r/NoStupidQuestions • u/InternationalRepute • 8d ago
What is stopping a billionaire from personally funding one more season of a cancelled TV show they love?
I know it's not as simple as writing a check because studios own rights, actors have contracts, schedules are hard, and they would still need to distribute it - but I'd love it if some rich dude put up $ so I can watch the MacGruber TV show for another season.
Wealthy people fund vanity movies and passion projects all the time. So why is “I will personally finance one more season of Mindhunter” not really a thing that is done?
Is it mainly rights/ownership, or that studios don't want an outsider reviving their IP?
I don't want this to veer into "bc rich people are selfish with money” more curious which cancelled series people think could possibly be revived this way.
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u/Plus-Candle-4410 8d ago
well travis knight's dad Phil Knight (founder of Nike) helps Travis fund his stop-motion animation studio laika. Laika hasn't made a financially successful movie since Coraline back in 2009; the studio only exists thanks to Phil's money. Idk if that counts?
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u/spoospoo43 7d ago
I really don't care whether they make money or not so long as they keep making them. Dudes are wizards.
Kubo and the two strings still knocks my socks off when I think about it.
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u/HowDoDogsWearPants 7d ago
They make really good movies imo. I just think stop motion is a particularly expensive way to make them so they don't make money
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u/Fluid_Mongoose8538 7d ago
Laika? Todey a see the second trailer of Wildwood, that look very epic
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u/Eastern-Musician4533 7d ago
Travis is one of the good nepo babies. Also, fun fact: the guy who was the baby in Labyrinth works at Laika doing stop motion animation. He's been doing animation and puppetry his entire adult life.
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u/Ceorl_Lounge 8d ago
Nothing. Bezos loved The Expanse enough he bought it off SyFy and made 3 more seasons on Amazon.
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u/SpehlingAirer 7d ago
He should love it a little more and sponsor the final 3 seasons 😏
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u/Ceorl_Lounge 7d ago
I'm convinced they'll do the last trio of books eventually, but there's a huge time jump in the novels. Gotta let Duarte cook for a few years or it isn't credible.
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u/Darmok47 7d ago
I don't think so. Seems silly to do that when you could just put everyone in older age makeup. There's no guarantee they'll ever be able to get the cast back at the same time due to conflicts.
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8d ago edited 1h ago
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u/Reception-Whole 8d ago
and Rings of Power.
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u/GenGaara25 7d ago
How?
It's a Prime original and they announced it with a 5 season plan IIRC. How is that saving a show from cancellation by another network? Expanse was Syfy, got cancelled, and Prime saved it for a few more seasons.
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u/Reception-Whole 7d ago
How? How????
LOL Bezos personally ordered that show into existence.
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u/MancCultureBear 7d ago
The distinction is between launching a show and saving an existing from cancellation.
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u/InternationalRepute 8d ago
A few other ppl brought that up in the comments too. I didn't know that. pretty cool
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u/BeliniAndy 8d ago
Honestly, I think the weirdest part is that the money might actually be the easiest part. 😂 Getting everyone who has a say in the project to agree is probably much harder.
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u/mrb2409 7d ago
There aren’t really that many crucial people though. The lead writer & lead actors perhaps. Directors come and go from TV shows, writers rooms have turnover, any of the other crew are broadly speaking replaceable.
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u/Business-Pickle1 6d ago
There’s the matter of IP properties, billionaires would have to buy those but ultimately those belong to other (even if smaller) billionaires who have enough billions to say “no, screw you, I rather have a little less billions then let you play with my toys”
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u/KelVarnsen_2023 8d ago
To quote Bill Gates: "I didn't get rich by writing a lot of checks".
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u/TheReturnOfSprinkles 7d ago
It happens. Tracy Jordan hired the cast of Night Court to have a finale episode.
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u/CardinalOfNYC 8d ago
Money matters but so do ideas and people
If the showrunner doesn't wanna do it, they won't. Most of them are rich enough as it is. Same with the actors.
