After debuting in 1999, multiple Emmy winner Futurama had an uninterrupted existence across Fox, the direct-to-DVD realm, and Comedy Central, with its finale appearing in 2013- the news came last year that Hulu had ordered 20 new episodes. Top 10 coming July 24thand fans will be happy to meet them it was worth the 10 year wait.
That said, you don’t have to be an existing fan of Futurama (or be on a quota basis along with more than 120 episodes that came before) to evaluate the new season. Of course, there are easter eggs for the old faithful, and it’s a more rewarding viewing experience if you’re at least Quite familiar with the show—but the flashbacks are explained enough so that new viewers will be able to follow along.
It goes without saying that much has changed in our world since 2013, and Futurama –a show always fond of commenting on current events, despite being set in the 31st century – is eager to embrace the culture of 2023. It’s just as eager to embrace the surreal feeling that accompanies FuturamaThe long-awaited, they-said-it-couldn’t-be-done comeback, though, gets most of those eyes (and there are a lot, including an actual fourth-wall break) in the first episode, “The Impossible Stream.”
Even before the opening credits, Professor Farnsworth (Billy West) has explained the “massive disruption in the time stream” that has taken the Planet Express gang from the year 3000 – the year Fry (also Billy West), a pizza-delivering robot accidentally frozen in 1999, was resurrected in the original series. n DiMaggio): “Why is my beer stale?” Because you and your shiny metal ass have aged 10 years, sir! With that caution, Futurama is on its merry way.
io9 was given six of the 10 episodes to review, and we won’t spoil specific plot points here. But it’s not giving anything away to point out some of the timely themes of season 11. These include the overwhelming feeling of trying to keep up with broadcast shows (Futuramachosen in-universe service: “Fulu;” definitely hit pause when showing the main screen to read all the nasty stuff in a strange way familiar names for different series); and the “high-tech gold rush” world of bitcoin and cryptocurrency, rendered literally with a Wild West theme. It also introduces “Momazon,” an Amazon-like that releases smart home assistants that are a little also wise, smart, clever; the alarmingly fast deliveries that Planet Express, a small business, cannot compete with; deplorable conditions for warehouse workers; and the idea that an algorithm knows what you want to shop for before you even ask for it (this episode’s title is “About Items You’ve Seen”).
There’s also an Ivermectin joke — and while it wasn’t included in the first six episodes, the trailer for this season promises even more pandemic humor. Plus, there’s almost an entire episode inspired by Dune, with a well-placed celebrity voice. Beyond that, Futurama shows that there’s still heart beneath the mushrooms, exploring topics like motherhood, pet ownership and building relationships – family, romantic and between friends – despite being surrounded by hilarious chaos.
Although it sometimes feels like the show is trying to cram in fan-favorite characters (Robot Devil! Calculon! Robot Santa Claus! The Hypnotoad!), and that first episode leans extremely hard on the self-referential stuff, it all feels very rooted in the show Futurama always has been—with quirky sides, clever gags, and characters you can’t help but love, even though they always tend to do the wrong thing. The jump to 2023 feels as seamless as it gets, which is really the best way to please old-school fans and, hopefully, the legions of new ones this revival will bring into the fold.
Futurama was created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen. The rest of the voice includes Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr and David Herman. FuturamaThe new season premieres July 24 on Hulu.
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