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[[Image:Futurama characters.jpg|thumb|right|300px|From left to right: [[Doctor Zoidberg|Dr. Zoidberg]], [[Professor Hubert Farnsworth|Professor Farnsworth]], [[Bender (Futurama)|Bender]], [[Amy Wong|Amy]], [[Hermes Conrad|Hermes]] (in sand), [[Leela (Futurama)|Leela]], and [[Philip J. Fry|Fry]].]]
[[Image:Futurama characters.jpg|thumb|right|300px|From left to right: [[Doctor Zoidberg|Dr. Zoidberg]], [[Professor Hubert Farnsworth|Professor Farnsworth]], [[Bender (Futurama)|Bender]], [[Amy Wong|Amy]], [[Hermes Conrad|Hermes]] (in sand), [[Leela (Futurama)|Leela]], and [[Philip J. Fry|Fry]].]]


* '''[[Philip J. Fry]]''' ([[Billy West]]) &mdash; Philip J. Fry was a pizza delivery boy who was cryogenically frozen for one thousand years just after midnight on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1999, reawakening on New Year's Eve, 2999. He gets a job at Planet Express, a company owned by his closest living relative, Professor Hubert Farnsworth, where he works as a delivery boy.<ref name="locus" />
* '''[[Philip J. Fry]]''' ([[Billy West]]) &mdash; Philip J. Fry was a pizza delivery boy who was [[cryonics|cryonically]] frozen just after midnight on the early morning of New Year's Day, January 1, 2000, reawakening on New Year's Eve, 2999. He gets a job at Planet Express, a company owned by his closest living relative, Professor Hubert Farnsworth, where he works as a delivery boy.<ref name="locus" />
* '''[[Leela (Futurama)|Turanga Leela]]''' ([[Katey Sagal]]) &mdash; Leela is the competent, [[cyclops|one-eyed]] captain of the [[Planet Express Ship]].<ref name="locus" /> Abandoned at birth, she grew up in the [[orphanage|Cookieville Minimum Security Orphanarium]] believing herself to be an [[extraterrestrial life|alien]] from an unknown race. She eventually learns that she is a [[List of recurring non-robot characters from Futurama#Sewer mutants|mutant]] from the sewers.<ref name="LeelasHomeworld">{{cite episode| episodelink=Leela's Homeworld| title=Leela's Homeworld| series= Futurama| serieslink=Futurama}}</ref>
* '''[[Leela (Futurama)|Turanga Leela]]''' ([[Katey Sagal]]) &mdash; Leela is the competent, [[cyclops|one-eyed]] captain of the [[Planet Express Ship]].<ref name="locus" /> Abandoned at birth, she grew up in the [[List of Futurama places#Cookieville Minimum Security Orphanarium|Cookieville Minimum Security Orphanarium]] believing herself to be an [[extraterrestrial life|alien]] from an unknown race. She later learns that she is a [[List of recurring non-robot characters from Futurama#Sewer mutants|mutant from the sewers]].<ref name="LeelasHomeworld">{{cite episode| episodelink=Leela's Homeworld| title=Leela's Homeworld| series= Futurama| serieslink=Futurama}}</ref>
* '''[[Bender (Futurama)|Bender Bending Rodríguez]]''' ([[John DiMaggio]]) &mdash; Bender is a [[profanity|foul-mouthed]], [[Alcoholism|alcoholic]], [[cigar]]-[[Tobacco smoking|smoking]], [[kleptomaniac]]al, [[misanthropy|human hating]], [[egocentrism|egocentric]], ill-tempered [[robot]] originally programmed to bend [[girder]]s for suicide booths. He is Fry's best friend and [[roommate]]. He primarily assists in delivering cargo from ship to planet and sometimes works as the ship's [[Cook (profession)|cook]], but has a reputation as a terrible chef. He secretly wishes to be a folk singer, a desire which reveals itself when his inhibition unit becomes affected by [[magnetism]].
* '''[[Bender (Futurama)|Bender Bending Rodríguez]]''' ([[John DiMaggio]]) &mdash; Bender is a [[profanity|foul-mouthed]], [[Alcoholism|alcoholic]], [[cigar]]-[[Tobacco smoking|smoking]], [[kleptomaniac]]al, [[misanthropy|human hating]], [[egocentrism|egocentric]], ill-tempered [[robot]] originally programmed to bend [[girder]]s for suicide booths. He is Fry's best friend and [[roommate]]. He primarily assists in delivering cargo from ship to planet.
* '''[[Professor Hubert Farnsworth]]''' a.k.a. The Professor ([[Billy West]]) &mdash; Born April 9, 2841, Professor Hubert Farnsworth is Fry's distant nephew and is about 161-years old. Biologically, he is older than Fry; however, chronologically, Fry is by far the elder of the two. Farnsworth founded Planet Express to fund his [[mad scientist]]-esque experiments and inventions. He eventually clones himself to create a successor, [[Cubert Farnsworth]].
* '''[[Professor Hubert Farnsworth]]''' a.k.a. The Professor ([[Billy West]]) &mdash; Born April 9, 2841, Professor Hubert Farnsworth is Fry's distant nephew. Farnsworth founded Planet Express to fund his [[mad scientist]]-esque experiments and inventions. He clones himself to create a successor, [[Cubert Farnsworth]].
* '''[[Doctor Zoidberg|Doctor John D. Zoidberg]]''' ([[Billy West]]) &mdash; Zoidberg is a [[lobster]]-like alien from the planet [[Decapod 10]], and is the neurotic and self-conscious staff doctor of Planet Express. He speaks with an accent most commonly associated with native [[Yiddish]] speakers, in commentaries Billy West has cited [[George Jessel (actor)|George Jessel]] and [[Lou Jacobi]] as inspirations for Zoidberg's voice. His knowledge of human anatomy and physiology is woefully inadequate. He is penniless and usually eats the garbage that he finds in a [[Dumpster (term)|dumpster]] outside Planet Express headquarters, or anything else he can scrounge.
* '''[[Doctor Zoidberg|Doctor John D. Zoidberg]]''' ([[Billy West]]) &mdash; Zoidberg is a [[lobster]]-like alien from the planet [[Decapod 10]], and is the neurotic and self-conscious staff doctor of Planet Express. His knowledge of human anatomy and physiology is woefully inadequate. He is penniless and usually eats the garbage that he finds in a [[Dumpster (term)|dumpster]] outside Planet Express headquarters, or anything else he can scrounge.
* '''[[Amy Wong]]''' ([[Lauren Tom]]) &mdash; Amy is an incredibly rich, spoiled, blunt, and extremely accident-prone [[intern]] at Planet Express. She is an engineering student at Mars University and heiress to half of [[Mars]]. Born on [[Mars]], she is ethnically [[Han Chinese|Chinese]], prone to frequently cursing in [[Cantonese (linguistics)|Cantonese]], and using 31st century slang. [[List of recurring human characters from Futurama#Leo and Inez Wong|Her aging parents]] often pressure her to have children.
* '''[[Amy Wong]]''' ([[Lauren Tom]]) &mdash; Amy is an incredibly rich, spoiled, blunt, and extremely accident-prone [[intern]] at Planet Express. She is an engineering student at Mars University and heiress to half of [[Mars]]. Born on [[Mars]], she is ethnically [[Han Chinese|Chinese]], prone to frequently cursing in [[Cantonese (linguistics)|Cantonese]], and using 31st century slang. Her parents are [[List of recurring human characters from Futurama#Leo and Inez Wong|Leo and Inez]], and she has developed a relationship with [[Kif Kroker]].
* '''[[Hermes Conrad]]''' ([[Phil LaMarr]]) &mdash; Hermes is the [[Jamaica]]n accountant of Planet Express. A [[bureaucrat]] and proud of it, he is a stickler for regulation. Hermes is also a former champion in Olympic Limbo, a sport derived from the [[Limbo (dance)|popular dance]] and similar to the track event of [[hurdling]]. He has a wife, [[List of recurring human characters from Futurama#LaBarbara Conrad|LaBarbara]], and a 12-year old son named [[List of recurring human characters from Futurama#Dwight Conrad|Dwight]].
* '''[[Hermes Conrad]]''' ([[Phil LaMarr]]) &mdash; Hermes is the [[Jamaica]]n accountant of Planet Express. A [[bureaucrat]] and proud of it, he is a stickler for regulation. Hermes is also a former champion in Olympic Limbo, a sport derived from the [[Limbo (dance)|popular dance]] and similar to the track event of [[hurdling]]. He has a wife, [[List of recurring human characters from Futurama#LaBarbara Conrad|LaBarbara]], and a 12-year old son, [[List of recurring human characters from Futurama#Dwight Conrad|Dwight]].


