Futurama, the cult animated comedy series created by Matt Groening, is getting the deluxe art book treatment.
Abrams ComicArts, one of the leaders in the trendy format, will release The Art of Futurama, billed as the first art book to delve into the development and history of the acclaimed sci-fi comedy.
The book will be replete with the cool behind-the-scenes visuals the Art of books are known for and will come with commentary from the Groening, showrunner David X. Cohen and producer Claudia Katz.
It examines the first seven seasons of the series, which first aired on Fox in 1999. Readers will be able dive into the development and visual history of all 150 episodes, including brand–new content, never–before–seen concept art, sketches, developmental work, and a complete episode guide for the Emmy-winning show.
For the uninitiated, Futurama was a social satire that cented on a slacker named Philip J.
Abrams ComicArts, one of the leaders in the trendy format, will release The Art of Futurama, billed as the first art book to delve into the development and history of the acclaimed sci-fi comedy.
The book will be replete with the cool behind-the-scenes visuals the Art of books are known for and will come with commentary from the Groening, showrunner David X. Cohen and producer Claudia Katz.
It examines the first seven seasons of the series, which first aired on Fox in 1999. Readers will be able dive into the development and visual history of all 150 episodes, including brand–new content, never–before–seen concept art, sketches, developmental work, and a complete episode guide for the Emmy-winning show.
For the uninitiated, Futurama was a social satire that cented on a slacker named Philip J.
- 4/30/2024
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In the "Futurama" episode "Amazon Women in the Mood", the blustering misogynist Zapp Brannigan (Billy West) takes control of a space-bound restaurant and pilots it through dangerous areas of space, merely because it's more adventurous that way. Naturally, the restaurant is damaged during its voyage and crash lands on a distant, uncharted planet with the Planet Express crew. They discover on the uncharted planet a race of nine-foot-tall Amazon women clad in animal skin bikinis and carrying clubs. The Amazonians rarely see men on their planet and are not exactly sure what men are supposed to be good for.
This premise, of course, is cribbed from any number of pornographic male fantasies stretching back at least to the publication of H. Rider Haggard's "She" in 1886. There is a streak of colonialist fiction that dramatized faraway places (that is: far away from Western Europe) as Edenic locales where women wear...
This premise, of course, is cribbed from any number of pornographic male fantasies stretching back at least to the publication of H. Rider Haggard's "She" in 1886. There is a streak of colonialist fiction that dramatized faraway places (that is: far away from Western Europe) as Edenic locales where women wear...
- 4/21/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.
Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!
Matinee 4K Uhd from Shout Select
Shout Select proudly presents Matinee on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on June 25. The 1993 comedy has been newly restored in 4K from the original negative, supervised by director Joe Dante, with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos sound.
John Goodman stars as a filmmaker loosely based on B-movie legend William Castle. Cathy Moriarty, Simon Fenton, Omri Katz, Kellie Martin, and Lisa Jakub round out the cast. Charles S. Haas (Gremlins 2: The New Batch) penned the script.
Special features include: a new commentary by film critics Drew McWeeny and Eric Vespe; new interviews with Martin and David Clennon; interviews with Dante, Moriarty, Jakub, production designer Steven Legler, editor Marshall Harvey, and...
Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!
Matinee 4K Uhd from Shout Select
Shout Select proudly presents Matinee on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on June 25. The 1993 comedy has been newly restored in 4K from the original negative, supervised by director Joe Dante, with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos sound.
John Goodman stars as a filmmaker loosely based on B-movie legend William Castle. Cathy Moriarty, Simon Fenton, Omri Katz, Kellie Martin, and Lisa Jakub round out the cast. Charles S. Haas (Gremlins 2: The New Batch) penned the script.
Special features include: a new commentary by film critics Drew McWeeny and Eric Vespe; new interviews with Martin and David Clennon; interviews with Dante, Moriarty, Jakub, production designer Steven Legler, editor Marshall Harvey, and...
- 4/19/2024
- by Alex DiVincenzo
- bloody-disgusting.com
In the "Futurama" episode "The Problem with Popplers", the Planet Express crew lands on a distant, uncharted planet hoping to find a fast food joint; the ship had run out of supplies and Bender (John Dimaggio) was only able to make a meal with baking soda and capers. They land on a Class-m planet which, as Leela (Katey Sagal) explains, should at least provide roddenberry bushes. What they find instead are craters stuffed with brown, crunchy, edible meat nuggets ... that are utterly delicious. Snarfing ensues.
No one has set foot on this planet before so the Planet Express crew packs up the morsels and takes them back to Earth to sell on street corners. It's not long before they attract the attention of fast food proprietor Fishy Joe (Maurice Lamarche), and turn the nuggets — nicknamed Popplers — into a global phenomenon.
Naturally, there is something unusual about the Popplers. While Leela eats,...
No one has set foot on this planet before so the Planet Express crew packs up the morsels and takes them back to Earth to sell on street corners. It's not long before they attract the attention of fast food proprietor Fishy Joe (Maurice Lamarche), and turn the nuggets — nicknamed Popplers — into a global phenomenon.
Naturally, there is something unusual about the Popplers. While Leela eats,...
- 4/12/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In the third episode of "Futurama," called "I, Roommate," Fry (Billy West) is still sleeping at Planet Express, not yet having found a place to live. Fry is a slob, however, and his filthy detritus and unsanitary lifestyle become a nuisance for his coworkers. "Someone's been leaving food around," Hermes (Phil Lamarr) says at a company meeting, "and it's attracting owls. And I, for one, am tired of cleaning those owl traps."
Owls? Yes, it seems that by the year 3000, owls will have replaced rats as New York City's most prolific species of warm-blooded vermin. The owls are rarely addressed directly on "Futurama," but filthy alleyways and garbage-strewn streets are always lousy with owls. From the looks of the animation, they are northern saw-whet owls, although their precise species has never been clarified. Weirdly, the owls are a joke unto themselves, and no one ever makes puns or gags at their expense.
Owls? Yes, it seems that by the year 3000, owls will have replaced rats as New York City's most prolific species of warm-blooded vermin. The owls are rarely addressed directly on "Futurama," but filthy alleyways and garbage-strewn streets are always lousy with owls. From the looks of the animation, they are northern saw-whet owls, although their precise species has never been clarified. Weirdly, the owls are a joke unto themselves, and no one ever makes puns or gags at their expense.
- 3/23/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Seven times in its history, "Futurama" has presented anthology episodes that exist outside of the show's normal continuity. Sometimes these episodes will be bookended with recognizable in-continuity material that binds the disparate anthology segments together, but just as often they are offered without context. In "Anthology of Interest II", the Professor (Billy West) reveals that he has repaired his What-If Machine, a prognosticating TV screen that displays short films as answers to what-if questions. The What-if Machine was also responsible for the segments seen in "Anthology of Interest I."
The alcoholic robot Bender (John Dimaggio) steps forward and reveals that he has always wondered what it would be like to be a human. The Professor puts that question to the What-If Machine, and out pops the hypothetical short "I, Meatbag." Within "I, Meatbag," the Professor uses a scientific process he calls reverse-fossilization to instantly turn Bender into a flesh-and-blood person.
