Futurama is one of the best animated series of all time.
And you know what?
No matter how terrible this season or future seasons may be, nothing changes that.
(Hulu Trailer/Screenshot)
When the show debuted in 1999, its lobster claw was on the pulse of wisecracking liberal escapism. The natural evolution of The Simpsons, Futurama represented the best of Gen X and millennial humor.
It surpassed The Simpsons in many ways because it could delve deeper into surrealism and even apocalyptic (but funny) scenarios. There was no “net” of a nuclear family to fall back on.
This was the world, the unbridled imagination of Matt Groening and David X. Cohen, and the possibilities were endless.
(Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
Nowadays, 25 years later, most of the cast is still alive, the show has a new deal on Hulu, and since reboots and returns are chic, the show has new...
And you know what?
No matter how terrible this season or future seasons may be, nothing changes that.
(Hulu Trailer/Screenshot)
When the show debuted in 1999, its lobster claw was on the pulse of wisecracking liberal escapism. The natural evolution of The Simpsons, Futurama represented the best of Gen X and millennial humor.
It surpassed The Simpsons in many ways because it could delve deeper into surrealism and even apocalyptic (but funny) scenarios. There was no “net” of a nuclear family to fall back on.
This was the world, the unbridled imagination of Matt Groening and David X. Cohen, and the possibilities were endless.
(Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
Nowadays, 25 years later, most of the cast is still alive, the show has a new deal on Hulu, and since reboots and returns are chic, the show has new...
- 9/5/2024
- by Michael Arangua
- TVfanatic
In the "Futurama" episode "The Luck of the Fryrish", Fry (Billy West) becomes increasingly concerned about his lack of good luck in the 31st century. He loses at horse races, loses his last dollar, and loses all his hair when he is struck by lightning. Fry figures that his lack of good luck stems from the fact that he lost a lucky talisman when he was a youth. Fry used to have a seven-leaf clover that brought him good fortune, and made him lucky enough to beat his jealous older brother Yancy (Tom Kenny) at basketball. Although Fry had been cryogenically frozen for 1,000 years, he figures his seven-leaf clover is still locked in his childhood safe, preserved in the subterranean ruins of old New York. Into the sewers he must go.
The episodes cuts back and forth between Fry in the 31st century as he seeks his clover, and Fry in the past,...
The episodes cuts back and forth between Fry in the 31st century as he seeks his clover, and Fry in the past,...
- 8/17/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Good news, everyone: Even though Futurama has been killed off and resurrected more times than Jason Voorhees, now it’s back for season 12. And while two more 10-episode seasons have already been given the go-ahead, one can’t help but wonder: where will the show go from there? Will it get canceled yet again, then brought back at some future date, possibly when the cast members are all just heads in jars?
Seeing as the show has sustained a loyal fan base for the past quarter century, why not make the next logical step by bringing Futurama to the big screen? Surely multiplexes all over the world would be packed full of Futurama fans and/or connoisseurs of jerks who pick fights in movie theaters.
Well, the makers of the show have been thinking the same thing. As executive producers David X. Cohen and Claudia Katz recently revealed to ComicBook.com during Comic-Con,...
Seeing as the show has sustained a loyal fan base for the past quarter century, why not make the next logical step by bringing Futurama to the big screen? Surely multiplexes all over the world would be packed full of Futurama fans and/or connoisseurs of jerks who pick fights in movie theaters.
Well, the makers of the show have been thinking the same thing. As executive producers David X. Cohen and Claudia Katz recently revealed to ComicBook.com during Comic-Con,...
- 7/30/2024
- Cracked
In the "Futurama" episode "I Second That Emotion", the crass alcoholic robot Bender (John Dimaggio), having become fed up with Leela's pet whatsit Nibbler (Frank Welker), flushes him down the toilet. Leela (Katey Sagal) is distraught, but Bender is fecklessly unapologetic. The Professor (Billy West) finds that Bender may be incapable of empathy, and solves the issue by hammering a high-tech emotions chip into his head. The chip psychically links to Leela, and Bender begins feeling horrible. To solve their mutual sadness, Bender and Leela decide to go into the sewers to rescue Nibbler.
In the lore of "Futurama," the ruins of Old New York are deep underground and the city of New New York was built on its ruins.
Before going into the sewers, though, Leela finds a nearby manhole cover and removes it with a manhole hook. The manhole cover bears the face of a bored-looking man,...
In the lore of "Futurama," the ruins of Old New York are deep underground and the city of New New York was built on its ruins.
Before going into the sewers, though, Leela finds a nearby manhole cover and removes it with a manhole hook. The manhole cover bears the face of a bored-looking man,...
- 7/29/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
During Futurama’s 2024 San Diego Comic-Con Panel, Matt Groening, David X. Cohen and the Futurama cast revealed the guest stars of the upcoming season!
New season of Futurama premieres Monday, July 29 on Hulu!
Following Hulu’s critically acclaimed 2023 revival of Futurama, the epic sci-fi series from Matt Groening and David X. Cohen returns in 2024 with ten all-new episodes. On this orbit around the sun, our occasionally heroic crew embarks on mind-bending adventures involving birthday party games to the death, the secrets of Bender’s ancestral robot village, A.I. friends (and enemies), impossibly cute beanbags, and the true 5 million-year-old story behind the consciousness-altering substance known as coffee. And, of course, the next chapter in Fry and Leela’s fateful, time-twisted romance.
Season 12 Guest Stars:
Danny Trejo – Doblando:
As Bender’s cousin, Doblando, who leads Bender to their ancestral robot village in Mexico.
Renée Victor – Bender’s grandma, Abuelatron
Tom Kenny...
New season of Futurama premieres Monday, July 29 on Hulu!
Following Hulu’s critically acclaimed 2023 revival of Futurama, the epic sci-fi series from Matt Groening and David X. Cohen returns in 2024 with ten all-new episodes. On this orbit around the sun, our occasionally heroic crew embarks on mind-bending adventures involving birthday party games to the death, the secrets of Bender’s ancestral robot village, A.I. friends (and enemies), impossibly cute beanbags, and the true 5 million-year-old story behind the consciousness-altering substance known as coffee. And, of course, the next chapter in Fry and Leela’s fateful, time-twisted romance.
Season 12 Guest Stars:
Danny Trejo – Doblando:
As Bender’s cousin, Doblando, who leads Bender to their ancestral robot village in Mexico.
Renée Victor – Bender’s grandma, Abuelatron
Tom Kenny...
- 7/28/2024
- by Kristyn Clarke
- Age of the Nerd
Futurama returned once more to our screens last year with a fourth outing on Hulu. The long-running animated series about the hijinks of intergalactic delivery crew Planet Express has seen its share of cancellations and comebacks over the years. Originally debuting on Fox in the late 90s to early 2000s, it lived on through movies and a Comedy Central run before that finale was called into question as well.
Now under the banner of Hulu, fans were eager to see what more adventures the creative minds behind Matt Groening and David X. Cohen could conjure up utilizing their blend of sci-fi fantasy and subversive humor. Overall the response was positive, with the new episodes feeling like a natural extension of the beloved world that had been established. It was clear the writers still had more stories to tell and the characters’ charm remained intact despite the passage of time.
With Season 12 now underway,...
