One thing I noticed in the Hulu/Disney Plus revival is that scenes are very fast paced. Like certain punchlines only last a second before it rushes to the next scene. Which is weird, because now it’s on streaming services, runtime shouldn’t be a problem.
I always thought Bender's Big Score actually did a pretty good job with the relationship stuff. It resets Fry and Leela to basically the same place they were at the beginning of any season 4 episode (Devil's Hands included), and addresses why they still aren't together despite all the episode endings that looked like they would be - Fry isn't mature enough for that relationship to be sustainable yet, but he will be eventually, and the episode tells both of them that in no uncertain terms. It would have been a great springboard to either put them in a relationship from that point on and gradually work through the difficulties of knowing they're right for each other but not quite being in sync, or to put Fry on an active path to be more mature and responsible, trying to become a better all around person and finally having a sense of purpose, and get them together definitively at a fixed point not to far ahead. And then Beast with a Billion Backs opens with the biggest middle finger to Fry and Leela's relationship possible in its first scene, and then lampshades how little of a shit the writers gave in the last scene.
Idk I disagree somewhat on benders big score. It felt very jarring that they spent 4 seasons naturally building up their relationship, ended the show with them getting together, then apparently 5 years in-universe passed and they still weren’t together and still hadn’t developed at all since we last saw them (in fact like you said, they were sent further back if anything). If they just framed the movie happening in the aftermath of Leela dumping Fry for some immature Homer-like mistake, they wouldn’t even have to change anything else about the plot and it would all work 100x better
Just curious: I normally skip intros, but I never do that with Futurama for some reason - does anyone else? Its that theme tune. I've put it on my random listening Spotify playlist and I never do that with TV themes
I also always watch it, unless when I really should be doing something else and tell me that I'll start doing the other thing at an exact time and when I can only finish the episode by that time when I skip the intro. But even then I often decide to watch it anyway and to just play part of the episode at a faster speed. And around the time the films were coming out, I had a Futurama ringtone. And no, you were definitely not speaking just for yourself in the beginning. I looked forward to the new episodes with very mixed feelings, and the main pro on my pro and con list regarding the prospect of new episodes was that there are still loose ends to the show. After now having seen the first series of the new episodes, I am putting unreasonably much hope into the second new series. I feel like only the last episode of this first new series has somewhat of a reason to exist. It feels like they're just making more money with this established franchise, and not continuing the overarching story/stories. Now, back to your video. I have seen hardly any of it so far.
@@ameliawade78 I can only agree with you on Futurama and Bojack Horseman because I don't watch Dr. Who. With Bojack Horseman, I feel like the end theme also massively adds to certain episodes. So I listened to it on my most recent re-watch regularly. (Three full watchthroughs so far, it's not that extreme with me.)
The BoJack ending theme is perfect for when an episode has ended on a moment of quiet devastation. It just sounds so small and pathetic, but in a good way
Weird, I never saw the Devil's Hands episode as resolving anything. It was like many other Fry and Leela episodes. The fact that I didn't realize it was the last episode for a long time since I was just watching the show in reruns probably has something to do with that.
I'm in the same boat as you, Futurama was a huge cultural touchstone that I place it next to Looney Tunes, Animaniacs, and Garfield and Friends in terms of directly influencing my sense of humor as an adult. I remember back in 2008 being cautious but overall excited about Futurama's return. I didn't catch every episode on the day it originally aired, but i was overall satisfied with the the continuation. And it's been ten years and I still say that no tv show I've watched before or since has had a more satisfying and emotionally resounding finale as _Meanwhile..._ I don't know about everywhere else, but when it fitst aired the final scene of _Meanwhile..._ dissolved seamlessly into the opening scene of _Space Pilot 3000_ giving off the sense that the story had come full circle. It's hard for TV shows to have one great series finale but Futurama managed to have *two* great series finales luke it was nothing. So you can imagine my shock and dismay to hear that Futurama got revived *again* on Hulu. And to add insult to injury, John DiMaggio almost didn't return because of payment disputes, so I was _really_ nervous about it returning and was kind of hoping the dispute with John DiMaggio would scuttle rerelaunch. I haven't kept up with the show after _Children of a Lesser Bog_ but I've more positive than negative. I hate to say it, but the meta humor has gotten extremely lazy. Which is upsetting because meta humor has always been one Futurama's best qualities. The Comedy Centeal era had this problem as well but to a far, far lesser extent. I'm honestly worried that each time Fururama gets rebooted the writers and actors are going to grow more and more detached from the roles and it's going to go the way of Family Guy after the WGA strike back in 07-08. I understand why some fans will happily flock back to their favorite shows because of nostalgia, but Futurama has been a very poignant exercise in the law of diminishing returns. Hopefully after the next season, Futurama doesn't come back for a third on Hulu.