The alcoholic robot Bender (John Dimaggio) steps forward and reveals that he has always wondered what it would be like to be a human. The Professor puts that question to the What-If Machine, and out pops the hypothetical short "I, Meatbag." Within "I, Meatbag," the Professor uses a scientific process he calls reverse-fossilization to instantly turn Bender into a flesh-and-blood person.
- 3/18/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In the very first "Futurama" episode, "Space Pilot 3000" (which is full of hidden clues), the dim-witted Fry (Billy West) awakens in the year 2999 after being cryogenically frozen for a millennium. Fry immediately encounters a bizarre future world he doesn't understand. He is informed that, in the 30th century, human beings are implanted with career chips that will determine their professional fate for the rest of their lives. Fry is told that he has been selected by the computer to be a delivery boy -- the same profession he held back in 1999. Fry, terrified by the prospect, flees into the streets of New New York, the city built on the ruins of Old New York.
Fry is disoriented by what he sees. Aliens and robots stroll the sidewalks, and spacecraft whiz past overhead. He spots a few suicide booths on street corners. Most impressively, he sees a vast, tall network of...
Fry is disoriented by what he sees. Aliens and robots stroll the sidewalks, and spacecraft whiz past overhead. He spots a few suicide booths on street corners. Most impressively, he sees a vast, tall network of...
- 3/17/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In this brave new world of "Star Wars" fandom, it's almost unfathomable that there exist elements within the various films, novels, comics, and TV shows that don't have some sort of backstory or origin point. While obviously this stems from the huge fanbase for "Star Wars" loving the fictional universe so much that they wish to study and know absolutely everything that's in it, this trend also originated out of an inherent idea popularized by creator George Lucas with the very first movie in the franchise back in 1977 -- the implication that we're seeing a small part of a larger world, and every planet, ship, and creature we see (whether in the foreground or background) has its own history and story.
It's a powerful implication, and one that's essential to constructing a wholly fictional universe. Yet, of course, it's mostly hogwash -- or at least it used to be. While...
It's a powerful implication, and one that's essential to constructing a wholly fictional universe. Yet, of course, it's mostly hogwash -- or at least it used to be. While...
- 3/9/2024
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
The 1990s answer to the classic ’80s series “The Real Ghostbusters,” “Extreme Ghostbusters” came along in 1997, the animated series airing from September 1 to December 8, 1997.
At long last, the complete 40-episode run of “Extreme Ghostbusters” is getting an official DVD release here in the United States, with Sony releasing the set on March 19, 2024!
Check out the box art below and read on for more information.
“Extreme Ghostbusters” ran for just one season, with the voice cast including Billy West, Rino Romano, Tara Strong, Alfonso Ribeiro, Jason Marsden, and Maurice Lamarche.
“Years after the events of The Real Ghostbusters, the original Ghostbusters crew have all moved on to different careers – except for Egon Spengler. After a prolonged quiet period, Egon is now a college professor on the paranormal and the sole caretaker of the firehouse – and Slimer.
“When supernatural activity suddenly resurges across New York and once again threatens the city, he...
At long last, the complete 40-episode run of “Extreme Ghostbusters” is getting an official DVD release here in the United States, with Sony releasing the set on March 19, 2024!
Check out the box art below and read on for more information.
“Extreme Ghostbusters” ran for just one season, with the voice cast including Billy West, Rino Romano, Tara Strong, Alfonso Ribeiro, Jason Marsden, and Maurice Lamarche.
“Years after the events of The Real Ghostbusters, the original Ghostbusters crew have all moved on to different careers – except for Egon Spengler. After a prolonged quiet period, Egon is now a college professor on the paranormal and the sole caretaker of the firehouse – and Slimer.
“When supernatural activity suddenly resurges across New York and once again threatens the city, he...
- 3/7/2024
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
"Futurama" is set a thousand years from our present. The show begins in the year 2999, as the world of tomorrow celebrates a happy New Year, and has since moved forward to correspond to the year the episode was aired — the latest, semi-satisfying season 11, reviewed by /Film here, was set in 3023.
This means that the show is set in New New York City (in the state of New New York). In "Space Pilot 3000," while our everyman hero Philip J. Fry slumbers in cryogenic suspension for a millennium, the metropolis outside is destroyed twice by alien invaders. Late in the pilot, Fry, Bender, and Leela find themselves underground in the ruins of old New York City; the place Fry once called home is the foundation upon which his new one rests.
Despite the thousand years of destruction and rebuilding, New New York still has a Statue of Liberty (though who knows if...
This means that the show is set in New New York City (in the state of New New York). In "Space Pilot 3000," while our everyman hero Philip J. Fry slumbers in cryogenic suspension for a millennium, the metropolis outside is destroyed twice by alien invaders. Late in the pilot, Fry, Bender, and Leela find themselves underground in the ruins of old New York City; the place Fry once called home is the foundation upon which his new one rests.
Despite the thousand years of destruction and rebuilding, New New York still has a Statue of Liberty (though who knows if...
- 3/3/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Bender (John Dimaggio), the drunken alcoholic robot on Matt Groening and David X. Cohen's sci-fi sitcom "Futurama" is fueled by alcohol. Indeed, if Bender doesn't have a cocktail once or twice a day, he begins to rust, his batteries begin to run down, and he behaves as if he's drunk. Of course, consuming too much booze also makes Bender behave like he's drunk, so it's a careful balance to ensure he's functional. If that seems unclear, don't worry. The characters on "Futurama" don't quite have a grasp of it either. When Bender claims to have seen a werewolf car (!), Fry (Billy West) responds by saying "You've been drinking too much, or too little. I forget how it works with you. Anyway, you haven't drunk exactly the right amount."
Early in the series, Bender had more of a "drunken" voice, with actor Dimaggio giving the character a slightly raspier effect as well as a slight,...
Early in the series, Bender had more of a "drunken" voice, with actor Dimaggio giving the character a slightly raspier effect as well as a slight,...
- 3/2/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The 2009 "Futurama" movie "Into the Wild Green Yonder" -- the show's fourth and final -- was, one might recall, supposed to the be definite end of the series. "Futurama" was notoriously canceled in 2004 thanks to flagging ratings, but gained new life through DVD sales. The series was initially resurrected in the form of four straight-to-video movies released in 2008 and 2009, a quartet that was intended to signal the franchise's farewell. Of course, when those four films also sold well, Comedy Central stepped in and resurrected the series for a second time. As of this writing, the show has been canceled and resurrected a third time. New episodes are currently on Hulu.
Of course, the makers of "Futurama" didn't know in 2009 that they would come back, leading them to give the finale of "Green Yonder" an appropriately epic feel. The story of "Green Yonder" deals with cosmic energies, extinction, and the mass...
Of course, the makers of "Futurama" didn't know in 2009 that they would come back, leading them to give the finale of "Green Yonder" an appropriately epic feel. The story of "Green Yonder" deals with cosmic energies, extinction, and the mass...
- 2/25/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The fourth "Futurama" movie, "Into the Wild Green Yonder," was released on DVD on February 24, 2009, and it was intended to be the final word on the series ... again. The initial run of "Futurama" ended in 2002 after encountering poor ratings. DVD sales of the show remained robust, however, and Fox agreed to make four straight-to-video "Futurama" movies as a way of resurrecting the series for what was essentially one final season. The four movies did better than expected, and Comedy Central picked up "Futurama" for a third run, starting in 2010. "Futurama" is the brain that wouldn't die.
