXACTLY what I was expecting! You know what would have been cool? Them airing their prime time lineup from several selected years.

One thing it accomplished: it convinced me that it's time for me to do a rewatch of The X-Files. Those brief clips really brought back some good memories. But otherwise, yeah, it wasn't a very interesting special.

Holy crap! What the hell happened to Gillian Anderson? She looked like a lumpy-headed alien in her segment!

[kemon]

Evan Marriott (Joe Millionaire) almost lost his leg to gangrene after a leg injury. Due to the lengthy recovering period, he became depressed and packed on a lot of pounds. Not unusual when someone is confined to a bed for months at a time.

I don't know about Marlon Wayans, but Shawn Wayans was the DJ on In Living Color. I wonder why the sister wasn't there as well as Damon? They were the two that made the show hysterically funny. And David Alan Grier? It would have been great to have him there as well. Unless those three were busy working somewhere, I still don't understand why they were not there to discuss the show.

[Stalkmylife82]

I'm just glad they didn't ignore New York Undercover on the special. If i remember correctly, NYU went as far as the top 30's in ratings on a crowed thursday night period. But, i never hear Fox, Dick Wolf or anyone talk about the show really. I still watch reruns of the show from time to time.

It's crazy that with that show, Living Single/Martin being in the top 50's and Cosby Show/Different World being in the top ten virtually through their own run, african-american programming is still used as a launching pad for network more than a viable viewing option.

It would have been kind cool to have a group of stars from different shows over the years getting together and talking about each others shows as well as their own at some point. That and bigger reunions but i'm sure there are numerous reasons why that couldn't happen.

[caid]

I thought this whole special was kind of underwhelming and well, anti-climatic. It was edited rather poorly, and I thought they should have had the old stars sitting in a live audience or something. I mean, even the SNL Anniversary shows had some excitement to them. I suppose it should get some points though for not ignoring all the trashy shows Fox has done.

Agreed with this sentiment. It was fun going down memory lane (especially with all those exploitative dating shows, all of which, sadly, I'd seen, right down to "Looking for Love: Bachelorettes in Alaska", lol), but as others have said, it would have maybe been more interesting to go more chronological to really see how the network progressed over the years - some stories into those early years of throwing everything at the wall to see what would stick, insight into how the network began to establish itself, etc. I thought it was a really odd and abrupt way to end the special with the In Living Color segment ...I was expecting some sort of ending montage reflecting on where the network is now from where it started, or something.

Also, where was Futurama in the animated sitcom segment, or did I miss it? I'm sure they were trying to promote Bob's Burger's, but to give that show a featured bumper and give nary a mention to Futurama seems wrong. Though, I did enjoy that So You Think You Can Dance got a nice highlight reel!

And while I knew it was a longshot, I was secretly hoping for a shoutout to Wonderfalls in some sort of "notable failures" montage (which could have also included Terra Nova, Undeclared, etc.).

[Joymarie]

Agreed with this sentiment. It was fun going down memory lane (especially with all those exploitative dating shows, all of which, sadly, I'd seen, right down to "Looking for Love: Bachelorettes in Alaska", lol), but as others have said, it would have maybe been more interesting to go more chronological to really see how the network progressed over the years - some stories into those early years of throwing everything at the wall to see what would stick, insight into how the network began to establish itself, etc.

I agree completely. They were trying to be self-deprecating, and the dating shows could have been a goldmine at laughing at themselves. After The Bachelor hit, they had one tragic show after another. But instead of working through the horror of it all (and, yes, I watched them all), they just mushed them all together without much comment. It was kind of fun to see that awful woman Melissa (who wanted to bathe poor children) from Joe Millionaire and the shock and horror on the face of the woman from Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire. Oh, yes, and the Alaska one.

Evan Marriott (Joe Millionaire) almost lost his leg to gangrene after a leg injury. Due to the lengthy recovering period, he became depressed and packed on a lot of pounds. Not unusual when someone is confined to a bed for months at a time.

Thanks for the update. It was so weird the way they had him on and he kind of rambled about getting hurt and knowing what's important now. It added nothing to the show and was sad and confusing. Perhaps they looked him up and felt so bad for him, they wanted to throw him a pay check.

Perhaps I missed it, because I was getting bored and began to channel surf, but did they even cover the weirdness of those very early shows they used to show on Sunday night after the news? I was addicted to Get a Life with Chris Elliott, which was followed by that even weirder show with Tea Leoni as a model dating a nebish. Wasn't the Tracey Ullman show also on late Sunday night? Did they even mention that show other than that it's where the Simpsons got their start?

[Rdnzl]

Wasn't the Tracey Ullman show also on late Sunday night? Did they even mention that show other than that it's where the Simpsons got their start?

Nope. It's a shame too, because the Tracey Ullman Show was very funny in its own right.

Also, where was Futurama in the animated sitcom segment, or did I miss it?

I didn't notice it, either. Maybe because it now airs on Comedy Central they weren't allowed to show any clips? I don't know, I really have no idea how these things work.

I wish they would have given more time to King of the Hill, as well. It was a hit and lasted thirteen seasons, but all it gets is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it clip in the animation montage? Lame. The Hills didn't even get any lines during the cartoon audience segments.

One more way the special could have been better: interviewing some executives from FOX who could shed some light on why they aired the shows they did, and what they wanted the network to be. That would have fleshed it out more.

[braggtastic]

David Alan Grier is currently on broadway co-starring in Porgy & Bess.

[ubi]

And while I knew it was a longshot, I was secretly hoping for a shoutout to Wonderfalls in some sort of "notable failures" montage (which could have also included Terra Nova, Undeclared, etc.).