"I haven't kept up with the show after Children of a Lesser Bog but I've more positive than negative." So you do see this new revival as rather positive or negative? Or am I misunderstanding something?
@@camelopardalis84 Overall, my reaction has been negative. I liked Children of a Lesser Bog and felt that gave Amy some very strong character growth but I haven't felt the need to finish the season. Like I said, I thought Meanwhile... was the greatest series finale I've ever seen. It gave Fry and Leela's relationship a satisfying conclusion and it also felt like the way the show ended with a segway into Space Pilot 3000 made the show seem like it'd finally come full circle in a narrative, figurative, and literal sense. I also mentioned I paid attention to the fact that while the show was in the process of being revived on Hulu, John DiMaggio almost refused to come back because he felt that Hulu wasn't paying the cast well enough to return. I even said I kind of hoped that the pay dispute would've stopped the revival dead in its tracks. I have a habit of sounding confused and wishy-washy when I talk but I've made my negative feelings pretty clear even with my hesitation to say it outright.
@@PatrickCervantez I'll try to clarify: I had read your comment in full before replying to it, and I have re-read it now. I both comprehend and agree with the points you make in both your comments; in your original comment and your reply to me. My confusion simply lies in the statement I cite you with, specifically the "I've more positive than negative" part of it. I am sure that this is either an incomplete statement and/or that you just wrote the wrong words down by mistake. Which I was and am not trying to point out because I am being nitpicky, but because that sentence fragment made it seem to me as if you intended to say something about you seeing this latest reboot as something rather positive than negative - which I felt clearly contradicts the rest of your comment. So I decided to ask what you meant, but maybe not with the best possible wording.
Aside from "All the way down" being a deftly craft philosophical (and emotional) story that I absolutely loved, I did feel a bit fatigued by this season. I really think it is at its best when the futurastic elements act as a unique veichle for emotional character driven stories. Also yeah the Sting is the best episode hands down. That scene when leela is about to fully succumb to her breakdown before being pulled out of her coma by Fry really affected me when I watched it as a young teenager. It still gets me right in the stomach even today.
I also was not excited when they announced it was coming back. Futurama is one of the few shows that actually had a good ending. Why put that in Jeopardy just so Hulu can get a few more clicks?
I don’t typically comment on videos but I just wanted to say thank you for making this, you’ve summed up all of my thoughts and feelings about Futurama and the Hulu revival. It means a lot to me that there are other people out there who share my feelings on something I love.
Very good video. Agreed with all the points you made. Except for the decision to use the broadcast order. Seeing Fox-era episodes referred to as "Season 5" always looks wrong to me. I guess it's because I grew up with the Futurama DVD box-sets which were released in the intended production order.
Thank you Stuart. I have the same relationship with Futurama. I recently got Disney+ and started catching up on Futurama of the comedy central era from when I dropped out, I've watched The Late Phillip J Fry, but is still in my continue watching
This video was not what I was expecting. They way you expressed your thoughts and feelings depressed, but in the best way. I could tell this show meant a lot simply because of the phrasing you used throughout invoked such a deep sense of nostalgia for a time since past. As if you were an old man, living alone, thinking fondly, yet forlornly over the life you once lived. You had your ups and downs, but all in all, it was a good life, you just wish it were ending on a better note. But hey, maybe tomorrow will be better than today.
I started watching Futurama on Disney+ about a year ago, and the announcement of the show's return gave me the incentive to finish it as quickly as possible. And I won't lie, the Comedy Central episodes were honestly a slog to get through, not because they were necessarily bad, but because there was the sense that the show was kind of running on fumes. There were definitely some great episodes along the way, but those later seasons largely felt like the show was out of ideas and just doing "more Futurama" on autopilot. It there wasn't another revival on the horizon and a sort of deadline I had to watch all the episodes by, it's possible that I wouldn't have bothered finishing it. That general feel made me very anxious for the latest revival, and that sense of anxiety was ultimately validated because I think the new season was, again, not terrible, but not exactly engaging and just more of the same. I really hope they manage to crank out some really great episodes with the next season because I can definitely see myself losing interest with the show at this rate, as had been the case when I was watching the first revival
I was not excited, and every time a new season comes out I don't really care for half the episodes, but they always include something special. This new season wasn't as sharp as old ones, but it had some good episodes and I liked how it addressed Fry and Lela as a couple
Just came here from your Simpsons video (which was awesome). Both The Simpsons and Futurama were hugely important to me when I was growing up. The Simpsons came first, I remember trying to record as many episodes as I could on BBC2 onto VHS tapes which I would then watch over and over again. I would always refer to my Simpsons episode guide book and it was always exciting watching an episode I had never seen before when it was eventually repeated on TV. It’s funny seeing the reaction to people when I mention The Simpsons used to be on BBC2, to some it has always been Channel 4. Futurama was slightly more adult than The Simpsons in some ways and I was obsessed with finding out the source of the many sci-fi references. I wore out those Futurama Season box sets!