But for a while, it looked like "Into the Wild Green Yonder" was going to be the last time audiences would ever see "Futurama," and the makers wanted the story to be appropriately epic. The story of "Green Yonder" involves a sudden cosmic surge of Chi, or life-giving energy, that spontaneously pulsates into the galaxy.
But for a while, it looked like "Into the Wild Green Yonder" was going to be the last time audiences would ever see "Futurama," and the makers wanted the story to be appropriately epic. The story of "Green Yonder" involves a sudden cosmic surge of Chi, or life-giving energy, that spontaneously pulsates into the galaxy.
- 2/23/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The "Futurama" character Randy (John Dimaggio) has appeared in 17 episodes of the series to date and in three of the four movies. Randy is enthused, catty, and seen throughout the series holding down a wide variety of jobs. In one episode, he is the proprietor of a jewelry store (Dr. Zoidberg spits expensive gems at him). In another, he is seen teaching a prenatal swim class (Dr. Zoidberg froths lobster drool on him). In a third, he builds an ark to save Earth's animals during a great deluge (Dr. Zoidberg remains mercifully absent). In the latter scenario, Randy's husband points out that Randy filled the ark with same-sex couples, which he is quite proud of. "There are some parts of the Bible I like," Randy says, "and some parts I don't like."
Dimaggio has been quite outspoken on "Futurama" DVD commentaries about how much he loves Randy. Randy never emerged...
Dimaggio has been quite outspoken on "Futurama" DVD commentaries about how much he loves Randy. Randy never emerged...
- 2/18/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Voice actor Billy West plays several of the lead characters on Matt Groening and David X. Cohen's 31st-century sitcom "Futurama." His voice for Fry, he has said, is essentially how he sounded when he was in his 20s. He also voices the elderly Professor Farnsworth, the incompetent lobster Dr. Zoidberg, the blow-hard Shatnerian space captain Zapp Brannigan, and the severed head of Richard Nixon. He's also played a wide variety of store clerks, alien slugs, terrifying robots, and North Pole elves in his tenure on "Futurama." There is nothing, it seems, he can't do.
It also takes a great deal of professionalism to be so silly. Voice actors, especially prolific ones, have to recall how dozens of characters sound in a split second, able to call up whatever voices a scene needs. In West's case, he likely has to have conversations with himself, using two or more unique voices in a single scene.
It also takes a great deal of professionalism to be so silly. Voice actors, especially prolific ones, have to recall how dozens of characters sound in a split second, able to call up whatever voices a scene needs. In West's case, he likely has to have conversations with himself, using two or more unique voices in a single scene.
- 2/15/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In the "Futurama" episode "War is the H-Word," Fry (Billy West) and Bender (John Dimaggio) discover that they can get a 5% discount on ham-flavored chewing gum if they have a military I.D. Feeling that they would never be drafted into any kind of foolish military conflict, the two sign up for the armed services and absquatulate with their gum.
And then the war came.
Fry and Bender are immediately drafted into a bizarre battlefield excursion they're told very little about. They are trained to fire guns and be generally boorish and sexist, as their commanding officer is the irrepressible misogynist Zapp Brannigan (West). Fry's and Bender's much more capable friend Leela (Katey Sagal) joins the army in disguise (she puts on a beard) just so she can make sure the two dopes don't get blown up on day one of combat. It won't be until they are shipped to...
And then the war came.
Fry and Bender are immediately drafted into a bizarre battlefield excursion they're told very little about. They are trained to fire guns and be generally boorish and sexist, as their commanding officer is the irrepressible misogynist Zapp Brannigan (West). Fry's and Bender's much more capable friend Leela (Katey Sagal) joins the army in disguise (she puts on a beard) just so she can make sure the two dopes don't get blown up on day one of combat. It won't be until they are shipped to...
- 2/10/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
At the start of Matt Groening's and David X. Cohen's 31st-century sci-fi sitcom "Futurama," the alcoholic robot Bender (John Dimaggio) sounded a little bit more like a drunken vagrant. He slurred his speech more and seemed less able to concentrate. As the show progressed, Bender became more self-assured, like the guy at the bar who — after his fourth shot of Jim Beam — is 100% confident he could thrash the bouncer. Bender became egotistical in addition to being a drunken criminal. On DVD commentary tracks, the makers of "Futurama" have said that Bender, in being a robot, allowed them more explicit depictions of violence and vice; a human character cannot drink a gallon of rotgut whiskey and smoke four cigars simultaneously, but a robot can. The Fox censors are weird.
Prior to "Futurama," Dimaggio only had a few credits to his name. His first gig was playing ancillary voices in...
Prior to "Futurama," Dimaggio only had a few credits to his name. His first gig was playing ancillary voices in...
- 2/9/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Voice actor Maurice Lamarche is one of the preeminent elder statesmen of his craft. He started his career in stand up, finding he was a talented mimic, moving into animation in 1980. He appeared in hit shows like "Inspector Gadget" and "Transformers," really hitting his stride in 1985 playing Ego Spengler in "The Real Ghostbusters." He cycled through the KidsWB canon aggressively in the late '80s and early '90s, appearing in "Taz-Mania," "Batman: The Animated Series," "Tiny Toon Adventures," "Freakazoid!," and "Animaniacs" wherein he employed his spot-on Orson Welles impersonation to voice the power-hungry mouse the Brain. His largest sampling of voice caricatures came from his work on the 1994 series "The Critic," where he voiced celebrities ranging from William Shatner to Elizabeth Taylor (but only when she was belching).
In 1999, Lamarche became one of the regulars on Mat Groening's and David X. Cohen's sci-fi sitcom "Futurama" where he played Kif,...
In 1999, Lamarche became one of the regulars on Mat Groening's and David X. Cohen's sci-fi sitcom "Futurama" where he played Kif,...
- 2/4/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Who doesn't love Dr. Zoidberg? Everyone! Everyone doesn't love Dr. Zoidberg. At least that's one of the running gags of "Futurama," the undying sci-fi sitcom created by Matt Groening and David X. Cohen. Dr. Zoidberg, voiced by Billy West, is a pathetic dumpster-dwelling lobster monster whose body is lousy with parasites and who sprays his peers with ink when startled. He's grievously awkward and doesn't have any friends. What's more, he's a terrible doctor, completely baffled by the anatomy of the mammals he works with; his diagnoses tend to be for fish-related ailments like fungi.
Naturally, the "Futurama" writers love writing Zoidberg scenes. It's actually astonishing how much humor the "Futurama" writing staff has been able to mine from having a big lobster on the show. There are more gags and jokes about sea life than one might think. For example, when Zoidberg vomits, he ejects liquid from both his...
Naturally, the "Futurama" writers love writing Zoidberg scenes. It's actually astonishing how much humor the "Futurama" writing staff has been able to mine from having a big lobster on the show. There are more gags and jokes about sea life than one might think. For example, when Zoidberg vomits, he ejects liquid from both his...
