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Hulu's Futurama Revival is Here!
904 Plays2 years ago
J Scotty hops on for quick solo episode celebrating the return of Futurama - highlighting the show's storied production history, giving his top 5 episodes and finally his quick impression of the revival's debut episode!
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Transcript
Introduction to Animation Deliberation
00:00:00
Speaker
on another exciting entry of animation deliberation. Good news, everyone. The Hulu Futurama revival is here and we're gonna talk all about it right after this. Sing along if you know the words. One, two, three, it's time for animation deliberation. A conversation and a celebration of our favorite action animated series. Yeah.
Excitement for Futurama's Revival
00:00:25
Speaker
Welcome back to Animation Deliberation the podcast takes action animation and cartoon seriously but not too seriously. I am your host Jay Scotty St. Clair and I am going solo today because if you've ever watched or ever listened to an episode of this show.
00:00:41
Speaker
you probably have some idea that I am a big fan of Futurama. So knowing that this revival was coming to us from Hulu, I had done a rewatch within the last year and just really solidified how much I absolutely loved this series. So I'm super excited to talk about it. I will give you my impressions on the new episode of the revival that aired today.
00:01:06
Speaker
but before i get into that i just kind of wanted to talk about Futurama as a whole so i wanted to kind of go over the storied production history of this show it really is kind of a little train that could it just keeps going it's been canceled brought back canceled brought back which it has a very self-awareness to and a healthy humor about that which is great but
00:01:26
Speaker
I also want to go over like what I consider my top five episodes of the show and then I will give you my thoughts on this new episode that is out and available now on Hulu. So let's get started.
Futurama's Origins and Challenges
00:01:41
Speaker
Today we're embarking on a captivating journey into the production history of one of the most beloved animated series of all time, Futurama. Futurama, created by the legendary minds of Matt Groening and David X Cohen, first graced our screens in March 28, 1999. But the journey of bringing this futuristic quirky world to life was anything but a smooth ride. In the late 90s, Matt Groening, already renowned for creating The Simpsons,
00:02:05
Speaker
teamed up with David X. Cohen, a former Simpsons writer and producer, to develop a new animated show set in the 31st century. With an initial 13 episode order from Fox, the production began, but the pressure was on. The team had to work hard to establish a unique identity for the show while avoiding comparisons to the Simpsons.
00:02:23
Speaker
Futurama's plot centered around Philip J. Fry, a pizza delivery boy accidentally frozen on New Year's Eve, 1999, who awakens 1,000 years later. He finds himself in a bustling futuristic new New York, where he befriends a motley crew of characters, including Bender the Robot, Leela the One-Eyed Alien, and many more.
00:02:42
Speaker
The show's clever humor, brilliant writing, and imaginative sci-fi setting quickly garnered a devoted fan base. But despite the show's critical acclaim and growing popularity, Futurama struggled to maintain state of viewership.
00:02:55
Speaker
The show's erratic scheduling and frequent pre-emptions negatively impacted the show's ratings. Additionally, Futurama faced strong competition from other established programs. Thankfully, the story doesn't end there. Despite facing the chopping block several times, the show's supporters remained vocal, and DVD sales and syndication proved that there was still a dedicated audience hungry for more adventures with Fry and the Planet Express crew.
00:03:20
Speaker
In 2003, after four successful seasons, Futurama's original run on Fox came to an end. However, its popularity only continued to grow in the years that followed, fueled by reruns and DVD sales.
00:03:33
Speaker
In 2007, the creators were given an opportunity to produce four direct DVD films that would later be split into 16 episodes and aired as a fifth season on Comedy Central.
Revival Success and Hulu's New Chapter
00:03:43
Speaker
This revival proved that Futurama was far from over, and it continued to attract new fans along the way. Futurama's second run also saw it receive widespread critical acclaim, winning two Emmy Awards and experiencing a dedicated following on social media and conventions.
