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''Futurama'' is an American animated
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...
created by Matt Groening for the
Fox Broadcasting Company The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations ...
. The series follows the adventures of the professional slacker
Philip J. Fry Philip J. Fry, commonly known by his surname, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the animated series ''Futurama''. He is voiced by Billy West using a version of his own voice as he sounded when he was 25. He is a slacker delivery b ...
, who is cryogenically preserved for 1000 years and revived on December 31, 2999. Fry finds work at an interplanetary delivery company, working alongside the one-eyed Leela and robot Bender. The series was envisioned by Groening in the mid-1990s while working on ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...
''; he brought David X. Cohen aboard to develop storylines and characters to pitch the show to Fox. Following its initial cancelation by Fox, ''Futurama'' began airing reruns on
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...
's
Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...
programming block, which lasted from 2003 to 2007. It was revived in 2007 as four
direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy w ...
films, the last of which was released in early 2009. Comedy Central entered into an agreement with 20th Century Fox Television to syndicate the existing episodes and air the films as 16 new, half-hour episodes, constituting a fifth season. In June 2009, Comedy Central picked up the show for 26 new half-hour episodes, which began airing in 2010 and 2011. The show was renewed for a seventh season, with the first half airing in 2012 and the second in 2013. An audio-only episode featuring the original cast members was released in 2017 as an episode of '' The Nerdist Podcast''. On February 9, 2022,
Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television series ...
revived the series with a 20-episode order set to premiere in 2023. ''Futurama'' received critical acclaim throughout its run and was nominated for 17
Annie Award The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in cinema and television. Originally de ...
s, winning nine, and 12
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
s, winning six. It was nominated four times for a Writers Guild of America Award, winning for the episodes "
Godfellas "Godfellas" is the 20th episode in the third season of the American animated television series ''Futurama''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 17, 2002. The episode was written by Ken Keeler and directed by Sus ...
" and "
The Prisoner of Benda "The Prisoner of Benda" is the 10th episode of the sixth season of the animated sitcom ''Futurama''. It aired on Comedy Central on August 19, 2010. In the episode, Professor Farnsworth and Amy build a machine that allows them to switch minds so ...
". It was nominated for a
Nebula Award The Nebula Awards annually recognize the best works of science fiction or fantasy published in the United States. The awards are organized and awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), a nonprofit association of prof ...
and received Environmental Media Awards for the episodes " The Problem with Popplers" and "
The Futurama Holiday Spectacular "The Futurama Holiday Spectacular", originally titled "Holiday Val-U-Pak", is the thirteenth episode of the sixth season of the animated sitcom '' Futurama'' and is the 101st episode of the series. It originally aired as a holiday special on Novem ...
". Merchandise includes a tie-in
comic book series a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...
, video games, calendars, clothes and figurines. In 2013,
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corporat ...
ranked ''Futurama'' one of the top 60 Greatest TV Cartoons of All Time.


