FUTURE FOX

Our hard-working cast and crews are busy today. Here’s just a mere sampling of what is going on Tuesday, August 5th in the FOX world:

• Joss Whedon is directing Dollhouse on location in a hangar.
• The Virtuality first episode is humming along. Right now, they’re in an “airlock” set.
• Practically the entire cast of Prison Break is in scenes today.
• 24 is filming in the White House set.
• Terminator is on location at a house standing in for the Connors’.
• Do Not Disturb is taping on the lot.
• Sit Down, Shut Up has a table read with its very funny cast.

We’re churning out quality television for you lovely people!

“…Beads!?”

So. FOX Upfronts. By now you’ve probably heard that we’ve got a few tiny shows by some little known TV show creators. Some guy named Ahems and some dude named Whesdon? Wheredon? Whedon?

Aaah, you know who I’m talking about. J.J. “Entertainment Thunder” Abrams and Joss “Entertainment Lightning” Whedon. When the gates opened after our Upfronts on Thursday afternoon, the internet went cray-zay. Crazy to the point of breach of contract.

First, let’s not overlook the FOX line-ups for 2008 and 2009. We’re bringing you nine new shows, and several of them from the best minds in the industry (read: Seth MacFarlane’s The Cleveland Show, and Mitch Hurwitz’s Sit Down Shut Up). Take a look at our 2008/09 Upfronts page to see trailers for the new shows and see which of your favorite shows are coming back.

“Bees!”

Fringe and Dollhouse are going to be amazing. I’ve never seen so many fansites light up so quickly once the news and details of these two shows arrived. Video clips for both shows are out in the webiverse now, so go get yourself some Thunder and Lighting pie and tell us what you think.

And then add that our network captain, Peter Liguori, wants to give you Dollhouse and Fringe with FEWER commercials.

There’s so much to say, and so much more to come. I don’t want to burn you out just yet.

“…I don’t think G.O.B.’s on board…”

One of the production companies responsible for “Sit Down, Shut Up” is called Tantamount, which is actually Mitch Hurwitz’s.

You may also remember that name from Arrested — Tantamount Studios was where Maeby Funke served as the “third youngest movie executive in Hollywood.”

Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein are the new showrunners on Sit Down, Shut Up. They are the guys who wrote some of the greatest Simpsons episodes, like Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy, $pringfield, and Who Shot Mr. Burns Part One and Two.

“Mitch (Hurwitz) wants to be in more of a supervisory role, like Ron Howard on ‘Arrested,’ ” Oakley said in Variety.

Sit Down is “extremely character based, like ‘Arrested Development,’ and has different rhythms than other animated shows like ‘The Simpsons’ or ‘King of the Hill,’” Oakley said.

Mo Willems, who created Cartoon Network’s “Sheep in the Big City,” is handling animation on the show.

It’s a normal day at FOX when someone quotes a line from Arrested Development. So it wasn’t surprising to learn we were developing another show with its mastermind, Mitch Hurwitz. What was surprising is that his latest concept would be animated.

“Sit Down, Shut Up” is based on the live-action Australian series that centers on staff members at a high school who are preoccupied only with themselves. This means that the students come second.

Hurwitz is now blessing all AD fans by casting some well known voices to the new show — Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Henry Winkler.

They join the voice cast of Cheri Oteri, Will Forte, Regina King, Nick Kroll, Tom Kenny and Maria Bamford. (Look up all their credits cause you know them…)

We couldn’t find any clips of the original Australian show on youtube. But if for some reason you can’t remember what Michael Bluth, GOB Bluth and Barry Zuckerkorn sound like, do yourself a favor and watch full episodes or clips of Arrested.