VariousSet in the year 3000, Futurama is the acme of sci-fi animated sitcom from Simpsons creator Matt Groening. While not as universally popular as The Simpsons, Futurama is equally hip and hilarious, thanks to its zippy lateral-thinking contemporary pop cultural references, celebrity appearances (Pamela Anderson and Leonard Nimoy are among a number of guest stars to appear as disembodied heads in jars), and Bender, a distinctly Homer Simpson-esque robot. Part of Futurama‘s charm is that with decades of sci-fi junk behind us, we’ve effectively been living with the distant future for years and can now have fun with it. Hence, the series stylishly jumbles motifs ranging from Lost in Space-style kitsch to the grim dystopia of Blade Runner. It also bridges the gap between the impossible dreams of your average science fiction fan and the slobbish reality of their comic reading, TV-watching existence. Groening himself distinguishes his two series thus: “The Simpsons is fictional. Futurama is real.”
The opening season (premiered in 1999) sees nerdy pizza delivery boy Fry transferred to the 31st century in a cryogenic mishap. There, he meets the beautiful, one-eyed Leela (voiced by Married with Children‘s Katey Sagal) and the incorrigible alcoholic robot Bender. The three of them join Fry’s great (great, great, etc.) nephew Professor Farnsworth and work in his intergalactic delivery service. Hyper-real yet strangely recognizable situations ensue–Fry discovers he’s a billionaire thanks to 1,000 years’ accrued interest, Leela must fend off the attentions of Captain Kirk-like Lothario Zapp Brannigan, and Fry accidentally drinks the ruler of a strange planet of liquid beings. –David Stubbs
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March 31, 2010
#1
Oh my God I think I’m going to wretch! How could anyone want to buy this series when it’s so painfull to watch it for free on TV? It just goes to show you what you can accomplish when your Matt Groening and have the Simpsons in your back pocket. With the succuss of the Simpsons (Which I LOVE), Groening could have put out a blank screen as a series and Fox would have run it for at least three seasons. Unfortunatly, Groening did not put out a blank screen series and instead inflicted this absolute rubbish on humanity. I really wanted to like this series. I watched every episode for the first season, believing and hoping that it just had to get better, but it never did. I know I didn’t get a good laugh even once in the entire time I watched it. I think I kind of chuckled once (or was it that I mused to myself quietly?) but that was it. YUCK YUCK YUCK An absolute stinkfest! Run and hide from this box set and spend your money on some Monty Python, Simpson’s, SNL, SCTV, MS3000 or Three Stooges DVD’s. Oh wait, I have to wretch again….GAAAK….there I feel a little better now.
March 31, 2010
#2
I don’t understand why Fox didn’t cancel it sooner., it was just taking Matt Groening’s time away from the Simpsons (which WAS actually funny at one time). Because of this lack of Simpsonial supervision, the show became unfunny. I blame YOU, Futurama. Anyway, this show has unlovable characters, bad jokes, and jumps around settings too much. It’s just not good.
March 31, 2010
#3
I’ve caught this disaster a few times in it’s pointless existence in syndication after Family Guy on the cartoon network. I tried to give it a chance, being a big fan of older Simpsons shows and Family Guy, but the dry sense of humor it’s characters constantly belched out was torture and I can’t believe people waste their money and time buying these dvds and watching them over and over. I only gave this show a few comments here to warn people about how terrible it is. It’s no wonder that they had to settle on Billy West and Peggy Bundy as the main voice ‘talent.’I think Matt Groening jinxed himself with the few seasons he made of this show before it was cancelled, because it seems that lately The Simpsons is headed down the same path. I couldn’t care less about who disagrees with me on this, or who doesn’t want to take my word for it, It doesn’t matter, I know what is funny and what is not. Fans of this garbage should be ashamed of themselves though, Ha Ha, and people with a good sense of humor should be aware, Family Guy will soon make it’s triumphant return to Fox, while Futurama won’t. D’OH! Giggity Giggity Giggity.
March 31, 2010
#4
Maybe some of you on here are out of it, Futurama’s best episode isn’t funnier than “The Simpsons” worst episode. Fox cancelled this show because it had no viewers, cause it wasn’t funny.
March 31, 2010
#5
Futurama is a pretty clever and funny show, but I don’t understand all the f**king morons who claim it to be better than the Simpsons! Futurama has maybe a few small jokes thrown in that are actually funny while others are just plain lame and suck badly! The characters are also not all that memorable (with the exception of my favorite character, Bender) when compared to Bart and Homer Simpson. The reason why Fox cancelled this show was because it didn’t have that special touch that the Simpsons had. So people PLEASE stop saying this is better than the Simpsons! Sheesh!