‘The Flintstones’ Return to Primetime with ‘Family Guy’ Creator Seth MacFarlane

The Flintstones will return to primetime television courtesy of Seth MacFarlane, Deadline reports. The creator of such salacious and perhaps even genuinely offensive animated series like Family Guy and The Cleveland Show realized a lifelong ambition by helping 20th Century Fox seal a deal with Warner Bros. to produce a new cartoon based on the classic Hanna-Barbera franchise. Executive Produced by MacFarlane, the new animated series will debut on Fox sometime in 2013.Best known for his prolific work in exceedingly vulgar yet hugely popular animated comedy (Family Guy, American Dad, The Cleveland Show), Seth MacFarlane claims Fred Flintstone was the first thing he ever drew. The writer and animator got his start at Hanna-Barbera, working on series like Dexter's Laboratory and Johnny Bravo, so his being instrumental in returning the venerable Flintstones franchise to television is not without some sentiment. MacFarlane discussed the situation at a Fox presentation for advertisers.

It's appropriate that events have come full circle, allowing me to produce the newest incarnation of this great franchise. Plus, I think America is finally ready for an animated sitcom about a fat stupid guy with a wife who's too good for him.

Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly added, "The Flintstones are among the funniest and most beloved characters in television history, and we can't wait to introduce them to a whole new generation on Fox. Fox has long been home to iconic families like the Simpsons and the Griffins, so I have no doubt that the Flintstones and the Rubbles are going to fit right in on our air."

While we can all debate the transcendent weirdness of someone using the words "iconic" and "Simpsons" and "Griffins" in the same sentence, MacFarlane will be hard at work updating The Flintstones to reflect the trappings of modern culture. "What is the animal version of an iPad?" he said.

The Flintstones have appeared several times in parodical cameo roles on Family Guy, including one in which the family's foot-powered car is involved in a high speed police chase.

[Via Deadline]