In the 80's, producer-composer Haim Saban began importing series from other countries into the US, usually for Nickelodeon (i.e. The Little Prince). After Mighty Morphin Power Rangers took off on Fox in the early 90's, Saban then began to dabble in domestic syndication. Unfortunately, the results weren't quite as good. Two action series in the Power Rangers vein, Masked Rider & V. R. Troopers, were duds, and the cartoons that Saban imported weren't exactly world beaters, either, although Samurai Pizza Cats did develop a cult following. Eagle Riders was simply a new incarnation of Japan's Gatchaman, which of course is better known here as Battle of the Planets, but it didn't take off.
The Why Why Family was imported from France, unlike the others, which used Japanese material. The series, co-produced with the French studio, CineGroupe, initially debuted in its native land in 1996, then was brought to America 2 years later in syndication, not on Fox as Wikipedia and other sources suggest. I should know. I cannot recall, however, if it was the NBC or Fox affiliate in my area that had the rights to the series in its lone season here. On the other hand, I never saw the show, so there's not to be a rating.
Silverstar, over at Twinsanity!, offers a more detailed review of the series. I'm just going to leave you with the show open while we all wonder what might've been had Why Why Family actually been sold to Fox. Seems to me that if it wasn't on Fox, Saban wasn't getting anywhere...........
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