- 2/4/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
One of the funniest "Futurama" characters is the newscaster Morbo (voiced by Maurice Lamarche). A green-skinned alien with an enlarged head (a design speculated to be based on the invaders from the 1957 B-movie "Invasion of the Saucer Men"), Morbo is implied to be an advance scout for an invasion of Earth — and does a terrible job hiding it.
In almost every scene he's in, he loudly proclaims his hatred for "puny Earthlings" and intent to conquer them: "All humans are vermin in the eyes of Morbo." His co-host, the cheery Linda (Tress MacNeille), always laughs off Morbo's blatant threats and hatred for humanity. The episode "The Prisoners of Benda" best encapsulates their dynamic with a five-second cold open:
Linda: "Tonight at 11"-
Morbo: "Doooom!"
So, Morbo's character is a pretty one-note joke, but it's a very funny joke. Most of this comes down to his booming voice ("Viewers trust a...
In almost every scene he's in, he loudly proclaims his hatred for "puny Earthlings" and intent to conquer them: "All humans are vermin in the eyes of Morbo." His co-host, the cheery Linda (Tress MacNeille), always laughs off Morbo's blatant threats and hatred for humanity. The episode "The Prisoners of Benda" best encapsulates their dynamic with a five-second cold open:
Linda: "Tonight at 11"-
Morbo: "Doooom!"
So, Morbo's character is a pretty one-note joke, but it's a very funny joke. Most of this comes down to his booming voice ("Viewers trust a...
- 2/3/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
The premise of David X. Cohen and Matt Groening's "Futurama" is pretty simple. On New Year's Eve in the year 1999, a feckless and directionless pizza delivery boy named Fry (Billy West) accidentally falls into a cryogenic freezing tube and remains suspended for a thousand years. He awakens just as the world rings in the year 3000, and eventually takes a job working for a distant nephew named Professor Farnsworth (West), who owns a space-bound delivery company of his own. He also develops a crush on an impatient cyclops named Leela (Katey Sagal). The world of the year 3000 is replete with sci-fi trappings familiar to any fan of the genre; there are robots, aliens, space travel, and ineffable technologies.
The central joke of "Futurama" is that, despite all of humanity's advancements, human beings are still dumb and petty and concerned with their selfish creature comforts and base impulses. Fry may have been whisked into the future,...
The central joke of "Futurama" is that, despite all of humanity's advancements, human beings are still dumb and petty and concerned with their selfish creature comforts and base impulses. Fry may have been whisked into the future,...
- 2/3/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In the case of most animated movies and TV shows, the voice actors are recorded separately and at different times. An actor can come to the studio based on their own schedule, record their own lines without any of their co-stars in the building, and "bank" an episode before the animation begins. Typically, behind-the-scenes footage of voice actors plying their craft tends to feature them alone in a soundproof booth.
There are, of course, plenty of exceptions to the rule. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill famously acted out their scenes together for "Batman: The Animated Series," and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" saw the four titular turtle teens all recording together. One can see the advantages and disadvantages of both individual and group recordings right away. The former can make for a streamlined animation process that can bend to the schedule of an actor, while the latter can produce...
There are, of course, plenty of exceptions to the rule. Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill famously acted out their scenes together for "Batman: The Animated Series," and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" saw the four titular turtle teens all recording together. One can see the advantages and disadvantages of both individual and group recordings right away. The former can make for a streamlined animation process that can bend to the schedule of an actor, while the latter can produce...
- 1/28/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
When Matt Groening and David X. Cohen's animated sci-fi comedy "Futurama" began to be developed in the late 1990s, it was not treated with the respect one might expect for a follow-up to "The Simpsons." Where Groening's previous cartoon dealt in the classic sitcom setup of a dysfunctional family, "Futurama" was a harder sell, set in the year 3000 but in a world that largely looked like the late '90s. Only with aliens and spaceships.
Fox, the channel on which the show premiered, should have been a good home. After all, "The Simpsons" was an incredible success, at that point entering its 10th year on the network. Mike Judge and Greg Daniels had produced the excellent "King of the Hill" for Fox, giving the channel another animated sitcom hit. Seth McFarlane's "Family Guy" was in development around the same time. All of these shows would become part of Fox's...
Fox, the channel on which the show premiered, should have been a good home. After all, "The Simpsons" was an incredible success, at that point entering its 10th year on the network. Mike Judge and Greg Daniels had produced the excellent "King of the Hill" for Fox, giving the channel another animated sitcom hit. Seth McFarlane's "Family Guy" was in development around the same time. All of these shows would become part of Fox's...
- 1/27/2024
- by Anthony Crislip
- Slash Film
In the "Futurama" episode "Attack of the Killer App", the Planet Express crew becomes rabidly enamored of a new piece of consumer electronics, the eyePhone, an eyeball-mounted social media browsing widget released by the evil MomCorp. The episode's writer, Patric Verrone, was careful to lampoon the fervor that accompanied Apple's iPhones in real life, pointing out that any scarcity is manufactured, and that consumers tend to be a little too cavalier with the object's inexplicably high price. A store employee tells Fry (Billy West) that the eyePhone costs $500, and also that "you have no choice of carrier, the battery can't hold a charge, and the reception isn't very —" Fry interrupts him by screaming "Shut up and take my money!"
That line of dialogue has become a well-worn meme across the barren alkali flats of the internet. Whenever a new film is announced, or a new product is introduced into the market,...
That line of dialogue has become a well-worn meme across the barren alkali flats of the internet. Whenever a new film is announced, or a new product is introduced into the market,...
- 1/16/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The fourth of four "Futurama" movies, "Into the Wild Green Yonder," came out on DVD in 2009, and it was assumed to be the final word on the series. "Futurama" would eventually return in the ensuing years, but for the moment, it looked like "Green Yonder" was the final appearance of the beloved sci-fi series. As such, the story was appropriately sprawling, involving an evil, unknowable, galaxy-wide force of evil in the universe -- the Dark Ones -- and their attempt to snuff out a mysterious new planet that just appeared out in space. The planet will later be revealed to be the egg of an Encyclopod, an outsize space-faring creature that catalogs and stores the DNA of all species in the galaxy.
At the end of "Yonder," Leo Wong (Billy West) aims to obliterate the violet dwarf star that hosts the Ecyclopod planet, as he wishes to build a galaxy-wide golf course.
At the end of "Yonder," Leo Wong (Billy West) aims to obliterate the violet dwarf star that hosts the Ecyclopod planet, as he wishes to build a galaxy-wide golf course.
- 1/15/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
"Space Pilot 3000," the first episode of Matt Groening's and David X. Cohen's sci-fi sitcom "Futurama," sees the bumbling, directionless Fry (Billy West) delivering a pizza to a cryogenics laboratory on New Year's Eve, 1999. While at the facility, Fry notices that his delivery is for someone named "I.C. Wiener," and he figures he has been pranked. As the world counts down to the year 2000 outside, Fry eats the pizza and cracks open a beer in solitude, toasting another lousy millennium. He then falls backward in a chair and tumbles into an open cryogenics pod. It slams shut and automatically activates. Fry remains frozen for 1,000 years.
Throughout "Futurama," the characters would periodically return to the cryogenics lab where Fry was frozen to find others from Fry's time being freshly resurrected (e.g. Pauly Shore). The cryogenic freeing was a handy way to get 20th-century characters into the year 3000 without...