Premise


Characters

''Futurama'' is essentially a workplace sitcom, the plot of which revolves around the Planet Express interplanetary delivery company and its employees, a small group that largely fails to conform to future society. Episodes usually feature the central trio of Fry, Leela, and Bender, though occasional storylines center on the other main characters. *
Philip J. Fry Philip J. Fry, commonly known by his surname, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the animated series ''Futurama''. He is voiced by Billy West using a version of his own voice as he sounded when he was 25. He is a slacker delivery b ...
( Billy West) – Fry is an immature, slovenly, yet good-hearted and sensitive pizza
delivery boy Delivery is the process of transporting goods from a source location to a predefined destination. Cargo (physical goods) is primarily delivered via roads and railroads on land, shipping lanes on the sea, and airline networks in the air. Cer ...
who falls into a cryogenic pod, causing it to activate and freeze him just after midnight on January 1, 2000. He reawakens on New Year's Eve of 2999 and gets a job as a cargo delivery boy at Planet Express, a company owned by his only living relative, Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth. Fry's love for Leela is a recurring theme throughout the series. *
Turanga Leela Turanga Leela is a fictional character from the animated television series '' Futurama''. Leela is spaceship captain, pilot, and head of all aviation services on board the ''Planet Express Ship''. Throughout the series, she has an on-again, o ...
( Katey Sagal) – Leela is the competent, one-eyed captain of the Planet Express Ship. Abandoned as a baby, she grows up in the Cookieville Minimum Security Orphanarium believing herself to be an
alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...
from another planet, but learns that she is actually a mutant from the sewers in the episode "
Leela's Homeworld "Leela's Homeworld" is the second episode in the fourth season of the American animated television series ''Futurama''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 17, 2002. "Leela's Homeworld" was written by Kristin G ...
". Prior to becoming the ship's captain, Leela works as a career assignment officer at the
cryogenics In physics, cryogenics is the production and behaviour of materials at very low temperatures. The 13th IIR International Congress of Refrigeration (held in Washington DC in 1971) endorsed a universal definition of “cryogenics” and “c ...
lab where she first meets Fry. She is Fry's primary love interest and eventually becomes his wife. Her name is a reference to the Turangalîla-Symphonie by Olivier Messiaen. * Bender Bending Rodriguez ( John DiMaggio) – Bender is a foul-mouthed, heavy-drinking, cigar-smoking, kleptomaniacal, misanthropic, egocentric, ill-tempered
robot A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be ...
manufactured by
Mom's Friendly Robot Company This article lists the many characters of ''Futurama,'' an American Cartoon series, animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the a ...
. He is originally programmed to bend girders for suicide booths, and is later designated as assistant sales manager and cook, despite lacking a sense of taste. He is Fry's best friend and
roommate A roommate is a person with whom one shares a living facility such as a room or dormitory ''except'' when being family or romantically involved. Similar terms include dormmate, suitemate, housemate, or flatmate ("flat": the usual term in Briti ...
. He must drink heavily to power his fuel cells and becomes the robot equivalent of drunk when low on alcohol. * Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth (Billy West) – Professor Farnsworth, also known simply as "the Professor", is Fry's distant nephew, and technically descendant. Farnsworth founds Planet Express Inc. to fund his work as a
mad scientist The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as " mad, bad and dangerous to know" or "insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabashedly am ...
. Although he is depicted as a brilliant scientist and inventor, at more than one-hundred and sixty years old he is extremely prone to age-related forgetfulness and fits of temper. In the episode "A Clone of My Own", the Professor clones himself to produce a successor, Cubert Farnsworth (voiced by Kath Soucie), whom he treats like a son. * Hermes Conrad ( Phil LaMarr) – Hermes is the
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...
n accountant of Planet Express. A 36th-level bureaucrat (demoted to level 37 during the series) and proud of it, he is a stickler for regulation and enamored of the tedium of paperwork and bureaucracy. Hermes is also a former champion in Olympic Limbo, a sport derived from the popular party activity. He gave up limbo after the 2980 Olympics when a young fan, imitating him, broke his back and died. Hermes has a wife, LaBarbara, and a 12-year-old son,
Dwight Dwight may refer to: People * Dwight (given name) * Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), 34th president of the United States and former military officer *New England Dwight family of American educators, military and political leaders, and authors * ...
. * Dr. John A. Zoidberg (Billy West) – Zoidberg is a Decapodian, a lobster-like alien from the planet Decapod 10, and the neurotic staff physician of Planet Express. Although he claims to be an expert on humans, his knowledge of human anatomy and physiology is woefully inaccurate (at one point, he states that his doctorate is actually in art history). Zoidberg's expertise seems to be with extra-terrestrial creatures. Homeless and penniless, he lives in the dumpster behind Planet Express. Although Zoidberg is depicted as being Professor Farnsworth's long-time friend, he is held in contempt by everyone on the crew. * Amy Wong ( Lauren Tom) – Amy is an incredibly rich, blunt, ditzy, and accident-prone yet sweet-hearted long-term
intern An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and gove ...
at Planet Express. She is an astrophysics student at Mars University and heiress to the western hemisphere of
Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...
. In the second episode of season one, the Professor states that he likes having Amy around because she has the same bloodtype as him. Born on Mars, she is ethnically Chinese and is prone to cursing in
Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding a ...
and using 31st-century slang. Her parents are the wealthy ranchers Leo and Inez Wong. She is promiscuous in the beginning of the series, but eventually enters a monogamous relationship with
Kif Kroker This article lists the many characters of ''Futurama,'' an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a l ...
. In the show's sixth season, she acquires her doctorate. *
Zapp Brannigan This article lists the many characters of ''Futurama,'' an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a ...
(Billy West) – Zapp Brannigan is the incompetent, extraordinarily vain captain of the DOOP starship ''Nimbus''. Although Leela thoroughly detests him, Brannigan—a self-deluded
ladies' man A ladies' man or lady's man is a man who enjoys spending time socially with women, who strives to please them and that women find attractive. Ladies' man or lady's man may also refer to: Literature * ''Ladies' Man'' (novel), a 1978 novel by R ...
—pursues her relentlessly, often at great personal risk. He was originally going to be voiced by Phil Hartman, but Hartman died before production could begin. *
Kif Kroker This article lists the many characters of ''Futurama,'' an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a l ...
( Maurice LaMarche) – Zapp Brannigan's 4th Lieutenant and long-suffering personal assistant, Kif is a member of the amphibious species that inhabits the planet Amphibios 9. Although extremely timid, he eventually works up the courage to date Amy. Kif is often shown sighing in disgust at the nonsensical rantings of his commanding officer. * "Mom" (
Tress MacNeille Teressa Claire MacNeille (née Payne; born June 20, 1951) is an American voice actress, whose credits include voicing Dot Warner on the animated television series '' Animaniacs'', Babs Bunny on ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Chip and Gadget Hackwrenc ...
) – Mom is the malevolent, foul-mouthed, cruel, and narcissistic owner of MomCorp, the thirty-first century's largest shipping and manufacturing company, with a monopoly on robots. In public, she maintains the image of a sweet, kindly old woman by speaking in stereotypically antiquated statements and wearing a mechanical fat suit. She occasionally launches insidious plans for world domination and corporate takeover. She had a romantic history with the Professor which left her bitter and resentful. She has three bumbling sons, Walt, Larry, and Igner (modeled after The Three Stooges), who do her bidding despite frequent abuse, and often infuriate her with their incompetence. In ''
Bender's Game ''Futurama: Bender's Game'' is a 2008 American direct-to-video adult animated science fantasy comedy film and the third of the four ''Futurama'' films that make up the show's fifth season. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 4, 2008. A ...
'', it is revealed that Igner's father is Professor Farnsworth. Zoidberg in the episode "
The Tip of the Zoidberg "The Tip of the Zoidberg" is the eighteenth episode of the sixth season of the animated sitcom ''Futurama''. It aired on Comedy Central in the United States on August 18, 2011. A pivotal episode, it reveals Dr. Zoidberg's backstory. This episo ...
" refers to Mom as Carol, which is assumed to be her first name. * Nibbler (
Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...
) – Nibbler is Leela's pet Nibblonian, whom she rescues from an imploding planet and adopts in the episode "
Love's Labours Lost in Space "Love's Labours Lost in Space" is the fourth episode in the first season of the American animated television series ''Futurama''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 13, 1999. The episode was written by Brian Kell ...
". Despite his deceptively cute exterior, Nibbler is actually a highly intelligent super-being whose race is responsible for maintaining order in the universe. He is revealed in "
The Why of Fry "The Why of Fry" is the tenth episode in the fourth season of the American animated television series ''Futurama''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 6, 2003. The episode was written by David X. Cohen and dire ...
" to have been directly responsible for Fry's cryogenics freezing. While the size of an average house cat, his race is capable of devouring much larger animals. He defecates
dark matter Dark matter is a hypothetical form of matter thought to account for approximately 85% of the matter in the universe. Dark matter is called "dark" because it does not appear to interact with the electromagnetic field, which means it does not ...
, which until ''Bender's Game'' is used as fuel for space cruisers in the series.


Setting

''Futurama'' is set in New New York at the turn of the 31st century, in a time filled with technological wonders. The city of New New York has been built over the ruins of present-day New York City, which has become a catacomb-like space that acts as New New York's sewer, referred to as "Old New York". Various devices and architecture are similar to the Populuxe style.
Global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
, inflexible
bureaucracy The term bureaucracy () refers to a body of non-elected governing officials as well as to an administrative policy-making group. Historically, a bureaucracy was a government administration managed by departments staffed with non-elected offi ...
, and substance abuse are a few of the subjects given a 31st-century exaggeration in a world where the problems have become both more extreme and more common. Just as New York has become a more extreme version of itself in the future, other Earth locations are given the same treatment; Los Angeles, for example, is depicted as a smog-filled apocalyptic wasteland. Numerous technological advances have been made between the present day and the 31st century. The Head Museum, which keeps a collection of heads alive in jars and was invented by Ron Popeil (who has a guest cameo in " A Big Piece of Garbage"), has resulted in many historical figures and current celebrities being present, including Groening himself; this became the writers' device to feature and poke fun at contemporary celebrities in the show. Several of the preserved heads shown are those of people who were already dead well before the advent of this technology; one of the most prominent examples of this anomaly is Earth president
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
, who died in 1994 and appears in numerous episodes. The Internet, while being fully immersive and encompassing all senses—even featuring its own digital world (similar to '' Tron'' or '' The Matrix'')—is slow and largely consists of pornography, pop-up ads, and "filthy" (or Filthy Filthy) chat rooms. Some of it is edited to include educational material ostensibly for youth. Television is still a primary form of entertainment. Self-aware robots are a common sight, and are the main cause of global warming due to the exhaust from their alcohol-powered systems. The wheel is obsolete (no one but Fry even seems to recognize the design), having been forgotten and replaced by hover cars and a network of large, clear pneumatic transportation tubes. Environmentally, common animals still remain, alongside mutated, cross-bred (sometimes with humans) and extraterrestrial animals. Ironically, spotted owls are often shown to have replaced rats as common household pests. Although rats still exist, sometimes rats act like pigeons, though pigeons still exist, as well. Anchovies have been extinct for 800 years. Earth still suffers the effects of greenhouse gases, although in one episode Leela states that its effects have been counteracted by
nuclear winter Nuclear winter is a severe and prolonged global climatic cooling effect that is hypothesized to occur after widespread firestorms following a large-scale nuclear war. The hypothesis is based on the fact that such fires can inject soot into t ...
. In another episode, the effects of global warming have been somewhat mitigated by the dropping of a giant ice cube into the ocean, and later by pushing Earth farther away from the sun, which also extended the year by one week. Religion is a prominent part of society, although the dominant religions have evolved. A merging of the major religious groups of the 20th century has resulted in the First Amalgamated Church, while Voodoo is now mainstream. New religions include Oprahism, Robotology, and the banned religion of ''Star Trek'' fandom. Religious figures include Father Changstein-El-Gamal, the
Robot Devil This article lists the many characters of ''Futurama,'' an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a l ...
,
Reverend Lionel Preacherbot This article lists the many characters of ''Futurama,'' an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a l ...
, and passing references to the Space Pope, who appears to be a large crocodile-like creature. Several major holidays have robots associated with them, including the murderous Robot Santa and Kwanzaa-bot. While very few episodes focus exclusively on religion within the ''Futurama'' universe, they do cover a wide variety of subjects including predestination, prayer, the nature of salvation, and religious conversion. ''Futurama''s setting is a backdrop, and the writers are not above committing continuity errors if they serve to further the gags. For example, while the pilot episode implies that the previous Planet Express crew was killed by a space wasp, the later episode " The Sting" is based on the crew having been killed by space bees instead. Verrone, Patric M (2003), DVD commentary for "The Sting", ''Futurama''. Original air date June 1, 2003. No. 12, Season 4. 20th Century Fox. The "world of tomorrow" setting is used to highlight and lampoon issues of today and to parody the science fiction genre.