Now under the banner of Hulu, fans were eager to see what more adventures the creative minds behind Matt Groening and David X. Cohen could conjure up utilizing their blend of sci-fi fantasy and subversive humor. Overall the response was positive, with the new episodes feeling like a natural extension of the beloved world that had been established. It was clear the writers still had more stories to tell and the characters’ charm remained intact despite the passage of time.
With Season 12 now underway,...
- 7/27/2024
- by Arash Nahandian
- Gazettely
Matt Groening, David X. Cohen and the Futurama cast revealed the guest stars of the upcoming season during the show’s 2024 San Diego Comic-Con Panel.
The new season of Futurama premieres Monday, July 29 on Hulu.
Following Hulu’s 2023 revival of Futurama, the sci-fi series from Matt Groening and David X. Cohen returns with ten new episodes. On this orbit, the occasionally heroic crew embarks on mind-bending adventures involving birthday party games to the death, the secrets of Bender’s ancestral robot village, A.I. friends (and enemies), impossibly cute beanbags, and the true five-million-year-old story behind the consciousness-altering substance known as coffee. And, of course, the next chapter in Fry and Leela’s fateful, time-twisted romance.
The series features the voices of John Dimaggio, BIlly West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice Lamarche, Lauren Tom, Phil Lamar, and David Herman. Created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X.
The new season of Futurama premieres Monday, July 29 on Hulu.
Following Hulu’s 2023 revival of Futurama, the sci-fi series from Matt Groening and David X. Cohen returns with ten new episodes. On this orbit, the occasionally heroic crew embarks on mind-bending adventures involving birthday party games to the death, the secrets of Bender’s ancestral robot village, A.I. friends (and enemies), impossibly cute beanbags, and the true five-million-year-old story behind the consciousness-altering substance known as coffee. And, of course, the next chapter in Fry and Leela’s fateful, time-twisted romance.
The series features the voices of John Dimaggio, BIlly West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice Lamarche, Lauren Tom, Phil Lamar, and David Herman. Created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X.
- 7/27/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Danny Trejo, Ana Ortiz, Tom Kenny, Cara Delevingne, Tim Gunn, Bill Nye, Kyle MacLachlan, LeVar Burton and Neil deGrasse Tyson are among the guest stars appearing on the upcoming episodes of “Futurama,” the show’s producers announced Saturday.
“Futurama” producers Matt Groening, David X. Cohen and Claudia Katz were joined by voice acting stars Billy West, John Dimaggio (Bender), Lauren Tom (Amy), Phil Lamarr (Hermes), David Herman (Scruffy) and Maurice Lamarche (Kif) at San Diego Comic-Con’s Ballroom 20 to share spoilers and more details about the resurrected animated series, which launches its new batch of episodes with Season 12 this Monday on Hulu.
“Futurama” returned to TV last fall, the second time the show had been resurrected. “Sometimes we get canceled during the panel,” Cohen joked.
The ten new episodes promise the next stage of Fry and Leela’s romance, as well as “birthday party games to the death, the secrets...
“Futurama” producers Matt Groening, David X. Cohen and Claudia Katz were joined by voice acting stars Billy West, John Dimaggio (Bender), Lauren Tom (Amy), Phil Lamarr (Hermes), David Herman (Scruffy) and Maurice Lamarche (Kif) at San Diego Comic-Con’s Ballroom 20 to share spoilers and more details about the resurrected animated series, which launches its new batch of episodes with Season 12 this Monday on Hulu.
“Futurama” returned to TV last fall, the second time the show had been resurrected. “Sometimes we get canceled during the panel,” Cohen joked.
The ten new episodes promise the next stage of Fry and Leela’s romance, as well as “birthday party games to the death, the secrets...
- 7/27/2024
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
In the "Futurama" episode "Time Keeps on Slippin'", the Professor (Billy West) tasks Leela (Katey Sagal), Bender (John Dimaggio), and Fry (Billy West) to fly into a distant space cloud and retrieve several chronitons — marble-size time particles — and bring them back to Earth for an experiment. The Professor has grown five mutant infants in his lab and needs the chronitons to accelerate their growth and turn them into adults within a matter of seconds. The Professor's mutants are meant to serve as the members of a high-octane, superpowered basketball team constructed to take on the Harlem Globetrotters.
When the chronitons were removed from their space cloud, however, it accidentally left a small rip in the space-time continuum. Time began behaving erratically across the universe, skipping forward a few minutes, then a few hours, then a few weeks.
The skips allowed the writers of "Futurama" to squeeze in a few clever gags.
When the chronitons were removed from their space cloud, however, it accidentally left a small rip in the space-time continuum. Time began behaving erratically across the universe, skipping forward a few minutes, then a few hours, then a few weeks.
The skips allowed the writers of "Futurama" to squeeze in a few clever gags.
- 7/24/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In the "Futurama" episode "Xmas Story", the Planet Express crew take a holiday jaunt to the Catskills for skiing and old-world comedy. The headliner at the Catskills Lodge (no pun intended) is the living, preserved severed head of Conan O'Brien (voiced by himself). In the world of "Futurama," severed heads could be kept alive indefinitely in jars of mysterious, life-giving liquid, allowing 21st-century celebrities to organically appear in the show's 31st-century setting. It's been revealed that animating Conan's massive noggin proved technically difficult.
Conan's severed head attempts a few jokes, but he is heckled by Bender (John Dimaggio) the alcoholic robot. Conan attempts to silence Bender by claiming to have a soul, a fact that doesn't impress the robot. When Conan also points out that he has freckles, Bender is reduced to tears, knowing he, as a machine, will never have freckles of his own.
O'Brien was no mere "get" for "Futurama,...
Conan's severed head attempts a few jokes, but he is heckled by Bender (John Dimaggio) the alcoholic robot. Conan attempts to silence Bender by claiming to have a soul, a fact that doesn't impress the robot. When Conan also points out that he has freckles, Bender is reduced to tears, knowing he, as a machine, will never have freckles of his own.
O'Brien was no mere "get" for "Futurama,...
- 7/22/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In the "Futurama" episode "Time Keeps on Slippin'", Earth is unexpectedly visited by the Harlem Globetrotters. In the 31st century, the Harlem Globetrotters have evolved into an alien species unto themselves and travel the heavens challenging neighboring worlds to antic-fueled basketball matches. This is when they're not back in their laboratories unlocking the secrets of ultra-advanced physics, chemistry, and theoretical math; the Harlem Globetrotters homeworld boasts the smartest scientists in the galaxy.
The Globetrotters have now arrived on Earth to challenge its denizens to a basketball tournament. In a clever subversion of screenwriting tropes, the Globetrotters announce that there is absolutely nothing at stake in this match, and that Earth will only suffer mild humiliation if they lose. Regardless, Professor Farnsworth (Billy West) becomes infected with pride and immediately grows a batch of creepy infant basketball player mutants in his lab. Then, using specially salvaged time particles -- called chronitons...
The Globetrotters have now arrived on Earth to challenge its denizens to a basketball tournament. In a clever subversion of screenwriting tropes, the Globetrotters announce that there is absolutely nothing at stake in this match, and that Earth will only suffer mild humiliation if they lose. Regardless, Professor Farnsworth (Billy West) becomes infected with pride and immediately grows a batch of creepy infant basketball player mutants in his lab. Then, using specially salvaged time particles -- called chronitons...
