The Future is Now...Again

The hilarious cult-classic cartoon Futurama returns with new episodes on DVD

By Matt Lynch

As some of you may recall, way back in 1999 (that’s almost ten years ago, and yes, you are that old), Simpsons creator Matt Groening unleashed another hilarious and groundbreaking animated series on an unsuspecting American public. His sci-fi sitcom Futurama was by all valid accounts (meaning mine) a masterpiece, at the time outstripping the brilliance even of The Simpsons, which at the time was beginning its now-legendary downward spiral. Unfortunately, that same unsuspecting public was also an uninterested one. Combine low ratings with a reluctant network (FOX famously failed to market the show, often not airing it at all on the east coast in favor of football) and you get a show that somehow managed to crank out four seasons before being unceremoniously cancelled in 2003.

Much like another FOX animated show (the incomprehensibly bad Family Guy), Futurama was later resurrected in reruns, becoming the highest rated program on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim lineup…which leads us to today, as FOX has finally seen fit to commission 12 new episodes of the series, the first four of which comprise the new DVD release Bender’s Big Score. All of the episodes will also eventually air on Comedy Central.

The entire creative team behind the show has returned, and the new episodes pick up directly where the show left off four years ago. For those of you unfamiliar with the series, Futurama is about a 20th century moron, Phillip J. Fry, who is cryogenically frozen and wakes up in the year 3000, where he finds a world even more confusing, horrifying and crazy than the one he left behind. The plot of Bender’s Big Score involves Earth being conquered by a race of alien con artists out to abuse the secret to time travel, which is conveniently (somehow) tattooed on Fry’s butt.

As usual, the show is chock-full of obscure references to mathematics, science fiction and pop culture, not to mention itself. As a longtime fan of Futurama, even I had a hard time keeping up with all the visual gags and nods to minor characters and previous episodes. But then again, the plot is so ludicrous and confusing (this is also typical) that I had trouble merely following the story. The humor has weathered the years intact, though. Futurama boasts a unique blend of thoroughly obscure verbal hijinks and extremely broad gags. Often, a joke about (of all things) the density of spaceship fuel is immediately followed with one or more variations of the word “weiner.”

Speaking as that same longtime fan, though, I have to say that other such folk will, as I was, be thrilled with this new material. The DVD comes loaded with fun extras, and it’s just great to have new Futurama on my TV. Three more straight-to-DVD films are to follow over the next year or so, made up of the remaining nine episodes. As far as I know, the broadcasting of these episodes has yet to be scheduled, but are tentatively set to air sometime in early 2008.

While I’m at it, I should explain why I’m reviewing the DVD of a cancelled cartoon instead of talking about new stuff you could be watching. It’s because there is no new stuff. Thanks to the Writer’s Guild of America’s current strike, almost no new programming will air until at least the end of 2007, possibly much longer. Popular shows like The Office and Heroes have already ended their seasons and within the next few weeks just about every scripted show will be on an indefinite hiatus. I don’t really think this is the forum in which to editorialize about esoteric Hollywood business, so I’ll hold my tongue about the strike, but if there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s a lack of new television. For cryin’ out loud, who’s supposed to keep an eye on the kids? Am I actually going to have to...gulp...GO OUTSIDE!?