''See also: [[List of recurring robot characters from Futurama|Recurring robot characters]], [[List of recurring human characters from Futurama|Recurring human characters]], [[List of recurring alien characters from Futurama|Alien characters]], [[List of Futurama animals|Futurama animals]], and [[List of secondary characters from Futurama|Secondary characters]]''
''See also: [[List of recurring robot characters from Futurama|Recurring robot characters]], [[List of recurring human characters from Futurama|Recurring human characters]], [[List of recurring alien characters from Futurama|Alien characters]], [[List of Futurama animals|Futurama animals]], and [[List of secondary characters from Futurama|Secondary characters]]''

Revision as of 05:14, 21 July 2007

This article is about the television series. For the exhibit and ride, see Futurama (New York World's Fair).
Futurama
An opening title for Futurama
The opening title screen for Futurama
GenreSitcom
Animated series
Science Fiction
Created byMatt Groening
Developed byMatt Groening
David X. Cohen
Voices ofBilly West
Katey Sagal
John DiMaggio
Phil LaMarr
Lauren Tom
Maurice LaMarche
Tress MacNeille
David Herman
Frank Welker
Theme music composerChristopher Tyng
ComposerChristopher Tyng
Country of origin United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4 (production)
5 (broadcast)
No. of episodes72 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersMatt Groening
David X. Cohen
Ken Keeler
Running time22 minutes approx.
Original release
NetworkFox (1999–2003)
Comedy Central (2008)
ReleaseMarch 28, 1999 –
August 10, 2003 (original run)
Returning 2008

Futurama is an Emmy Award-winning animated American sitcom created by creator of The Simpsons Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox network. The series follows the adventures of a former New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J. Fry, after he is cryogenically frozen at midnight, December 31, 1999, and is revived one thousand years in the future.