- 7/22/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In the "Futurama" episode "The Luck of the Fryrish", Fry (Billy West) is incensed when a trip to the racetrack leaves him with only his last dollar. Waving the dollar above his head, he boasts to the fates that it will remain his. A rogue breeze, however, whips the dollar out of his hand and deposits it on top of some nearby power lines. Fry, determined to retrieve his last dollar ... not terribly bright ... climbs up to the power lines with a metal rake, hoping to scoop up his money. Predictably, touching the rake to the power lines electrocutes Fry. Then, to add insult to injury, the rake attracts a lightning bolt, electrocuting Fry a second time. He falls into a garbage can, his hair burned off.
Later, back at Planet Express, Fry seethes, his bald head still smoldering. Luckily, a Hair Robot -- a character never before seen on...
Later, back at Planet Express, Fry seethes, his bald head still smoldering. Luckily, a Hair Robot -- a character never before seen on...
- 7/22/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Futurama co-creator David X. Cohen says that the universally beloved episode and former series finale “Meanwhile” left a lot of questions for the Hulu revival to answer. Questions like, “Why did you have to ruin a perfect ending?”
This July 29th, Futurama will return with 10 all-new episodes for its 12th season, with two more 10-episode batches planned under the show’s renewed deal with Hulu. Despite an aging voice cast and the erosion of the narrative cohesion that perfectly capped off the the series back in 2013, for once, the future of Futurama seems eminently secured, and the threat of cancellation will not cast a shadow over the arrival of Season 12. Cohen himself seems to be enjoying a level of job security that has never typified his time with Futurama, but he, too, feels that the show’s fourth series non-finale left some unsatisfying loose ends that loom over the new episodes.
This July 29th, Futurama will return with 10 all-new episodes for its 12th season, with two more 10-episode batches planned under the show’s renewed deal with Hulu. Despite an aging voice cast and the erosion of the narrative cohesion that perfectly capped off the the series back in 2013, for once, the future of Futurama seems eminently secured, and the threat of cancellation will not cast a shadow over the arrival of Season 12. Cohen himself seems to be enjoying a level of job security that has never typified his time with Futurama, but he, too, feels that the show’s fourth series non-finale left some unsatisfying loose ends that loom over the new episodes.
- 7/19/2024
- Cracked
Fry, Leela and Bender are back. Hulu has unveiled the trailer for Season 12 of the revival of “Futurama,” set to premiere July 29 on the streamer.
The crew embarks on different adventures in the new season, including birthday party games to the death, A.I. friends and enemies, the next chapter in Fry and Leela’s romance and more.
John Dimaggio, BIlly West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice Lamarche, Lauren Tom, Phil Lamar and David Herman all return to the animated sci-fi series. Created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen, “Futurama” comes from executive producers including Groening, Cohen, Ken Keeler and Claudia Katz.
Watch the trailer below.
In other TV roundup news:
Trailers
Acorn TV has released a new trailer for its detective drama series “Signora Volpe.” The three-part series is set to return for its second venture on Monday, July 29 and will broadcast on Acorn...
The crew embarks on different adventures in the new season, including birthday party games to the death, A.I. friends and enemies, the next chapter in Fry and Leela’s romance and more.
John Dimaggio, BIlly West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice Lamarche, Lauren Tom, Phil Lamar and David Herman all return to the animated sci-fi series. Created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen, “Futurama” comes from executive producers including Groening, Cohen, Ken Keeler and Claudia Katz.
Watch the trailer below.
In other TV roundup news:
Trailers
Acorn TV has released a new trailer for its detective drama series “Signora Volpe.” The three-part series is set to return for its second venture on Monday, July 29 and will broadcast on Acorn...
- 7/9/2024
- by Selena Kuznikov and Diego Ramos Bechara
- Variety Film + TV
The "Futurama" episode "Meanwhile" was the third series finale, marking the show's third cancelation. "Futurama" debuted in 1999, and ran for four seasons, before being unceremoniously canceled in 2003. The show's first series finale, "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings" (August 10), involved the romantic possibilities for Fry (Billy West) and Leela (Katey Sagal) who teetered on the cusp of romance for years. Robot Devil (Dan Castellaneta) agreed to trade hands with Fry (!) so that Fry would be able to more capably play the Holophoner, a skill very impressive to Leela.
"Futurama" returned for four straight-to-dvd features in 2008 and 2009. The fourth of the films, "Into the Wild Green Yonder," also served as a series finale, and also ended with a romantic moment between Fry and Leela. After the film's weird adventures, the Planet Express crew were on the run from Zapp Brannigan (West) and his military retinue. They flew into a wormhole, unsure...
"Futurama" returned for four straight-to-dvd features in 2008 and 2009. The fourth of the films, "Into the Wild Green Yonder," also served as a series finale, and also ended with a romantic moment between Fry and Leela. After the film's weird adventures, the Planet Express crew were on the run from Zapp Brannigan (West) and his military retinue. They flew into a wormhole, unsure...
- 7/9/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Since its premiere on Fox 25 years ago, Matt Groening's "Futurama" has been one of the most consistently funny shows on television — even though, much to the consternation of its die-hard fans, it's never aired with any degree of consistency. This is due in large part to its unabashed nerdiness. Though its satirical targets are as timely and universal as those skewered on Groening's seemingly immortal "The Simpsons" (which will begin its 36th season this fall), the series caters not just to science fiction geeks but full-on science geeks. This is, after all, a show that created its own theorem (in the season 6 classic "The Prisoner of Benda")! So while the series has a fiercely devoted fan base, it's never been a crossover hit, which is why it's only managed nine seasons as it's bounced around from network to network to (now) Hulu
It's hard to knock the "Futurama" faithful for a loop,...
It's hard to knock the "Futurama" faithful for a loop,...
- 7/8/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
The Planet Express crew is gearing up for another round of intergalactic hijinks as “Futurama” prepares to launch its 12th season on July 29. Hulu has released a trailer for the upcoming 10-episode run, promising fans a mix of high-octane action, outrageous comedy, and deeper explorations of beloved characters.
The trailer, unveiled by IGN, showcases the series’ signature blend of sci-fi spectacle and irreverent humor. From a stage-destroying giant disco ball to “a world of steaming brown coffee,” the preview suggests that Season 12 will maintain the show’s reputation for pushing boundaries and defying expectations.
According to the official synopsis, viewers can look forward to “mind-bending adventures involving birthday party games to the death, the secrets of Bender’s ancestral robot village, A.I. friends (and enemies), impossibly cute beanbags, and the true 5 million-year-old story behind the consciousness-altering substance known as coffee.” The upcoming episodes will also delve deeper into the...
The trailer, unveiled by IGN, showcases the series’ signature blend of sci-fi spectacle and irreverent humor. From a stage-destroying giant disco ball to “a world of steaming brown coffee,” the preview suggests that Season 12 will maintain the show’s reputation for pushing boundaries and defying expectations.
According to the official synopsis, viewers can look forward to “mind-bending adventures involving birthday party games to the death, the secrets of Bender’s ancestral robot village, A.I. friends (and enemies), impossibly cute beanbags, and the true 5 million-year-old story behind the consciousness-altering substance known as coffee.” The upcoming episodes will also delve deeper into the...