Throughout "Futurama," the characters would periodically return to the cryogenics lab where Fry was frozen to find others from Fry's time being freshly resurrected (e.g. Pauly Shore). The cryogenic freeing was a handy way to get 20th-century characters into the year 3000 without...
- 1/14/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
"Futurama" is a fantastic series, but it's destined to rank second place in creator Matt Groening's legacy. How could it not when the man has "The Simpsons" on his resume?
"The Simpsons" is a genuine American cultural institution — everyone knows who the titular family is — and while plenty complain "The Simpsons" has declined over the years, there are others who insist it's still good. It has run continuously for 30+ years, so there's still an audience for it. "Futurama," since its 1999 debut, has been on-again/off-again with cancellations and revivals (it's currently in an on-again phase thanks to Hulu).
Still, the "Futurama" team has plenty to be proud of with their show and tries not to see it as in competition with "The Simpsons." The two shows are "different animals," said "Futurama" voice actor Billy West at the London McM Expo in May 2011.
At this Expo, West sat on a...
"The Simpsons" is a genuine American cultural institution — everyone knows who the titular family is — and while plenty complain "The Simpsons" has declined over the years, there are others who insist it's still good. It has run continuously for 30+ years, so there's still an audience for it. "Futurama," since its 1999 debut, has been on-again/off-again with cancellations and revivals (it's currently in an on-again phase thanks to Hulu).
Still, the "Futurama" team has plenty to be proud of with their show and tries not to see it as in competition with "The Simpsons." The two shows are "different animals," said "Futurama" voice actor Billy West at the London McM Expo in May 2011.
At this Expo, West sat on a...
- 1/8/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
There were plenty of obstacles to bringing "Futurama" back for season 11, as there always are when a show's been off the air for nearly a decade. First, there was the pay dispute between Hulu and John Dimaggio, and then there was the fact that all the voice actors have (of course) aged 10 years since their last appearance. Although no cast member on "Futurama" has struggled as much as some of the performers on modern "Simpsons," you can still hear the strain on Billy West's characters in particular. Fry's voice is slower and deeper than it used to be, as is Professor Farnsworth's. It's not that bad if you haven't watched any older episodes recently before starting the revival, but the difference is jarring when you finish a new episode and then return to a scene in the pilot.
Lauren Tom, who voices the loveable Martian physicist Amy, had...
Lauren Tom, who voices the loveable Martian physicist Amy, had...
- 1/1/2024
- by Michael Boyle
- Slash Film
Bender, the alcoholic robot from "Futurama," is one of the primary protagonists of the show, but might also be considered one of its central villains. Bender (John Dimaggio) is an unabashed kleptomaniac and heavy drinker who mugs people regularly, sometimes takes hostages, siphons blood out of humans when they're not looking, and encourages people to beat their children on live TV. He even once worked as a professional stalker, creeping out the robot TV star Calculon (Maurice Lamarche). In one 2012 episode called "Fun on a Bun," he accidentally fed his best friend Fry (Billy West) into a sausage grinder, turning him into hot dogs that he unwittingly served to people at Oktoberfest. Leela (Katey Sagal), Fry's sometime paramour, even had a few healthy bites before realizing the truth.
Don't worry. It is later revealed that Fry is safe. But for a while, it looked like Bender was complicit in sausage-based cannibalism.
Don't worry. It is later revealed that Fry is safe. But for a while, it looked like Bender was complicit in sausage-based cannibalism.
- 12/27/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Prior to the debut of "Futurama" in 1999, preeminent voice actor Billy West was already a towering presence in his field. He had previously played Doug Funnie in the hit Nickelodeon series "Doug," in addition to voicing the Larry Fine-like Stimpson J. Cat on "The Ren & Stimpy Show" opposite show creator John Kricfalusi. When Kricfalusi was fired for missing deadlines, West took over the role, playing both leads for the bulk of the series. West also played Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd in the 1996 oddity "Space Jam" and has voiced the Honey Nut Cheerios Bee and the Red M&m in myriad TV commercials.
In the normal course of seeking more work, sometime in the late '90s, West found himself in front of the casting directors for Matt Groening's and David X. Cohen's new sci-fi sitcom. West, of course, would be cast in multiple roles for "Futurama,...
In the normal course of seeking more work, sometime in the late '90s, West found himself in front of the casting directors for Matt Groening's and David X. Cohen's new sci-fi sitcom. West, of course, would be cast in multiple roles for "Futurama,...
- 12/26/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
On "Futurama," the character of Amy Wong (Lauren Tom) works at Planet Express as an intern and as a student of Professor Farnsworth (Billy West). She's a fashion-obsessed rich girl, the daughter of ultra-wealthy parents, who sometimes resents her wealth, but wholly embraces access to it. She's also staggeringly intelligent and often helps the Professor with his wild inventions and bizarre quests. In the 2008 "Futurama" movie "The Beast With a Billion Backs," Amy married her longtime paramour Kif (Maurice Lamarche), an invertebrate salamander-like alien. In the most recent season of "Futurama," Amy and Kif are raising three children.
Lauren Tom plays Amy incredibly well, communicating her intelligence and her ditziness in equal measures. Her wealth sometimes disconnects her, and she's sometimes gullible, but she's still incredibly affable. Sample dialogue: "Fool me seven times, shame on you. Fool me eight or more times, shame on me." The ensemble would not be complete without her,...
Lauren Tom plays Amy incredibly well, communicating her intelligence and her ditziness in equal measures. Her wealth sometimes disconnects her, and she's sometimes gullible, but she's still incredibly affable. Sample dialogue: "Fool me seven times, shame on you. Fool me eight or more times, shame on me." The ensemble would not be complete without her,...
- 12/18/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Time is a tricky adversary in "Futurama." It's been 24 years since the show first debuted in 1999, but in the latest season, available on Hulu, the characters clearly haven't aged 24 years. But, unlike on "The Simpsons," the characters have aged at least a little bit. Bart Simpson has been 10 years old for 35 years. Fry and Leela (Billy West and Katey Sagal) seem to have grown together as a couple and both have matured ever so slightly, implying the passage of real time. In 24 years, they have aged maybe seven. Hilariously, the Professor (West) seems to have continued aging apace, remaining the doddering old fool he always was. The alcoholic robot Bender (John Dimaggio) hasn't really grown up, but he has changed over the years, remaining criminal but growing a sense of self-pity. Amy (Lauren Tom) has graduated from college, gotten married, and has three newt-like children with her invertebrate husband Kif (Maurice Lamarche).
Throughout the show,...
Throughout the show,...
- 12/17/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In the "Futurama" episode "The Prisoner of Benda," Professor Farnsworth (Billy West) invents a body-swapping device that trades the consciousnesses of two users. He, being a very, very old man, would like to occupy the youthful, more active body of his employee, Amy Wong (Lauren Tom). Amy, meanwhile, longs to overeat as she once did as a child, and the Professor's bony body would allow her to indulge in her appetite. They swap bodies, but only after doing so realize that the machine doesn't allow them to swap back. A third body would allow Amy to return to her body, but then the Professor and the third party would be swapped. It was all very complicated.