In the United States, the series aired from March 28, 1999 to August 10, 2003 on FOX, although its timeslot was regularly interrupted and pre-empted by sports events, and eventually went out of production. However, Comedy Central has entered into an agreement with 20th Century Fox Television to syndicate the existing episodes and air the new movies as new episodes in an episodic format as of February 2008.[1][2]

Cast and characters

Futurama is essentially a workplace sitcom whose plot typically revolves around the activities and adventures of the employees of the Planet Express delivery company.[3]

File:Futurama characters.jpg
From left to right: Dr. Zoidberg, Professor Farnsworth, Bender, Amy, Hermes (in sand), Leela, and Fry.

See also: Recurring robot characters, Recurring human characters, Alien characters, Futurama animals, and Secondary characters

Setting

File:Futurama - The Future.jpg
Fry's first glimpse of New New York City

Futurama's setting is first and foremost a backdrop, and the writers are not above committing continuity errors if they serve to further the gags.[5] For example, while one episode stated global warming was canceled out by nuclear winter, another episode was built on the premise of continuing global warming. The world of tomorrow is used to highlight and lampoon issues of today and to parody the science fiction genre.

Futurama is set at the beginning of the 31st century, in a time filled with technological wonders. Various devices and architecture are similar to the Populuxe design. Global warming, inflexible bureaucracy, 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. In a jab at segregation, for example, the show depicts the human prejudice against mutants as being so great that the latter have been forced to live underground in the sewers. The characters' home on Earth is the city of New New York, built over the ruins of present-day New York City, referred to as "Old New York".

Numerous technological advances have been made by the 31st century. The ability to keep heads alive in jars was invented by Ron Popeil (who has a guest cameo in "A Big Piece of Garbage"), and has resulted in many political figures and celebrities being active; this became the writers' excuse to feature and poke fun at celebrities in the show. Curiously, several of the preserved heads shown are those of people who were already dead well before the advent of this technology, the most prominent example of this anomaly being George Washington, who died in 1799. The Internet, while being fully immersive and encompassing all senses and seeming to feature its own digital world (similar to Tron or The Matrix), is slow and consists mostly of pornography, pop-up ads, and "filthy" chat rooms, though some of it is edited to include educational material ostensibly for youth. Television is a primary form of entertainment, though it is of a much higher resolution. Robots powered by either alcohol or mineral oil are commonplace, and most have free will and emotions. The wheel is obsolete, having been forgotten and replaced by hovering vehicles and transportation tubes; these are reminiscent of old-style pneumatic tubes. At one point Fry builds a carriage employing wheels, albeit malformed and none of the other characters recognize the wheels - although Leela suggests that they would work better if they were round.[6]

Society and culture

Earth is depicted as being multicultural to the extent that there are a wide range of human, robot and extraterrestrial beings shown in the series who interact with the primary characters. In some ways the future is depicted as being more socially advanced than Fry's, and thus the audience's, reality. Other times, the future is shown to have many of the same types of problems, challenges, mistakes and prejudices of the past. Robots make up the largest "minority" in the series. They are often treated like second-class citizens[7], while a few are depicted as wealthy members of the upper-class. Most robots are self-aware and granted freedom and free-will. However at times of crisis robots may have their free-will removed (having their “patriotism circuits” activated) and forced to serve humans, or to serve in the military in times of war.[8] Many robots live in apartments specially constructed for robots in rooms the size of a typical coat closet.[9] Sewer Mutants are mutated humans who live in the sewers by law. They hold urban legend status and are regarded as fictional by some members of the public.

Religion is still a prominent part of society although the dominant religions have shifted. A merger between the major religious groups of the 20th century has resulted in the First Amalgamated Church,[10] while Vodou is now mainstream. New religions include Oprahism, Robotology, and the banned religion of Star Trek fandom. Religious figures in the series include Father Changstein-El-Gamal, Preacherbot, and passing references to The Space Pope. While very few episodes focus exclusively on the religious changes in the Futurama universe they do cover a wide variety of subjects including predestination, prayer, the nature of salvation, and religious conversion.[10]

Earthican flag, "Ol' Freebie"

Earth has a unified government, headed by the President of Earth (from season 2 onwards being Richard Nixon's Head). Earth's capital is Washington, D.C. and the flag of Earth is similar in design to the flag of the United States, with planet Earth displayed in place of the fifty stars.