- 7/8/2024
- by Naser Nahandian
- Gazettely
Good news, everyone! "Futurama" is back ... again! Like "The Simpsons," which was birthed by "Futurama" creator Matt Groening, this show refuses to die, though not for lack of trying. "Futurama" originally ran on Fox from 1999 through 2003. This was the era of the show I watched, and I absolutely loved it. I wasn't alone, either — the show developed a strong fanbase. Sadly, that wasn't enough to keep Fox from canceling it. However, "Futurama" found a second life thanks to reruns on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.
This proved popular enough to lead to a revival of sorts. As a result, four direct-to-video films were made, continuing the adventures of the Planet Express crew. Those movies were then broken up into 16 individual episodes that formed a new season on Comedy Central. Then, Comedy Central ordered 26 more episodes. And even then, "Futurama" still wasn't done. Hulu swooped in and ordered a revival series, which...
This proved popular enough to lead to a revival of sorts. As a result, four direct-to-video films were made, continuing the adventures of the Planet Express crew. Those movies were then broken up into 16 individual episodes that formed a new season on Comedy Central. Then, Comedy Central ordered 26 more episodes. And even then, "Futurama" still wasn't done. Hulu swooped in and ordered a revival series, which...
- 7/8/2024
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
The Futurama crew’s Season 12 destinations include at least one “hellhole” and a “world of steaming brown coffee,” as revealed in the new trailer above.
Created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen, Futurama‘s new season will blast off Monday, July 29 on Hulu, releasing episodes weekly.
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In the upcoming 10 episodes, the “occasionally heroic crew” of Fry,...
Created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen, Futurama‘s new season will blast off Monday, July 29 on Hulu, releasing episodes weekly.
More from TVLineGlenn Close and Halle Berry Join Kim Kardashian in the Ryan Murphy Legal Drama All's FairShark Week 2024: How to Watch the Annual TV Event Without CableTVLine Items: Natasha Rothwell's How to Die Alone Release Date, Macy's Fireworks Ratings and More
In the upcoming 10 episodes, the “occasionally heroic crew” of Fry,...
- 7/8/2024
- by Matt Webb Mitovich
- TVLine.com
Hulu has revealed the official trailer and key art for Futurama Season 12, which will debut on the streaming service on Monday, July 29.
Following Hulu’s critically acclaimed 2023 revival of Futurama, the epic sci-fi series from Matt Groening and David X. Cohen returns in 2024 with ten all-new episodes.
On this orbit around the sun, our occasionally heroic crew embarks on mind-bending adventures involving birthday party games to the death, the secrets of Bender’s ancestral robot village, A.I. friends (and enemies), impossibly cute beanbags, and the true 5 million-year-old story behind the consciousness-altering substance known as coffee.
And, of course, the next chapter in Fry and Leela’s fateful, time-twisted romance.
The cast of Futurama Season 12 includes John Dimaggio, Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice Lamarche, Lauren Tom, Phil Lamar, and David Herman.
The series was created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen. The executive producers include Groening,...
Following Hulu’s critically acclaimed 2023 revival of Futurama, the epic sci-fi series from Matt Groening and David X. Cohen returns in 2024 with ten all-new episodes.
On this orbit around the sun, our occasionally heroic crew embarks on mind-bending adventures involving birthday party games to the death, the secrets of Bender’s ancestral robot village, A.I. friends (and enemies), impossibly cute beanbags, and the true 5 million-year-old story behind the consciousness-altering substance known as coffee.
And, of course, the next chapter in Fry and Leela’s fateful, time-twisted romance.
The cast of Futurama Season 12 includes John Dimaggio, Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice Lamarche, Lauren Tom, Phil Lamar, and David Herman.
The series was created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen. The executive producers include Groening,...
- 7/8/2024
- by Mirko Parlevliet
- Vital Thrills
When the makers of "Futurama" were first constructing the series, they dropped in a prominent background detail that they knew nitpickers and lay-linguists would adore. One can see on billboards, in store windows, and even painted on the sides of buildings, an oblique alien language constructed of curved symbols and dots. The "Alienese" might have been dismissed as a mere design flourish, but the letters were too neatly written and too consistent across the series to be dismissed. It took very little time for "Futurama" fans to crack the code and find that all those alien signs could be translated. It seems that the Alien Language, nicknamed AL1 by fans, was a simple letter-replacement cipher. The cipher became so well known that handy translators can now be found online.
"Futurama" co-creator David X. Cohen was a little disappointed that AL1 was unlocked so quickly. He was, of course, careful to...
"Futurama" co-creator David X. Cohen was a little disappointed that AL1 was unlocked so quickly. He was, of course, careful to...
- 7/8/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In the "Futurama" episode "The Day the Earth Stood Stupid", Earth is invaded by a destructive species of gigantic, disembodied brains. The brains, called the Brainspawn, hate all forms of intelligence, and aim to rid the universe of any brainwaves other than their own. They also emanate an energy field that drastically reduces the intelligence of everyone on Earth; shortly after the invasion, everyone decides to play the lottery, buy internet stock, and join the Reform Party.
Only Fry (Billy West) is immune to the Brainspawn's energy field, thanks to an old time-travel incident that caused Fry to become his own grandfather (don't ask). Fry confronts the Brain Leader (Maurice Lamarche) in the New York Public Library, the ideal place for a brain to hang out. Initially, the Brain Leader psychically inserts Fry and Leela (Katey Sagal) into books like "Moby-Dick" and "Pride and Prejudice," but Fry eventually outwits the brain,...
Only Fry (Billy West) is immune to the Brainspawn's energy field, thanks to an old time-travel incident that caused Fry to become his own grandfather (don't ask). Fry confronts the Brain Leader (Maurice Lamarche) in the New York Public Library, the ideal place for a brain to hang out. Initially, the Brain Leader psychically inserts Fry and Leela (Katey Sagal) into books like "Moby-Dick" and "Pride and Prejudice," but Fry eventually outwits the brain,...
- 7/7/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Comedian, talk show host, and papery-white buffoon Conan O'Brien stands a massive 6'4" tall, and his head weights 35-40% more than an average human's. He's a large, pale man and has a big head. O'Brien was always happy to withstand jokes about his size and appearance, as evidenced by the conversations he would have with Martin Short on "Late Night." "There's nothing wrong with being pasty," Short would say. "You're paler than any human being that has breath going in and out of them."
In the "Futurama" episode "Xmas Story", the Planet Express crew took a brief holiday outing to a ski resort in the Catskills and began their vacation by taking in a comedy show headlined by Conan O'Brien's Severed Head (O'Brien). Recall that "Futurama" takes place in the 31st century, a place where all modern-day celebrities have survived as severed heads in jars. O'Brien makes a stale joke...
In the "Futurama" episode "Xmas Story", the Planet Express crew took a brief holiday outing to a ski resort in the Catskills and began their vacation by taking in a comedy show headlined by Conan O'Brien's Severed Head (O'Brien). Recall that "Futurama" takes place in the 31st century, a place where all modern-day celebrities have survived as severed heads in jars. O'Brien makes a stale joke...
- 7/1/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
There are a lot of delightful running gags in "Futurama," but one that might've slipped by you is the constant reminders that Amy is a klutz. As one YouTuber's compilation video helpfully shows, Amy is constantly slipping on things, dropping important items, and banging her head. A particularly fun gross-out moment for me was when she bit into some sticky candy and it yanked out a couple of her teeth.
