Why Was The Flintstones Canceled?
The popular animated series The Flintstones is a significant part of every 90s kid’s childhood. The Flintstones was originally broadcast on ABC in September 1960. Set in the Stone Age the animated series revolved around the life of a crane operator Fred Flintstone, his wife Wilma, and kids Pebbles and Stoney.
Seth MacFarlane was quite excited about the reboot of The Flintstones in early 2011. However, things did not work out his way and the reboot never came to fruition.
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The Reason Why The Flintstones Was Canceled
The Family Guy star Seth MacFarlane has always been vocal about his admiration for The Flintstones. According to the American actor, his artistic maturation was highly influenced by The Flintstones. As reported by the media outlet Collider, it was announced that MacFarlane would be coming up with a reboot of The Flintstones with a mid-90s Simpsons edge to it.
He was confident about the potential of the popular series along with Fox Entertainment, and a 2013 release window was also announced.
However, Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly was not drawn towards the idea of The Flintstones‘ reboot, and due to the limited spots on the packed-up schedule of the studio, the production of the Seth MacFarlane-led project was called off. The Flintstones animated series follows the life of a crane driver Fred, his wife Wilma, two kids, their pet dinosaur, Dino, and their neighbors Barney and Betty Rubble.
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Alan Reed Jr Reveals His Father Wasn’t The First Choice For Fred Flintstone
American actor Alan Reed is best known as the voice behind Fred Flintstone. He had been a part of movies like Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Days Of Glory, and The Tarnished Angels. As reported by MeTv in 2023, Alan Reed’s son Alan Reed Jr. appeared for an interview with Tinseltown Talks for the Fayette Tribune. The actor spoke about his late father and went on to reveal that he was not the first choice for Fred Flintstone. He said-
“There was a short pilot called ‘The Flagstones’ with Daws Butler as the voice of Fred. He was a great voice actor for Hanna-Barbera but just didn’t come up with the sound the producers had in mind for Fred. Dad had that natural gruff, heavy tone that could be excitable and funny, but with a warm twinkle about it at the same time.”
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While talking about the famous catchphrase Yabba Dabba Doo! from The Flintstones, Alan Reed Jr. recounted a story-
“It called for Fred to yell ‘Yahoo!’ but Dad felt it didn’t have the exuberance that was needed. So he spontaneously came up with ‘Yabba Dabba Doo!’ during a recording session and Joe (Barbera) liked it.”
The Flintstones ran for six seasons completing over 150 episodes from 1960 to 1966.