Eventually, Fry (West) and Leela (Katey Sagal) are having romantic dates in the bodies of Dr. Zoidberg (West) and the Professor, and the Professor is performing in an Eastern European circus in Bender's body.
Eventually, Fry (West) and Leela (Katey Sagal) are having romantic dates in the bodies of Dr. Zoidberg (West) and the Professor, and the Professor is performing in an Eastern European circus in Bender's body.
- 12/4/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Once per season, the makers of "Futurama" like to tinker with their formula by presenting speculative anthology-style episodes wherein they can tell stories that are even wilder than usual. The second edition of this format was entitled "Anthology of Interest II" and aired on January 6, 2002. The wraparound device for "Interest II" was that the Professor (Billy West) invented a TV-like device called the What-If Machine which could present short videos of whatever speculative question one thought to ask it.
Fry (West), being something of a shiftless layabout, announces that he's only ever been proficient at old-school video games, and asks the What-If Machine what life would be like were it to adhere to the rules of said video games. He and the rest of the "Futurama" characters find themselves in a world where diplomatic talks between Earth and the planet Nindenduu 64 have broken down, causing Donkey Kong to throw a...
Fry (West), being something of a shiftless layabout, announces that he's only ever been proficient at old-school video games, and asks the What-If Machine what life would be like were it to adhere to the rules of said video games. He and the rest of the "Futurama" characters find themselves in a world where diplomatic talks between Earth and the planet Nindenduu 64 have broken down, causing Donkey Kong to throw a...
- 12/3/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The plot of the 2008 "Futurama" movie "Bender's Game" is massively complicated. When the alcoholic robot Bender (John Dimaggio) tries playing "Dungeons & Dragons" for the first time, his imagination gets a little carried away and he, like Don Quixote, begins to believe that he is actually a knight errant named Titanius Anglesmith. In a fit of fantasy, Bender scoops fistfuls of dark matter into his abdominal cavity. In the world of "Futurama," dark matter is actually a solid substance pooped out by an alien species called Nibblonians, of which Nibbler (Frank Welker), Leela's (Katey Sagal) pet, is a notable leader. Dark matter is used as starship fuel.
The conversion of dark matter into starship fuel was a process discovered by the Professor (Billy West) many years before, and the process produced a pair of (essentially) magical crystals. The Professor has one of said crystals among his possessions. When the two crystals are brought together,...
The conversion of dark matter into starship fuel was a process discovered by the Professor (Billy West) many years before, and the process produced a pair of (essentially) magical crystals. The Professor has one of said crystals among his possessions. When the two crystals are brought together,...
- 11/18/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In the very first episode of "Futurama," Professor Hubert Farnsworth (Billy West) a doddering old relic of the scientific intelligentsia and mad scientist extraordinaire, was about 149 years old. It would later be revealed (in 2000's "A Clone of My Own") that he had lied about his age and that he was actually 159 years old. Then, thanks to a mystical time-acceleration whirlpool on a distant planet, as seen in the 2003 episode "Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles," the Professor would age forward even further. At last count, the character was hovering somewhere around 175.
The Professor is rarely seen in anything other than a lab coat and slippers. He also always wears incredibly thick glasses that obscure his eyeballs. The Professor's eyes have never been seen on "Futurama." When Mom (Tress MacNeille) removes his glasses before a moment of intimacy in the 2000 episode "Mother's Day," he is only seen from behind. She remarks that...
The Professor is rarely seen in anything other than a lab coat and slippers. He also always wears incredibly thick glasses that obscure his eyeballs. The Professor's eyes have never been seen on "Futurama." When Mom (Tress MacNeille) removes his glasses before a moment of intimacy in the 2000 episode "Mother's Day," he is only seen from behind. She remarks that...
- 11/13/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Even with a lascivious, rapacious character like Zapp Brannigan, things can be taken too far.
In Matt Groening's and David X. Cohen's "Futurama," Zapp Brannigan (Billy West) is the captain of an outsized warship called the Nimbus, and works for an organization called the Democratic Order of Planets, or Doop. Brannigan is a vain, idiotic blowhard who treats his crew like trash and clumsily flirts with any woman within spitting distance. He often touts his sexual prowess, even though he is notoriously bad at sex. He loves his thigh-revealing velour uniform, murders alien invaders without considering the consequences, and calls his quarters "the love-nasium." He can't pronounce the word "champagne" correctly. Zapp is a terrible person.
That, of course, is the joke. In interviews, actor Billy West has said that Zapp Brannigan is what would happen if actor William Shatner was in charge of the starship Enterprise rather than Captain Kirk,...
In Matt Groening's and David X. Cohen's "Futurama," Zapp Brannigan (Billy West) is the captain of an outsized warship called the Nimbus, and works for an organization called the Democratic Order of Planets, or Doop. Brannigan is a vain, idiotic blowhard who treats his crew like trash and clumsily flirts with any woman within spitting distance. He often touts his sexual prowess, even though he is notoriously bad at sex. He loves his thigh-revealing velour uniform, murders alien invaders without considering the consequences, and calls his quarters "the love-nasium." He can't pronounce the word "champagne" correctly. Zapp is a terrible person.
That, of course, is the joke. In interviews, actor Billy West has said that Zapp Brannigan is what would happen if actor William Shatner was in charge of the starship Enterprise rather than Captain Kirk,...
- 11/11/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The central joke surrounding Dr. Zoidberg (Billy West) on the sci-fi sitcom "Futurama" was established early on. Set in the early years of the 31st century, "Futurama" features a rogue's gallery of aliens, robots, mutants, and talking severed heads living alongside its relatively recognizable human characters. Zoidberg is a bipedal lobster-like alien who regularly issues drugs and surgically slices into the employees of Planet Express. In some of Zoidberg's first scenes, way back in 1999, he can be heard saying things like "Now open your mouth and let's take a look at that brain" or diagnosing his human patients with strange, fish-sounding diseases like fin fungus. He can sever and reattach limbs without much issue, although he doesn't always put them in the right place.
The gag, of course, is that he's a bad doctor. Being a space alien — specifically a Decapodian — Zoidberg doesn't seem able to grasp the biology of the mammals he works with.
The gag, of course, is that he's a bad doctor. Being a space alien — specifically a Decapodian — Zoidberg doesn't seem able to grasp the biology of the mammals he works with.
- 11/4/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
There are more adventures of Phil, Leela, and Bender in our future. Hulu has announced the Futurama series has been renewed for seasons 13 and 14 and a total of 20 episodes.
A sci-fi animated comedy series, the Futurama TV show was created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen. The voice cast includes John Dimaggio, Katey Sagal, Billy West, Maurice Lamarche, Phil Lamarr, Tress MacNeille, Lauren Tom, and Dave Herman. The story revolves around Philip J. Fry (West), a New York City pizza delivery boy who accidentally freezes himself in 1999 and gets defrosted in the year 3000. He befriends hard-drinking robot Bender (Dimaggio) and falls in love with cyclops Leela (Sagal). The trio finds work at the Planet Express Delivery Company, founded by Fry's doddering descendant, Professor Hubert Farnsworth (West). Together...