Amy's clumsiness is not a character flaw, exactly; it's just an extra layer to her, something to make her feel a little more three-dimensional even as the early seasons rarely gave her much focus. For "Futurama" creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen, this character trait was a deliberate reversal of Homer's clumsiness (and his tendency to receive squeamish injuries) throughout "The Simpsons." That show constantly has Homer banging his head against things or slipping on a peanut, whereas...
Amy's clumsiness is not a character flaw, exactly; it's just an extra layer to her, something to make her feel a little more three-dimensional even as the early seasons rarely gave her much focus. For "Futurama" creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen, this character trait was a deliberate reversal of Homer's clumsiness (and his tendency to receive squeamish injuries) throughout "The Simpsons." That show constantly has Homer banging his head against things or slipping on a peanut, whereas...
- 6/30/2024
- by Michael Boyle
- Slash Film
"Futurama" takes a lot after creator Matt Groening's previous series — a little series you may have heard of called "The Simpsons" — but the main casts of both don't quite line up with each other. After all, "The Simpsons" is about a nuclear family, while "Futurama" is about a group of coworkers. These different comedy settings is one reason why the creators of "Futurama" and "The Simpsons" don't feel they're in competition with each other.
For instance, as the main character of "Futurama," shouldn't Philip J. Fry be the equivalent of Homer Simpson? While both men are lovable and reckless idiots, Groening doesn't think so. Rather, he thinks that Fry's robot best friend, Bender — the lovable scamp (read: sociopath) — is the Homer of "Futurama."
During a 2013 LA Times interview (when "Futurama" was wrapping up its time at Comedy Central), he said, "I think [Bender is] our Homer character — Fry's a little too wimpy.
For instance, as the main character of "Futurama," shouldn't Philip J. Fry be the equivalent of Homer Simpson? While both men are lovable and reckless idiots, Groening doesn't think so. Rather, he thinks that Fry's robot best friend, Bender — the lovable scamp (read: sociopath) — is the Homer of "Futurama."
During a 2013 LA Times interview (when "Futurama" was wrapping up its time at Comedy Central), he said, "I think [Bender is] our Homer character — Fry's a little too wimpy.
- 6/23/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Matt Groening's animated series "The Simpsons" hasn't been good since season [fill in the blank].
That seems to be a common discussion within "Simpsons" circles, anyway. There seems to be a general, unrecorded consensus that the glory days of "The Simpsons" are behind it, and that the show has been spinning its wheels since those glory days. There is no consensus, however, when those glory days were exactly. Some older "Simpsons" fans feel that the series peaked somewhere around season five or six. Other, younger viewers feel that the show was just fine up until the release of "The Simpsons Movie" in 2007. Just like "Saturday Night Live," however, the present always seems to be the worst time for the show.
The fact of the matter is that "The Simpsons" has been running consistently since 1989, having made 768 episodes over 35 seasons. It is a cultural presence that once spearheaded the very tone of all popular culture,...
That seems to be a common discussion within "Simpsons" circles, anyway. There seems to be a general, unrecorded consensus that the glory days of "The Simpsons" are behind it, and that the show has been spinning its wheels since those glory days. There is no consensus, however, when those glory days were exactly. Some older "Simpsons" fans feel that the series peaked somewhere around season five or six. Other, younger viewers feel that the show was just fine up until the release of "The Simpsons Movie" in 2007. Just like "Saturday Night Live," however, the present always seems to be the worst time for the show.
The fact of the matter is that "The Simpsons" has been running consistently since 1989, having made 768 episodes over 35 seasons. It is a cultural presence that once spearheaded the very tone of all popular culture,...
- 6/18/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In the "Futurama" episode "Calculon 2.0", the famously hammy acting robot Calculon (Maurice Lamarche) had been dead for years, having swallowed poison on stage in an attempt to make his death scene more realistic. He had been replaced on the soap opera "All My Circuits" with a new acting robot named Vextron, and fans hated the new actor. Fry (Billy West) and Bender (John Dimaggio) are so disgusted with Vextron that they resolve to exhume Calculon's mechanical husk and reunite it with his free-floating memory, stored in an ineffable cloud somewhere. The Robot Devil (Dan Castellaneta) hands over Calculon's "soul," and Professor Farnsworth (West) sets up a very, very scientific reactivation process to reunite Calculon with his body.
The process requires the Planet Express crew to wear protective, lead-lined "robes," and active five laser-connect wireless network hubs ... that just happen to form a pentagram. They have to reverse-install Calculon's programming, which...
The process requires the Planet Express crew to wear protective, lead-lined "robes," and active five laser-connect wireless network hubs ... that just happen to form a pentagram. They have to reverse-install Calculon's programming, which...
- 6/15/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
By the time Matt Groening began to develop "Futurama," his previous show, "The Simpsons," had already attained legendary status. As such, you might think his follow-up would have been treated with nothing but reverence and support. However, it seems Fox, who had been lampooned by "The Simpsons" on multiple occasions throughout its run, weren't all that excited for the debut of "Futurama." As "Futurama" voice actor Phil Lamarr, once put it during a panel:
"'The Simpsons' had basically launched the Fox network, so the executives at Fox at that time [that 'Futurama' launched] were not the people who launched the Fox network. So Matt Groening was way more important than them. They could not give him notes on 'The Simpsons,' but they could on 'Futurama.' 'Futurama' was his redheaded stepchild [mimicking a Fox exec] 'Oh, let's kick that one's a**. Yeah, we have some notes, Matt.'"
Those...
"'The Simpsons' had basically launched the Fox network, so the executives at Fox at that time [that 'Futurama' launched] were not the people who launched the Fox network. So Matt Groening was way more important than them. They could not give him notes on 'The Simpsons,' but they could on 'Futurama.' 'Futurama' was his redheaded stepchild [mimicking a Fox exec] 'Oh, let's kick that one's a**. Yeah, we have some notes, Matt.'"
Those...
- 6/8/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
"Futurama" has lived more lives than any other show since the dawn of the current millennium. It has been saved from cancellation several times over the years and has maintained a very loyal following, even in the periods where no new episodes were making it to air. It's a credit to what creator Matt Groening accomplished, even going back to some of the earliest episodes. It's actually in one of those early episodes where we get one of the initial flashes of hidden brilliance that helped make the show what it is.
The third episode of "Futurama" season 1 is titled "I, Roommate," and it is a pivotal one. Fry is such a slob that he is forced by the rest of the Planet Express crew to move out of the offices where he's been crashing. He decides to take up an offer from Bender to move into his place, only...
The third episode of "Futurama" season 1 is titled "I, Roommate," and it is a pivotal one. Fry is such a slob that he is forced by the rest of the Planet Express crew to move out of the offices where he's been crashing. He decides to take up an offer from Bender to move into his place, only...
- 5/25/2024
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
In the "Futurama" episode "A Fishful of Dollars", Fry (Billy West) remembers that he had 93 cents in his savings account when he was cryogenically frozen in 1999. After a thousand years of .25% interest, however, that amount had grown into a fortune of 4.3 billion dollars. Thankfully, inflation hasn't kept pace, and Fry is suddenly one of the wealthiest people on the planet. As anyone with abrupt access to a massive fortune might, Fry immediately begins to squander his riches on frivolous things. He buys the Mona Lisa merely so he may use it as a clay pigeon for skeet shooting. He tries to recreate a slobby, 20th-century apartment just as he remembered it. Most notably, he buys an ancient can of anchovies at auction, a valuable commodity indeed, given that anchovies went extinct many years before. The anchovies, still sealed, are guaranteed to be edible.