Production


Development

The television network Fox expressed a strong desire in the mid-1990s for Matt Groening to create a new series after the success of his previous series, ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...
'', and began conceiving ''Futurama'' during this period. In 1996, he enlisted David X. Cohen, then a writer and producer for ''The Simpsons'', to assist in developing the show. The two spent time researching science fiction books, television shows, and films. When they pitched the series to Fox in April 1998, Groening and Cohen had composed many characters and story lines; Groening claimed they had gone "overboard" in their discussions. Groening described trying to get the show on the air as "by far the worst experience of my grown-up life". Fox ordered thirteen episodes. Immediately after, however, Fox feared the themes of the show were not suitable for the network and Groening and Fox executives argued over whether the network would have any creative input into the show. With ''The Simpsons'', the network has no input. Fox was particularly disturbed by the concept of suicide booths,
Doctor Zoidberg Dr. John A. Zoidberg, often referred to only by his last name, is a fictional character from the animated series ''Futurama''. He is a Decapodian, a crustacean-like species of alien, who works as the staff doctor for ''Planet Express'', despite hi ...
, and Bender's anti-social behavior. Groening explains, "When they tried to give me notes on ''Futurama'', I just said: 'No, we're going to do this just the way we did ''Simpsons''.' And they said, 'Well, we don't do business that way anymore.' And I said, 'Oh, well, that's the only way I do business.'" The episode "
I, Roommate "I, Roommate" is the third episode of season one of '' Futurama''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 6, 1999. The episode was written by Eric Horsted and directed by Bret Haaland. The plot focuses on Fry and Bend ...
" was produced to address Fox's concerns, with the script written to their specifications. Fox strongly disliked the episode, but after negotiations, Groening received the same independence with ''Futurama''. The name ''Futurama'' comes from a pavilion at the
1939 New York World's Fair The 1939–40 New York World's Fair was a world's fair held at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York, United States. It was the second-most expensive American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purc ...
. Designed by Norman Bel Geddes, the Futurama pavilion depicted how he imagined the world would look in 1959. Many other titles were considered for the series, including ''Aloha, Mars!'' and ''Doomsville'', which Groening notes were "resoundly rejected, by everyone concerned with it". It takes approximately six to nine months to produce an episode of ''Futurama''. The long production time results in several episodes being worked on simultaneously.


Executive producers

Groening and Cohen served as executive producers and showrunners during the show's entire run, and also functioned as creative consultants. Ken Keeler became an executive producer for Season 4 and subsequent seasons.


Writing

The planning for each episode began with a table meeting of writers, who discussed the plot ideas as a group. The writers are given index cards with plot points that they are required to use as the center of activity in each episode. A single staff writer wrote an outline and then produced a script. Once the first draft of a script was finished, the writers and executive producers called in the actors for a table read. After this script reading, the writers collaborated to rewrite the script as a group before sending it to the animation team. At this point the voice recording was also started and the script was out of the writers' hands. The writing staff held three Ph.D.s, seven
master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.
s, and cumulatively had more than 50 years at
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...
. Series writer Patric M. Verrone stated, "we were easily the most overeducated cartoon writers in history".