The Democratic Order Of Planets (D.O.O.P.) is the fictional organization in the Futurama universe which has been compared to both the United Nations and to the United Federation of Planets of the Star Trek universe.[11] Numerous other galaxies have been colonized or have made contact by the year 3000. Mars has been terraformed, and is home to Mars University.

Linguistics

File:Alien decoder.PNG
Alien Language 1 and its equivalent Latin characters.

There are two alternative alphabets that appear often in the background, usually in the forms of graffiti, advertisements, or warning labels. Nearly all messages using alternative scripts translate directly into English. The first alphabet is comprised of abstract characters and is referred to as Alienese[4], a simple substitution cipher from the Latin alphabet.[12] The second alphabet uses a more complex modular addition code, where the "next letter is given by the summation of all previous letters plus the current letter."[13] They often provide additional jokes for fans dedicated enough to decode the messages. Aside from these alphabets, most of the displayed wording on the show uses the Latin alphabet.

Additionally, several English expressions have evolved since the present day. For example, the word Christmas has been replaced with Xmas. According to David X. Cohen it is a running joke in the series that the French language is extinct in the Futurama universe, much like Latin is in the present.[14]

Hallmarks

Opening sequence

Much like the opening sequence in The Simpsons with its chalkboard, sax solo and couch gags, Futurama has a distinctive opening sequence featuring minor gags. As the show begins, the word "Futurama" is displayed across the screen along with a humorous subtitle (such as "As Seen On TV," "Bender’s Humor by Microsoft Joke™", "Featuring Gratuitous Alien Nudity" or "From the creators of Futurama").[15] Later, after flying through down town New New York, the Planet Express Ship crashes into a large screen showing a short clip from a classic cartoon. These have included clips from Looney Tunes shorts and even a Simpsons episode.[16]

The Futurama opening tune was written by Christopher Tyng, and is based on the song "Psyché Rock" of Pierre Henri and Michel Colombier.[17] Tyng discusses the instrumentation for the Futurama theme in the Season 2 DVD commentary for "The Problem With Popplers." [18]

Recurring jokes and catch phrases

File:Logo 30th century fox.jpg
Futurama's original spoof closing logo for "30th Century Fox", the first time that Fox has ever allowed a TV show to change the name of the logo in the end or any part of a TV show.

Several recurring jokes are used throughout the series. The Professor always announces a dangerous mission or bad news with the phrase "Good news, everyone!" or a slight variation of the line. Bender will often tell someone to "Bite my shiny metal ass" or a variation depending on the current situation. The catchphrase itself is heavily parodied in the episode "War is the H-Word". Whenever Scruffy the janitor is shown, none of the other Planet Express employees seem to know who he is, despite his claims of being a long-time employee and his repeated appearances in the show. Amy falls down or slips often throughout the series, and the same soundbite of her scream is used each time.[19] Whenever it is referenced, the state of New Jersey is regarded as a terrible place, and in the episode "I, Roommate", Fry rejects an apparently perfect apartment when it is revealed that it is "technically in New Jersey." The series has owls replacing rats and pigeons as the vermin plaguing New New York. The 20th Century Fox logo at the end of each broadcast is altered to read "30th Century Fox," as it is based in the 31st century. The producers stated that they created the logo themselves when Fox refused to produce a new logo for them, but later were compensated for the amount paid because Fox decided that they liked it.[20]

Humor

Although the series utilized a wide range of styles of humor, including self-deprecation, black comedy, off-color humor, slapstick, and surreal humor, its primary source of comedy was its satirical depiction of everyday life in the future, and its parodical comparisons of which to the present.[3] Matt Groening notes that from the show's conception, his goal was to take what was on the surface a goofy comedy and show that underneath were "legitimate literary science fiction concepts".[21] 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 an Arabic numeral 2, a joke referencing the binary numeral system.[3]

The series developed a cult following partially due to the large number of in-jokes, most of which were aimed at "nerds".[3] In commentary on the DVD releases, David X. Cohen points out and sometimes explains his "nerdiest joke[s]."[22] These jokes included mathematical jokes, such as "Loew's -plex" (aleph-null-plex) movie theater,[22] as well as various forms of science humor. For example, Professor Farnsworth complains that judges of a quantum finish "changed the outcome by measuring it", a reference to the observer effect in quantum mechanics.[23] Over its run, the series passed references to quantum chromodynamics (the appearance of Strong Force brand glue[24]), computer science (two large books in a closet labeled P and NP respectively[25]), and genetics (a mention of Bender's "robo-, or RNA"[26]). The show often featured subtle references to classic science fiction, most often Star Trek - many soundbites are used in the series as homage[3] - but also others, such as the reference to the origin of the word robot made in the existence of a robot-dominated planet named Chapek 9.[27]

Production

Matt Groening began thinking of Futurama in the mid-90s. In 1997, he enlisted the help of David Cohen, then a Simpsons writer and producer, to assist in developing the show. The two then spent time researching science fiction books, television shows, and films of the past. By the time they pitched the series to Fox in April 1998, Groening and Cohen had composed many characters and story lines. During that first meeting, Fox ordered thirteen episodes. Shortly after, however, Groening and Fox executives argued over whether the network would have any creative input into the show.[28] With The Simpsons the network has no input. [29] 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.'"[30] After negotiations, he got the same independence with Futurama.