Unbeknownst to Fry, however, the anchovies are...
Unbeknownst to Fry, however, the anchovies are...
- 5/9/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Futurama, the cult animated comedy series created by Matt Groening, is getting the deluxe art book treatment.
Abrams ComicArts, one of the leaders in the trendy format, will release The Art of Futurama, billed as the first art book to delve into the development and history of the acclaimed sci-fi comedy.
The book will be replete with the cool behind-the-scenes visuals the Art of books are known for and will come with commentary from the Groening, showrunner David X. Cohen and producer Claudia Katz.
It examines the first seven seasons of the series, which first aired on Fox in 1999. Readers will be able dive into the development and visual history of all 150 episodes, including brand–new content, never–before–seen concept art, sketches, developmental work, and a complete episode guide for the Emmy-winning show.
For the uninitiated, Futurama was a social satire that cented on a slacker named Philip J.
Abrams ComicArts, one of the leaders in the trendy format, will release The Art of Futurama, billed as the first art book to delve into the development and history of the acclaimed sci-fi comedy.
The book will be replete with the cool behind-the-scenes visuals the Art of books are known for and will come with commentary from the Groening, showrunner David X. Cohen and producer Claudia Katz.
It examines the first seven seasons of the series, which first aired on Fox in 1999. Readers will be able dive into the development and visual history of all 150 episodes, including brand–new content, never–before–seen concept art, sketches, developmental work, and a complete episode guide for the Emmy-winning show.
For the uninitiated, Futurama was a social satire that cented on a slacker named Philip J.
- 4/30/2024
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"Futurama" is, at least on one level, a workplace show. The main characters all met because they are co-workers at Planet Express, an interplanetary delivery company. Planet Express, however, is more of a background setting and an excuse to have the characters organically occupy the same space. "Futurama" stories either tend to reach deep into weird sci-fi or involve the characters' personal lives. Plots rarely surround the business and its inner workings.
The biggest reminder that "Futurama" does indeed take place in an office is the presence of Hermes Conrad (Phil Lamarr), the company bureaucrat. Hermes takes care of all the paperwork and accounting and does so with gusto. He's a freewheeling limbo champion who is also weirdly fastidious and obsessed with red tape and organization. In the episode "How Hermes Requisitioned His Groove Back", Hermes sings an upbeat calypso number about how great it is to be a bureaucrat.
The biggest reminder that "Futurama" does indeed take place in an office is the presence of Hermes Conrad (Phil Lamarr), the company bureaucrat. Hermes takes care of all the paperwork and accounting and does so with gusto. He's a freewheeling limbo champion who is also weirdly fastidious and obsessed with red tape and organization. In the episode "How Hermes Requisitioned His Groove Back", Hermes sings an upbeat calypso number about how great it is to be a bureaucrat.
- 3/24/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In the third episode of "Futurama," called "I, Roommate," Fry (Billy West) is still sleeping at Planet Express, not yet having found a place to live. Fry is a slob, however, and his filthy detritus and unsanitary lifestyle become a nuisance for his coworkers. "Someone's been leaving food around," Hermes (Phil Lamarr) says at a company meeting, "and it's attracting owls. And I, for one, am tired of cleaning those owl traps."
Owls? Yes, it seems that by the year 3000, owls will have replaced rats as New York City's most prolific species of warm-blooded vermin. The owls are rarely addressed directly on "Futurama," but filthy alleyways and garbage-strewn streets are always lousy with owls. From the looks of the animation, they are northern saw-whet owls, although their precise species has never been clarified. Weirdly, the owls are a joke unto themselves, and no one ever makes puns or gags at their expense.
Owls? Yes, it seems that by the year 3000, owls will have replaced rats as New York City's most prolific species of warm-blooded vermin. The owls are rarely addressed directly on "Futurama," but filthy alleyways and garbage-strewn streets are always lousy with owls. From the looks of the animation, they are northern saw-whet owls, although their precise species has never been clarified. Weirdly, the owls are a joke unto themselves, and no one ever makes puns or gags at their expense.
- 3/23/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In the very first "Futurama" episode, "Space Pilot 3000" (which is full of hidden clues), the dim-witted Fry (Billy West) awakens in the year 2999 after being cryogenically frozen for a millennium. Fry immediately encounters a bizarre future world he doesn't understand. He is informed that, in the 30th century, human beings are implanted with career chips that will determine their professional fate for the rest of their lives. Fry is told that he has been selected by the computer to be a delivery boy -- the same profession he held back in 1999. Fry, terrified by the prospect, flees into the streets of New New York, the city built on the ruins of Old New York.
Fry is disoriented by what he sees. Aliens and robots stroll the sidewalks, and spacecraft whiz past overhead. He spots a few suicide booths on street corners. Most impressively, he sees a vast, tall network of...
Fry is disoriented by what he sees. Aliens and robots stroll the sidewalks, and spacecraft whiz past overhead. He spots a few suicide booths on street corners. Most impressively, he sees a vast, tall network of...
- 3/17/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Much has been made of the 1989 pilot for "The Simpsons," which told the bittersweet story of how the dog Santa's Little Helper joined the family, but it's clear that "Futurama" delivered an even stronger first impression ten years later. "Space Pilot 3000," which begins with pizza delivery guy Fry falling into a cryogenic chamber and waking up a thousand years later, introduces us to a new futuristic world that has a lot of cool technology, sure, but is definitely not a utopia. There are suicide booths on every corner, angry drunken talking robots, and no shortage of delivery jobs that still don't pay as much as they should. Fry still finds a better life in the fourth millennium, but it's a major adjustment.
In one of the early drafts for the pilot, Fry's adjustment to this new world (and this new cast of characters) was made even harder, because the circumstances...
In one of the early drafts for the pilot, Fry's adjustment to this new world (and this new cast of characters) was made even harder, because the circumstances...
- 3/11/2024
- by Michael Boyle
- Slash Film
In this brave new world of "Star Wars" fandom, it's almost unfathomable that there exist elements within the various films, novels, comics, and TV shows that don't have some sort of backstory or origin point. While obviously this stems from the huge fanbase for "Star Wars" loving the fictional universe so much that they wish to study and know absolutely everything that's in it, this trend also originated out of an inherent idea popularized by creator George Lucas with the very first movie in the franchise back in 1977 -- the implication that we're seeing a small part of a larger world, and every planet, ship, and creature we see (whether in the foreground or background) has its own history and story.
It's a powerful implication, and one that's essential to constructing a wholly fictional universe. Yet, of course, it's mostly hogwash -- or at least it used to be. While...
It's a powerful implication, and one that's essential to constructing a wholly fictional universe. Yet, of course, it's mostly hogwash -- or at least it used to be. While...
- 3/9/2024
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
"Futurama" is set a thousand years from our present. The show begins in the year 2999, as the world of tomorrow celebrates a happy New Year, and has since moved forward to correspond to the year the episode was aired — the latest, semi-satisfying season 11, reviewed by /Film here, was set in 3023.
This means that the show is set in New New York City (in the state of New New York). In "Space Pilot 3000," while our everyman hero Philip J. Fry slumbers in cryogenic suspension for a millennium, the metropolis outside is destroyed twice by alien invaders. Late in the pilot, Fry, Bender, and Leela find themselves underground in the ruins of old New York City; the place Fry once called home is the foundation upon which his new one rests.
