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James Bond might sound like one of the least likely franchises to be adapted into a children's TV show, but the 1990s TV show James Bond Jr. attempted, unsuccessfully, to do it. The 007 franchise has 25 official James Bond movies, and video games based on the James Bond movies, but no official TV shows yet. Skyfall established that James Bond had no living family, which is now considered canon for the franchise. However, James Bond Jr. was released in 1994 and its plot followed the daring adventures of a spy relative of James Bond.

Like the Bond movies, James Bond Jr. was developed by Eon Productions, but it was so poorly received that the company quickly tried to distance itself from the show. The least-rated 007 movie, A View To A Kill, received just 36% on Rotten Tomatoes, and James Bond Jr. is widely considered even more of a failure. Many reasons...

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Tuesday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best show currently on TV?” can be found at the end of this post.)

This week’s question: What does it take to make a good prequel TV series? (And feel free to include an example of a show that got it right or wrong.)

Allison Keene (@KeeneTV), Collider

A prequel TV series is the most successful when it uses familiar touchstones but creates its own world. “Hannibal” is probably the best example of this, where there were characters we recognized but the setting, experience, and modern time period were completely Bryan Fuller’s (wonderfully so). “Bates Motel” has been another positive example, especially as it nears its end. The time period is again modernized, but it keeps a surreal and retro feel. And...

On September 6, 1968, Eric Clapton joined The Beatles for a day. It was for the recording of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” The George Harrison-penned song now famously features lead guitar by Clapton, though he wasn’t officially credited on The White Album where the song appeared. The Beatles had made a couple attempts to record “Guitar Gently Weeps” earlier that year, in July and also an electric version on September 5. None of those arrangements were quite coming together. “They weren’t taking it seriously,” Harrison later said of his bandmates. There was already a great deal of of conflict among the group by this point. The next day, Harrison was giving Clapton a ride from Surrey to London, and he asked Clapton to play on the track. Clapton at first balked at the idea, saying “Nobody [else] ever plays on the Beatles’ records.” But he eventually agreed to join the...

Hasbro takes a page from Marvel for their new television show Transformers Rescue Bots. They make the Robots in Disguise look cuter and more toddler friendly to grab that audience. It's something toy manufacturers and television producers have been doing for decades. Anybody remember Muppet Babies, Tiny Toons, The Flintstone Kids, or A Pup Named Scooby-Doo?

Transformers Rescue Bots: Roll to the Rescue brings the metallic heroes to the town of Griffin Rock, Maine. Each of the four Transformers take on the forms of a bulldozer, fire engine, helicopter, and police car. Chase, Heatwave, Blades, and Boulder are recruited by Optimus Prime to assist a police chief, firefighter, helicopter pilot, and engineer fight fires, aliens, and other dangers.

The show is perfect for younger children and geared to them. However, most Transformers fans will enjoy the show for what it is. It moves at a quick pace and is entertaining yet simple.

The creator of one of the most famous modern day cartoon families is about to join the animated brood that started it all.

Deadline.com reports that "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane has acquired the rights to reboot, on TV and film, "The Flintstones," that famous pre-historic family from Bedrock. MacFarlane, who has also created "The Cleveland Show," and "American Dad," is known for his raunchy take on pop culture and politics, an issue that worried rights holders Warner Brothers as they negotiated the deal with MacFarlane's home studio, 20th Century Fox.

"The Flintstones," premiered in 1960 and ran until 1966; its reruns have been aired ever since. It spawned years of spinoffs, including the 80's "The Flintstone Kids," as well as TV movies and live action films made in the 1990s.

For more on the deal, click over to Deadline.

Remember when it was cool to spend Saturday mornings as a comfy little couch potato? If you're a child of the '80s then you likely watched shows like Tex Avery's Kwicky Koala Show, Martin Short's zany Ed Grimley, and The Flintstones Kids featuring adolescent versions of Fred and Barney.

If so and you want to recapture your childhood days, there's a new DVD set that's just for you. This two-disc set contains episodes of Goldie Gold and Action Jack, Chuck Norris: Karate Commandos, The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley, The Flintstone Kids, Mister T, Kwicky Koala, Dragon’s Lair, Thundarr the Barbarian, The Biskitts, Galtar and the Golden Lance, and Monchhichis.

A featurette on the history of Thundarr the Barbarian, called " Lords of Light" is also included. You can purchase "Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1980s, Vol. 1" for $20.49 from Amazon. You can...

It’s amazing how with one DVD collection my mind can flashback to all the forgotten memories of 80’s cartoons that I had long since forgotten. Everyone remembers Thundercats, Transformers, Gijoe, and He-Man; but how many of you remember that Chuck Norris had a cartoon or Mr. T or that there was a whole Flintstone spin-off about Fred and Barney as kids? I had completely blocked all these gloriously goofy episodes of obscure cartoon nostalgia from my brain, until I popped this DVD collection in. Some of the cartoons still hold up after all these years, while others are a bit painful to watch as an adult. Which ones? Guess you’ll have to read more…

What cartoons are in this collection? Let’s get into that first. This set includes: Goldie Gold and Action Jack, Chuck Norris: Karate Commandos, The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley, The Flintstone Kids,...

We have two brand new exclusive clips from the upcoming two-disc DVD set Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1980s, Vol. 1, which will be released on DVD on May 4. Click below to watch our two exclusive clips that will take you back to the animated 80s, including featurette about making cartoons in this era.

Exclusive: Going For a Ride

Exclusive: He Wanted Hits Featurette

Action. Intrigue. Celebrity stars. Adorable critters. Dude, Saturday mornings were awesome! Be a couch potato and relive the trippendicular 'toons of the way cool '80s! Go mental with Martin Short's immortal Ed Grimley, kick butt with Chuck Norris and save the day with Mr. T. Take it medieval with Dragon's Lair and Galtar and the Golden Lance, then travel to an Earth reborn from cosmic destruction in Thundarr the Barbarian. For laughs, Tex Avery lends his genius to The Kwicky Koala Show (Avery's final work), and The Flintstone Kids...

Coffee vs. Manowar? Whoop-doo!

Ripping into the chilly a.m. air, there are only two alternatives in shaking the nervous system awake. Caffeine and heavy metal. Nothing else will do the trick. But you must choose one. Manowar ride horses made of steel. Jaun Valdez rides a pack mule. Manowar fight off evil sorcerers with their guitars and drum sticks. Coffee burns the esophagus. Manowar is made of heroes who'll fight long into the night. Coffee is a perishable liquid that eventually drips from your urethra in shades of gold and green. Manowar will be around forever. On that note, Coffee will be too. Both have the ability to pep you up. And both can be quite tasty when given the right circumstances. But what do you get when you mix them both together?

Negropsy! Negropsy! The first and only Black Metal band from Oslo that is actually black. Consisting of four African-Norwegians,...