Production process

It takes six to nine months to make an episode of Futurama.[31][32] This long production time means many episodes are worked on simultaneously.[33]

Each episode begins with the writers discussing the story in a group. Then a single staff writer writes an outline and then a script. Once the first draft is finished, the writers and executive producers get together with the actors to do a table read.[28] After this script reading, the writers rewrite the script as a group before eventually sending it to animation.[34] At this point the voice recording is also started and the script is out of the writers' hands.[32]

The animation in Futurama is done by Rough Draft Studios, which Groening insisted be used. Rough Draft receives the completed script and the first thing they do is storyboard it into over 100 drawings. Then they create a pencil-drawn cartoon with 1000 frames. From there, Rough Draft's sister studio in Korea puts together the 30,000-frame finished episode. The show is also sometimes animated overseas by Tokyo Movie Shinsha. [28]

Broadcast

When it came to deciding when the show would air Groening and Cohen wanted Futurama to be shown at 8:30 Sunday nights, following The Simpsons. The network disagreed, opting instead to show two episodes in the Sunday night lineup before moving the show to its regular time slot on Tuesday.[35] Beginning its second broadcast season Futurama was again placed in the 8:30 Sunday spot[36], but by mid-season the show was moved again. This time Futurama began airing in the 7 p.m. Sunday timeslot, its third position in under a year's time.[37] Due to the 7 p.m. Sunday timeslot the show was often preempted by sports and usually had 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.[32]

Ratings

When Futurama debuted in the Fox Sunday night line-up at 8:30 p.m. between The Simpsons and The X-Files on March 28, 1999 it managed 19 million viewers, tying for 11th overall in that week's Nielsen Ratings.[38] The following week, airing at the same time, Futurama drew 14.2 million viewers. The show was then moved to Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. Futurama's first episode airing on Tuesday drew 8.85 million viewers.[39] Though its ratings were well below The Simpsons, Futurama's first season rated higher than competing animated series: King of the Hill, Family Guy, Dilbert, South Park and The PJs.[40]

When Futurama was effectively cancelled in 2003 it had averaged 6.4 million viewers for the first half of its fourth broadcast season.[41]

Show status

FOX executives reportedly did not like the show and by the fourth season, Futurama was being aired erratically.[42] Its time slot was regularly pre-empted by sports events, making it difficult to predict when new episodes would air. FOX also had not aired several episodes that had been produced for seasons three and four. Although Futurama was never officially canceled, midway through the production of the fourth season, Fox decided to let it go out of production and told the writers and animators to look for new jobs.[43] Fox's decision to stop buying episodes of Futurama led Rough Draft Studios, the animation producers, to fire its animators.[44] Futurama was not included in Fox's fall 2003 lineup.[45]

In January 2003, Cartoon Network began airing Futurama episodes as the centerpiece to the expansion of their Adult Swim cartoon block.[46] In October 2005, Comedy Central picked up the exclusive cable syndication rights to air Futurama's 72-episode run at the start of 2008, following the expiration of Cartoon Network's contract. It was cited as the largest and most expensive acquisition in the network's history.[47]

Future and DVD movies

Template:Future film After the successful revival of the Family Guy series, 20th Century Fox Television approached Futurama co-creator Matt Groening to produce a direct-to-DVD Futurama movie. 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.[48] On June 22, 2006, Comedy Central announced that at least 13 new episodes were to be produced. Comedy Central also confirmed that Billy West, Katey Sagal, and John DiMaggio would return for the new episodes, with a 2008 debut planned.[2] According to an interview with Cohen, as of December 2006 the Futurama team were around half way through writing the new season, and Rough Draft Studios had just started animating.[49]

The first movie, Futurama: Bender's Big Score is written by Ken Keeler and Cohen, and will include return appearances by the Nibblonians, Seymour, Barbados Slim, Morbo, Robot Santa, the "God" space entity, Al Gore, and Zapp Brannigan.[50] In an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Al Gore confirmed that he would appear as his disembodied head. Cohen has said that Gore would be involved in a storyline which will "show what really determined the outcome of the 2000 Presidential election".[49]

In February 2007, Groening clarified speculation as to whether Futurama had been revived in episodic or feature-film form, saying "[The crew is] writing 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."[51] In June 2007 the Internet Movie Database listed titles for the four Futurama movies as Futurama: Bender's Big Score, Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs, Futurama: Bender's Game, and Futurama: Into The Wild, Green Yonder.