Despite the thousand years of destruction and rebuilding, New New York still has a Statue of Liberty (though who knows if...
This means that the show is set in New New York City (in the state of New New York). In "Space Pilot 3000," while our everyman hero Philip J. Fry slumbers in cryogenic suspension for a millennium, the metropolis outside is destroyed twice by alien invaders. Late in the pilot, Fry, Bender, and Leela find themselves underground in the ruins of old New York City; the place Fry once called home is the foundation upon which his new one rests.
Despite the thousand years of destruction and rebuilding, New New York still has a Statue of Liberty (though who knows if...
- 3/3/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
"Futurama" is first and foremost a comedy, but by setting events a thousand years in the future, it invited itself to have the kind of worldbuilding you'd see in more straight-laced science fiction. The writers aren't just out to make their audience laugh, but to invest them in a futuristic world.
The "Futurama" writers are learned science-fiction nerds themselves. Series co-creator David X. Cohen has degrees in physics and computer science, while David A. Goodman, who wrote the "Futurama" episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before," (which featured most of the original "Star Trek" cast) went on to write for "Star Trek: Enterprise." Since the writers are nerds, they know how obsessive nerds think and engage with media by overanalyzing it.
The creators of "Futurama" admit they've even relied on fans to preserve the series' continuity, checking the "Futurama" wiki rather than rewatching episodes themselves. An audio commentary track for the series premiere,...
The "Futurama" writers are learned science-fiction nerds themselves. Series co-creator David X. Cohen has degrees in physics and computer science, while David A. Goodman, who wrote the "Futurama" episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before," (which featured most of the original "Star Trek" cast) went on to write for "Star Trek: Enterprise." Since the writers are nerds, they know how obsessive nerds think and engage with media by overanalyzing it.
The creators of "Futurama" admit they've even relied on fans to preserve the series' continuity, checking the "Futurama" wiki rather than rewatching episodes themselves. An audio commentary track for the series premiere,...
- 3/2/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Bender (John Dimaggio), the drunken alcoholic robot on Matt Groening and David X. Cohen's sci-fi sitcom "Futurama" is fueled by alcohol. Indeed, if Bender doesn't have a cocktail once or twice a day, he begins to rust, his batteries begin to run down, and he behaves as if he's drunk. Of course, consuming too much booze also makes Bender behave like he's drunk, so it's a careful balance to ensure he's functional. If that seems unclear, don't worry. The characters on "Futurama" don't quite have a grasp of it either. When Bender claims to have seen a werewolf car (!), Fry (Billy West) responds by saying "You've been drinking too much, or too little. I forget how it works with you. Anyway, you haven't drunk exactly the right amount."
Early in the series, Bender had more of a "drunken" voice, with actor Dimaggio giving the character a slightly raspier effect as well as a slight,...
Early in the series, Bender had more of a "drunken" voice, with actor Dimaggio giving the character a slightly raspier effect as well as a slight,...
- 3/2/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The 2009 "Futurama" movie "Into the Wild Green Yonder" -- the show's fourth and final -- was, one might recall, supposed to the be definite end of the series. "Futurama" was notoriously canceled in 2004 thanks to flagging ratings, but gained new life through DVD sales. The series was initially resurrected in the form of four straight-to-video movies released in 2008 and 2009, a quartet that was intended to signal the franchise's farewell. Of course, when those four films also sold well, Comedy Central stepped in and resurrected the series for a second time. As of this writing, the show has been canceled and resurrected a third time. New episodes are currently on Hulu.
Of course, the makers of "Futurama" didn't know in 2009 that they would come back, leading them to give the finale of "Green Yonder" an appropriately epic feel. The story of "Green Yonder" deals with cosmic energies, extinction, and the mass...
Of course, the makers of "Futurama" didn't know in 2009 that they would come back, leading them to give the finale of "Green Yonder" an appropriately epic feel. The story of "Green Yonder" deals with cosmic energies, extinction, and the mass...
- 2/25/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The fourth "Futurama" movie, "Into the Wild Green Yonder," was released on DVD on February 24, 2009, and it was intended to be the final word on the series ... again. The initial run of "Futurama" ended in 2002 after encountering poor ratings. DVD sales of the show remained robust, however, and Fox agreed to make four straight-to-video "Futurama" movies as a way of resurrecting the series for what was essentially one final season. The four movies did better than expected, and Comedy Central picked up "Futurama" for a third run, starting in 2010. "Futurama" is the brain that wouldn't die.
But for a while, it looked like "Into the Wild Green Yonder" was going to be the last time audiences would ever see "Futurama," and the makers wanted the story to be appropriately epic. The story of "Green Yonder" involves a sudden cosmic surge of Chi, or life-giving energy, that spontaneously pulsates into the galaxy.
But for a while, it looked like "Into the Wild Green Yonder" was going to be the last time audiences would ever see "Futurama," and the makers wanted the story to be appropriately epic. The story of "Green Yonder" involves a sudden cosmic surge of Chi, or life-giving energy, that spontaneously pulsates into the galaxy.
- 2/23/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In the "Family Guy" episode "Patriot Games", Peter (Seth MacFarlane) is enlisted to play for the New England Patriots after he charges through a crowd of people on his way to the bathroom at a high school reunion. Peter, the shallow egotist that he is, is soon fired for showboating, but at least he got to meet Tom Brady (himself). The plot continues into a snobs-vs.-slobs story wherein Peter becomes the coach for a British football team called the London Sillinannies.
Like every episode of "Family Guy," "Patriot Games" contains many, many asides, pop culture references, and throw-away gags presented without any context whatsoever. Case in point: early in the episode, two characters are watching the news on TV, and the announcer, having finished speaking about the main story of the night, announces "Coming up: America's hottest new curse word. Clemen!" Or maybe it's "kleeman." There is no explanation as to what "kleeman" means,...
Like every episode of "Family Guy," "Patriot Games" contains many, many asides, pop culture references, and throw-away gags presented without any context whatsoever. Case in point: early in the episode, two characters are watching the news on TV, and the announcer, having finished speaking about the main story of the night, announces "Coming up: America's hottest new curse word. Clemen!" Or maybe it's "kleeman." There is no explanation as to what "kleeman" means,...
- 2/22/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
One of the best (and silliest) qualities of "Futurama" is just how much the world of the future hasn't changed from the present. Yes, there are alcoholic robots and aliens all around, but the characters are always just so happening to deal with the same basic social issues of the audience's time, from global warming to corporate greed to bitcoin. History repeats itself, it seems, and according to "Futurama" it repeats itself in thousand-year cycles.
Case in point was the 2010 episode "Proposition Infinity," an episode that was clearly inspired by California's Proposition 8, in which California voters in the 2008 election voted to effectively ban gay marriage in the state. The controversial proposition is so infamous in part because of how quickly voters' views on gay marriage would change; if the proposition had been on the ballot just a year later, it's likely most Californians would've voted against it. If it had...
Case in point was the 2010 episode "Proposition Infinity," an episode that was clearly inspired by California's Proposition 8, in which California voters in the 2008 election voted to effectively ban gay marriage in the state. The controversial proposition is so infamous in part because of how quickly voters' views on gay marriage would change; if the proposition had been on the ballot just a year later, it's likely most Californians would've voted against it. If it had...