00:03:57
Speaker
While the series finally came to an apparent close in 2013, rumblings of a new 10-episode revival on Hulu began in early 2022. And so, Futurama remains not just a delightful animated series, but a testament to the resilience and the unyielding power of fans. As we conclude our journey through the production history of Futurama, we celebrate its legacy and its ability to transport us to the future while staying eternally relevant in our hearts.
00:04:25
Speaker
All right, so that concludes the production history.
Honorable Mentions: Key Episodes
00:04:30
Speaker
Now I'm going to get into what are my top five episodes of Futurama. And before I get to the top five, I wanted to mention a couple of honorable mentions. So the first of which, which is the Sting, which is season four, episode 12. And it's a surreal and emotionally charged episode exploring Fry and Leela's relationship.
00:04:50
Speaker
I'll leave it at that to avoid spoilers, but highly recommend that episode, you know, Fry and Leela's relationship really becomes the crux of the show at a certain point. I think the first two or three seasons were kind of more, you know, standalone, pretty serialized rather than being episodic. And then as we got into later seasons, there was more character development and more story arcs and character arcs that you saw kind of persist throughout the series. And certainly at the forefront of that was Fry and Leela's relationship.
Top Futurama Episodes Countdown
00:05:21
Speaker
And my other honorable mention is going to be Godfellas, and that's season four, episode eight. And in this one, Bender becomes a deity to a tiny civilization leading to amusing consequences. And while the first honorable mention I mentioned, you know, featured heavily on Leela and Fry's relationship, I think this is another great honorable mention because not only does it focus on Bender, who is one of the standout characters in terms of just, you know,
00:05:48
Speaker
being absolutely hilarious, but it also kind of speaks to what Futurama does so well. It's able to tow this line between comedy and absurdism, but also having something very poignant to say in terms of contemplating the large universal forces at work and universal truths and just kind of the microcosm and
00:06:13
Speaker
and macrocosm that's the universe that we exist in so very very heady episode I highly recommend that episode as well but without of the way we're going to get into the top five fourth rights starting with season three episode one coming in at number five is Amazon women in the mood and this episode is a delightful romp filled with humorous gender role reversals and fantastic gags the crew ends up on the planet of the Amazonians where the roles of males and females are reversed
00:06:41
Speaker
the interactions between the characters and the Amazonians lead to some of the show's funniest moments, making it a fan favorite. This episode or the series has been quoted, turned into memes, like, you know, just I feel like the cultural persistence is just there. And for anybody that's familiar with the series, or maybe you've heard this reference, but don't know what it's from, this is the episode where we got Death by Snoo Snoo. So definitely a notable entry here.
00:07:11
Speaker
Okay, and moving on, we've got, coming in at number four is season seven, episode seven, The Late Philip J. Fry. And in this mind-bending and emotionally charged episode, Fry Bender and Professor Farnsworth accidentally travel to the end of the universe. The episode's innovative narrative structure and poignant exploration of friendships and the passage of time make it one of the standout episodes of the later seasons.
00:07:37
Speaker
Yeah, this one kind of does what both of the honorable mentions I mentioned did. Not only does it really move forward with the story of this burgeoning relationship between Leela and Fry, but it also has some absolutely stellar sci-fi concepts and consequences. And again, I'm going to try to avoid giving too, too much away if you haven't seen it, but I kind of feel like
00:08:05
Speaker
Christopher Nolan's Interstellar, it came out after this. I'm sure he was already actively developing the script when this episode came out, but it really feels like the story of Interstellar kind of took a page right out of this episode's book just in terms of how time travel exactly works and the cyclical nature of the universe.
00:08:25
Speaker
really strong in both the character and feelings and emotional department, but also really delivering on that sci-fi element as well. And it's, of course, hilarious when you've got the pairing of Fry, Bender, and Professor Farnsworth, you know that hilarity is going to ensue, and it does.
00:08:44
Speaker
All right. And our third of our top five episodes is going to come to us from season three, episode 19, Roswell that Ends Well. And again, just coming off the heels of the last episode talking about time travel
00:08:59
Speaker
Here we go, time travel is a common theme in Futurama, and this episode exemplifies the show's ability to make history hilarious. The Planet Express crew accidentally gets sent back to 1947, leading to a series of events that eventually involve Fry becoming his own grandfather. The clever writing and time travel paradoxes make this episode one of the most memorable and comedic in the series.
