Good news, everyone!
After 12 seasons and four films over 25 years, Futurama is the show that (by their own admission) just won’t die. And I couldn’t be happier about it. Even after all these years, the Planet Express crew continues to prove that they are one of the best (and largely unnoticed) animated series available. In fact, Futurama’s strong writing continues to show what makes it better than their formerly-FOX cousins, The Simpsons.
I said it. I meant it.
For those who are unaware, Futurama was created by Matt Groening (The Simpsons) and follows the journey of Philip J. Fry (Billy West), a young delivery boy (well… man) who accidentally freezes himself on New Years Eve in the year 1999. Defrosting a thousand years later, Fry steps into a new life as a delivery boy (well… man) with a motley crew of co-workers. Employed by Professor Farsworth, his very distant nephew from the future, Fry falls in love with his one-eyed alien captain, Leela (Katey Sagal) and tries to make sense of this new world.
Though the animation remains crisper than its hand-drawn early days, there really are no surprises in this regard. If you enjoyed the look of the series before, that’s simply what you get with the new batch of episodes. Characters haven’t changed much—although their relationships do continue to develop, especially Fry and Leela—and the chaos of New New York remains the same.
Yet the true joy of Futurama remains its writing. Even after all these years, Futurama still keeps their sense of satire well intact. Having first aired ten years after The Simpsons premiered, the show’s writers have always had a genuine passion for science fiction and made the best possible use of their world to play in. (For example, last year’s episode on simulation theory may have been one of their best episodes ever.)
Even so, the series manages to make us genuinely care about these characters. Amy and Kiff show off the challenges of modern parenting. Fry and Leela finally start making headway in their relationship. Even Zoidberg has become a beloved side character who we genuinely hope for. Somehow, Futurama manages to prevent itself from becoming a complete farce by building surprising levels of empathy and emotion into their stories. (Even The Simpsons haven’t been able to fully do so to this extent.)
Even the worst people here are simply… likable.
But the thing that always fascinates me about Futurama’s vision of the future is how much it looks like the present. Despite placing the film a thousand years into the future, Futurama keeps even its wildest episodes relatable. And the new batch of episodes continue this trend as well. For example, trying to make sense of NFT’s, the definition of ‘ownership’ and our relationship to fashion are all complex issues yet the series actively tries to make sense of them in their own otherworldly way. Similarly, ‘Quid Games’ also tap into our current obsession with ‘murder games’ (ie. Squid Games) by both celebrating and satirizing the madness of such things.
To give you more may help spoil the fun but needless to say that Futurama continues to be one of the most entertaining series available. With the release of season 12, the series continues to balance the blistering satire with genuine empathy for its characters. For this reason, I continue to be grateful that the good people at Planet Express continue to deliver such high quality.
As a fan, I will always consider that to be ‘good news’.
The first episode of Futurama S12 is available to stream on Disney+ on Monday, July 29, 2024 with next episodes available every Monday afterwards.