Before boxsets and streaming, I remember getting annoyed when tennis matches would overrun and bbc2 would pull the day's scheduled Simpsons repeat. You couldn't get it nearly as easily back then
@@Stubagful looking back the old after school BBC2 line-up was really memorable. Ready Steady Cook, Weakest Link, The Simpsons, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Malcolm in the Middle, Robot Wars. Back when TV schedules meant something. There seemed to be more urgency to catch an episode you'd never seen, if I don't watch it on this date at this time then who knows when it'll next be repeated. With streaming it's easy to take the "I'll get round to that attitude", an example being that I've been meaning to have a rewatch of The Simpsons ever since it went on Disney Plus but still haven't, the same goes for the latest Futurama releases.
Futurama means a lot to me, I named my band after my favourite fry quote, It's special to me, and I too did not feel excited! I havent watched the new season. and I don't know if I ever will.
"No, I'm doesn't" is a great name for a band. And frankly, if you feel unsure about the new episodes (and I am referring to the first new season and the second one that hasn't even come out yet), I recommend you ask for advice once the second new season is over. If knew for a fact that this latest season were the last one, I would rather advise against watching it.
I remember liking the Comedy Central run, but this latest comeback definitely sucks ass. The thing that really bums me out about it is that it already had such a good ending. It’s kind of like if you won a million dollars in the casino, and then immediately lost it all like an idiot.
I didn't see "Futurama" until after Adult Swim/Cartoon Network had it… because I was 24 and probably watching other shows on Adult Swim in 1999… right now I have not seen the Hulu episodes yet because I don't have Hulu and I can't afford to get it… edit: I also liked the art style of the thumbnail of this video(even though it's used for all of your videos, it just seems to work for "Futurama")
I've never really seen what so many people see in Futurama. Like, I like it enough. It's alright, but I've never found it to be this fantastic incredible amazing show that so many others seem to see it as by default. It's just pretty good to me, I'll watch it if it's on like I would with something like Malcolm in the Middle.
I watched futurama with my mom when I was REALLY young. The only thing I remember is a bit when someone got really fat and died. It terrified the life out of me and I haven’t watched futurama since It would be really cool to watch tv with my mom again tho, I shouldn’t have stopped that
I did a quick one a few years ago on the first episodes when it launched. Haven't watched it since. It's stayed on my list for a while. Might try again when I'm done with my big Simpsons rewatch. Currently on season 20
I really think that my main canon is that the first 5 broadcast seasons then just a season of all the other episodes I enjoy from other seasons then the finale is benders big score followed by meanwhile.
I found the more unpleasent the characters were to each other the funnier the show got. The early stories spent too much time on the mechanics of having adventures- like a sarcastic take on Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space
27:43 es raro lo que dices ya que en 2023 los Simpson también sacaron un especial de pandemia es raro que dos programas hicieran un especial sobre eso cuando ya habiamos salido de eso
Another problem the show runs into is it’s competition… Futurama left the air the second time in 2013… guess what debuted at the end of 2013? Rick & Morty. A sci-fi animated sitcom with some may say too many creative twists and turns that helped fill the void that futurama left. A show that was just as ambitious as futurama was back in the late 90s but, in the early teens of of the 21st century. A show that was modern in b tone, culture and overall format. A format that had one offs as well overarching stories throughout episodes and seasons. Something that futurama has failed at in its most recent season. And that Rick and Morty probably will fail at this season as well…
The "Futurama is more well-known now for how many times it's been canceled rather than story" point is a really good observation, especially with how slightly underwhelming the reboot is. The only episodes I can genuinely point to being good are "Children of A Lesser Bog," "I Know What You Did Last X-Mas" and "All the Way Down" because they're the only three that don't feel chained down by the weight of oncoming cancellation. The rest of them feel like the writers are nervous that Hulu will cancel them - *again.*
at this point.... i don't wanna say i think this fear is overblown... but i do feel like the fear is just stupid, and this show has to end at some point. we have to have a point where the writers just outright dedicate themselves to absolutely deciding that the upcoming season 12 (whenever that comes), will be the last last. Give the voice actors some respite. they've been doing this too long, it would be wierd for this to be another simpsons.
@@conMiericonstructs Someone else said they should have ended it at The Devil’s Hands episode and like, I can’t agree with that or the overwhelming consensus that it shoulda stopped at FOX but holy shit Meanwhile was it. It should have been it. The ending was conclusive and solid, Leela and Fry married and lived out life in the frozen 3000.