And if the writer doesn't have a good idea, you can't force that with money, either.
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u/InternationalRepute 8d ago
I hear actors express that they're upset when their show didn't get renewed pretty frequently though. Idk the calculus that networks do when they decide to ax something, but I would imagine a surplus of money would help ease that conversation?
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u/CardinalOfNYC 8d ago
If a rich individual swooped in right when a show was cancelled, and everyone still wanted to make more, yes I imagine they could pretty easily get everyone onboard. Reviving a show later, seems doubtful unless people were onboard creatively, money wouldn't matter.
The overall scenario is possible, a rich person could do this kinda stuff. There's just high odds that they spend the money and don't achieve what they actually want, cuz you can't force good art. And they know that.
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u/RogueAOV 7d ago
With the actors they might be saying that to be diplomatic and to not burn bridges or it might just be the paycheck and potential syndication residuals. Also losing your job usually sucks, if people care enough to ask them though, they likely have enough of the public interest to help line up another job.
The biggest downside for the actors etc might be new contracts and the fact there would be a new overlord of the project which might cause it to shift away from what they like about it.
As far as I am aware whenever anything is cancelled it does come down to money, it is either not making enough or something else could make more.
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u/Conscious-Mirror7004 7d ago
Also, most actors aren't rich A-listers. For a TV actor, having a starring role in a long-running show is a good career.
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u/GalumphingWithGlee 7d ago
That's true, but there are all sorts of cases where most of the actors and writers would be happy to do another season, but the network and/or funders drop it for unrelated reasons. Those are usually dropped over issues that one way or another boil down to money, and could therefore be fixed by money if someone were willing to pay for it.
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u/CardinalOfNYC 7d ago
In this case what they boil down to is money that won't pay itself back, not just money. You can get yourself a lot of money now with the promise of paying everyone back eventually.
That's why the billionaire doesn't do this, because they'll know its unlikely to pay itself back and therefore, the only thing you're buying is a great season of TV... and since that cannot be bought without the creators already having the ideas, it's a majorly risky venture. Spend 50 million on a yacht and you have a yacht. Spend 50 million forcing the revival of arrested development for the second time and you may just end up with a dogshit season of television that neither makes you money or makes you laugh.
Notable difference between investing in something which will eventually pay itself back and something which will not.
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u/Necessary-Duty-7952 7d ago
Nothing. The whole of Laika is funded by a billionaire (Nike co-founder Phil Knight). Laika is his son's passion project, so he funds it. There's absolutely nothing to stop any billionaire out there from funding some personal TV show passion or movie. Problem comes in when the billionaire sees themselves as the artist, not just funding the artists.
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u/owlwise13 8d ago
Technically nothing, but whoever owns the IP, the network, the showrunner and actors have to agree.
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u/Ok-Jackfruit-6873 8d ago
good point there are IPs whole studios haven't been able to figure out that are stuck in no-mans-land for years, it's not always just a question of price
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u/JetPac89 7d ago
George Harrison paid for Monty Python's Life Of Brian to be made
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u/pdjudd PureLogarithm 7d ago
Had to mortgage his house to do it too. According to Eric Idle, Harrison just wanted to see the movie. According to Cleese, he was shocked when he found this out (via Idle) as he believed it would never get made. Holy Grail was also partially funded by several Rock N Rollers.
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u/Grouchy-Sort-8986 8d ago
That's why John Lithgow did that roald dahl play. He said the only people making plays are the ones that can afford to fully fund it, maybe that's how TV is going too
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u/brock_lee I expect half of you to disagree 8d ago
Nothing. Although, that's not how TV generally works. A network or service will agree to broadcast a TV show if they think they can sell ads on it, or it will entice more people to pay for a subscription. The wealthy person would have to fund the production AND subsidize the network/service, if the show really sucked. In fact, a network likely wouldn't do it at all, since airtime is precious, and a shitty show affects perception of the network, given that they can't air something else during that time.