File:Bender Futurama Saint Petersburg cropped.jpg
Graffiti featuring Bender in Saint Petersburg, Russia

Futurama is referenced numerous times in Groening's first series The Simpsons. Squeaky Voiced Teen is once seen attempting suicide, jumping off a cliff screaming "Why did they cancel Futurama?".[52] Bender has also had numerous cameos,[53][54] the most notable in an episode named in reference to Futurama.[55] Fry has also appeared in The Simpsons, during a couch gag.[56]

During the premiere skit in Family Guy's Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story, a reporter on the red carpet asks Stewie Griffin if Fox has any plans to bring back Futurama. Family Guy and Futurama were both animated series on Fox which were canceled and subsequently aired on Adult Swim; at the time of release Family Guy was scheduled to return but Futurama was not. In an episode of The PJ's, Fry's face can be seen on a milk carton as a missing person. This was an act of reciprocation for an advertisement of The PJs etched into a manhole cover in the Futurama episode "I Second That Emotion".[57]

The Planet Express Ship appears in the Dark Horse Comics miniseries Outer Orbit, and the theme from Futurama was heard in the background of a scene on the moon in The Adventures of Pluto Nash. Also, in Alan Moore's "Top Ten" (issue 11), a discolored Fry, Leela, and Bender can be seen in the background of one of the frames.[58] MC Lars referenced the show as well in the song "Space Game" from his album The Graduate.

In An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore uses a scene from the episode "Crimes Of The Hot" during his initial explanation of global warming.[59] The Futurama cast and crew also made an animated faux-trailer for the movie titled A Terrifying Message From Al Gore featuring Gore and Bender.

Awards

Wins[60] Nominations[60]
Annie Awards:

Emmy Awards:

Environmental Media Awards:

Writers Guild of America Award:

Annie Awards:
  • Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Program
    • 1999 — Futurama. The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television
  • Outstanding Individual Achievement for Writing in an Animated Television Production
  • Outstanding Achievement in a Primetime or Late Night Animated Television Program
    • 2000 — Futurama. The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television
  • Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Television Production
  • Outstanding Achievement in a Primetime or Late Night Animated Television Production
    • 2001 — Futurama. The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television
  • Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Production
    • 2003 — Futurama. The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television
  • Outstanding Music in an Animated Television Production
  • Outstanding Writing in an Animated Television Production
Emmy Awards:

Nebula Award:

Writers Guild of America Award:

DVD releases

Full season releases

DVD Name Cover Art Ep # Release dates Additional Features
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
Volume 1 File:Futuramadvd1.jpg 13 March 25 2003 January 28 2002 November 27 2002 This three disc boxset includes the 13 episodes from production Season 1. Bonus features include commentary on every episode, Animatics for "Space Pilot 3000", Deleted scenes, Script/storyboard for "Space Pilot 3000", Featurette, Interactive still gallery (stills & video) and easter eggs.
Volume 2 File:Futuramadvd2.jpg 19 August 12 2003 November 11 2002 May 13 2003 This four disc boxset includes the 19 episodes from production Season 2. Bonus features include commentary on every episode, deleted scenes, easter eggs, still gallery/concept art, alien alphabet.
Volume 3 File:Futuramadvd3.jpg 22 March 9 2004 June 2 2003 September 24 2003 This four disc boxset includes the 22 episodes from production Season 3. Bonus features include commentary on every episode, deleted scenes, animatics, still gallery/character art, 3D models from rough draft sequences, easter eggs.
Volume 4 File:Futuramadvd4.jpg 18 August 24 2004 November 24 2003 November 24 2003 This four disc boxset includes the 18 episodes from production Season 4. Bonus features include commentary on every episode, deleted scenes from 16 episodes, storyboard, character art and "How To Draw" galleries, animatics, 3-D Models, pencil tests, easter eggs.
Note: The box sets in Region 2 and 4 are marketed as "Season" rather than "Volume".
Note: Each of the box sets represent one of the four production seasons of the series. However, Fox spread out the series over 5 television seasons, often airing the series out of production order. Of note: after the production of Futurama was originally canceled, Fox aired the 16 previously unaired episodes, all from from production seasons three and four, as a "season 5," running sporadically between November 2002 and August 2003. The box sets restore the episodes to production order

"Best of" collection

DVD Name Cover Art Ep # Release dates Additional Features
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
Monster
Robot
Maniac Fun
Collection		 File:Futuramadvdcoll.jpg 4 August 23 2005 May 30 2005 August 22 2005 Contains one episode from each season: "Hell Is Other Robots", "Anthology of Interest I", "Roswell That Ends Well" and "The Sting". Bonus features include an animatic for "Hell Is Other Robots" with commentary, special introductions and an easter egg.

Futurama in other media

Comic books

Main article: Futurama Comics

First started in November 2000, Futurama Comics is a comic book series published by Bongo Comics based in the Futurama universe.[62] While originally published only in the US, a UK and Australian version of the series is also available.[63] Other than a different running order and presentation, the stories are the same in all versions.

Much like the TV series, each comic 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 Bongo Comics coming up.

