andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

It’s time to say goodbye to two of Fox’s most popular long-running comedies. The network has announced that it will air the finale of Malcolm in the Middle on May 14, while That ’70s Show will join Malcolm in TV heaven four days later.

Also facing the axe is Fox’s Emmy-winning Arrested Development, which despite critical acclaim, has been earning low ratings. Fox entertainment president Peter Liguori said during the Television Critics Assn. winter press tour that a return to Fox next season for Arrested Development is “highly unlikely.” But fans of the comedy need not worry – both Showtime and ABC have offered to pick up the series.

Meanwhile, Fox is currently in talks with That ’70s Show alumni-turned-movie-stars Topher Grace and Ashton Kutcher to return for the retro sitcom’s finale.

While Fox may be giving these three shows the boot, the network is also looking into reviving a few others. The cartoon comedy King of the Hill has been out of production for a while but Liguori said Fox is working to get the show back, hopefully by January, 2007. In the meantime, Liguori said the company is also considering bringing back Futurama, which has been doing well lately on the Cartoon Network’s “Adult Swim” late-night block.

Anyone remember the Good Idea/Bad Idea segment featured on the WB?s Animaniacs? No? Just me? Fine then. Here?s the deal: a lot has happened in the wild world of television in the last few weeks. I?ve broken down my cheers and jeers regarding some of these recent developments into what I believe are good ideas and bad ideas. How will the industry?s decisions affect the biz, the programming and the fans? Permit me to be the judge.

GOOD IDEA: Emmy nods for both Kiefer Sutherland and 24
I defy anyone who has never seen an episode of this show to watch even five minutes and not desperately need to know how the season concludes. There has been very little like 24 before it came along in 2001, and there are plenty of upcoming shows playing copycat ? marks of a truly great program. Kiefer Sutherland is practically flawless in his portrayal of renegade federal agent Jack Bauer, who must spend an entire day each season thwarting terrorists in Los Angeles. Though some have argued the role is hardly a stretch for Sutherland ? once noted for his temper, substance abuse and reckless behavior ? the fact is both the actor and the show continue to provide high-caliber, original entertainment and for that they are both in dire need of an Emmy.

BAD IDEA: Showtime?s Ice Cream for a Year Promotion
Beginning in October, new subscribers to the Showtime network will be invited to submit three months worth of past cable or satellite bills in exchange for twelve coupons good for one pint of Haagen-Daz ice cream each. In a press release announcing the deal, Showtime?s Vice President of Promotions and Partnership Marketing Rick King proclaimed that both the cable channel and Haagen-Daz were a natural pairing as ?these two brands represent quality, indulgence and escape.? In other words, Showtime and Haagen-Daz want to encourage viewers to park their gradually expanding asses in front of the TV with pints of ice cream while hiding from their real-life problems amidst hours upon hours of expensive cable programming. Thanks, guys.

GOOD IDEA: Frankie Muniz contemplates the end of Malcolm in the Middle
As andPOP reported earlier this week, Frankie Muniz has suggested that the upcoming sixth season of his Sunday-night sitcom may be the last. According to Muniz, the cast and crew want to go out in a blaze of Seinfeldian glory; exiting the ring while they?re still entertaining their fans. Having never really enjoyed it myself, I?ve felt for some time that the show ? which worked when Muniz was younger and the premise centered on the ?child genius in a family of morons? gimmick ? was past its prime. No one wants to watch Malcolm in the Middle Age. Besides, he has a burgeoning film career to attend to, creating important films of the Agent Cody Banks persuasion.

BAD IDEA: Seven of Nine joins The O.C.
OK, I have very little against Trekkies, but I harbor a fiery, burning passion for The O.C., and I do not want to see Jeri Ryan (Star Trek: Voyager) grace the sands of Newport Beach to play Kirstin?s drinking buddy in rehab. Unfortunately, the deal is done, and Ryan isn?t the only new addition, either ? Eric Mabius (Eyes, The L-Word) has signed to portray the new dean of Harbor School. My disdain for these newcomers has nothing to do with their past work (although I would rather perform self-dentistry than watch Star Trek) and I?m sure they?re terrific actors; however, as many fans of The OC will tell you, this show does not do ?new characters? well. The best plots centre on the original cast, and outsiders, who are never well received, don?t tend to stick around for long as a result. Just like Newport Beach, fans of The OC don?t take kindly to those who don?t belong, so unless your last name is Cohen, you hail from Chino or you?re a closet alcoholic, then trust me, you?re on the wrong show.

GOOD IDEA: Reading this column next Thursday for more good and bad ideas.

BAD IDEA: Missing it.

Actor Frankie Muniz, who has played Malcolm on the sitcom “Malcolm in the Middle” for the past 6 seasons, may see an end to that role in mid-July, he told MTV.

“If people are still watching it and still want more, we’ll keep doing it. The only thing is with our show, it’s not the kind that can continue on forever, and I think I’d rather have a great end rather than them telling us not to come back because nobody is watching, you know? I want to go out on a really good note,” Muniz told MTV.com.

But of course, all this couldn’t go down without Muniz promoting his upcoming low-budget horror flick, “Stay Alive,” due out next spring.

The flick is about a group of New Orleans teens who are video game enthusiasts and their real life mirrors that of a video game.

“Every time one of us dies in the game, we die the same way in real life and there’s no way to stop it. It’s crazy,” Muniz said.

Muniz will star as the stereotypical video gamer nerd, Swink Sylvania. He’s really smart but decides to play video games for his life.

At the end when everyone dies, he is one of the last ones left, and “he kind of goes berserk and freaks out,” Muniz said.

Co-starring in the film will be Samaire Armstrong (”The O.C.”), Sophia Bush (”One Tree Hill”), Adam Goldberg (”Dazed and Confused”) and Jon Kosler (”The Door in the Floor”).

And if “Malcolm” does end in the parade of sitcoms gone by as expected, and “Stay Alive” bombs, well, there may be some solace for the 19-year-old star…

As of late, Muniz now calls a mysterious New Orleans woman his fiancee, whom he met on set of “Stay Alive”, according to People magazine.

Wow… how long you want to bet it will be before this relationship is chucked in the can too?