A sci-fi animated comedy series, the Futurama TV show was created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen. The voice cast includes John Dimaggio, Katey Sagal, Billy West, Maurice Lamarche, Phil Lamarr, Tress MacNeille, Lauren Tom, and Dave Herman. The story revolves around Philip J. Fry (West), a New York City pizza delivery boy who accidentally freezes himself in 1999 and gets defrosted in the year 3000. He befriends hard-drinking robot Bender (Dimaggio) and falls in love with cyclops Leela (Sagal). The trio finds work at the Planet Express Delivery Company, founded by Fry's doddering descendant, Professor Hubert Farnsworth (West). Together...
- 11/3/2023
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
A scene from ‘Futurama’ season 11 (Photo by: Matt Groening/Hulu)
Futurama won’t be wrapping up anytime soon. The popular animated series returned after a 10-year break with season 11, and season 12 is targeting a 2024 premiere. Ahead of season 12’s debut, Hulu has officially renewed Futurama for seasons 13 and 14.
Season 11, which premiered on July 24, 2023, features the voices of John Dimaggio, Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice Lamarche, Lauren Tom, Phil Lamarr, and David Herman. Series creator Matt Groening executive produces along with David X. Cohen, Ken Keeler, and Claudia Katz.
Hulu’s offers this description of the animated show’s 10-episode 11th season:
“After a brief ten-year hiatus, Futurama has sprung triumphantly from the cryogenic tube, its full original cast and satirical spirit intact. The ten all-new episodes of season eleven have something for everyone. New viewers will be able to pick up the series from here, while long-time fans...
Futurama won’t be wrapping up anytime soon. The popular animated series returned after a 10-year break with season 11, and season 12 is targeting a 2024 premiere. Ahead of season 12’s debut, Hulu has officially renewed Futurama for seasons 13 and 14.
Season 11, which premiered on July 24, 2023, features the voices of John Dimaggio, Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice Lamarche, Lauren Tom, Phil Lamarr, and David Herman. Series creator Matt Groening executive produces along with David X. Cohen, Ken Keeler, and Claudia Katz.
Hulu’s offers this description of the animated show’s 10-episode 11th season:
“After a brief ten-year hiatus, Futurama has sprung triumphantly from the cryogenic tube, its full original cast and satirical spirit intact. The ten all-new episodes of season eleven have something for everyone. New viewers will be able to pick up the series from here, while long-time fans...
- 11/2/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
You can’t keep Futurama down. The animated series developed by Matt Groening and David X. Cohen has cheated death time and time again, and it’s been announced that Hulu has renewed Futurama for two more seasons.
Futurama has been picked up for an additional 20 episodes, which will serve as seasons 13 and 14 (or 10 and 11). Hulu originally ordered 20 episodes of Futurama last year, and the first 10 episodes wrapped up their run in September. So this renewal means that fans have 30 more episodes of Futurama to look forward to. Good news indeed.
Related Futurama: The Future Express crew is crash landing in Fortnite for a limited crossover event
The original series aired on Fox from 1999-2003 but returned with four direct-to-dvd movies several years later. The success of those movies led to the show returning to television for two more seasons consisting of 26 episodes each before it was cancelled yet...
Futurama has been picked up for an additional 20 episodes, which will serve as seasons 13 and 14 (or 10 and 11). Hulu originally ordered 20 episodes of Futurama last year, and the first 10 episodes wrapped up their run in September. So this renewal means that fans have 30 more episodes of Futurama to look forward to. Good news indeed.
Related Futurama: The Future Express crew is crash landing in Fortnite for a limited crossover event
The original series aired on Fox from 1999-2003 but returned with four direct-to-dvd movies several years later. The success of those movies led to the show returning to television for two more seasons consisting of 26 episodes each before it was cancelled yet...
- 11/2/2023
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
“Futurama” is coming back for more adventures after being renewed for Seasons 13 and 14 — an additional 20 episodes — at Hulu.
The beloved adult animated series, which originally premiered in 1999, follows Philip J. Fry (Billy West), a New York City pizza delivery boy who accidentally freezes himself in 1999 and gets defrosted in the year 3000. Fry goes on to befriend a hard-drinking robot named Bender (John Dimaggio) and falls in love with cyclops Leela (Katey Sagal).
The trio find work at the Planet Express Delivery Company, founded by Fry’s elderly doddering descendant, Professor Hubert Farnsworth. Together with accountant Hermes Conrad, assistant Amy Wong and alien lobster Dr. John Zoidberg, they embark on adventures that take them to every corner of the universe.
After its initial run on Fox, a roller-coaster of cancellations and resurrections ensued. Four successful direct-to-dvd releases between 2007 and 2009 led to the show’s rebirth on Comedy Central from 2010 to 2013. In...
The beloved adult animated series, which originally premiered in 1999, follows Philip J. Fry (Billy West), a New York City pizza delivery boy who accidentally freezes himself in 1999 and gets defrosted in the year 3000. Fry goes on to befriend a hard-drinking robot named Bender (John Dimaggio) and falls in love with cyclops Leela (Katey Sagal).
The trio find work at the Planet Express Delivery Company, founded by Fry’s elderly doddering descendant, Professor Hubert Farnsworth. Together with accountant Hermes Conrad, assistant Amy Wong and alien lobster Dr. John Zoidberg, they embark on adventures that take them to every corner of the universe.
After its initial run on Fox, a roller-coaster of cancellations and resurrections ensued. Four successful direct-to-dvd releases between 2007 and 2009 led to the show’s rebirth on Comedy Central from 2010 to 2013. In...
- 11/2/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
Hulu has ordered two more seasons of the adult animated series Futurama.
The streamer revived the series in 2022 with a 20-episode order. Season 11 premiered July 24 on Hulu on and was on Nielsen’s Top 10 originals series list for six weeks.
Season 12 is expected to debut on Hulu in 2024. The 20-episode latest order is for Seasons 13 and 14.
The animated series premiered in 1999 and quickly gained a faithful following and acclaim, including two primetime Emmys for Outstanding Animated Program. The series follows Philip J. Fry (Billy West), a New York City pizza delivery boy who accidentally freezes himself in 1999 and gets defrosted in the year 3000. In this astonishing New New York, he befriends hard-drinking robot Bender (John Dimaggio) and falls in love with cyclops Leela (Katey Sagal). The trio find work at the Planet Express Delivery Company, founded by Fry’s doddering descendant, Professor Hubert Farnsworth. Together with accountant Hermes Conrad (Phil Lamarr...
The streamer revived the series in 2022 with a 20-episode order. Season 11 premiered July 24 on Hulu on and was on Nielsen’s Top 10 originals series list for six weeks.
Season 12 is expected to debut on Hulu in 2024. The 20-episode latest order is for Seasons 13 and 14.
The animated series premiered in 1999 and quickly gained a faithful following and acclaim, including two primetime Emmys for Outstanding Animated Program. The series follows Philip J. Fry (Billy West), a New York City pizza delivery boy who accidentally freezes himself in 1999 and gets defrosted in the year 3000. In this astonishing New New York, he befriends hard-drinking robot Bender (John Dimaggio) and falls in love with cyclops Leela (Katey Sagal). The trio find work at the Planet Express Delivery Company, founded by Fry’s doddering descendant, Professor Hubert Farnsworth. Together with accountant Hermes Conrad (Phil Lamarr...
