As Dreamers Do: American Magic Redux

[TheFaultsofAlts]

If FART wasn't preoccupied with bullying comic book stores over carrying the story of a crossdressing boy who fights crime, perhaps they would've noticed the innuendo in Fish Police's debut episode, The Long Fin of the Law, in which Inspector Gill narrates his capture of "dangerous fingerling-harasser" John Perchfalusi.
- The Chicago Tribune

John Ritter is fine as the voice of Inspector Gill, but he's no Bob Hoskins.
- The Miami Herald

Parents tuning in to Fish Police expecting something more akin to The Little Mermaid should hold off until Disney brings the real Little Mermaid to Fox's Saturday Morning lineup in September.
- The Boston Globe

Not great, but at least it wasn't as mean spirited as George Liquor.
- The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

It's good that there is some competition popping up on network television, but CBS is the last place you'd expect to see a Simpsons wannabe.
- The Los Angeles Times

Fish Police is not the best. Nor is it the worst. But it's a start. Now if CBS can option Shezow from Dark Horse....
- The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

If I were Steve Moncuse, I would be concerned, but not too worried about the way Fish Police is turning out on CBS.
- The Washington Post

1: Starting with the lowest of low-hanging fruit, eh? Well, I hope that the later episodes have more original scenarios.
2: Now, if we were to add a sea bunny slug as the star of a show-within-a-show in Fish Police, then maybe we'd talk.
3: It's understandable that they would believe that at first, given the design choice. Seriously, those fish look like the missing link between the merpeople like Ariel and the sealife like Flounder. Just saying.
4: Let me be real with you. Foodfight is less mean-spirited than George Liquor. Chicken Little is less mean-spirited than George Liquor. I'd come up with another comparison, but you get what I'm trying to say here.
5: Well, if I were to play devil's advocate, Disney did supply CBS with some primetime shows before and during The Disney Channel's IOTL.

Herbie, the Love Bug (TV series) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Small & Frye - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Gun Shy (TV series) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Zorro and Son - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

6: Not too shabby. A local newspaper giving praise to a comic that isn't from Marvel or DC. I'm impressesed.
7: Behold. All the prior reactions above in a nutshell.

 

[OldNavy1988]

Tiny Toons: How I Spent My Vacation

Released by Warner Bros.
Produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation

The Lawnmower Man

Released by New Line Cinema

My Cousin Vinny

Released by 20th Century-Fox

Basic Instinct

Released by Carolco Pictures
Yes, THAT part is still in the movie ITTL.

The Cutting Edge

Released by Turner under the United Artists label.

White Men Can't Jump

Released by 20th Century-Fox.

And yes, White Men Can't Jump opens with a twist on the Fox fanfare (below; use headphones)

 

[OldNavy1988]

Any questions, comments, etc. before we get to the start of the summer blockbuster season for '92?

 

[eldandythedoubter]

Has the shoe droppes on sonic yet?

 

[OldNavy1988]

Has the shoe droppes on sonic yet?

The first Sonic game came out in June of '91. The first few Genesis games will likely be the same as OTL.

 

[OldNavy1988]

VH1 debuts a new concept in longform music video packaging under the title Fantasia: Music Evolved. The first to emerge from this hour-long format will be footage from the Sorcerer's Apprentice segment from the 1940 film Fantasia synced with Jimi Hendrix's "Are You Experienced" followed by Soundgarden's "Rusty Cage." Fantasia: Music Evolved will run at 9:00 pm Eastern and Pacific after Ranma 1/2 beginning on April 10.
- TV Guide

Fantasmic!, a new nighttime show, will debut at Disneyland Park on May 13.
- Disney Adventures

An unmarked tin can was found at the offices of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and another was found at CNN Center in Atlanta. Both facilities were evacuated for six hours until investigators concluded nothing lethal was inside either can.
- CNN

Haim Saban confirms he had been in talks with Raymond Chow about establishing an American branch of Golden Harvest since October of '91.
- The Hollywood Reporter

THIS JUST IN...
Four Los Angeles police officers have been convicted on all counts in a 1991 police brutality case.
- CNN

 

[TheFaultsofAlts]

VH1 debuts a new concept in longform music video packaging under the title Fantasia: Music Evolved. The first to emerge from this hour-long format will be footage from the Sorcerer's Apprentice segment from the 1940 film Fantasia synced with Jimi Hendrix's "Are You Experienced" followed by Soundgarden's "Rusty Cage." Fantasia: Music Evolved will run at 9:00 pm Eastern and Pacific after Ranma 1/2 beginning on April 10.
- TV Guide

Fantasmic!, a new nighttime show, will debut at Disneyland Park on May 13.
- Disney Adventures

An unmarked tin can was found at the offices of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and another was found at CNN Center in Atlanta. Both facilities were evacuated for six hours until investigators concluded nothing lethal was inside either can.
- CNN

Haim Saban confirms he had been in talks with Raymond Chow about establishing an American branch of Golden Harvest since October of '91.
- The Hollywood Reporter

THIS JUST IN...
Four Los Angeles police officers have been convicted on all counts in a 1991 police brutality case.
- CNN

1: Basically, the DTV format from 8 years ago on The Disney Channel has been sprung back to life on a more suitable network from the company. And having it air after an hour of Rumiko Takahashi? That just makes it even better!
2: I've got 25 bucks that says Huck's Landing is a notable part of the show ITTL.
3: A can...without a label? OH NO!!!
4: Saban Entertainment, after merging with DIC Entertainment, opening up a U.S. branch of the company that made Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee household names? If this means that we get Jackie Chan Adventures a few years earlier, then count me in!
5: I have no idea what this means.

