Good news everyone!
After ten long years, Futurama is about to return to our screens thanks to Disney Plus / Hulu for its eleventh season or third comeback for those that are keeping count. Originally debuting in 1999, Futurama was Matt Groening, of a little show you might have heard of The Simpsons, attempting to make an edgier, more satirical series, all the while melding undeniably intelligent writing along with the low-brow jokes that have helped it amass a loyal following.
That’s all in the past now as a new ten-episode season is upon us and thanks to Disney Plus Australia I’ve been lucky enough to sample the first few episodes.
Thankfully the Planet Express crew are all here for its next run. Fry, Leela, Hermese, Dr Zoidberg, Professor Farnsworth, Amy and everybody’s favourite Bender Bending Rodriguez. Even better, the original cast has returned to voice their characters though not without a pinch of controversy along the way.
If you’re one of the few that have not taken in previous episodes not to fret, there is a quick catch-up to start the series though it stands perfectly well on its own. From the moment Bender spouts, “we’re back baby” it’s like sitting down with an old friend.
Futurama slips back into its rhythm without effort and automatically feels like it never left. Though the world has changed a lot in the last ten years, some things for the better and some for the worst, the writers, having been through it all with us seem to have been itching to tell their spin on it all. Nothing is spared with a hilarious take on the practice of binge-watching your favourite show, (noted I did watch six eps in two sittings) Bitcoin is likened to the old west, Mom Corp may have taken some queues from our own time mega-corporate shopping network, and there is even an underhanded swipe at certain things from the Covid days of yore…. Futurama also doesn’t forget its roots and shows plenty of moments of friendship between the crew. Even Zoidberg gets a bit of love in his own usual way.
Fans of the original series will be happy to know that a plethora of original characters makes their return throughout the series, and we finally get some closure on some of Futurama’s decades-long mysteries. Leela and Fry are still in the honeymoon phase of their relationship, and we get to see more of where they are off to next as a couple. Throw into the mix, we get an update on Kiff and Amy’s / Leela’s tadpoles and how did Robot Santa get to be so Evil?
Futurama feels like it has picked up where it left off, yet it also feels like it has used the past ten years to grow. In a world that feels more and more like so many new shows are pushing an agenda or a product, Futurama blends the humour it is well known for and just has fun with much of what is happening in the world around us.
The fact the entire cast has returned after so many years shows the faith they have in the show, and the love shown by fans to bring it back again is being repaid.
Futurama is available from June 24th on Disney Plus here in Australia and is well worth watching for new and old fans.
