Futurama originally aired on March 28, 1999. Matt Groening developed the show for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show by premise is about Philip J. Fry, a pizza delivery guy who is Cryogenically frozen for 1000 years and awakes in the year 2999. When he awakes, he befriends a robot named Bender, who helps him find his very distant relative, Professor Farnsworth. Fry and several other zany characters work for Professor Farnsworth’s delivering packages. While delivering packages, the crew always finds themselves in trouble, leading to the packages only being delivered about 50% of the time. The show originally aired from 1999 to 2003. In 2003, the show was canceled for the first time. In 2005, the show was picked up by Comedy Central. The creators then dropped four direct-to-DVD movies that would later become the 5th season of the show. The movies did well enough that Comedy Central decided to green-light a new season in 2010. They continued to run until 2013 when the show was canceled for a third time. Over the years, the fan base for the show had grown over time, and the show gathered a cult following, if you will.
Along with fans’ uproar and the show’s potential, HULU decided to start making new episodes. On July 24 this year, the show’s first episode was released. HULU has since released a new episode of the show every week. The new season’s first episode picks up right where the last season left off, making the viewer feel like no time has passed. In true fashion, the show stuck to the joke of making fun of their own cancellation. Each time the show has been canceled and then revived, the show has made a continuing joke of pointing it out in the show. This meta-based humor is expected from fans and is a nice nod to their previous seasons. The first episode’s plot involves the main character, Fry, trying to binge-watch a TV show that has been canceled multiple times. The episode’s plot clearly references the show in a funny and familiar way. So far, the creators of the show have planned out the episodes in such a way as to make the original fans happy. A lot of people were afraid that the show would be revamped and changed for new audiences and no longer appeal to the original fans, but this could not be further from what’s happening. The new season makes clear connections to previous episodes and brings back all of the characters that fans love and adore. The second episode of the new season brings back a plot from season five of the show. In the season five episode, an alien character gives birth to children, but it is revealed that they will not have to be raised or taken care of until many years later. In episode two of the new season, the same aliens retrieve their children as enough time has passed. The writers were very clever when making this episode. This episode perfectly did a call back to the previous season, making the show’s original fans happy. This plot also introduced new characters to which new and old fans can now relate. The creators are seedling new growth while still paying homage to the original show. Episode 3 of the new season starts to touch on new trends and current events of culture. The third episode’s plot is heavily focused on cryptocurrency. The show takes a new spin on it and makes it so that Bitcoin mining means actual mining. The writers cleverly wrote the episode as an old Western film while still being sci-fi. At one point in the episode, they had a Mexican standoff of sorts, but in their version, they had characters shooting at each other in every direction: north, south, east, west, and up/down. The show is known for taking old concepts and adding a new twist to them, and the newest season seems to be continuing this tradition. Another thing the show is well known for is its variety of fun and unique characters. The newest season has done a good job of reintroducing all of the old characters. They have parceled it out, so each time a new character is added back to the show, it hits the audience with a wave of nostalgia. Many fans grew up watching, laughing, and growing with the characters, so seeing them again with new life breathed into them immediately attracts the older generation of fans. While new fans might not have the same personal connection to the characters, they get the opportunity to experience them for the first time.
The writers could not have done a better job of keeping the old fans happy while still reaching out to new viewers. As the show continues, one can only be curious about how long it will last this time around. Some could argue that if it were a good show, it would have never been canceled in the first place. In my opinion, the show is a perfect example of how you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. The show being canceled so many times is also a part of the show’s charm. The show being canceled is what led to its meta-humor and 4th wall-breaking part of the show. It also has to say something about the show: no matter how many times it’s been canceled, it always comes back. Not many shows come back from being canceled, not to mention doing it three times. The thing that has not changed each time the show has been canceled is the fans. The fans are crucial to the show’s revival, which is why I think it’s important that the writers have stayed true to the original content. I am happy with what is being done with the newest season and can not wait to see what direction the writers plan on taking with it now that it is on a streaming service for the first time.