The Futurama comics may not be canonical per se, and while they do draw from the Futurama universe, the events portrayed within them do not necessarily have any effect upon the continuity of the show.

Toys and figurines

While relatively uncommon, several action and tin figurines of various characters and items from the show have been made and are being sold by various hobby/online stores. When the show was initially licensed plans were made with Rocket USA to produce wind-up, walking tin figurines of both Bender and Nibbler with packaging artwork done by the original artists for the series.[64] The Bender toys included a cigar and bottle of "Olde Fortran Malt Liquor" and featured moving eyes, antenna and a functioning compartment door; it received an "A" rating from Sci Fi Weekly.[65] The collectible releases include a set of bendable action figures, including Lieutenant Kif Kroker, Turanga Leela, and Bender. There have also been a few figures released by Moore Action Collectibles, including Fry, Turanga Leela, Bender, and the Planet Express Ship. Lastly, in late 2006, Rocket USA brought out a limited edition 'super' heavyweight die cast Bender. Another special edition Bender figure was released at the San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) in 2006. The figure was called "Glorious Golden Bender".

Toynami has recently announced new Futurama figures which are currently to be released in 2007.[66]

Video game

Main article: Futurama (video game)

On September 15 2000, Unique Development Studios acquired the license to develop a Futurama video game for the next generation consoles and handheld systems. Fox Interactive signed on to publish the game.[67] Sierra Entertainment later became the game's publisher, and it was released on August 14, 2003.[68] Versions are available for the PS2 and Xbox, both of which use cel-shading technology, however, the game was subsequently canceled on the Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance in North America and Europe.[69]