Every time I have a play through of New Vegas I always throw on wild wasteland just so i can pick up Seymour from big mountain complex, yes Fry's dog exists in the fallout universe.
I thought that "The Prince and the Product" was the writers trying to do a Dan Harmon style Clip-Show-Of-Clips-You've-Never-Seen a la Morty's Mind Benders or Interdimensional Cable and...well...failing miserably 😬
Futurama was first revived because fans demanded it be brought back. Once the revival quickly ran its course, everyone was fine with it ending once again. The only reason the show has been revived again is because everything else getting a revival, so why not Futurama? Nobody was asking for it to come back, there was no public outcry or petitions or anything, the initial hunger for more Futurama had been satisfied. The Comedy Central episodes, with a few exceptions, were bland at best and cringe-inducing at worse and the Hulu episodes are no exception. The show is almost certainly not an "underrated cult hit" or a "little show that could" anymore, it's another extremely recognizable, profitable, long-running series, just like The Simpsons.
The newest season (11) of Futurarma on Hulu is very hit or miss. It almost feels like they are becoming the modern Simpsons or Rick and Morty, trying way to hard for jokes that aren't landing or feel out of place and lazy. The plots all seem way too topical (and dated by the time they were released), like they are more based in current day events than they are about the entertaining wackiness of the far-out future. I'm afraid that the creative spark is gone now and they are just making new episodes because they are contractually obligated, which is a shame because this is one of the best television shows of all time.
I very much agree. Fox era Futurama satirised not specifically the very, very late 90s and early 2000s, and not in nearly such a topical form. It satirised rather the second half of the 20th century and did so in a much, much more generalised way. I mean, NIXON. Their president NIXON.
One of the issues I’ve had with new Futurama is that is simply isn’t funny. I watched the new season and I think I chuckled a total of three times. It felt less topical and more like it was chasing trends. I still haven’t watched the finale because the toy episode was so unbearably bad. I, like you, don’t know why they made more.
@@natalieshark But the thing is, production on something like Futurama isn't exactly done in a day. And the fact it managed to discuss the trend of something like NFTs, something that might be dead but hasn't entirely rotted away, is at least commendable. Same with the Netflix Stand-Up stuff. Those are still a thing.
I was very mixed hearing that the show was coming back because I really disliked the CC run. I had a lot of doubts it was going to be like the CC run. When I watched the first episode of the revival I noticed a lot changed. A lot the voices changed which I knew before watching. The first episode was a bit meta for me. I liked it but I wish it was slowed down a bit more. As for Fry and Leela, I am so happy that they are still dating, I would love to see them married but I'm glad they stopped the will they/ won't they crap. The only episodes I hated was rage against the vaccine and Prince and the product. I just knew from the start that rage against the vaccine was going to be iffy.
I love Futurama and often cite it as being consistently better than The Simpsons. *But,* Meanwhile was _The_ ending to me. I'm not interested in the revival. I haven't heard Earth shattering praise for it either. I tend to just roll my eyes whenever I see a revival or remake announced these days. It's not just enough to re-air a show. You have to capture it's tone and feel. That's often what is lacking. Because by and large this era can't do that. So I'd rather my last memories of Futurama being the lines spoken in Meanwhile's last scene.
There's a lot of things that I would've been excited to see return..... but these days - not so much. Pretty much every show/ movie franchise that's been called out of retirement has been bland, uninspired, and disappointing. If there is a meaningful, well crafted, and organic decision to bring something back - cool. But if something is brought back just for the sake of bringing it back - then it shouldn't be made.
While I agree some of the best moments between Fry and Leela are lovely, I never watched Futurama for the plot. This is after all a comedy show. The focus is skewering our culture. So I can't really relate to your fixation on plot resolution.
i agree with your metric for aclassic from a cultural perspective but also i disagree fundemnetally with the idea shows should appeal to poeple outside their core audiances.
They kinda ripped off red dwarf ofcourse with the man gets put into stasis and becomes fish out of water plotline which they did first back in the 80s. I never found futurama that funny though, its really good at the pathos, definitely but the humour was fairly weak compared to golden era simpsons (as opposed to crap simpsons which to me is anything after series 6 lets say)
lol it's super telling that you didn't even mention Hermes and Amy... Hermes is Jamaican and a bureaucrat, and that is his entire personality. Amy is a hot girl, and that is her entire personality. It's presumably no big twist that these are the 2 people of colour in the main cast. If the show is gonna come back in 2023, it needs to seriously address this. Judging by your lack of mention of them, it hasn't done this. 2 main cast members who are utterly underdeveloped. Loads of potential to give them stories if they were given more substance.
