# Andy Richter No Longer Controls the Universe **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 15, 2003, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-richter-no-longer-controls-the-universe/175526 "2003-05-15T20:25:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-richter-no-longer-controls-the-universe/175526/1 "2003-05-15T20:25:30Z")
Well, it’s official, Fox has cancelled it—like they ever gave it half a chance. And what gems is Fox replacing it with next season? Let’s look at their press release! Another new comedy, “The Mullets,” drew laughs from an audience of advertisers with the name alone. It brings Loni Anderson back to television as the mom to two brothers in the roofing business. “Think `Dumb and Dumber,’” Ostroff said. “Only dumber.” “Arrested Development,” a comedy about a rich family that heads to the poorhouse when the father, played by Jeffrey Tambor, is arrested for illegal accounting practices. “A Minute with Stan Hooper,” stars comic Norm MacDonald as a newsmagazine reporter who moves to a small town in Wisconsin. —Oh, I am _so_ there. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-richter-no-longer-controls-the-universe/175526/2 "2003-05-15T20:30:30Z")
Maybe if he asks real nice, Conan’ll give him his old job back. ---
**Author:** ![irkenDoom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c2a13f/32.png) [@irkenDoom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irkenDoom)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-richter-no-longer-controls-the-universe/175526/3 "2003-05-15T20:34:40Z")
From the network that brings us _The Pitts_. I give up. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-richter-no-longer-controls-the-universe/175526/4 "2003-05-15T20:39:07Z")
Damn. Not a surprise though. As for the new shows, I’ll probably give Norm’s show a shot. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-richter-no-longer-controls-the-universe/175526/5 "2003-05-15T20:42:04Z")
. . . Right between the eyes, with a .45, if you’re taking requests . . . Has Fox officially cancelled _Futurama_, too, or is that still _un_official? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-richter-no-longer-controls-the-universe/175526/6 "2003-05-15T20:45:34Z")
If they let Norm MacDonald go insane on the air then that show has some possibilities. For the rest, I guess I’ll be catching up on my reading. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-richter-no-longer-controls-the-universe/175526/7 "2003-05-15T21:16:10Z")
Fox is so lame… ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-richter-no-longer-controls-the-universe/175526/8 "2003-05-15T21:20:24Z")
Futurama is history. The people who produced it have all scattered to the winds, so whatever shows remain unaired are it. And _The Mullets_ is going to be a UPN show. How about this groundbreaking drama from Fox: ‘At 9 p.m. [Mondays], Fox has added ``Skin’’ – a Romeo and Juliet drama in which one of the warring families is in the porn industry and the other includes a district attorney trying to shut the porn operation down.’ “Fox turned into a hard core porn channel so gradually, I didn’t even notice.” – Marge Simpson ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-richter-no-longer-controls-the-universe/175526/9 "2003-05-15T21:40:57Z")
☹ ☹ :mad: ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-richter-no-longer-controls-the-universe/175526/10 "2003-05-15T22:12:57Z")
They should have called “The Pitts” “The Sucks”. Thankfully, I think that show will be cancelled. After three episodes it’s timeslot has already be filled by King of the Hill reruns. Andy Richter was a little disappointing as a show. It started off pretty cool…kind of Office Space meets …I don’t know…the fantasy scenes from The Family Guyor something. But it got old after awhile. ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-richter-no-longer-controls-the-universe/175526/11 "2003-05-15T22:15:31Z")
[Room somewhere at the headquarters of FOX. A dozen or so well-dressed executives sit at a long table for an important meeting.] Exec#1: More and more viewers are slipping away to cable. We have to find a way to stop this. Any ideas? Exec#2: Er … well … Exec#1: Speak up, Johnson. At this point, I’m willing to consider even the most insane proposal. Exec#2: Well, sir, we could stop producing crappy shows, and, uh, start producing good shows? [stunned silence] Exec#1: You want us to … stop … and … You’re fired. Any other ideas? [Exec#2 slinks away slowly, head down] Exec#3: Hey! We could cancel all the good shows, and start producing more crappy shows! [murmurs of assent] Exec#1: Excellent, Anderson! You’re promoted. [bustling as people start leaving the meeting] Exec#4: WAIT! We’re canceling all the good shows, right? Exec#1: Of course. Exec#4: Does that include The Simpsons? Exec#3: Well, the last couple of seasons really have sucked. Maybe we should just keep airing it? Exec#5: Oh, you would say that. Listen, The Simpsons is still one of the best shows this network airs … [meeting breaks out into chaos and fistfights as the executives argue over whether The Simpsons sucks yet or not] The End ---
