Many fans of '90s animation shows have the likes of 'X-Men', 'Dexter's Laboratory', and 'Recess' high on their list of best TV shows to have grown up with. And one other that also garnered a cult following is 'Gargoyles'.
The animated series aired on US television from 1994 to 1997, and viewers loved the high-stake action from Goliath and his gargoyle friends. Unfortunately, the series was cut short and it never made it past the third season - and now we finally know why that was.
Airing on TV network ABC on Saturday mornings, the series was a hit when it first launched. However, the year 1995 changed all of this when the trial of O.J. Simpson, the media flurry of the decade, cut short many of the 'Gargoyles' episodes due to breaking news from the hearing.
Creator Greg Weisman explains what happened: "The OJ Simpson trial meant we were constantly being preempted for trial coverage, because we were on syndicated stations, and syndicated stations still primarily lived off local news in the 1990s. Every day it ran, we were being preempted, and in any given city, people were missing episodes of 'Gargoyles', and falling out of the habit of watching it.
"It sounds bizarre that OJ Simpson helped destroy 'Gargoyles', but it’s true."
Not only that, but this was the same time that 'Mighty Morphin Poer Rangers' began to take over American TV screens, which Weisman says bumped their show from their number one slot to number two.
Going forward, Weisman still has hope that the future of 'Gargoyles' is bright. The ability to watch the show on Disney+ is a huge boost for the animated series, and he's remaining hopeful that a revival of the '90s cartoon will come eventually.
He continued: "'Gargoyles' is still my baby. I don’t own it. I don’t get a dime off of it being on Disney+. And yet I’m so thrilled that it is, I’m thrilled that it represents a chance — even if it’s a slim chance — to bring it back. I’ve always wanted to do more. I’ve got a timeline for the show that’s 315 pages long. I’ve got notebooks and comp books full of ideas for it. Spin-off notions and all sorts of things. Literally nothing would make me happier than to go back and do more 'Gargoyles'…"
And on the subject of a 'Gargoyles' live-action movie, the creator said he's game to come back to the franchise if Disney wanted him to. He said: "I’d love to see the property be able to grow. As long as nothing is being done with it, that’s impossible. But if something is done with it, and I think being on Disney+ counts as something, there’s at least a shot at allowing us to tell more stories in that universe. That would be huge for me, emotionally."
If you too have been missing 'Gargoyles' then head over to Disney+ and get watching.
Via Polygon.