- 2/17/2024
- by Michael Boyle
- Slash Film
Voice actor Billy West plays several of the lead characters on Matt Groening and David X. Cohen's 31st-century sitcom "Futurama." His voice for Fry, he has said, is essentially how he sounded when he was in his 20s. He also voices the elderly Professor Farnsworth, the incompetent lobster Dr. Zoidberg, the blow-hard Shatnerian space captain Zapp Brannigan, and the severed head of Richard Nixon. He's also played a wide variety of store clerks, alien slugs, terrifying robots, and North Pole elves in his tenure on "Futurama." There is nothing, it seems, he can't do.
It also takes a great deal of professionalism to be so silly. Voice actors, especially prolific ones, have to recall how dozens of characters sound in a split second, able to call up whatever voices a scene needs. In West's case, he likely has to have conversations with himself, using two or more unique voices in a single scene.
It also takes a great deal of professionalism to be so silly. Voice actors, especially prolific ones, have to recall how dozens of characters sound in a split second, able to call up whatever voices a scene needs. In West's case, he likely has to have conversations with himself, using two or more unique voices in a single scene.
- 2/15/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
When you're making a show that lasts over 25 years, there will inevitably be some material from early seasons that don't age as well as expected. Comedy is the quickest to age and the quickest to age poorly, they say, so we should probably go easy on older sitcoms when they can't fully escape being products of their time. While early "Futurama" has aged better than most sitcoms from 1999 — thanks to how most of the woes it satirizes are still around today, but worse — there are plenty of moments that the creators regret. Case in point: "In-a-Gadda-Da-Leela," the 2010 episode where Leela and Zapp find themselves alone, naked, in an unknown planet.
"That one didn't age well," co-creator David X. Cohen said in a 2023 interview. "But we failed to avoid it. I would say it's a better description than that we didn't avoid it." He doesn't clarify exactly what "it" is here,...
"That one didn't age well," co-creator David X. Cohen said in a 2023 interview. "But we failed to avoid it. I would say it's a better description than that we didn't avoid it." He doesn't clarify exactly what "it" is here,...
- 2/11/2024
- by Michael Boyle
- Slash Film
On David X. Cohen and Matt Groening's 31st-century sci-fi sitcom "Futurama," the world's citizens are hooked on a high-octane ultra-soap-opera called "All My Circuits," a long-running TV series starring a cast of mostly robots. The main character in "All My Circuits" is a tall, egocentric blowhard named Calculon who is constantly discovering evil twins, engaging in robotic infidelities, and discovering multiple personalities. In a strange metanarrative twist, the Calculon on "All My Circuits" is played by a robot ... that also happens to be named Calculon, and also happens to be an egocentric blowhard.
In reality, Calculon is played by veteran voice actor Maurice Lamarche, one of the best voice actors currently working. Maurice Lamarche plays Calculon with a bloviating confidence that only seems to infect famous actors. Calculon eventually reveals that he is many hundreds of years old, and changes his identity every few decades. In previous lives, he...
In reality, Calculon is played by veteran voice actor Maurice Lamarche, one of the best voice actors currently working. Maurice Lamarche plays Calculon with a bloviating confidence that only seems to infect famous actors. Calculon eventually reveals that he is many hundreds of years old, and changes his identity every few decades. In previous lives, he...
- 2/10/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
At the start of Matt Groening's and David X. Cohen's 31st-century sci-fi sitcom "Futurama," the alcoholic robot Bender (John Dimaggio) sounded a little bit more like a drunken vagrant. He slurred his speech more and seemed less able to concentrate. As the show progressed, Bender became more self-assured, like the guy at the bar who — after his fourth shot of Jim Beam — is 100% confident he could thrash the bouncer. Bender became egotistical in addition to being a drunken criminal. On DVD commentary tracks, the makers of "Futurama" have said that Bender, in being a robot, allowed them more explicit depictions of violence and vice; a human character cannot drink a gallon of rotgut whiskey and smoke four cigars simultaneously, but a robot can. The Fox censors are weird.
Prior to "Futurama," Dimaggio only had a few credits to his name. His first gig was playing ancillary voices in...
Prior to "Futurama," Dimaggio only had a few credits to his name. His first gig was playing ancillary voices in...
- 2/9/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Voice actor Maurice Lamarche is one of the preeminent elder statesmen of his craft. He started his career in stand up, finding he was a talented mimic, moving into animation in 1980. He appeared in hit shows like "Inspector Gadget" and "Transformers," really hitting his stride in 1985 playing Ego Spengler in "The Real Ghostbusters." He cycled through the KidsWB canon aggressively in the late '80s and early '90s, appearing in "Taz-Mania," "Batman: The Animated Series," "Tiny Toon Adventures," "Freakazoid!," and "Animaniacs" wherein he employed his spot-on Orson Welles impersonation to voice the power-hungry mouse the Brain. His largest sampling of voice caricatures came from his work on the 1994 series "The Critic," where he voiced celebrities ranging from William Shatner to Elizabeth Taylor (but only when she was belching).
In 1999, Lamarche became one of the regulars on Mat Groening's and David X. Cohen's sci-fi sitcom "Futurama" where he played Kif,...
In 1999, Lamarche became one of the regulars on Mat Groening's and David X. Cohen's sci-fi sitcom "Futurama" where he played Kif,...
- 2/4/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Who doesn't love Dr. Zoidberg? Everyone! Everyone doesn't love Dr. Zoidberg. At least that's one of the running gags of "Futurama," the undying sci-fi sitcom created by Matt Groening and David X. Cohen. Dr. Zoidberg, voiced by Billy West, is a pathetic dumpster-dwelling lobster monster whose body is lousy with parasites and who sprays his peers with ink when startled. He's grievously awkward and doesn't have any friends. What's more, he's a terrible doctor, completely baffled by the anatomy of the mammals he works with; his diagnoses tend to be for fish-related ailments like fungi.
Naturally, the "Futurama" writers love writing Zoidberg scenes. It's actually astonishing how much humor the "Futurama" writing staff has been able to mine from having a big lobster on the show. There are more gags and jokes about sea life than one might think. For example, when Zoidberg vomits, he ejects liquid from both his...
Naturally, the "Futurama" writers love writing Zoidberg scenes. It's actually astonishing how much humor the "Futurama" writing staff has been able to mine from having a big lobster on the show. There are more gags and jokes about sea life than one might think. For example, when Zoidberg vomits, he ejects liquid from both his...
- 2/4/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The premise of David X. Cohen and Matt Groening's "Futurama" is pretty simple. On New Year's Eve in the year 1999, a feckless and directionless pizza delivery boy named Fry (Billy West) accidentally falls into a cryogenic freezing tube and remains suspended for a thousand years. He awakens just as the world rings in the year 3000, and eventually takes a job working for a distant nephew named Professor Farnsworth (West), who owns a space-bound delivery company of his own. He also develops a crush on an impatient cyclops named Leela (Katey Sagal). The world of the year 3000 is replete with sci-fi trappings familiar to any fan of the genre; there are robots, aliens, space travel, and ineffable technologies.
The central joke of "Futurama" is that, despite all of humanity's advancements, human beings are still dumb and petty and concerned with their selfish creature comforts and base impulses. Fry may have been whisked into the future,...
The central joke of "Futurama" is that, despite all of humanity's advancements, human beings are still dumb and petty and concerned with their selfish creature comforts and base impulses. Fry may have been whisked into the future,...
- 2/3/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
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