Voice actors

''Futurama'' had eight main cast members. Billy West performed the voices of
Philip J. Fry Philip J. Fry, commonly known by his surname, is a fictional character and the protagonist of the animated series ''Futurama''. He is voiced by Billy West using a version of his own voice as he sounded when he was 25. He is a slacker delivery b ...
, Professor Farnsworth,
Doctor Zoidberg Dr. John A. Zoidberg, often referred to only by his last name, is a fictional character from the animated series ''Futurama''. He is a Decapodian, a crustacean-like species of alien, who works as the staff doctor for ''Planet Express'', despite hi ...
,
Zapp Brannigan This article lists the many characters of ''Futurama,'' an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a ...
, and many other incidental characters. West auditioned for "just about every part", landing the roles of the Professor and Doctor Zoidberg. Although West read for Fry, his friend Charlie Schlatter was initially given the role of Fry. Due to a casting change, West was called back to audition again and was given the role. West claims that the voice of Fry is deliberately modeled on his own, so as to make it difficult for another person to replicate the voice. Doctor Zoidberg's voice was based on
Lou Jacobi Lou Jacobi (born Louis Harold Jacobovitch; December 28, 1913October 23, 2009) was a Canadian character actor. Life and early career Jacobi was born Louis Harold Jacobovitch in Toronto, Canada, to Joseph and Fay Jacobovitch. Jacobi began acting ...
and George Jessel. The character of Zapp Brannigan was originally created and intended to be performed by Phil Hartman. Hartman insisted on auditioning for the role, and "just nailed it" according to Groening. Due to Hartman's death, West was given the role. West states that his version of Zapp Brannigan was an imitation of Hartman and also "modeled after a couple of big dumb announcers I knew". Katey Sagal voiced Leela, and is the only member of the main cast to voice only one character. The role of Leela was originally assigned to Nicole Sullivan. In an interview in June 2010, Sagal remarked that she did not know that another person was to originally voice Leela until many years after the show first began. John DiMaggio performed the voice of the robot
Bender Bending Rodríguez Bender Bending Rodríguez (designated in-universe as Bending Unit 22, unit number 1,729, serial number 27160571,729 is the smallest number that can be represented as the sum of two cubes in two ways, 1³ + 12³ = 9³ + 10³, serial number 27160 ...
and other, more minor, characters. Bender was the most difficult character to cast, as the show's creators had not decided what a robot should sound like. DiMaggio originally auditioned for the role of Professor Farnsworth, using the voice he uses to perform Bender, and also auditioned for Bender using a different voice. DiMaggio described Bender's voice as a combination of a sloppy drunk, Slim Pickens and a character his college friend created named "Charlie the sausage-lover". Phil LaMarr voices Hermes Conrad, his son Dwight, Ethan Bubblegum Tate, and Reverend Preacherbot. Lauren Tom voices Amy Wong, and
Tress MacNeille Teressa Claire MacNeille (née Payne; born June 20, 1951) is an American voice actress, whose credits include voicing Dot Warner on the animated television series '' Animaniacs'', Babs Bunny on ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Chip and Gadget Hackwrenc ...
voices
Mom ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of gestati ...
and various other characters. Maurice LaMarche voices List of recurring Futurama characters, Kif Kroker and several supporting characters. LaMarche won the
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance in 2011 for his performances as Lrrr and
Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...
in the episode "
Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences "Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences" is the eleventh episode of the sixth season of the animated sitcom, '' Futurama'' and is the 99th episode overall. It aired on Comedy Central on August 26, 2010. In the episode, the ruler of the planet Omicron Per ...
". David Herman voiced Scruffy and various supporting characters. During seasons 1–4, LaMarche is billed as supporting cast and Tom, LaMarr and Herman billed as guest stars, despite appearing in most episodes. LaMarche was promoted to main cast and Tom, LaMarr and Herman to supporting cast in Season 5, and promoted again to main cast in Season 6. In addition to the main cast,
Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...
voiced Nibbler and Kath Soucie voiced Cubert and several supporting and minor characters. Like ''The Simpsons'', many episodes of ''Futurama'' feature guest voices from a wide range of professions, including actors, entertainers, bands, musicians, and scientists. Many guest-stars voiced supporting characters, although many voiced themselves, usually as their own head preserved in a jar. Recurring guest stars included Tom Kenny,
Dan Castellaneta Daniel Louis Castellaneta (; born October 29, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is best known for voicing Homer Simpson on the animated series ''The Simpsons'' (as well as other characters on the show such as Abraham "Grampa" ...
(as the Robot Devil), Dawnn Lewis, Nicole St. John,
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic ...
, Phil Hendrie, Coolio and George Takei, among others.
Bumper Robinson Larry C. "Bumper" Robinson II is an American film, television and voice actor. He is known for his roles as Bumblebee and Blitzwing on '' Transformers: Animated'', Falcon on '' Avengers Assemble'' and Cyborg in '' Justice League: Doom''. Career ...
used to be a cast member of the series (who played Hermes' son
Dwight Dwight may refer to: People * Dwight (given name) * Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969), 34th president of the United States and former military officer *New England Dwight family of American educators, military and political leaders, and authors * ...
), but however left the series after season 4 which caused Phil LaMarr to take over the role afterwards.
John Goodman John Stephen Goodman (born June 20, 1952) is an American actor. He gained national fame for his role as the family patriarch Dan Conner in the ABC comedy series '' Roseanne'' (1988–1997; 2018), for which he received a Golden Globe Award, ...
was meant to reprise the role of
Robot Santa This article lists the many characters of '' Futurama,'' an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of ...
after " Xmas Story" in future episodes but was unable to reprise the role due to scheduling problems. As a result, John DiMaggio took over that role starting with " A Tale of Two Santas". In that same episode, Dan Castellaneta was unable to reprise the
Robot Devil This article lists the many characters of ''Futurama,'' an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a l ...
due to his work on ''The Simpsons''. Maurice LaMarche took over that role for that episode only as Castellaneta did reprise the role in future episodes. Following Coolio's death in 2022, David X. Cohen has revealed on TMZ that he recorded new dialogue for Kwanzaabot before his death in an upcoming episode, scheduled to be released in 2023.


Animation

''Futurama'' is produced by The Curiosity Company and 20th Century Fox Television (which is credited as 30th Century Fox Television) with the animation being done by Rough Draft Studios. The studio would receive the completed script of an episode and create a
storyboard A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process, in t ...
consisting of more than 100 drawings. It would then produce a pencil-drawn
animatic A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process, in th ...
with 1,000 frames. Rough Draft's sister studio in
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
would render the 30,000-frame finished episode. In addition to traditional cartoon drawing, Rough Draft Studios often used CGI for fast or complex shots, such as the movement of spaceships, explosions, nebulae, large crowds, and snow scenes. The opening sequence was entirely rendered in CGI. The CGI was rendered at 24 frames per second (as opposed to hand-drawn often done at 12 frames per second) and the lack of artifacts made the animation appear very smooth and fluid. CGI characters looked slightly different due to spatially "cheating" hand-drawn characters by drawing slightly out of proportion or off-perspective features to emphasize traits of the face or body, improving legibility of an expression.
PowerAnimator PowerAnimator and Animator, also referred to simply as "Alias", the precursor to what is now Maya and StudioTools, is a highly integrated industrial 3D modeling, animation, and visual effects suite. It had a relatively long track record, starting ...
and Maya were used to draw the comic-like CGI whilst Toonz was used for digital ink and paint and compositing. The series began high-definition production in season 6, with '' Bender's Big Score''. The opening sequence was re-rendered and scaled to adapt to the show's transition to 16:9 widescreen format. For the final episode of season 6, ''Futurama'' was completely reanimated in three different styles: the first segment of the episode features black-and-white
Fleischer Fleischer (or Fleisher) is a common German language, German and Yiddish language, Yiddish family name. Its literal meaning is "butcher". Other German family names with the same meaning include Metzger (disambiguation), Metzger, Mezger, Fleischman, a ...
- and Walter Lantz-style animation, the second was drawn in the style of a low-resolution video game, and the final segment was in the style of Japanese
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
.


