Original Gargoyles creator Greg Weisman believes the Disney cult classic was part of the collateral damage from the OJ Simpson criminal trial. The show is one of the most influential works of serialized animation but it never reached the mainstream popularity of its contemporaries. Gargoyles debuted on Oct. 24, 1994. It was a dark cartoon starring mythical creatures that wandered New York City at night but turned to stone in the light of day. The series ended in early 1997. Ever since uncensored and uncut Gargoyles episodes began streaming on Disney+, fans have been clamoring for a reboot. Even Jordan Peele has said he's interested. Beau DeMayo, who writes for Disney+'s Moon Knight, would also like the chance to pen a Gargoyles revival.
As for Simpson, the NFL Hall of Famer was accused of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman on the night of June 12, 1994. Almost every eye in the country was glued to the coverage after cameras followed his white Ford Bronco lead a slow speed police chase. The former Buffalo Bills running back was acquitted on Oct. 3, 1995, after more than a year of obsessive media attention. Now with the new attention on the 90s animated cartoon thanks to it being available on Disney+, the series original creator is talking about whether Gargoyles should be rebooted and the role Simpson's trial played in the show's cancellation.
The last season of Gargoyles saw the nocturnal creatures transform not into stone but an ABC Saturday morning cartoon. Weisman had delivered 31 out of 52 episodes then it hit a brick wall. "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," Weisman told Polygon. "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."
The first season of Gargoyles saw it rise to become the #1 show in its afternoon time slot, but slid to #2 after The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers hit the U.S. The sensational media event the murder trial became delivered a final blow to the series. Weisman said, "There wasn’t much thought of doing a season 3. The viewership was fractured. It sounds bizarre that OJ Simpson helped destroy Gargoyles, but it’s true."
The show may be gone, but it is far from forgotten. With the continued success Disney has had with live-action remakes, they might consider adding Gargoyles to that roster. Rumors of talks about a Gargoyles movie have been floating around since 2011. It remains to be seen whether it might come back as a sequel TV show, reboot, film adaptation or will be allowed to continue as if the gargoyles woke up after a long but rocky sleep. Even so, Gargoyles remains a beloved series. In the meantime, classic Gargoyles episodes can be seen at Disney+.
Source: Polygon