Futurama is one of the best animated series of all time.
Did you know?
No matter how bad this season or future seasons get, it’s not going to change that.
When the show premiered in 1999, it had its lobster claws on the pulse of playful liberal escapism. “Futurama” is a natural evolution of “The Simpsons” and represents the best of Gen X and Millennial humor.
It surpasses The Simpsons in many ways, as it can delve deeper into surreal and even apocalyptic (but fun) scenarios. There is no “net” of the nuclear family to rely on.
This is the world of Matt Groening and David X. Cohen’s unbridled imagination, and the possibilities are endless.
Now, 25 years later, most of the cast is still alive, the show has a new deal on Hulu, and thanks to reboots and comebacks, the show has new momentum heading into seasons 13 and 14.
So why is Futurama’s latest episode so exhausting?
“Futurama” Season 12, stuck in standby mode
They resort to using retcon episodes (“Attack of the Clothes,” “A Friend”) in which they reimagine characters’ origins or offer weird sideways flashbacks that don’t fit in with the rest of the show.
Sadly, this is a Simpsons cliche. When you run out of new plots, start exploring alternate realities for characters you thought you knew.
The Simpsons kids grew up in the 2000s, did you know that? The man we thought was Seymour Skinner was not Agnes’ real son, but just Amin Tamsarian pretending to be the real Skinner.
OK certainly. Boss, whatever you say is fine.
The later seasons of “Futurama” have been following this path, whether it’s taking Bender back to “Mexico” to meet his unique Mexican family, or reliving Fry’s 8th birthday party – aliens in This is recreated in the game Squidward. (certainly)
While these episodes didn’t “crash” the show or completely ruin it, they were far from some of the peak seasons of the 2000 era, let alone shows like The Big Bend and The Ten A drama like “The Beast with a Billion Backs”.
Futurama is indifferent to the future.
The best episodes of Futurama are the ones that delve into sci-fi concepts and imagine our distant future. These are future scenarios based on our current obsessions.
Newer episodes try to do this through standout moments, like “One Is Silicone, The Other Is Gold.”
However, even this episode doesn’t offer any revelations, considering that multiple characters in Futurama may already be artificial intelligences
Why on earth do robotic lifeforms react to artificial intelligence like it’s still a new thing? For that matter, in “The One Amigo”, why are humans still obsessed with NFTs? Haven’t we started thinking about bigger things in 975?
I can’t criticize Futurama for relying on quips and slapstick. I would suggest that the show’s writers might spend more time analyzing our current world, moving beyond a “breaking news” mentality.
What would humanity look like today if you got rid of all the gratuitous conversations about dictators, pronouns, and copyrighted music?
What other in-depth conversations could we have, and why didn’t Futurama write some of them?
They go shallow, and we the audience (the younger generation) go deeper.
Anyway, if this structure is too deep, let’s break it down into four simple requests, shall we?
#1: We need less origin stories and more stories about future technologies
That’s what Star Wars – even Star Wars parodies like The Orville – get right.
What better way to tell a story about the future, or even a comedy, than to jump thousands of years into the future to explore technology we can only dream of today?
Yes, I remember Star Wars being banned from the Futurama universe, as detailed in the episode “Where Fans Have Never Gone.”
But why is a show set in the 3000s so behind the times? Aren’t they supposed to be living at the turn of the century?
For that matter…
#2: Chill Out Bender Episode – Explore More “New York” Characters
Living in a very different socio-political world, what has happened to the planet, geography and culture we once cherished?
I remember Richard Nixon’s leadership campaign for president and “mom” Carol Miller taking over the corporate world. But is there something else going on?
Am I the only one who thinks the wider world of Futurama is a lot more interesting than the Planet Express crew?
Imagine if they allowed the writers to explore the world of Futurama as thoroughly as Groening and Josh Weinstein visited all the different areas of Disillusionment.
Of course, there will now be another can ready to run for office.
#3: Write more mind-twisting shows like The Temps
I wouldn’t say The Temps is a classic Futurama episode, but the intro did give me some goosebumps. I loved the combination of slapstick and Hitchcockian suspense.
The less you explain, the better, at least initially. The further the story progresses, the more details you learn, but only as needed.
While the conclusion didn’t quite live up to the potential of the premise, it did remind me of how Futurama mixed suspense and comedy in an organic way that The Simpsons or even Rick and Morty couldn’t. .
These shows get too bogged down in parody and politics. Futurama is apolitical and free to explore more cinematic concepts.
Maybe in seasons 13 and 14 they’ll find more suspenseful or touching storylines that twist our minds in wonderful ways.
#4: Don’t mess up Fry and Lila’s relationship – just improve it
When comedy shows run out of ideas, they always seem to achieve the same goals.
The couple broke up. Eventually, they get back together again, or stay apart as a reminder of how toxic the relationship was.
Or they have kids, as Futurama has already explored with Amy and Keef.
I can’t speak for all fans, but I don’t think anyone in particular wants to see Fry and Lila’s relationship change.
Through the story of “Meanwhile,” we basically see the end of the series, at least as far as Fry and Lila are concerned. This is the essence of who they are as characters and the end of their unique and “timeless” love story.
Instead of trying to revisit or hand over the relationship, focus on refining the details about their family lineage, their motivations, and how they influence others in this small but important community of intergalactic friends.
Restarting is tricky because we don’t really want to change. We don’t want to lose the elements of the show that won us over in the first place.
Classic TV shows—even if they’ve lasted for decades and reached their peak—have become woven into our lives as virtual friends. They are more than just stories to be told. They are more than experiences.
They are the friends you want to invite over, talk to, and talk about the zeitgeist of the day.
Futurama won’t last forever. But as long as it’s around, for at least two more seasons, we’re hoping the creative team returns to its roots and inherits the rebellious ambitions of 1999 that fueled its success.
It has more stories to tell. It just requires taking some more creative risks.
What do you think? How are you enjoying Futurama so far? How can future seasons of Futurama return to glory, or are its best days behind it?
Hit the comments section below to share your thoughts!