Hallmarks


Opening sequence

Much like the opening sequence in ''The Simpsons'' with its
chalkboard gag The opening sequence of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' is among the most popular opening sequences in television. It is accompanied by " ''The Simpsons'' Theme", one of television's most recognizable theme songs. The fi ...
s, Lisa’s sax solo, and couch gags, ''Futurama'' has a distinctive opening sequence featuring minor gags. As the show begins, blue lights fill the screen and the ''Planet Express Ship'' flies across the screen with the title of the show being spelled out in its wake. Underneath the title is a joke caption such as "Painstakingly drawn before a live audience" or "When you see the robot: DRINK!" After flying through downtown New New York and past various recurring characters, the Planet Express ship crashes through a large screen showing a short clip from a classic cartoon. These have included clips from ''
Quasi at the Quackadero ''Quasi at the Quackadero'' is a 1975 animated short by Sally Cruikshank. This cartoon follows two anthropomorphic ducks and a pet robot at an amusement park where phenomena such as time travel, telepathy, and reincarnation are exhibited as side ...
'', ''
Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series '' Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation. ...
'' shorts, cartoons produced by Fleischer Studios and Famous Studios, a short of ''The Simpsons'' from a '' Tracey Ullman'' episode, the show's own opening sequence in "
The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings" is the eighteenth and final episode in the fourth season of the American animated television series ''Futurama'', and the finale of the original run. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United St ...
" or a scene from the episode. Most episodes in Season 6 use an
abridged An abridgement (or abridgment) is a condensing or reduction of a book or other creative work into a shorter form while maintaining the unity of the source. The abridgement can be true to the original work in terms of mood and tone, capturing the ...
opening sequence, omitting the brief clip of a classic cartoon. " Rebirth", "
That Darn Katz! "That Darn Katz!" is the eighth episode in the sixth season of the American animated television series '' Futurama'', and the 96th episode of the series overall. It first aired on Comedy Central on August 5, 2010. In the episode, Amy's rejected ...
", "
Benderama "Benderama" is the seventeenth episode of season six of the animated sitcom '' Futurama'', and originally aired June 23, 2011 on Comedy Central. The episode was written by Aaron Ehasz and directed by Crystal Chesney-Thompson. American comedian Pa ...
", "
Yo Leela Leela "Yo Leela Leela" is the twenty-first episode of the sixth season of the animated sitcom '' Futurama''. It aired on Comedy Central in the United States on July 21, 2011. The title is a reference to the Nick Jr. Channel series ''Yo Gabba Gabba!''. ...
", "
Decision 3012 "Decision 3012" is the third episode of the seventh season of the animated sitcom '' Futurama''. It originally aired on Comedy Central on June 27, 2012. The plot is a parody of the Birther Movement. Plot As the episode started with an extended ...
", " Forty Percent Leadbelly", " T.: The Terrestrial", "
Leela and the Genestalk "Leela and the Genestalk" is the twenty-second episode of the seventh season of the animated sitcom '' Futurama''. It originally aired on Comedy Central on August 7, 2013. The episode was written by Eric Horsted and directed by Lance Kramer. Leel ...
", and " Stench and Stenchability" have been the only episodes since "
Spanish Fry "Spanish Fry" is the seventeenth episode in the fourth season of the American animated television series ''Futurama''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on July 13, 2003. Set in a retro-futuristic 31st century, the ser ...
" to feature a classic cartoon clip. Several episodes begin with a cold opening before the opening sequence, although these scenes do not always correspond with the episode's plot. The opening sequence has been lampooned several times within the show, in episodes including " That's Lobstertainment!", " The Problem with Popplers", as "''Future-roma''" in "
The Duh-Vinci Code "The Duh-Vinci Code" is the fifth episode of '' Futurama'' sixth season. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on July 15, 2010. In the episode, Fry finds a drawing of a lost Leonardo da Vinci invention which leads him and P ...
" and as "''Futurella''" in "
Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences "Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences" is the eleventh episode of the sixth season of the animated sitcom, '' Futurama'' and is the 99th episode overall. It aired on Comedy Central on August 26, 2010. In the episode, the ruler of the planet Omicron Per ...
". "Decision 3012" and "The Problem with Popplers" are the only episodes that directly tie into the opening, with Bender deliberately crashing the ship after seeing an advertisement for free beer in "Decision 3012", while in "The Problem with Popplers", Leela crashes through it during an ad for Popplers, with Fry saying "That's the second billboard you've crashed through this week!". "
Viva Mars Vegas "Viva Mars Vegas" is the twelfth episode of the seventh season of the animated sitcom '' Futurama''. It originally aired on Comedy Central on August 22, 2012. The episode was written by Josh Weinstein and directed by Frank Marino. Its opening se ...
" features a unique handmade variant of the opening, using cardboard, plastic, and model ships guided by strings and rods. Series director Scott Vanzo has remarked on the difficulty of animating the sequence. It took four to five weeks to fully animate the sequence, and it consists of over 80 levels of 3D animation composited together. It takes approximately one hour to render a single frame, and each second of the sequence consists of around 30 frames. ''Bender's Big Score'' has an extended opening sequence, introducing each of the main characters. In ''
The Beast with a Billion Backs ''Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs'' is a 2008 American direct-to-video adult animated science-fiction comedy-adventure film based on the animated series '' Futurama'', and the second of four straight-to-DVD films that make up the show's ...
'' and ''
Bender's Game ''Futurama: Bender's Game'' is a 2008 American direct-to-video adult animated science fantasy comedy film and the third of the four ''Futurama'' films that make up the show's fifth season. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 4, 2008. A ...
'' the ship passes through the screen's glass and temporarily becomes part of the environment depicted therein—a pastiche of
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
's '' Steamboat Willie'' and '' Yellow Submarine'' respectively—before crashing through the screen glass on the way out. In '' Into the Wild Green Yonder'', a completely different opening sequence involves a trip through a futuristic version of Las Vegas located on Mars. The theme tune is sung by
Seth MacFarlane Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, comedian, and singer. He is the creator and star of the television series '' Family Guy'' (since 1999) and '' The Orville'' (since 2017), and co-creat ...
and is different from the standard theme tune. The end of the film incorporates a unique variation of the opening sequence; as the ''Planet Express Ship'' enters a wormhole, it converts into a pattern of lights similar to the lights that appear in the opening sequence. The ''Futurama'' theme was created by
Christopher Tyng Christopher Tyng (born August 5, 1968) is an American composer for film and television. He composed the music for several television series, including ''Futurama'', ''The O.C.'', '' The Job'', ''Knight Rider'', '' Suits'', ''High Incident'', ...
. The theme is played on the tubular bells but is occasionally remixed for use in specific episodes, including a version by the Beastie Boys used for the episode " Hell Is Other Robots", in which they guest starred as their own heads for both a concert and as part of the Robot Devil's song. The theme also samples a drum break originating from "Amen, Brother" by American soul group The Winstons; however, the drum break is replaced in Season 6. A remixed rendition of the theme is used in Season 5, which features altered instruments and a lower pitch. Season 6 also uses this remix, but it has been reduced again in pitch and tempo. The theme has been noted for its similarities to Pierre Henry's 1967 ''Psyché Rock''. It was originally intended for the ''Futurama'' theme to be remixed in every episode. This was first trialled in the opening sequence for " Mars University", however it was realized upon broadcast that the sound did not transmit well through most television sets and the idea was subsequently abandoned. Despite this, beatbox renditions of the theme performed by Billy West and John DiMaggio are used for the episodes " Bender Should Not Be Allowed on TV" and "
Spanish Fry "Spanish Fry" is the seventeenth episode in the fourth season of the American animated television series ''Futurama''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on July 13, 2003. Set in a retro-futuristic 31st century, the ser ...
".


Languages

There are three alternative alphabets that appear often in the background of episodes, usually in the forms of
graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...
, advertisements, or warning labels. Nearly all messages using alternative scripts transliterate directly into English. The first alphabet consists of abstract characters and is referred to as Alienese, a simple substitution cipher from the
Latin alphabet The Latin alphabet or Roman alphabet is the collection of letters originally used by the ancient Romans to write the Latin language. Largely unaltered with the exception of extensions (such as diacritics), it used to write English and the ...
. The second alphabet uses a more complex
modular Broadly speaking, modularity is the degree to which a system's components may be separated and recombined, often with the benefit of flexibility and variety in use. The concept of modularity is used primarily to reduce complexity by breaking a s ...
addition code, where the "next letter is given by the summation of all previous letters plus the current letter". The codes often provide additional jokes for fans dedicated enough to decode the messages. The third language sometimes used is
Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
. Aside from these alphabets, most of the displayed wording on the show uses the Latin alphabet. The show predicts that several English expressions will have evolved by the year 3000. For example, in the show the word ''Christmas'' has been replaced with '' Xmas'' (pronounced "''ex''-mas"), and the word '' ask'' with ''aks'' (pronounced ''axe''). According to David X. Cohen, it is a running joke that the
French language French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in N ...
is
extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
in the ''Futurama'' universe (though the culture remains alive), much like
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
is in the present. In the French dubbing of the show,
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
is used as the extinct language instead.


30th Century Fox

At the close of each episode, the 30th Century Fox Television logo is displayed. While it is the same logo as that of 20th Century Fox, it is modified to fit the show's futuristic vibe. Syndicated episodes use the 30th Television closing logo instead of the 20th Television one. Initially, Fox did not want this logo to be used on the show, but when creator Matt Groening purchased the rights to the logo, the network had a change of heart and allowed the altered version to be aired.