 

[Denliner]

5: I have no idea what this means.

It's a reference to this:

1992 Los Angeles riots - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Seems like that's butterflied as they're convicted instead of being acquitted.

 

[TheFaultsofAlts]

It's a reference to this:

1992 Los Angeles riots - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Seems like that's butterflied as they're convicted instead of being acquitted.

Thanks for clearing that up!

 

[PNWKing]

I wonder if the Houston Oilers are considering a move to Portland, Baltimore, Providence, Nashville, Memphis, Orlando, San Antonio, Austin, or Salt Lake City.

 

[eldandythedoubter]

It's a reference to this:

1992 Los Angeles riots - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Seems like that's butterflied as they're convicted instead of being acquitted.

Thanks for clearing that up!

I only know of this because of Sublime Without Rome.

 

[Anthony07]

Any questions, comments, etc. before we get to the start of the summer blockbuster season for '92?

I did mess up my question before Fish Police, but how does Hanna-Barbera split their productions between the Culver City and Birmingham studios and how have Rupert Murdoch been doing with his Sky satellite service in the UK, does he sold it or get the first live rights to the Premier League and if so, does other companies have plans to launch UK satellite channels?

 

[OldNavy1988]

I did mess up my question before Fish Police, but how does Hanna-Barbera split their productions between the Culver City and Birmingham studios and how have Rupert Murdoch been doing with his Sky satellite service in the UK, does he sold it or get the first live rights to the Premier League and if so, does other companies have plans to launch UK satellite channels?

Murdoch is doing okay in the UK.

The Culver City studio is the new main office for HB. The Birmingham office would be a place to help the company increase its annual animation output.

 

[PNWKing]

I wonder if we could see that Nelvana/Scholastic merger I asked for.
Also, has TimeWarner considered a partnership with Nintendo of America to produce game adaptations of TimeWarner properties.

 

[PNWKing]

I wonder if it's about time to launch another network. I hope the Disney Channel will transition to basic cable. And then that FX will launch in 1994. Then, would it be possible for Henson to launch Nicktoons Network in 1999, followed by Turner launching Boomerang in 2002 (assuming that Cartoon Network has original programming ITTL.)

 

[OldNavy1988]

I wonder if we could see that Nelvana/Scholastic merger I asked for.
Also, has TimeWarner considered a partnership with Nintendo of America to produce game adaptations of TimeWarner properties.

That merger will likely take some time to complete.

Not yet, but there should be an announcement sometime in '92.

I wonder if it's about time to launch another network. I hope the Disney Channel will transition to basic cable. And then that FX will launch in 1994. Then, would it be possible for Henson to launch Nicktoons Network in 1999, followed by Turner launching Boomerang in 2002 (assuming that Cartoon Network has original programming ITTL.)

Cartoon Network is on the way in October.

I still haven't decided on what Bally should do with Sky America just yet. If Bally doesn't use The Hub as the new name, I might give it to someone else.

 

[OldNavy1988]

I wonder if the Houston Oilers are considering a move to Portland, Baltimore, Providence, Nashville, Memphis, Orlando, San Antonio, Austin, or Salt Lake City.

I might have the Oilers stay put, but I'm not sure who the owner should be. Most likely it could be Jerry Argovitz, who owned the USFL Gamblers IOTL that might take over for Bud Adams.

One thing that is set in stone is that Charlotte will get an NFL expansion team.

 

[TheFaultsofAlts]

I still haven't decided on what Bally should do with Sky America just yet. If Bally doesn't use The Hub as the new name, I might give it to someone else.

Well, I put in a suggestion for how to schedule the first hours of the relaunch on the PM.

As for what to call it, I originally wanted to use the name of Kabillion, before someone thought of starting HBO Family a few years earlier. So I'd be fine with the latter if necessary.

 

[PNWKing]

I had the idea of a cartoon series set in the Deep South. Originally, I could think of Southern wildlife (like Catfish Bend), but remembering that Nelvana ITTL produced Catfish Bend as a movie, I decided to refocus on the people of the Deep South, and more specifically the rural "subcultures." Knowing that Gullah Gullah Island was a thing IOTL, I decided to go the more "original" route and focus on the Cajun/Creole people of Louisiana. I'd call the show Cuz Thibidoueax's Place. Produced by Murakami-Wolf-Swenson & Film Roman as a joint venture, and distributed by Hollywood Pictures Television for HBO.

 

[OldNavy1988]

From the desk of
Larry Tisch
Chairman of the Board
CBS, Inc.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

STATEMENT ON FISH POLICE

Issued on April 14, 1992

Today, it is with deep regret that we have informed the Ruby-Spears production team that we are temporarily halting our order for additional episodes of the primetime animated series Fish Police. The episode that aired on February 28, titled Long Fin of the Law, was deemed by many viewers to be in poor taste given the real life headlines surrounding the ongoing threats to the safety of teenage actress Judith Barsi.​