00:09:20
Speaker
Yeah, I mean that just kind of says it right there. Like Fry is an idiot, but he's a lovable idiot and sometimes his faux pas just end up being genius. And it's kind of like he very much is like, you know, you've got that trope of the chosen one, but he actively just kind of like trips and accidentally falls into, or, you know, falls back in his chair into the frozen, um,
00:09:47
Speaker
cryotube there that sends him to the 31st century in the first place. But yeah, just really classic example of how Frye's fate is very much tied to his foibles.
Emotional Impact of 'Jurassic Bark'
00:10:02
Speaker
All right, and at number two in our ranking is season three, episode four, The Luck of the Friarish. This episode delves into Fry's past as he discovers his lucky seven leaf clover, which he believes to be the source of his past successes. The story masterly balances humor and sentimentality as it reveals the true significance of the clover in Fry's relationship with his brother Yancey. The Luck of the Friarish showcases the depth of character development that sets Futurama apart.
00:10:31
Speaker
Yeah, and this episode just really kind of stands out as one of the most like, emotionally resonant and kind of heartfelt. We don't often get to learn too much about Fry's life before being transported or, you know, being cryogenically frozen to where he exists in the future. But getting to see his relationship with his brother and his family and just kind of seeing how, you know,
00:10:56
Speaker
his assumptions and his perspective about whether or not they missed him and if they, you know, took him for granted when he was around, like this starts to kind of weave the tale that there was a lot of heartache and loss for them. So, and I think that, you know, this episode dovetails super nicely into what
00:11:18
Speaker
is my number one episode of Futurama. And if you're a fan of Futurama, as much of a fan as I am, it's probably going to come to no surprise to you what comes in at number one, season four, episode seven, Jurassic Park, which is very fitting because I've been on record as saying, you know, on any given day it might change, but the original Jurassic Park
00:11:39
Speaker
definitely vies or competes for the spot of my number one movie of all time, but that's a whole other conversation, but you gotta appreciate the illusions there with the title drastic bark. And in this poignant and tear-jerking episode, Fry discovers the fossilized remains of his pet dog Seymour from his past life in the 20th century.
00:11:58
Speaker
As Fry learns of Seymour's unwavering loyalty and waits for the opportunity to bring him back to life, viewers are taken on an emotional roller coaster. The ending of this episode is both heartwarming and heart-wrenching, leaving a lasting impact on fans that's hard to forget.
00:12:13
Speaker
Yeah, and this series typically skews towards the comedy and this episode is not without its comedy, but it's definitely a tearjerker. Again, trying to avoid some spoilers there, but the last five minutes of this episode get me every single time. I guess I should have a content warning.
00:12:33
Speaker
Even though this is animated, if you were particularly susceptible to sad pet stories, particularly dog stories, go into this one with a box of tissues and maybe don't watch it alone if you can avoid it. But that being said, it fires on all cylinders. It does everything that I've talked about so far. It delivers on the emotion. It delivers on the sci-fi.
00:13:01
Speaker
And just like I was talking about the last episode, it really provides this avenue to do a character study of Fry and just what kind of impact he's had, not only in the future that he exists in now, but the impact that his absence in our present day, his 1999, what that really looked like.
00:13:21
Speaker
There you have it. That's my top five episodes. So again, running down from the top at number one, I've got drastic bark. Number two, the look of the friar-ish. Number three, Roswell that ends well. Four, the late Philip J. Fry. Number five, Amazon woman in the mood and those honorable mentions were the Sting and Godfellas.
00:13:42
Speaker
Okay, I think I've talked at length enough about the history of the show and some of my favorite episodes. Let's talk about the reactions to this new episode.
