OK folks.
For weeks, we've all been kvetching about the inexplicable hatchet job that Noggin has done to Daria. Inconsistent censoring of relatively mild profanities, chopping out lines that ruin or eliminate great jokes, jumps from scene to scene that leave you thinking "WHAAAAAAA…?" (And now they've renamed an episode! GAAAAAH!!!)
If this is your first time watching Daria, I am SO sorry that you missed its original MTV run. In order to make the show viewable for an age group that SHOULD BE IN BED when Daria comes on at 10pm/9pm central (especially on school nights - hellooooo!), they have eliminated much of the pith, the essence, the "oomph" of the show. And for those of us longtime fans, I'm not going to rehash how much the editing blows elephant pizzles. I have limited access to Noggin at my house since it currently appears on the digital cable tier, & only one TV set in the house has the digital box -- and after what I've seen so far, it's not worth fighting the rest of my family for TV time to watch a hacked up show when I can watch the eps on my trusty VCR. (NO, I will NOT post any episodes on the Internet - that's not what I've spent the last several years of my life trying to become an intellectual property lawyer for!)
Since Daria on DVD might not be in the immediate future, and having Daria on Noggin has turned out to be worse than not having the show on at all, proposals have been made to get Daria moved to another cable network. I've seen TNN (The National Network) mentioned. It, like MTV, is owned by Viacom - logical choice. I've also seen suggestions for Cartoon Network -- another logical choice. Daria is, of course, animated, and with its language it would work well with the "Adult Swim" lineup. The main concern with this is that Cartoon Network is owned by AOL Time Warner, Viacom's major competitor, and why would TM show a program produced by its biggest media rival? Lately, I've also seen mention of VH1 and MTV2 as alternatives.
Here's my suggestion: Comedy Central. This, too, has been mentioned on this ng. I think this is the most plausible possibility. Rationale:
1) Comedy Central is JOINTLY OWNED by Viacom and AOLTime Warner, through a merger of HBO's HA! Network (anyone else remember them?) and Showtime's Comedy Channel. (BTW, MTV Networks were owned in the '80s by Warner Communications, which merged with Time, Inc. in the '90s to form Time Warner. Viacom bought MTV, VH1, & Nickelodeon from Warner Communications in 1988. Just thought you'd wanna know.)
2) Comedy Central recently added "Undergrads" to its late Sunday night lineup. ("Undergrads" was the last show produced by MTV Animation; it aired on MTV in the summer of 2001.)
3) CC has been cross-promoting "South Park" on MTV and VH1. (If they're advertising their shows on a supposed rival network, why wouldn't they air a show produced by that same rival?)
4) Daria would fit in well among CC's other animated shows such as "The Critic," "Duckman," and the aforementioned "Undergrads." (This is a point I made in my letter to Comedy Central when I asked them to consider adding Daria.)
Yup, you read correctly - I've written to Comedy Central to ask THEM to put Daria on the air when (and if) Noggin stops showing it. And I'm asking you folks to consider doing the same. There are two ways to contact CC to make your voice heard:
1) Call their Viewer Services Line at 212-767-8600. (Sorry y'all - I couldn't get a toll-free number for this!) Leave your name, phone number, and a brief message and (they *swear*) somebody (they didn't say who) will return your call. (They didn't say when either.) If you've got free long distance (I LOVE my cell phone service for this!) you might want to try this.
- Send an e-mail to: [email].
Comedy Central is adamant about not accepting *any* postal mail. (Sorry, Ms. Geek - no lasagna boxes this time!) Therefore, the number & e-mail address above are the only ways to go. If you're calling, be articulate (but brief). If you're e-mailing, watch your spelling, grammar, punctuation. And above all, be POLITE when contacting these folks! You'll catch more files with honey than with vinegar (unless you're an amphibian, I guess).
I've said it in the past, and I'll say it once again:
Save Daria. Amen
Chirping through the night, Cricket