Humor

Although the series uses a wide range of styles of humor, including self-deprecation,
black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to disc ...
, off-color humor,
slapstick Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such ...
, and surreal humor, its primary source of comedy is its
satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or ...
depiction of everyday life in the future and its parodical comparisons to the present. Groening notes that, from the show's conception, his goal was to make what was, on the surface, a goofy comedy that would have underlying "legitimate literary science fiction concepts".Keller, Joel (January 31, 2007)
Matt Groening talks about Futurama's comeback
.
TV Squad Weblogs, Inc. was a blog network that published content on a variety of subjects, including tech news, video games, automobiles and pop culture. At one point, the network had as many as 90 blogs, although the vast majority of its traffic could be ...
. Retrieved February 1, 2007.
The series contrasted " low culture" and " high culture" comedy; for example, Bender's catchphrase is the insult "Bite my shiny metal ass" while his most terrifying nightmare is a vision of the
number A number is a mathematical object used to count, measure, and label. The original examples are the natural numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and so forth. Numbers can be represented in language with number words. More universally, individual number ...
''2'', a joke referring to the
binary numeral system A binary number is a number expressed in the base-2 numeral system or binary numeral system, a method of mathematical expression which uses only two symbols: typically "0" ( zero) and "1" (one). The base-2 numeral system is a positional notati ...
(Fry assures him, "there's no such thing as two"). The series developed a
cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...
partially due to the large number of in-jokes it contains, most of which are aimed at " nerds". In commentary on the DVD releases, David X. Cohen points out and sometimes explains his "nerdiest joke . These included mathematical jokes such as " Loew's \aleph_0-plex" ( aleph-null-plex) movie theater as well as various forms of science humor for example, Professor Farnsworth, at a racetrack, complains about the use of a quantum finish to decide the winner, exclaiming "No fair! You changed the outcome by measuring it", a reference to the uncertainty principle of
quantum mechanics Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, ...
. In the season six episode "
Law and Oracle "Law and Oracle" is the sixteenth episode of the sixth season of the animated sitcom, '' Futurama'', originally broadcast on July 7, 2011, on Comedy Central. In the episode, Fry leaves his job as a delivery boy at Planet Express and applies for ...
", Fry and the robot peace officer URL track down a traffic violator who turns out to be Erwin Schrödinger, the 20th-century quantum physicist. On the front seat of the car is a box, and when questioned about the contents, Schrödinger replies "A cat, some poison, and a cesium atom". Fry asks if the cat is alive or dead, and Schrödinger answers "It's a superposition of both states until you open the box and collapse the wave function." When Fry opens the box, the cat jumps out and attacks him. The run is a reference to the Schrödinger's cat thought experiment of quantum mechanics. The series makes passing references to
quantum chromodynamics In theoretical physics, quantum chromodynamics (QCD) is the theory of the strong interaction between quarks mediated by gluons. Quarks are fundamental particles that make up composite hadrons such as the proton, neutron and pion. QCD is a type ...
(the appearance of Strong Force-brand glue),
computer science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to Applied science, practical discipli ...
(two separate books in a closet labeled ''P'' and ''NP'' respectively, referring to the possibility that P and NP-complete problem classes are distinct), electronics (an X-ray or more accurately, an "F-ray" of Bender's head reveals a 6502 microprocessor), and
genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar work ...
(a mention of Bender's "robo- or R-NA"). The show often features subtle references to classic science fiction. These are most often to ''
Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' many soundbites are used in
homage Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to: History *Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance *Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts *Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...
but also include the reference to the origin of the word ''robot'' made in the name of the robot-dominated planet Chapek 9, and the black rectangular monolith labeled "Out of Order" in orbit around
Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but slightly less than one-thousand ...
(a reference to
Arthur C. Clarke Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (16 December 191719 March 2008) was an English science-fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host. He co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film '' 2001: A Spac ...
's ''Space Odyssey'' series). Bender and Fry sometimes watch a television show called ''The Scary Door'', a humorous parody of '' The Twilight Zone''. Journalist/critic
Frank Lovece Frank Lovece () is an American journalist and author, and a comic book writer primarily for Marvel Comics, where he and artist Mike Okamoto created the miniseries ''Atomic Age''. His longest affiliation has been with the New York metropolitan ...
in ''
Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and fo ...
'' contrasted the humor tradition of Groening's two series, finding that Animation maven Jerry Beck concurred: In an interview with Diego Molano, creator of ''
Victor & Valentino ''Victor and Valentino'' is an American animated television series created by Diego Molano for Cartoon Network. It is produced by Cartoon Network Studios. The series follows the titular duo, two half-brothers staying with their grandmother in the ...
'', in April 2019, he said that he found ''Futurama'' "incredibly influential", calling the humor smart but "not alienating". He added that it makes him "feel smart" and adding that Groening's "sense of comedic timing is masterful".


Broadcast history


Episodes


Ratings


Cancellations, syndications and revivals


Fox cancellation

Groening and Cohen wanted ''Futurama'' to be shown at 8:30 pm on Sunday, following ''The Simpsons''. The Fox network disagreed, opting instead to show two episodes in the Sunday night lineup before moving the show to a regular time slot on Tuesday. Beginning with its second broadcast season, ''Futurama'' was again placed in the 8:30 pm Sunday spot, but by mid-season the show was moved again, this time to 7:00 pm on Sunday, its third position in less than a year. Even by the fourth season, ''Futurama'' was being aired erratically. Because the show was regularly pre-empted by sporting events, it became difficult to predict when new episodes would air. The erratic schedule resulted in Fox not airing several episodes that had been produced for seasons three and four, instead holding them for a fifth broadcast season. According to Groening, Fox executives were not supporters of the show. Although ''Futurama'' was never officially cancelled, midway through the production of the fourth season, Fox decided to stop buying episodes of ''Futurama'', letting it go out of production before the fall 2003 lineup.


Adult Swim reruns

In 2003,
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...
acquired syndication rights to ''Futurama'' and '' Family Guy'', another animated show Fox had cancelled, for its
Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...
block. Both shows proved to be successful immediately, leading to sister network TBS picking up the show later in 2003. The run on Adult Swim revived interest in both series, and when ''Family Guy'' found success in direct-to-DVD productions, ''Futurama''s producers decided to try the same. In 2005, Comedy Central entered negotiations to take over the syndication rights, during which they discussed the possibility of producing new episodes. In 2006, it was announced that four straight-to-DVD films would be produced, and later split into 16 episodes comprising a fifth season of the show. Since no new ''Futurama'' projects were in production at the time of release, the final movie release ''Into the Wild Green Yonder'' was designed to stand as the ''Futurama'' series finale. However, Groening had expressed a desire to continue the franchise in some form, including a theatrical film. In an interview with CNN, Groening said that "we have a great relationship with Comedy Central and we would love to do more episodes for them, but I don't know... We're having discussions and there is some enthusiasm but I can't tell if it's just me." ''Futurama'' left Adult Swim's lineup on December 31, 2007, following a week-long marathon of the entire series. Comedy Central began airing the show the next day, with season 5 making its broadcast debut on March 23, 2008.


