‘Futurama’ Review: Back to the Future
Nearly 24 years after it first premiered Matt Groening and David X. Cohen's futuristic -- and twice cult hit returns.
In an age of endless reboots, it makes sense that Futurama (★★★☆☆), a series rebooted numerous times before it was trendy, would find its way back onto our screens.
If you haven’t watched Futurama, it’s essentially David X. Cohen’s and Simpsons creator Matt Groening’s answer to a sci-fi workplace comedy. The latest reboot may not be a good entry point, but for longtime fans, it’s a gift years in the making.
Before we can get to the new season, it’s critical to understand the journey Futurama took to return to our screens. Originally premiering in 1999 as a Fox Sunday night staple, the series ran for four seasons before getting the axe in 2003.
Through the power of syndication on Comedy Central’s Adult Swim, the series gained a new audience, leading it to be revived at CC, where a fifth season was cobbled together from four direct-to-TV films. It was revived again in 2009, before concluding with a satisfying finale in 2013.
The series has been at the top of the list for a revival for more than a decade. Last year, it was announced the entire cast would return for another 20-episode season. However, the big question remains: Do we need another season of a series that ended on a high note?
For the uninitiated, Futurama concerns Fry (Billy West), who, while delivering a pizza minutes before the year 2000, trips and falls into a cryo-chamber, waking up one thousand years in the future. His long-distant nephew Professor Farnsworth (also West) takes Fry in to work with him at Planet Express, an intergalactic delivery service, led by purple-haired, cycloptic pilot Leela (Katey Sagal).
As Fry adjusts to his new time period, he befriends Bender (John DiMaggio), a drunk, foul-mouthed robot, who takes him in as a roommate. During the day, he travels across the universe with his crew, including intern Amy Wong (Lauren Tom), accountant Hermes (Phil LaMarr), and Doctor Zoidberg (West, again).
The series concluded in 2013 with a perfect episode called “Meanwhile,” where Fry and Leela make a sacrifice to reset the universe. Hulu’s new season (which the streamer is touting as 11, but which, if you’re going to be a stickler, is really its eighth) picks up where “Meanwhile” ended. After a few self-referential jokes about “revivals” and “reboots,” the main theme kicks in and the show goes on.
The new season attempts to walk two lines. One where it pokes fun at our modern world, twenty years after the series initially aired, and another where it strives to deliver the goods it’s revered for. Those two main threads end up tying together the reboot, and the first six episodes made available for review either tackle current trends or stick to the years-long lore Groening and company have crafted. There isn’t a bad episode, but there are stronger and weaker ones.
While the first episode of the new season may not placate naysayers, the second episode is a standout, highlighting what the show has always done well in its storytelling. The episode sees Kif (LaMarche), sidekick to longtime side-character Captain Branagan (West, yet again), return to inform his one-time love Amy that their children will finally be born. This is a follow-up to a 2003 episode where Kif gets pregnant and gives birth, only to reveal that the kids will need another 20 years to grow.
Aside from the episode being one of the rare few to focus on one of the side crew members, it proves that Futurama doesn’t need a modern reference to NFTs or Black Mirror to crack wise. The episode lacks redundant references and focuses on a story that ends in a heart-warming affirmation of found family that relies on the series mythos it has spent years crafting.
Another standout episode is “Parasites Regained,” a Dune parody that highlights the issues with a series trying to stay current. When Leela’s pet, Nibbler (Frank Welker) gets worms that are making him dumb, the crew shrinks down and travels to his litter box: Dung (Pronounced Dune-gah).
As Leela and the crew use Ivermectin (along with a dozen outdated jokes) to fend off the worms, it comes down to typical fare. What makes the episode shine is the ending, when the show stops trying to insert itself into our world and focus on its own.
As Leela breaks down due to Nibbler’s condition, any long-time fans’ heartstrings will ache. Sure, things end as they usually do (that is, stupidly), but it shows that the best thing Futurama can do moving forward is to stick to what works. There is a reason the series has been revived so many times, and when the series understands and utilizes that, Futurama returns to its former glory.
Why should a series return? For corporations, it’s the money, but for viewers, it can offer nostalgia, new meaning, or simply tie up loose ends. Futurama gives a mixed answer, but still feels right at home and back to its old self as it regains its footing. The new season doesn’t tread new territory, but if you are a fan of the previous seasons, it’s a pleasure, nonetheless.
New episodes of Futurama air Mondays on Hulu. Visit www.hulu.com.
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