**Author:** ![look\_ninjas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@look\_ninjas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/look_ninjas)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-richter-no-longer-controls-the-universe/175526/12 "2003-05-15T23:44:44Z")
Andy, I hardly knew ye. Mostly because Fox never gave you a F@#!ing chance. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-richter-no-longer-controls-the-universe/175526/13 "2003-05-16T00:31:01Z")
Wow, I can’t believe the shows in the OP were picked up, but not Nick Brendon’s sitcom. Asshats. But don’t worry. All is not lost. Eliza Dushku has her new show, True Calling, on Fox. And Time Minear (Angel, Firefly) will be exec-producing, directing, and writing a new drama called “Wonder Falls” that sounds good (I think that will be a mid-season replacement though.) He seemed pretty excited about it. ---
**Author:** ![Gundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Gundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gundy)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-richter-no-longer-controls-the-universe/175526/14 "2003-05-16T01:03:14Z")
I’m still pissed they cancelled _Undeclared_. That show was effin HI-larious. ---
**Author:** ![kasuo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8c91f0/32.png) [@kasuo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kasuo)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-richter-no-longer-controls-the-universe/175526/15 "2003-05-16T01:15:02Z")
Go’ram FOX. ---
**Author:** ![Wearia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@Wearia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wearia)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-richter-no-longer-controls-the-universe/175526/16 "2003-05-16T01:47:29Z")
Ok, so they’ve killed Firefly, Family Guy, Futurama, Greg the Bunny, Andy Richter and dozens more. And the anthrax was sent to NBC why? ---
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-richter-no-longer-controls-the-universe/175526/17 "2003-05-18T01:36:16Z")
\ Sure they canceled Futurama and Family Guy, but Fox also **gave** us those shows, and they are currently available for viewing via certain cable outlets, DVD, etc., thanks to the chance they were given. Do you seriously think CBS, NBC or ABC would have even given Futurama (or The Simpsons…or Malcolm in the Middle for that matter) a second glance? Of course not. Yes, yes, yes, yes… a lot of stuff on Fox is crap (and their “news” channel is a haven for whimpering right-wing game show hosts) but so is a lot of stuff on PBS, HGTV, TLC, Discovery Channel, Comedy Central and ESPN. I give Fox credit for taking chances, despite its misfires. \ ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-richter-no-longer-controls-the-universe/175526/18 "2003-05-18T01:44:11Z")
Norm MacDonald ain’t so bad. The first season of _The Norm MacDonald Show_ was hilarious. What came after that must not be mentioned. Good riddens to _Futurama_ it was a stupid, and mean literally stupid, show. It was almost like an animated _Third Rock From the Sun_. Television is better without it. Now _The Family Guy_ (which I admit did start getting really bad and needlessly crude) is a show that I will miss. I only saw half an episode of _Andy Richter_, and the only thing I remember from it was Andy pulling out a list of his life’s goals, in which was listed “Be the guy that captures Hitler” and “Become king of the Penguins”. I still chuckle at that and was able to tell that this was a show that deserved better than the treatment given it. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-richter-no-longer-controls-the-universe/175526/19 "2003-05-18T01:53:58Z")
Too bad; _Andy Richter Controls the Universe_ was, at least sometimes, funny as hell. “Was it a let’s-be-friends kiss, or a slappity-slappity, boogity-boogity-boom kiss?” ---
**Author:** ![Rusalka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecd19e/32.png) [@Rusalka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rusalka)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2003, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-richter-no-longer-controls-the-universe/175526/20 "2003-05-18T02:31:40Z")
Why did he leave Conan? I think that was his downfall. He was funny as Conan’s second banana, but it seems fame got to his head and he thought he could make it on his own. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-richter-no-longer-controls-the-universe/175526.md?page=2)