# Seth MacFarlane to reboot "The Flintstones" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 17, 2011, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seth-macfarlane-to-reboot-the-flintstones/582168 "2011-05-17T01:49:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seth-macfarlane-to-reboot-the-flintstones/582168/21 "2011-05-17T13:28:41Z")
I don’t think it’s necessarily a blasphemous idea. There’ve been a number of incarnations of _Scooby Doo_, for instance. The Looney Tunes characters have had different handlers over the years. Let them give \*The Flintstones \*a go; why not? My question is, will Hanna-Barbera be involved? Is somebody looking out for the integrity of the franchise? What we \*don’t \*want to see is: “This is worse than that time I shared a stegosaurus burger with Jennifer Anistone!” (cue non-sequitor flashback.) I think MacFarlane can be very funny, actually, but I’m not convinced he has the self-restraint to play this straight enough to make it work. We’ll see, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seth-macfarlane-to-reboot-the-flintstones/582168/22 "2011-05-17T13:45:02Z")
I always hated the Flinstones as a kid (so boring!), but I do have to admit that I’m a bit curious to see MacFarlane do something that I presume will not be able to rely on the gross-out humor he employs in his other three cartoons. While I gave up on Family Guy a long time ago, and I still don’t understand the point of The Cleveland Show, I _do_ actually like American Dad, so I don’t think MacFarlane has completely run his course. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seth-macfarlane-to-reboot-the-flintstones/582168/23 "2011-05-17T13:47:59Z")
Holy cats, McFarlane wrote for Johnny Bravo? I never knew that. That show was made of awesome. I don’t know that Family Guy is, anymore (I haven’t watched it in some time), but Johnny Bravo was outstanding. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seth-macfarlane-to-reboot-the-flintstones/582168/24 "2011-05-17T13:48:11Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > My question is, will Hanna-Barbera be involved? Is somebody looking out for the integrity of the franchise? “Hanna-Barbera”? “integrity of the franchise”? Can those words be used in the same breath? I’m curious to see what MacFarlane does with it. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seth-macfarlane-to-reboot-the-flintstones/582168/25 "2011-05-17T13:58:47Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > “Hanna-Barbera”? “integrity of the franchise”? Can those words be used in the same breath? Yeah, OK, that came out a little stilted. What I mean is, while the animation was certainly cheap assembly-line stuff, _The Flinstones_ nevertheless had a particular tone and look that made it _The Flintstones_. I count myself as a fan of the show, and I want any new version to feel like it’s really _The Flintstones_, not a parody or some hip, irreverant re-imagining. I’m not sure if I can explain it further than that; it’s one of those “I’ll know it when I see it” kind of things. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seth-macfarlane-to-reboot-the-flintstones/582168/26 "2011-05-17T14:06:22Z")
Now I’ve got the vintage Flintstones “walking-around” music stuck in my head. “Da-dump! Da-dump! Da-dun-dun-dun-de-dun! Da-dump! Da-dump! Da-dutdutdutdutdutdutduh!” ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seth-macfarlane-to-reboot-the-flintstones/582168/27 "2011-05-17T14:19:45Z")
Yabba Dabba Do! ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seth-macfarlane-to-reboot-the-flintstones/582168/28 "2011-05-17T14:21:13Z")
Am I alone in thinking that the Simpsons and Family Guy basically _were_ Flintstones reboots, just spiritual successors more than _Flintstones 2: Electric Boogaloo_? Doing Flintstones now just seems kind of…redundant. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seth-macfarlane-to-reboot-the-flintstones/582168/29 "2011-05-17T14:23:04Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > There’ve been a number of incarnations of _Scooby Doo_, for instance. Yeah, but were any of them very good? ---
**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 17, 2011, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seth-macfarlane-to-reboot-the-flintstones/582168/30 "2011-05-17T14:35:43Z")
“Hey Barney, remember that time we went to see Barock Obama’s speech?” ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seth-macfarlane-to-reboot-the-flintstones/582168/31 "2011-05-17T14:39:52Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Yeah, but were any of them very good? Eh, I’m not here to defend _Scooby Doo_. It is what it is. My bigger point is that the various iterations (excluding the live-action films) all pretty much look and feel like _Scooby Doo_. Fred, Wilma, Barney, and Betty deserve at least the same consideration. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seth-macfarlane-to-reboot-the-flintstones/582168/32 "2011-05-17T14:50:53Z")