References

  1. ^ ""Groening's Bargain to Yield Four Futurama Movies"". Reuters. Jan 28 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ a b Wallenstein, Andrew (June 22 2006). ""Futurama" gets new life on Comedy Central". Reuters. Retrieved 2006-10-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Cook, Lucius (April 26, 2004). Hey Sexy Mama, Wanna Kill All Humans?: Looking Backwards at Futurama, The Greatest SF Show You've Never Seen. Locus Online. Retrieved on January 27, 2007.
  4. ^ a b "Leela's Homeworld". Futurama. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Verrone, Patric M (2003), "The Sting", Futurama. Original airdate June 1, 2003. No. 12, Season 4. 20th Century Fox.
  6. ^ "Mother's Day". Futurama. Season 2. Episode 14. 2000-05-14. Fox Network. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "Mother's Day". Futurama. Season 2. Episode 14. 2000-05-14. Fox Network. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ "When Aliens Attack". Futurama. Season 1. Episode 12. 1999-11-07. Fox Network. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "I, Roommate". Futurama. Season 2. Episode 4. 1999-04-06. Fox Network. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ a b Pinsky, Mark. The Gospel According to the Simpsons. Bigger and possibly even Better! edition. pp. 229–235. ISBN 978-0-664-23265-8.
  11. ^ "Love's Labours Lost in Space". Futurama. Season 1. Episode 4. 1999-04-13. Fox Network. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ "Omniglot". Retrieved 2006-06-13.
  13. ^ "The Day the Earth Stood Stupid". Futurama. Audio Commentary 11 minutes in. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ "Space Pilot 3000". Futurama. Season 1. Episode 1ACV01. March 28, 1999. Audio commentary 20 minutes in. Fox Network. {{cite episode}}: Check date values in: |airdate= (help); Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ "'Flickr Slideshow'". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ "'Flickr Slideshow'". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ "'Futurama Has Teen Spirit'". 2007-06-02. Retrieved June 02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ "'Psyché Rock'". 2007-06-02. Retrieved June 02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ "Fry and the Slurm Factory". Futurama. Season 1. Episode 1ACV13. 1999-11-14. Audio commentary 13 minutes in. Fox Network. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ "Space Pilot 3000". Futurama. Season 1. Episode 1ACV01. 1999-03-28. Audio commentary 23 minutes in. Fox Network. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ Keller, Joel (January 31, 2007). Matt Groening talks about Futurama's comeback. TV Squad. Retrieved February 1, 2007.
  22. ^ a b "Raging Bender". Futurama. Season 2. Episode 8. 2000-02-27. Fox Network. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help)
  23. ^ "The Luck of the Fryish". Futurama. Season 3. Episode 4. 2001-03-11. Fox Network. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ "The 30% Iron Chef". Futurama. Season 3. Episode 22. 2002-04-14. Fox Network. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help)
  25. ^ "Put Your Head on My Shoulders". Futurama. Season 2. Episode 7. 2000-02-13. Fox Network. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help)
  26. ^ "Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles". Futurama. Season 4. Episode 9. 2003-03-30. Fox Network. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ "Fear of a Bot Planet". Futurama. Season 1. Episode 5. 1999-04-20. Fox Network. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ a b c Needham, Alex (October 1999). "Nice Planet...We'll Take It!". Retrieved 2007-03-18.
  29. ^ Snierson, Dan (1999-03-26). "Space Case". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
  30. ^ "Groening Bites the Hand that Feeds". Mr. Showbiz. 1999-04-08. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
  31. ^ Saunders, Dusty (1999-03-25). "Fox's far-out Futurama looks like a hit". Denver Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
  32. ^ a b c ""David X. Cohen boards the Planet Express to find meaning in Futurama"". Sci Fi Weekly. December 17 2001. Retrieved 2007-06-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ "Online Chat with Matt Groening". TV Guide. 1999-04-06. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
  34. ^ "David X Cohen interview with GotFuturama.com". Retrieved 2007-03-18.
  35. ^ Duncan, Andrew (1999-09-24). "Matt Groening Interview with Radio Times". Radio Times. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
  36. ^ Villanueva, Annabelle (September–October 1999). "Fall TV Preview: Tricks and Treats". Cinescape. Retrieved 2007-03-18.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  37. ^ Winer, Adam (1999-12-09). "Futurama Shock". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2007-03-18.
  38. ^ Bauder, David (1999-04-01). "New animated show `Futurama' may be a score for Fox". The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2007-03-17.
  39. ^ "Groening's Gripe". April 1999. Retrieved 2007-03-17.
  40. ^ Sterngold, James (1999-07-22). "Futurama: Bringing an Alien and a Robot to TV Life". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-03-17.
  41. ^ "Fox puts 'Futurama' order on hold". 2002-02-14. Retrieved 2007-03-17.
  42. ^ "UPDATE UPDATED!! FUTURAMA Thing of the Past?? Or What??". Ain't It Cool News. February 12, 2002. Retrieved 2006-06-14.
  43. ^ "Silver screen Simpsons, Futurama facing finish?". BBC News. January 19, 2002. Retrieved 2006-06-14.
  44. ^ "FOX Says 'No' to 'Futurama'". Zap2it. February 12, 2002. Retrieved 2006-06-14.
  45. ^ "Remeber Me after my Death!". Can't Get Enough Futurama. May 15, 2003. Retrieved 2006-06-12. [sic]
  46. ^ "Adult Swim". Cartoon Network Pressroom. Retrieved 2007-05-19.
  47. ^ Dempsey, John (October 27 2005). ""Futurama" in Comedy Central's future via big deal". Variety. Retrieved 2005-10-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  48. ^ "Matt Groening". Retrieved 2006-06-14.
  49. ^ a b "www.wizarduniverse.com". December 12, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-14. Cite error: The named reference "wizuniverse" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  50. ^ "Ain't It Cool News: "Ben Sinister Has Read The New FUTURAMA 'Movie'!!"". Retrieved 2006-09-18.
  51. ^ Staff Writer (February 26, 2007). "Rhymes with Raining". Crave Online. Retrieved 2007-03-25. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  52. ^ "Fraudcast News". The Simpsons. Season 15. Episode 22. 2004-05-23. Fox Network. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help)
  53. ^ "Missionary: Impossible". The Simpsons. Season 11. Episode 15. 2000-02-20. Fox Network. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help)
  54. ^ "Bart vs. Lisa vs. The Third Grade". The Simpsons. Season 14. Episode 4. 2002-11-17. Fox Network. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help)
  55. ^ Bender has speaking lines in the episode "Future-Drama". The Simpsons. Season 16. Episode 15. 2005-04-17. Fox Network. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help)
  56. ^ "HOMЯ". The Simpsons. Season 12. Episode 9. 2001-01-07. Fox Network. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help)
  57. ^ "I Second That Emotion". Futurama. Audio Commentary 13 minutes in. {{cite episode}}: Unknown parameter |episodelink= ignored (|episode-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help) "They reciprocated, actually, by putting Fry on the side of a milk carton in The PJs as a lost person."
  58. ^ Nevins, Jess (2001-10-29). "Notes to Top Ten #11". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  59. ^ "YOU GO, GORE". The Irish Times. September 15 2006. Retrieved 2007-06-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  60. ^ a b "Awards for "Futurama" (1999)". Retrieved 2006-06-12.
  61. ^ 29th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners
  62. ^ "Groening lanches 'Futurama Comics'". 2000-11-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  63. ^ Press release (2002-09-25) Do you want Fry with that? Titan Publishing. Retrieved from gotfuturama on 2007-03-04
  64. ^ Janulewicz, Tom (2000-02-29). "Pushing Tin: Space Toys With Golden-Age Style". {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  65. ^ Huxter, Sean (2001-03-05). "Bender: Matt Groening's Futurama inspires a nostalgia for the inventive toys of future past". {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  66. ^ "Futurama SDCC Exclusive and Toy news". Retrieved 2006-09-05.
  67. ^ "Futurama Finds a Developer". Retrieved 2006-07-25.
  68. ^ "Sierra to bring Futurama game to the US". Retrieved 2006-07-25.
  69. ^ "Futurama Info — Futurama Information — Futurama Release Date". Retrieved 2006-07-25.
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