Wonderfalls was on FOX?

Perhaps I missed it, because I was getting bored and began to channel surf, but did they even cover the weirdness of those very early shows they used to show on Sunday night after the news?

I lost interest and changed the channel during the last 30 minutes, but I don;t think there was nary a mention of it.

Wasn't the Tracey Ullman show also on late Sunday night? Did they even mention that show other than that it's where the Simpsons got their start?

Yes, there was a one-sentence mention and that was it.

[twinmom]

Did Brisco County, Jr. get a mention?

[snowflakey]

A one sentence mention of The Tracey Ullman Show? That is almost criminal in my mind, I loved that show so much, Sunday nights on Fox were the best waaaay back when.

[yearoftheroostr]

It's crazy that with that show, Living Single/Martin being in the top 50's and Cosby Show/Different World being in the top ten virtually through their own run, african-american programming is still used as a launching pad for network more than a viable viewing option.

Although I knew that it wouldn't be likely (for the reason you stated above), I still wish that Fox had mentioned their own Must-See TV (Martin/Living Single/NY Undercover) block that ran opposite NBC's during the mid-90s.

[redshirtx]

Waitaminnit. They didn't mention Martin (not my thing, but it was wildly popular) or Living Single, or they just gave them a two-second soundbite and moved on...? For the love of...

Edited by redshirtx, Apr 26, 2012 @ 5:24 PM.

[ubi]

'Joe Millionaire' looks back on 'terrible' reality TV people after appearance on FOX special.

[Kel Varnsen]

I watched it and I thought it could have been so much better than the cheesy clip show we ended up with. First off the Fox affiliate I have screwed up and the first 10 minutes of the show were actually the first 10 minutes of hour 2 so the beginning was missing. But regardless of that why not, get some interviews from some old school Fox executives to find out how they tried to make the network different. Maybe talk to some more writers and show creators about how they developed their groundbreaking shows and how they were able to get their shows on Fox and how that made a difference when they probably couldn't get on other networks (I think the only creators they talked to were Keenan Ivory Waynes and Seth MacFarlane (and I thought MacFarlane took up way too much time)). Why not get some tv journalists or even bloggers to talk about how revolutionary some of these shows were( I mean even crappy E! Network shows can usually find some no name report to talk about pop culture on their specials). Rather than watching non-stop clips I would rather get more background from people on what made Fox different and its successes.

Also I can’t believe the final of Joe Millionaire was the highest rated entertainment show in the history of the Fox network.

[Actionmage]

As I was reading, I was curious and looked up the schedules in the back of my The Complete Directory to PrimeTime Network and Cable TV Shows (mine was the 9th edition; schedules went through Fall 2006.)

There has been so many shows I enjoyed, some I would never watch, and the made-for-TV movies were an interesting mixed bag (while not what I hoped for, the Doctor Who and Generation X movies were fun, imo.)

What the network should've done is make a week's celebration or a 5 part special that looked at Comedies, Dramas, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Reality Shows, and Variety Shows, if not Movies and air them in May. Then again, what do I know, I'm just a long-time viewer.

[benteen]

I finally got around to watching the Fox 25th Anniversary special and I very much enjoyed it. It was a fun trip down memory lane and I remember a lot of it.

I'm glad Married with Children got a lot of love. The show set the tone for the Fox network and is one of the few shows, let alone comedies from the 80s that is still funny and revelent. Love the mention of the Santa Corpse episode. They still air a warning before that episode airs. A lot of shows have done risky stuff since but with MWC, it worked. I ignored Fox's lie that this is the first time in 15 years that the cast reunited, just like I ignored the the Fox has always been behind sci-fi when it came to Firefly.

I started watching MWC during its first season. I remember MWC, Tracey Ullman (which I agree deserved much more than just a passing reference) with the Simpsons shorts, I remember Duets, Herman's Head, etc.

I think the shows that were spotlighted were correct. Fox Sports was a no-brainer although I was surprised they showed the Dale Earnheart video too. The X-Files segment was great. Thought the Family Guy segment went a little long (it definitely shouldn't have had the most time) but Fox will always kiss the butt of Seth McFarlene.

Although there was one show missing. I can't believe there wasn't a single reference or video for America's Most Wanted. Inexcuseable. AMW was and is a groundbreaking show that has done a tremendous amount of good. It's the most important show in the history of television (yes, Fox, it's more important than American Idol) and it was disgraceful that it wasn't even talked about. It should have been one of the shows spotlighted. Even if it aired exclusively on Lifetime it still warrented focus but it continues to air on Fox as bi-quarterly specials.

Would have loved to have seen more of Arrested Development other than a short clip. But despite how good the show was and the fact it won an Emmy for Best Comedy, it was never a hit for Fox. Would have loved to have seen more of King of the Hill, too.

I enjoyed the animated segments that were spread out throughout (as well as all the shows ripping on Fox). I wish they had done even more of those.

A year-by-year retrospective would hvae been cool as well. Married with Children was their first show and hit. Two years later, The Simpsons came along and gave them a show that identifies them to this day. 90210 and Melrose Place gave them hip, buzz-worthy shows. The X-Files gave them their first Top 10 hit. I always thought once they got the NFL, Fox officially joined the big leagues.

Edited by benteen, May 31, 2012 @ 8:15 PM.

[Kel Varnsen]

just like I ignored the the Fox has always been behind sci-fi when it came to Firefly.

I would say that was true that they were behind sci-fi. I mean 11 episodes of Firefly actually made it on TV thanks to the Fox network. Do you really think any other broadcast network would have even greenlit the pilot of that show, much less actually put episodes on TV?

[ubi]

They repeated this special last night. They could have done so much better!