- 11/2/2023
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
Hulu is putting plenty of gas in the Planet Express Ship, renewing Futurama for Seasons 13 and 14 (20 episodes total), TVLine has learned. Season 12, which was part of the revival’s initial order, is set to debut sometime in 2024.
Futurama stars the voices of John Dimaggio, Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice Lamarche, Lauren Tom, Phil Lamarr, and David Herman. It follows the exploits of Phillip J. Fry (West), a pizza delivery guy who accidentally cryogenically freezes himself, defrosting 1,000 years later in a world populated by talking aliens, alcoholic robots… and Zoidberg!
More from TVLineHulu's Acotar Series Is 'Still in Development,...
Futurama stars the voices of John Dimaggio, Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice Lamarche, Lauren Tom, Phil Lamarr, and David Herman. It follows the exploits of Phillip J. Fry (West), a pizza delivery guy who accidentally cryogenically freezes himself, defrosting 1,000 years later in a world populated by talking aliens, alcoholic robots… and Zoidberg!
More from TVLineHulu's Acotar Series Is 'Still in Development,...
- 11/2/2023
- by Andy Swift
- TVLine.com
In the "Futurama" movie "Bender's Big Score," a visit to a nude beach planet revealed that Philip Fry (Billy West) had a tattoo on his butt -- a tattoo of his robot friend Bender smoking a cigar -- that he didn't know had been placed there. A closer examination of the butt tattoo revealed a miniature binary code embedded in one of the portrait's eyes. It seemed that this was a thought-to-be-mythic time-travel code that, when read aloud, manifested a portal to the past. The Professor (West) noted that time travel was dangerous as it couldn't be achieved without creating universe-threatening paradoxes.
Unluckily, Bender himself (John Dimaggio) had been infected with a computer virus, placing him in the control of a trio of nudist internet scam aliens. The aliens ordered Bender to go back in time to steal Earth's artifacts. Bender, being a robot, could wait in a basement for...
Unluckily, Bender himself (John Dimaggio) had been infected with a computer virus, placing him in the control of a trio of nudist internet scam aliens. The aliens ordered Bender to go back in time to steal Earth's artifacts. Bender, being a robot, could wait in a basement for...
- 10/30/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In the 2007 "Futurama" movie "Bender's Big Score," a trip to a nude beach planet reveals that Fry (Billy West) has a tattoo on his posterior that he didn't know was there. It seems, unbeknownst to the poor dope, that someone tattooed a miniature portrait of his robot pal Bender (John Dimaggio) on his right buttock. A closer look at the tattoo reveals a hidden binary code that, when read aloud by a robot, opens a portal in time. Unfortunately for everyone, Bender falls under the control of a trio of evil nudist online scam aliens, and they use Bender's newfound time travel abilities to send him into the past and plunder history's most priceless artifacts.
More than anything, however, Professor Farnsworth (West) is frustrated that time travel exists at all. As a scientist, he understands that the laws of physics make it impossible, at least not without creating causality loops and paradoxes.
More than anything, however, Professor Farnsworth (West) is frustrated that time travel exists at all. As a scientist, he understands that the laws of physics make it impossible, at least not without creating causality loops and paradoxes.
- 10/16/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In the seventh episode of "Futurama," called "My Three Suns", Hermes Conrad (Phil Lamarr) finally notices that Bender (John Dimaggio) the alcoholic robot, doesn't really seem to fulfill any specific function at Planet Express. Rather than face a cut in his salary, Bender proposes to be the company chef. This is an issue for two reasons. First, Bender has no skill whatsoever in the culinary arts, and second, Bender has no sense of taste. His inaugural meal as the company chef is a salted slug served with glasses of salt water. The reaction from a disgusted Fry (Billy West) says it all, "That's the saltiest thing I've ever tasted! And I once ate a big heaping bowl of salt!" Bender defends himself by saying that the salt levels were fine, being 10% less than a lethal dose.
Bender's obsession with cooking would be explored several additional times throughout "Futurama." Bender often...
Bender's obsession with cooking would be explored several additional times throughout "Futurama." Bender often...
- 10/15/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
On several occasions, including during a 2020 video interview with Vanity Fair, prolific voice actor Billy West has explained his inspiration for the role of Zapp Brannigan, the sexist, egomaniacal, blowhard starship captain on "Futurama." He noted that Zapp is what would happen if actor William Shatner ran the U.S.S. Enterprise and not Captain Kirk. Shatner, West noted, was an odd man with a large ego ... just like Zapp Brannigan. Zapp gave West a chance to employ some juicy vocal histrionics.
West plays multiple roles on "Futurama," including the feckless delivery boy Philip J. Fry, the elderly coot Professor Farnsworth, the impoverished crustacean Dr. Zoidberg, and dozens of other smaller, incidental roles. West is one of the titans of his craft, and entire scenes can elapse with West having conversations with himself. Fry, West said, was modeled on his own voice at age 25, while Dr. Zoidberg was based partially...
West plays multiple roles on "Futurama," including the feckless delivery boy Philip J. Fry, the elderly coot Professor Farnsworth, the impoverished crustacean Dr. Zoidberg, and dozens of other smaller, incidental roles. West is one of the titans of his craft, and entire scenes can elapse with West having conversations with himself. Fry, West said, was modeled on his own voice at age 25, while Dr. Zoidberg was based partially...
- 10/8/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In the third episode of "Futurama," called "I, Roommate", Fry (Billy West) has been causing a mess by sleeping in the Planet Express building where he works. The time has come for him to move out. At first, he moves in with the alcoholic robot Bender (John Dimaggio), but, as it so happens, robots live in apartments the size of phone booths. Fry likes the idea of living with Bender, but can't sleep in a closet. Eventually, he and Bender find a sprawling bachelor pad where they can be roomies and both have enough space. The only conflict arises when Bender's antenna proves to interfere with the apartment's TV signals.
This may seem like a rather quotidian story for a sci-fi sitcom set in the distant future. This was a series with fantastical technologies, sentient robots, weird aliens, and faster-than-light space travel, and the third episode dealt with the down-to-earth...
This may seem like a rather quotidian story for a sci-fi sitcom set in the distant future. This was a series with fantastical technologies, sentient robots, weird aliens, and faster-than-light space travel, and the third episode dealt with the down-to-earth...
- 10/7/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The eighth episode of the latest season of "Futurama" was called "Zapp Gets Canceled," and it finally put the show's most horrendous, inappropriate, and lascivious character, Zapp Brannigan (Billy West), on trial for his life of horrible behavior. He is emblazoned with a bright red "C" (for "canceled") and forced to attend a sensitivity training workshop. Zapp, as thick as two planks, doesn't quite absorb the training, feeling that his arrogant, crass, offensive, racist, misogynistic behavior is perfectly acceptable. Because "Futurama" is a pretty cynical show, Zapp is ultimately proven right. His brashness eventually proves to be useful in a crisis situation, and he is reinstated, un-canceled after all. I suppose the un-canceling of Zapp Brannigan is appropriate, coming from a show that, itself, has been un-canceled several times over.
The writers of "Futurama" are smart cookies, and series co-creator David X. Cohen has bragged in the past that his...
The writers of "Futurama" are smart cookies, and series co-creator David X. Cohen has bragged in the past that his...
- 10/7/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
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