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Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Trek Back to TV

Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 3:46 am
by Sonic Glitch
Seriously! Here is the URL. And here is the text.
Seth MacFarlane Wants To Reboot Star Trek On TV October 12, 2011
by Anthony Pascale , Filed under: Trek on TV , trackback

This is no joke. Seth MacFarlane loves to drop Star Trek jokes into his various TV animated comedy shows, but the Family Guy creator now says that he wants to take his love of Trek to the next level and get a chance to reboot Star Trek on TV.

MacFarlane’s Star Trek?

Seth MacFarlane is featured as one of a series of showrunner profiles in the Hollywood Reporter. The of multiple hit Fox animated comedies says he is already looking beyond Family Guy and towards the future. MacFarlane also happens to be a big fan of Star Trek and drops Trek gags into all of his shows. He has even talked about doing a full Star Trek parody like he has done with Star Wars, but according to THR he would also like to take Trek on seriously. Here is an excerpt:
HE’D LOVE TO REBOOT ‘STAR TREK’
“I don’t know who would give me the keys to that car,” he jokes, acknowledging that the films have been so profitable for Paramount that he isn’t so sure they have a lot of interest in getting back into the TV business. “But I’d love to see that franchise revived for television in the way that it was in the 1990s: very thoughtful, smartly written stories that transcend the science fiction audience.”
Read more from Seth at THR.

MacFarlane is one of many successful TV producers who have expressed an interest in taking on Star Trek for the small screen. As I have expressed here before, I think Star Trek is best when it is on TV as it has the opportunity to do more character development and complex storytelling. MacFarlane clearly has a love for Star Trek and a track record of making successful TV series, so I am intrigued with the notion. Of course there is no indication right now that CBS is even taking meetings to talk about Star Trek on TV, but hopefully CBS sees his interest (and that of others) as an indication they have lots of options when it comes time to bring Trek TV back.

Re: Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Trek Back to TV

Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 4:08 am
by McAvoy
I don't know about this. Seth's big thing is comedy and I don't want to see Trek into a comedy. Though a Family Guy parody I wouldn't mind. But what would he choose? STIV since that is the most famous one?

Re: Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Trek Back to TV

Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 4:12 am
by Sonic Glitch
McAvoy wrote:I don't know about this. Seth's big thing is comedy and I don't want to see Trek into a comedy. Though a Family Guy parody I wouldn't mind. But what would he choose? STIV since that is the most famous one?
I think he'd really like to do ST:II. The thing with him is, I think deep down he really is a fan and that he knows Trek is not, and can't be a comedy. I think it would be interesting to see him do a real drama before trying his hand at Trek.

Re: Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Trek Back to TV

Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 5:04 am
by Mikey
Hmmm... well, he's not the only one with the idea. While McFarlane is most known for satire and parody, his Shatner and 'Trek jokes have always come out of a place of love. I don't think he can completely remove comedy from his vernacular; but if he could keep the tongue in the cheek, I think he might do a passable job of it.

Re: Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Trek Back to TV

Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 1:13 pm
by Tyyr
Yeah, if you've watched the guy's stuff when he drops in a Trek reference he's not doing to be spiteful. Hell, his Shatner episode of Family Guy was a border line love letter, "Yeah you're goofy but who cares, we love you!"

Frankly, he can't do worse than Berman and Braga.

Re: Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Trek Back to TV

Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 4:12 pm
by Graham Kennedy
I said when Enterprise was cancelled that it's not a matter of whether a new Trek series would be made, purely of when. I still think so, but I think it's a bit early right now. Enterprise is only six years behind us... I'd prefer they wait at least another ten.

Actually when the time comes, I wouldn't mind seeing a series done as "Next Generation" to the current Trek movies.

Re: Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Trek Back to TV

Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 4:55 pm
by Tyyr
They won't wait that long. Trek is a valuable property. With iTrek taking off they are sure to start re-evaluating the viability of a TV series. I can't see them waiting more than a few years before something gets rolling.

Re: Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Trek Back to TV

Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 5:51 pm
by Mikey
Tyyr wrote:They won't wait that long. Trek is a valuable property. With iTrek taking off they are sure to start re-evaluating the viability of a TV series. I can't see them waiting more than a few years before something gets rolling.
I think GK was referring to the milieu of the next franchise, not to the lapse time before it gets produced.

Re: Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Trek Back to TV

Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 6:25 pm
by Graham Kennedy
No, I meant that if I were in charge I'd wait till 2020+ to make another series.

Re: Seth MacFarlane Wants to Bring Trek Back to TV

Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 8:33 pm
by Mikey
Beg pardon, I was reading off the "TNG style" bit rather than the bit where you actually said how long you'd wait. :bangwall:

In any event, they'll wait as long as the focus groups tell them to, and no more.