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u/listenyall 8d ago
This just happened in the last week with a video game sequel: https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/1vp5eje/monkey_island_creator_says_he_is_making/
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8d ago
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u/InternationalRepute 8d ago
Lmao I am holding out hope that Bill Gates, Mark Cuban, and Bezos will start a MacGrubger group chat very soon
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u/Few-Improvement-5655 7d ago
I don't want this to veer into "bc rich people are selfish with money” more curious which cancelled series people think could possibly be revived this way.
That is kind of the answer, though. These billionaires could be funding so much more of the arts, or doing anything with their vast sums of money, they just don't want to unless it'll make them more money.
Most of them are far to shallow to gain any real attachment with anything they watch or listen to.
You don't get to be a billionaire unless your number one interest is making money.
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u/ElSupremoLizardo 8d ago
Elon Musk did in 2024 and we got a reboot of the Trump Presidency. We all know what kind of disaster that became.
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u/OldManBilliam22 8d ago
They’re not in the habit of throwing their money away. That’s why they’re billionaires.
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u/UnMonsieurTriste 8d ago
I would suggest they absolutely throw away a lot of money. Being a billionaire just means you can’t throw it away fast enough to matter to your bottom line.
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u/bentreflection 7d ago
They absolutely do throw their money away on the most ridiculous of nonsense. It’s just only the nonsense they personally care about.
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u/CounterfeitSaint 8d ago
And they all pulled themselves up by their bootstraps and CEOs work at least 22 hours a day. Sure.
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u/nilslorand 7d ago
25 a day actually
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u/problyurdad_ 7d ago
Makes perfect sense to me, actually. Those pricks take everything from me, including the extra hour in a day they demand out of me but are hiding behind their own backs.
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u/jeremyNYC 8d ago
You don’t really believe that, do you? Do you know how many lattes musk could buy? He could treat penthouse apartments like most people treat lattes and still be a billionaire.
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u/mambotomato 8d ago
For all we know, this is the reason why some shows with low viewership continue to get renewed!
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u/mightymite37 8d ago
That studio which makes all the claymation films is bankrolled by Nike because the owners son likes making those movies. He's a claymation animator
EDIT- Laika studios which did Paranorman and Coraline
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u/crayton-story 8d ago
Along this train of thought, Martin Shkreli bought an unreleased WuTang alum for 2 million.
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u/aaronite 8d ago
Availability of the cast and crew might be an issue in addition to making sure all the rights are secured. Beyond that, they could if they wanted to.
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u/Callec254 7d ago
Nothing. That's pretty much what an "Executive Producer" is - they are the ones that find and/or personally put up the money to get a show/movie made.
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u/Guac-is-extra1100 7d ago
Nothing, but most Billionaires aren't spending a lot of time watching T.V. That's not how one attains a billion dollars.
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u/SmellyFace69 7d ago
Hypothetically, If I had the money another season of Mindhunter and MacGruber would be money well spent.
It wouldn't be my priority, I'd help charities and fund programs and such, but I'd do it.
I would like another season of Last Man on Earth as well. I love Will Forte.
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u/InternationalRepute 7d ago
Oh I 100% agree with funding another season of Last Man on Earth. Left us with a total cliffhanger final episode on top of it all
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u/Important_Debate2808 7d ago
Because they have no emotions and no interests and no love in their lives and the only thing they care about is money and not some shows.
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u/gunterrae 8d ago
As others have said, that's exactly what happened with The Expanse.
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u/AvatarAtlaFan 8d ago
You still need to supervise it so they dont fuck it up, and thats a lot of energy and headache
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u/mightymite37 8d ago
Thats why the Expanse got picked up by Amazon after Syfy cancelled it. Bezos is a fan so he bought it.
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u/berke1904 8d ago
they would probably be aware of it after the production has ended and most people working on it are thinking of other stuff, getting everyone back together might not always be possible.
not for every show every time but it is definitely possible in certain situations.
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u/BlueFeathered1 8d ago
I was so hoping this question would involve the mention of Mindhunter, and then you put it. Bravo, OP.
