FLINTSTONES TO RETURN — AND FOX HAS THEM

The Flintstones have undoubtedly been caught up in more media consolidation deals over the past half century than any other animated family — and they’re about to see more. Originally created in 1960 by the then-fledgling Hanna Barbera company, the Bedrock family moved to Taft Broadcasting in 1967 when that company acquired Hanna Barbera, then bounced to Turner Broadcasting as part of another takeover in 1991, then to Time Warner in yet another takeover in 1996, then to AOL in still another takeover in 2000, then back to Time Warner when AOL and Time Warner demerged in 2009, and now it appears they will become part of a new entity being created by Time Warner’s Warner Bros. TV unit and News Corp’s 20th Century Fox Television. The plan is to bring the Flintstones back to TV in 2013 as part of Fox’s Sunday-night animation block. The announcement was made Monday at Fox’s upfront presentation by Seth MacFarlane, creator of Fox’s Family Guy, who will be co-executive producing the revived series. “I think America is finally ready for an animated sitcom about a fat, stupid guy with a wife who’s too good for him,” MacFarlane deadpanned.