Comedy Central revival

In June 2009, 20th Century Fox Television announced that Comedy Central had picked up the show for 26 new half-hour episodes that began airing on June 24, 2010. The returning writing crew was smaller than the original crew. It was originally announced that main voice actors West, DiMaggio, and Sagal would return as well, but on July 17, 2009, it was announced that a casting notice was posted to replace the entire cast when 20th Century Fox Television would not meet their salary demands. The situation was later resolved, and the entire original voice-cast returned for the new episodes. Near the end of a message from Maurice LaMarche sent to members of the "Save the Voices of Futurama" group on Facebook, LaMarche announced that the original cast would be returning for the new episodes. The ''
Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and par ...
'' confirmed, announcing on their website that the original cast of ''Futurama'' signed contracts with Fox to return for 26 more episodes. Similarly, an email sent to fans from Cohen and Groening reported that West, Sagal, DiMaggio, LaMarche, MacNeille, Tom, LaMarr, and Herman would all be returning for the revival. Cohen told ''
Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and fo ...
'' in August 2009 that the reported 26-episode order means " will be up to 26. I can't guarantee it will be 26. But I think there's a pretty good chance it'll be exactly 26. Fox has been a little bit cagey about it, even internally. But nobody's too concerned. We're plunging ahead". Lovece, Frank
"'Futurama' finds a new future on Comedy Central"
, ''
Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and fo ...
'', August 28, 2009; posted online August 27, 2009
Two episodes were in the process of being voice-recorded at that time, with an additional "six scripts ... in the works, ranging in scale from 'it's a crazy idea that someone's grandmother thought of' to 'it's all on paper'. When ''Futurama'' aired June 24, 2010, on Comedy Central, it helped the network to its highest-rated night in 2010 and its highest-rated Thursday primetime in the network's history. In March 2011, it was announced that ''Futurama'' had been renewed for a seventh season, consisting of at least 26 episodes, scheduled to air in 2012 and 2013. The first episode of season 7 premiered June 20, 2012, on Comedy Central.Futurama – Series , Comedy Central Official Site , ComedyCentral.com
, '' Comedy Central''. Retrieved March 27, 2012
In July 2011, it was reported that the show had been picked up for syndication by both local affiliates and WGN America. Broadcast of old episodes began in September 2011. On September 19, 2011, WGN America began re-running ''Futurama'', carrying it until 2014. ''Futurama'' doubled its viewership in syndication in 2012. Due to the uncertain future of the series, there have been four designated series finales. "
The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings" is the eighteenth and final episode in the fourth season of the American animated television series ''Futurama'', and the finale of the original run. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United St ...
", '' Into the Wild Green Yonder'', "
Overclockwise "Overclockwise" is the twenty-fifth episode in the sixth season of the American animated television series '' Futurama'', and the 113th episode of the series overall. It originally aired September 1, 2011 on Comedy Central. The episode was writ ...
", and "
Meanwhile Meanwhile may refer to: Music Albums * ''Meanwhile'' (Camouflage album), 1991 *'' ...Meanwhile'', a 1992 album by British pop band 10cc *'' Meanwhile...'', a 1995 album by world fusion ensemble Trance Mission * ''Meanwhile'' (Gorillaz EP), a 202 ...
" have all been written to serve as a final episode for the show.


Comedy Central cancellation

Comedy Central announced in April 2013 that they would be airing the final episode "
Meanwhile Meanwhile may refer to: Music Albums * ''Meanwhile'' (Camouflage album), 1991 *'' ...Meanwhile'', a 1992 album by British pop band 10cc *'' Meanwhile...'', a 1995 album by world fusion ensemble Trance Mission * ''Meanwhile'' (Gorillaz EP), a 202 ...
" on September 4, 2013. The producers said that they are exploring options for the future of the series as "
hey Hey or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title ...
have many more stories to tell", but would gauge fan reaction to the news. Groening and Cohen have previously expressed a desire to produce a theatrical film or another
direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy w ...
film upon conclusion of the series. In an August 2013 interview with ''
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently ...
'', Katey Sagal said regarding the series finale, "So I don't believe it... I just hold out hope for it because it has such a huge fan base, it's such a smart show, and why wouldn't somebody want to keep making that show; so that's my thought, I'm just in denial that it's over". Sagal also mentioned during the same interview that Groening told her at Comic-Con that "we'll find a place" and "don't worry, it's not going to end".


''Simpsorama''

''The Simpsons'' episode "
Simpsorama "Simpsorama" is the sixth episode of the twenty-sixth season of the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the 558th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 9, 2014. This epi ...
" is an official
crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...
with ''Futurama''. It originally aired during the twenty-sixth season of ''The Simpsons'' on Fox on November 9, 2014, over a year after the ''Futurama'' series finale aired on Comedy Central.


Further syndication

In October 2017, Syfy announced that they had acquired syndication rights to all 140 episodes of ''Futurama'', adding it to its lineup on November 11, 2017, with a weekend long marathon. ''Futurama'' was Syfy's first ever American animated series (the network had an
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
programming block in the past), and eventually became paired with Syfy's TZGZ block of animated original series on Saturday nights. Comedy Central continued to air the series concurrently with Syfy, usually in the mornings and early afternoon. Syfy aired episodes from the first four seasons cropped to 16:9 instead of airing them in their original 4:3 aspect ratio; Comedy Central (since 2017) and FXX would do the same. In September 2021,
FXX FXX is an American basic cable channel owned by the Walt Disney Television unit of The Walt Disney Company through FX Networks, LLC. It is the partner channel of FX, with its programming focusing on original and acquired comedy series and fe ...
, which already carries ''The Simpsons'' and other Fox animated programming, announced that it would begin airing ''Futurama'' that November. Syfy stopped airing the show on November 10, 2021, and FXX began airing the show on November 15, 2021. Comedy Central stopped airing the show on December 23, 2021. Adult Swim then picked the show back up on December 27, 2021. Unlike FXX, Adult Swim airs the first four seasons in their original 4:3 aspect ratio,
pillarbox The pillarbox effect occurs in widescreen video displays when black bars (mattes or masking) are placed on the sides of the image. It becomes necessary when film or video that was not originally designed for widescreen is shown on a widescree ...
ed. However, seasons 5 through 7, which were produced in 16:9, air cropped to 4:3. Comedy Central kept the show on their website during this time, and it would return to their linear schedule on May 2, 2022.


Hulu revival

In February 2022, Hulu revived the series with a 20-episode order expected to premiere in 2023. At the time of the announcement the majority of the main voice cast was set to return, while John DiMaggio was still in negotiations. DiMaggio stated that he had not accepted the role in mid-February 2022 as he believed the entire cast of ''Futurama'' should be paid more. He stated, "Bender is part of my soul and nothing about this is meant to be disrespectful to the fans or my ''Futurama'' family. It's about self-respect. And honestly, t's aboutbeing tired of an industry that's become far too corporate and takes advantage of artists' time and talent... I wish I could give you every detail so you would understand, but it's not my place." In March, DiMaggio officially rejoined the series after working out a new deal, calling the prior events "Bendergate". He later revealed that he did not get a raise, "but what I did get was a lot of respect". Had he not returned, Bender would have been voiced by a different guest star each episode. In August 2022, the titles of the first 10 episodes were announced by Hulu and by November 2022, the production team was aiming to complete the episodes by the end of the year.


Reception, legacy, and achievements


Critical reception

The show received critical acclaim. The first season holds an 89% approval rating at
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
site
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
, based on 18 reviews, an average rating of 8.75/10. The critical consensus reads, "Good news, everyone! ''Futurama'' is an inventive, funny, and sometimes affecting look at the world of tomorrow." Season 5 holds a rating of 100%, based on seven reviews, and an average score of 8.67/10. Season 6 has an approval rating of 100%, based on 16 reviews, and the average rating is 8.31/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Good news everyone! ''Futurama'' is as funny and endearing as ever in its sixth season." The last season received a rating of 92%, and an 8.24/10 average score based on 12 reviews.