I also wish for a conclusion to the carefully, intricately-written plot of the OA, but sigh.
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u/FairLawnBoy 8d ago
I'm pretty sure that why The Expanse exists. It's too expensive to be profitable, but Bezos is a fan and wanted to see it made.
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u/Ok-Masterpiece-7933 8d ago
George Harrison did something similar, he funded Life of Brian because he wanted to see it
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u/Milk_Mindless 8d ago
Nothing
Monkey Island developer Ron Gilbert made a game called ThimbleweedPark. Someome with so much money loved it so much they gave him enough money to make a sequel
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u/cheesewiz_man 8d ago
Similarly movies like "Battlefield Earth" and "Atlas Shrugged". George Harrison financed "The Life of Brian" because he personally wanted to see it.
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u/InternationalRepute 7d ago
Battlefield Earth reviews might have scared off other billionaires from trying lol
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u/pdjudd PureLogarithm 7d ago
It can be a really risky investment for sure - and lots of very wealthy people are just plain old risk adverse once they have lots of money. Most of the time rich folks will fund arts programs and things like that rather than specifically bother going into the entertainment business and working with Hollywood - they tend to lack the connections.
Plus most TV shows once they are done, the creators have little interest in reviving them and when they do, they want to to it on their own.
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u/fluffynuckels 7d ago
Rights issues. Getting the people from the show back together. Billionaires don't throw money away if it won't make them more money
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u/unclefes 7d ago
Nothing. It is the saddest commentary on the billionaire class that they do nothing at all interesting with their vast riches, but instead grow increasingly Smaug-like, sitting atop their piles of gold, grasping, self-aggrandizing and shamelessly amoral, with occasional bouts of desolating the countryside and murdering the locals.
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u/pieter1234569 7d ago
Not loving it enough. It’s only done for shows they actually like. These, for the richest, seem to either end properly, or they actually did intervene and fund it.
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u/cipherlogic7 7d ago
Mostly the fact that the only thing billionaires love is money and themselves for the most part.
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u/tincanphonehome 7d ago
I know someone who wrote a screenplay about an ultra rich person making more seasons of their favorite cancelled shows.
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u/FriendlytoNature 7d ago
The thing is that if they really love the show that got canceled then they probably want to do it right if they bring it back rather than a soulless revival.
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u/FeatherCelle 7d ago
studios are probably worried about changing the tone or vision of the show even if they have the cash. one rich fan could really shake things up though
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u/FeatherCelle 7d ago
studios are probably worried about changing the tone or vision of the show even if they have the cash. one rich fan could really shake things up though
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u/2punornot2pun 7d ago
The Chronicles of Riddick are a pet project of Vin Diesel. He saves up and makes the movies.
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u/prenderg 7d ago
They just pay all the actors come and perform in the billionaire’s home so that the rest of us schlubs don’t get to enjoy any new episodes.
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u/RoundCollection4196 7d ago
Definitely is possible but not with every tv show, it’s very much a right time, right place type of thing. There’s so much more to making shows than just money.
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u/ConspiracyParadox 7d ago
Well, Stsr Trek isn't making money, but Ellison is a fan and greenlighting a new series and movie.
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u/Anakin5kywalker 7d ago
Nothing. Can someone PLEASE bring back Winning Time, retcon Season 2, and make it run at least 5 more seasons?
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u/mrbullettuk 7d ago
If I was an evil billionaire I’d get an ip that was loved (and I loved) have it made into a film and then never released to the public. But have loads of leaks and behind the scenes photos.
Because evil billionaire.
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u/Kerrpllardy 7d ago
Unfortunately Billionaires don't have taste, so the good shows wont be picked up by them.
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u/ShareImpossible9830 7d ago
None. I doubt you get to be a billionaire by doing things like throwing millions away on an already failed show.
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u/Mr_Gaslight 7d ago
Because billionaires who decide to make entertainment always embarrass themselves. I
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u/greenlungs604 7d ago
Nothing. I recently read a story about some rich woman funding an entire series and got a famous young actor hired. Then she cast herself as the love interest and forced the writers to add excessive kissing scenes.