Review of 'The Impossible Stream'
00:13:52
Speaker
And this new episode, officially titled Season 11, Episode 1, The Impossible Stream, all I gotta say is this show picked up like it's done on more than one occasion, like it never left off. It just picks right up. So I will say,
00:14:08
Speaker
you know the show generally does a pretty good job of like when there is a reboot you can just kind of hop in and start fresh and I think you can do this with this episode but you would be best served by going back and really watching the last episode that came out in 2013.
00:14:25
Speaker
uh season 10 episode 13 titled meanwhile like this this episode basically picks up right where that episode left off and uh you know i've said a lot about this this show just kind of firing on all cylinders but
00:14:40
Speaker
Alrighty, right out of the gate, I'm really stoked for this revival. I was already super excited for it, but having the first episode and having it work so well really excites me. It's what's so great about the show. It is timely, it's meta, it's self-aware, and just the fact that even in 2013, binging and streaming were relatively new concepts. I mean, they had started to become a part of the lexicon and the zeitgeist.
00:15:08
Speaker
In the 10 years that have passed since then, streaming has taken over and Futurama took the opportunity to tap right into that with this episode. All about streaming, what kind of implications that has on the consumer of the content as well as the creators of the content. The fact that they had such a crazy writer's room joke while the writer's strike is ongoing just speaks to the
00:15:39
Speaker
It's a little on the nose here, but the forward thinking, being able to kind of predict the future. Oh yeah, and needless to say, the fact that they're poking fun at a streaming service. Futurama was never shy about giving Fox crap for their treatment of the show and their canceling and bringing it back.
00:16:00
Speaker
The fact that it's on Hulu right now, they just play right into that with a streaming service called Fulu. Kudos to Hulu for just taking that one on the chin and just rolling with it. Futurama is one of those shows I don't know. There might be individual episodes that would be worth sitting down and having an in-depth conversation.
00:16:20
Speaker
But I don't know if I have too much more to say on this one. I'm sure there are jokes that will come back to mind now, but I'm really coming pretty fresh off of watching it and just kind of like, you know, running down the future of the show and researching my top five episodes.
Future Plans and Listener Engagement
00:16:33
Speaker
But one thing I would really like to do is once this, you know, entire new season has aired, I would love to do a review of that.
00:16:40
Speaker
Another thing I've been kind of contemplating as a potential episode is maybe doing like a top 10 episodes of Futurama where I can bring on like another guest and we can kind of make a game of it like each have our top 10 episodes and kind of go back and forth and create a definitive top 10 between the two of us. I have some like
00:17:01
Speaker
Pretty cool ideas about that. So if that's something you would like to listen to, please, please let me know. And yeah, I appreciate you listening to this one. We have a lot going on here at Animation Deliberation. So if you want to send some feedback about Futurama or anything else, you can do that at Animation Deliberation podcast at gmail.com. Also check out the Jiu Jitsu Kaizen Season 2 coverage that's been ongoing.
00:17:24
Speaker
Uh, every now and then we'll do like a news episode. So I know we had quite a few episodes coming out, um, around San Diego comic-con and, uh, actually, you know, shortly here, Zuhair and I are going to be talking about Invincible season two and Prime just dropped this, um, Adam Yves special episode. So we're getting ready to talk about that, but, uh,
Closing Remarks and Other Topics
00:17:47
Speaker
In addition to that, we've got My Adventures with Superman. That show has been really great and very strong right out of the gate. So yeah, always something to talk about here. Check out all our social medias and you can also check me out on Multiverse News and just check out the Stranded Panda podcast network. A lot of great things going on there. So again, thank you for tuning in. T-double-O-N-I-N and on behalf of my co-host, stay well.
00:18:16
Speaker
Thank you for listening to the Animation Deliberation Podcast, a proud member of the Strandepanda Network. If you would like to contact us, you can email animationdeliberationpodcast at gmail.com or follow us on Twitter at animationdelib1. For this and other great shows, you can visit strandepanda.com or join the great community that is the Strandepanda Chat Facebook group at facebook.com slash groups slash spchat. Tune in next time and remember, stay well.