‘The Flintstones’ Is Coming to MeTV — Watch Fred’s Announcement (VIDEO)
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The Flintstones will return to TV 59 years to the day it first debuted.
TV Insider can reveal exclusively that America’s #1 classic television network, MeTV, will begin airing back-to-back episodes weeknights at 6pm ET/PT, starting Monday, September 30.
“The Flintstones represents the essence of MeTV — beloved, family-friendly, timeless programming,” Neal Sabin, Vice-Chairman of Weigel Broadcasting Co., said. “No matter the decade, and in this case as far back as the Stone Age, MeTV always delivers the classics for our audience.”
The series first premiered on September 30, 1960 and ran for six seasons on ABC. It was the first animated television show to air in primetime, helping to pave the way for current hits like The Simpsons and Family Guy.
The Flintstones was also the first animated program to show a husband and wife sharing a bed and to address infertility issues when the Rubbles adopted Bamm-Bamm in Season 4. And it was the first animated series to receive a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series (in 1961, then called Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Humor).
The Flintstones followed the daily adventures of Fred and Wilma Flintstone and their neighbors and best friends, Barney and Betty Rubble, in the prehistoric town of Bedrock. It was produced by animation studio Hanna-Barbera and aimed at adult audiences.
Celebrity guest stars included Ann-Margret (as Ann-Margrock) and Tony Curtis (as Stony Curtis). It also featured celebrity iterations such as Cary Grant (Cary Granite), Ed Sullivan (Ed Sullyrock/Sullystone), Alfred Hitchcock (Alvin Brickrock), and Rock Hudson (Rock Pile/Hudstone).
Two live-action movies, The Flintstones and The Flintstones 2: Viva Rock Vegas, were released in 1994 and 2000. A new animated production was announced in 2019.
Watch the video below to see Fred announce the return:
The Flintstones, Monday, September 30, 6pm ET/PT, MeTV
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I can't wait! I love The Flintstones!
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Ok Me TV...I understand we have to habitually turn off M*A*S*H 37 TIMES PER WEEK (for the past 74 years). But airing The Flintstones does make up for a little bit. Now, how about airing back to back episodes of Underdog and Tennessee Tuxedo?
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Whoever did this article about "THE FLINTSTONES" sure didn't do their homework! after the ABC series ended its run, Columbia Pictures released "THE MAN CALLED FLINTSTONE" on August 3, 1966, which was an impressive full length animated feature,using "Wilma Flintstone" holding the Torch for the Columbia Pictures logo, which was the second Columbia Pictures' release after "HEY THERE, IT'S YOGI BEAR" was released in 1964. Columbia's then TV division Screen Gems was partners with Hanna-Barbera Productions in the 1960s before the studio was sold to The Taft Corporation in 1967. Screen Gems syndicated "THE FLINTSTONES all throughout the 1970s until they changed their name to Columbia Pictures Television a decade before being sold to Coca-Cola in 1981, and the eventual sale to SONY in 1989, and then the sale to Ted Turner in 1991 which led to the Time Warner merger in 1996, thus resulting in Warner Bros.Entertainment owning the Hanna-Barbera library by 2001. during the original run on ABC-TV in the 60s, Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York, the stars of ABC and Screen Gems' "BEWITCHED" series that Hanna-Barbera did the animated opening credits for, both guest-starred in animated form on an episode of "THE FLINTSTONES". and in another "Flintstones" segment, "Shinrock Presents" with the voice and likeness of Jimmy O'Neal, the host of ABC and Selmur Prods, "SHINDIG" TV music variety series (1964-66) also used the pop rock group, The Beau Brummels singing their no 1 hit, "Laugh, Laugh". but the popularity of "THE FLINTSTONES" didn't quite end after 1966, when the characters were used for various commercial products-one, in particular that's still in use today is Post cereal's ""Fruity Pebbles". six years after the original series ended in 1966, CBS and Hanna-Barbera produced "THE PEBBLES & BAMM BAMM SHOW" for their Fall 1971 lineup, using the voices of "ALL IN THE FAMILY"s Sally Struthers and "DENNIS THE MENACE" star Jay North. CBS later continued the success with "THE FLINTSTONE COMEDY HOUR" in Fall 1972, and in the later 70s, Hanna-Barbera continued "THE FLINTSTONES" on NBC and produced more Saturday Morning cartoons of the Bedrock family throughout the mid 1980s, Hanna-Barbera eventually returned "THE FLINTSTONES back to their original TV network ABC in the late 80s with "THE FLINTSTONES KIDS" and some various TV specials, including " I, YABBA DABBA DO" where Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm got married to each other!
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I was wondering that myself
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Are these new episodes? For example, there’s a Dollar Store when, in the 60’s, it seems it would have been a “5 and dime”. They seem to be new or updated. Welcome back, though, just the same.