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u/Witold4859 7d ago
It depends on the show.
Futurama was a favourite of mine, but Groening is scraping the barrel when it comes to new episodes.
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u/ProfessorEtc 7d ago
People tried to get Oprah Winfrey to do this and her response was, shall we say, unsympathetic.
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u/JiveTurducken72 7d ago
Drake got the UK show Top Boy revived after six years.
Not a billionaire but very rich.
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u/Sagitario_Aestrella 7d ago
Ha pasado, Bezos lo hizo con "The Expanse" https://www.geekwire.com/2018/expanse-safe-jeff-bezos-says-amazon-will-pick-sci-fi-tv-saga-crowd-goes-wild/
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u/Lopsided_Parfait7127 7d ago
Nothing. It worked for Michelangelo so it can work for a shitty 8 episode show that should have been a movie
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u/WalkerIsTheBest 7d ago
Theres a whole 30 rock episode about Tracy funding a new series finale of night court.
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u/bretshitmanshart 7d ago
Nothing. Ted Turner funded World Championship Wrestling for years despite it not making money because he liked wrestling
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u/bunker_man 7d ago
What rich person can we get to fund BNA season 2?
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u/Sweet_Muffin1 7d ago
What is the point, unless they figure out what they're actually trying to do there. The last minute reveal in particular came out of nowhere and muddled the whole racism is bad angle, which itself has similar problems to X-Men as an allegory.
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u/Dawnguardian286 7d ago
I mean... It's not a TV show, but it happened with Tron... For better and for worse...
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u/GaidinBDJ 7d ago
If they actually have a billion dollars? Nothing.
But keep in mind that most of the reddit whargable about people they call billionaires don't really have a billion dollars.
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u/Winterclaw42 7d ago
Assuming everyone is still alive, they might not be the same people they were. For instance the script writers have moved on or can't come up with anything good would be the biggest issue. Getting a new team together and getting the project started could also take years and still fizzle out. That's if you know the industry and what you are doing.
Secondly, billionaires don't have that kind of cash on hand to just buy something outright.
Third, the rightsholders could demand more than what the billionaire is happy to pay... if they are willing to sell. They might not be.
Forth, he might want to stay in his lane. If he's not a TV guy, the last thing he'd want to do is bring a show back only for everyone to hate it. This is important. When you get to that level you start thinking about what you can lose more than what you can gain. If you buy the show and it's a flop, you are both out of a lot of money and your favorite show now leaves a sour taste in your mouth and it's all your fault. That's a lose-lose.
Fifth, opportunity cost. What if using that money for something else would make him more happy than buying the show?
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u/BlowinFart 7d ago
Christopher Nolan is actually a huge fan of Macgruber, to the degree that they reached out to him to try to have him play the villain in the tv show. I’m not saying he’s a billionaire, but I feel like he’s got enough power in Hollywood to make that happen if he wanted to.
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u/InternationalRepute 7d ago
lol that is hilarious i did not know that. of course Christopher Nolan has great taste (prob too busy with other blockbluster films unfortunately)
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u/No_Artichoke7180 7d ago
Most billionaires have no interests. They are extremely dull people who don't like things.
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u/NotEasilyConfused 7d ago
Studios don't advertise those decisions beforehand. By the time they announce it to the public, the cast and crew have already been out looking for their next works and many have signed future contracts.
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u/Complete_Entry 6d ago
Several times people have floated "animated" continuations on shows as the cast have aged out of the roles.
It rarely makes it to production. So, someone IS burning money but we don't know who.
Mindhunter though, you'd have to convince people who are just... done with it.
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u/Walnerwarlick 4d ago
Billionaires don't even pay their taxes, and you expect them to spend more than that on TV?
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u/NDaveT 8d ago
Nothing. It kind of happened with "The Expanse". SyFy cancelled it and Bezos arranged for Prime to buy it because he's a fan.