Success

''Futurama''s 7:00 p.m. Sunday time slot caused the show to often be pre-empted by sports and usually have a later-than-average season premiere. It also allowed the writers and animators to get ahead of the broadcast schedule so that episodes intended for one season were not aired until the following season. By the beginning of the fourth broadcast season, all the episodes to be aired that season had already been completed and writers were working at least a year in advance. When ''Futurama'' debuted in the Fox Sunday night lineup at 8:30 p.m. between ''The Simpsons'' and ''
The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...
'' on March 28, 1999, it managed 19 million viewers, tying for 11th overall in that week's
Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
. The following week, airing at the same time, ''Futurama'' drew 14.2 million viewers. The third episode, the first airing on Tuesday, drew 8.85 million viewers. Though its ratings were well below ''The Simpsons'', the first season of ''Futurama'' rated higher than competing animated series: '' King of the Hill'', '' Family Guy'', '' Dilbert'', '' South Park'', and '' The PJs''. When ''Futurama'' was effectively canceled in 2003, it had averaged 6.4 million viewers for the first half of its fourth broadcast season. In late 2002,
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...
acquired exclusive cable syndication rights to ''Futurama'' for a reported $10 million (equivalent to $ million in ). In January 2003, the network began airing ''Futurama'' episodes as the centerpiece to the expansion of their
Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...
cartoon block. In October 2005, Comedy Central picked up the cable syndication rights to air ''Futurama''s 72-episode run at the start of 2008, following the expiration of Cartoon Network's contract. A Comedy Central teaser trailer announced the return of ''Futurama'' March 23, 2008, which was ''Bender's Big Score'' divided into four episodes followed by the other three movies. On June 24, 2010, the season 6 premiere, " Rebirth", drew 2.92 million viewers in the 10:00 p.m. time slot on Comedy Central. The second episode of the sixth season, "
In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela "In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela" is the second episode of the sixth season of the animated sitcom, ''Futurama''. It originally aired directly after "Rebirth" on June 24, 2010 on Comedy Central. In the episode, Zapp Brannigan and Leela end up on a Garden o ...
", aired at 10:30 p.m., immediately following the season premiere. "In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela" drew 2.78 million viewers. This was the series' premiere on the network, with original episodes—the fifth season had previously aired on the network, but it had originally been released in the form of the four direct-to-video films.


Accolades


Other honors

*In January 2009, IGN named ''Futurama'' as the eighth best in the "Top 100 Animated TV Series". *At the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International,
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
presented ''Futurama'' with the record for "Current Most Critically Acclaimed Animated Series". *In 2020, ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' ranked it as the thirty-ninth best science fiction television show ever.


Other media


Comic books

First started in November 2000, ''Futurama Comics'' is a comic book series published by Bongo Comics based in the ''Futurama'' universe. While originally published only in the US, a UK, German and Australian version of the series is also available. In addition, three issues were published in Norway. Other than a different running order and presentation, the stories are the same in all versions. While the comics focus on the same characters in the ''Futurama''
fictional universe A fictional universe, or fictional world, is a self-consistent setting with events, and often other elements, that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed, or fictional realm (or world). Fictional universes ma ...
, the comics may not be canonical as the events portrayed within them do not necessarily have any effect upon the continuity of the show. Like the TV series, each comic (except US comic #20) has a caption at the top of the cover. For example: "Made In The USA! (Printed in Canada)." Some of the UK and Australian comics have different captions on the top of their comics (for example, the Australian version of #20 says "A 21st Century Comic Book" across the cover, while the US version does not have a caption on that issue). All series contain a letters page, artwork from readers, and previews of other upcoming Bongo comics.


Films

When Comedy Central began negotiating for the rights to air ''Futurama'' reruns, Fox suggested that there was a possibility of also creating new episodes. Negotiations were already underway with the possibility of creating two or three
straight-to-DVD Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...
films. When Comedy Central committed to sixteen new episodes, it was decided that four films would be produced. On April 26, 2006, Groening noted in an interview that co-creator David X. Cohen and numerous writers from the original series would be returning to work on the movies. All the original voice actors participated. In February 2007, Groening explained the format of the new stories: " he crew iswriting them as movies and then we're going to chop them up, reconfigure them, write new material and try to make them work as separate episodes." The first film, '' Bender's Big Score'', was written by Ken Keeler and Cohen, and includes return appearances by the Nibblonians, Seymour, Barbados Slim,
Robot Santa This article lists the many characters of '' Futurama,'' an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of ...
, the "God" space entity,
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic ...
, and Zapp Brannigan. It was animated in widescreen and was released on standard DVD on November 27, 2007, with a possible
Blu-ray Disc The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
release to follow.(April 5, 2008)
Tales of Interest: The Simpsons and Futurama in high-definition
. HDTVTotal.com.
A release on HD DVD was rumored but later officially denied. ''Futurama: Bender's Big Score'' was the first DVD release for which 20th Century Fox implemented measures intended to reduce the total carbon footprint of the production, manufacturing, and distribution processes. Where it was not possible to completely eliminate carbon, output carbon offsets were used, thus making the complete process
carbon neutral Carbon neutrality is a state of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. This can be achieved by balancing emissions of carbon dioxide with its removal (often through carbon offsetting) or by eliminating emissions from society (the transition to the " ...
. The second movie, ''
The Beast with a Billion Backs ''Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs'' is a 2008 American direct-to-video adult animated science-fiction comedy-adventure film based on the animated series '' Futurama'', and the second of four straight-to-DVD films that make up the show's ...
'', was released on June 24, 2008. The third movie, ''
Bender's Game ''Futurama: Bender's Game'' is a 2008 American direct-to-video adult animated science fantasy comedy film and the third of the four ''Futurama'' films that make up the show's fifth season. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 4, 2008. A ...
'', was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on November 3, 2008, in the UK, November 4, 2008, in the USA, and December 10, 2008, in Australia. The fourth movie, '' Into the Wild Green Yonder'', was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on February 24, 2009.


Video games

On September 15, 2000, ''Unique Development Studios'' acquired the license to develop a ''Futurama'' video game for consoles and handheld systems.
Fox Interactive Fox Interactive was an American video game publisher based in Los Angeles, California. The company published games based on 20th Century Fox properties, yet also published several original titles, such as '' Croc: Legend of the Gobbos''. Histo ...
signed on to publish the game. Sierra Entertainment later became the game's publisher, and it was released on August 14, 2003. Versions are available for PlayStation 2 and
Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the ...
, both of which use
cel-shading Cel shading or toon shading is a type of non-photorealistic rendering designed to make 3-D computer graphics appear to be flat by using less shading color instead of a shade gradient or tints and shades. A cel shader is often used to mimi ...
technology. However, the game was subsequently canceled on the
GameCube The is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the ...
and Game Boy Advance in North America and Europe. In 2012, an app inspired by the head in a jar gag was launched by Matt Groening. Licensing for mobile games were done in 2016 with ''Futurama: Game of Drones'' and in 2017 with '' Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow'', which was released for Android and iOS in 2017.


Notes


References


External links

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