joebuck20: > [@](#): > > Yeah, but were any of them very good? Both the animated films and the “What’s New Scooby Doo?” series are quite fun, although much of that is self-reference and clever subversion of the original formula. (One of my favorites: In one “What’s New” episode, the villain turns out to be someone who had never been seen or mentioned earlier in the episode, and, while the other characters speak to the villain about his scheme, Velma complains that it’s not fair that it wasn’t someone she could have guessed.) If the Flintstones re-make is in a similar vein, I could definitely see it having some appeal. As an aside: does the current generation of kids know Fred and Barney as anything other than the mascots for Fruity/Cocoa Pebbles cereal? ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seth-macfarlane-to-reboot-the-flintstones/582168/33 "2011-05-17T14:54:08Z")
> [@Kozmik](#): > > Yabba Dabba Do! Yabaa Dabba Don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seth-macfarlane-to-reboot-the-flintstones/582168/34 "2011-05-17T14:57:12Z")
Every time I see that Seth has a new series I always wonder what dirt he has on Fox’s CEO. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seth-macfarlane-to-reboot-the-flintstones/582168/35 "2011-05-17T15:20:07Z")
Be interesting to see how he plays out the lyric: You’ll have a _gay_ old time. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seth-macfarlane-to-reboot-the-flintstones/582168/36 "2011-05-17T15:22:39Z")
> [@Khadaji](#): > > Every time I see that Seth has a new series I always wonder what dirt he has on Fox’s CEO. He brings him lots of young boys. Seriously, TV audiences typically skew heavily toward female viewership, so advertisers and network executives go nuts over any program that wins male viewers, particularly young ones. _Family Guy_ has been very successful at that, so the suits keep hoping that MacFarlane can clone that appeal over and over. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seth-macfarlane-to-reboot-the-flintstones/582168/37 "2011-05-17T15:39:57Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Yeah, but were any of them very good? They would have been, if not for those meddling suits. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seth-macfarlane-to-reboot-the-flintstones/582168/38 "2011-05-17T15:55:42Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > … > As an aside: does the current generation of kids know Fred and Barney as anything other than the mascots for Fruity/Cocoa Pebbles cereal? Yeah, a multivitamin. ---
**Author:** ![Carmady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@Carmady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carmady)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seth-macfarlane-to-reboot-the-flintstones/582168/39 "2011-05-17T15:56:54Z")
> [@Snickers](#): > > Holy cats, McFarlane wrote for Johnny Bravo? I never knew that. That show was made of awesome. I don’t know that Family Guy is, anymore (I haven’t watched it in some time), but Johnny Bravo was outstanding. Yeah, the main thing I’m taking away from this thread is that Seth MacFarlane wrote for Johnny Bravo and Dexter’s Lab, both really fun shows. I have a new respect for him now. I still fully expect The Flintstones to fail miserably (are there really many people who find the setting/premise at all interesting?), but if he’s written for some good shows, and some shows which had stretches of being good mixed with stretches of being awful (Family Guy and American Dad), I think he might be able to pull off a short stretch of decent Flintstones episodes before the well dries up. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seth-macfarlane-to-reboot-the-flintstones/582168/40 "2011-05-17T17:33:32Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Now I’ve got the vintage Flintstones “walking-around” music stuck in my head. “Da-dump! Da-dump! Da-dun-dun-dun-de-dun! Da-dump! Da-dump! Da-dutdutdutdutdutdutduh!” Possibly one of the weirdest music videos ever. https://www.youtube.com/embed/RQNJjvaaMEk?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seth-macfarlane-to-reboot-the-flintstones/582168.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seth-macfarlane-to-reboot-the-flintstones/582168.md?page=3)