Futurama


futurama
  • Created By: Matt Groening
  • Seasons: 8
  • Streamer: Hulu
  • Original Release: March 28, 1999

Futurama has had the same voice cast for all of its seasons, including the revival that took place on Hulu in 2023.

Futurama Cast News

Television viewers might best remember writer Matt Groening for his animated sitcom, The Simpsons, which premiered on Fox in 1989. Currently in its 34th season, the series has been a pop culture phenomenon and helped bring Groening into a long-lasting career in primetime television programming.

After the success of The Simpsons, Groening launched Futurama on the same network, and Comedy Central eventually picked it up. Now, the series is due for a reboot.

Futurama debuted in 1999, and its loyal fanbase kept the animated science-fiction series on the air for 140 episodes via various networks. The show centered around Philip J. Fry (Billy West), a pizza delivery boy who finds himself cryogenically frozen and eventually thawed out 1,000 years later.

The series co-starred Billy West in various roles along with veteran television actors Katey Sagal, John DiMaggio, Phil LaMarr, Lauren Tom, Maurice LaMarche, Tress MacNeille, and Frank Welker.

Futurama aired its last episode on Fox in 2003, and Comedy Central took it over a few years later. Rumors had spread for years that a reboot might be in the works and in 2023 the Futurama reboot happened.

THE FUTURAMA REBOOT AIRED ON HULU

futurama reboot

After Fox officially canceled it in the early aughts, Futurama had once been revived with reruns and new episodes on Comedy Central. Fans of the show have been angling for a new wave of episodes since other television shows from that time period have been rebooted recently.

According to The Hollywood ReporterFuturama was getting a reboot through the streaming platform Hulu.

Creator Matt Groening and writing partner David X. Cohen returned to develop Futurama for its intended reboot. As this was the third platform on which the series has aired new episodes, Hulu had laid out a blueprint to feature 20 new episodes of the acclaimed series.

THE FUTURAMA REBOOT WILL HAVE NEW EPISODES IN 2023 AND POSSIBLY 2024

For those that are fans of the original iteration of Futurama, Hulu premiered on July 24, 2023. As of August 2022, the titles of the first 10 episodes of the Futurama reboot were confirmed by Screen Rant, and production of the revived series was expected to conclude at the end of 2022.

THE ORIGINAL CAST OF FUTURAMA RETURNED FOR THE REBOOT

futurama reboot

Even though the original creators and writers of Futurama had been confirmed to come back to the reboot of the television show on Hulu, it had not been determined until recently which voice cast members would reprise their roles.

Billy West, who initially voiced the main characters of Phillip J. Fry, Professor Farnsworth, and Dr. Zoidberg, has been confirmed to come back and voice the same characters for the Futurama reboot.

Lead actors Katey Sagal (Leela), Phil LaMarr (Hermes Conrad), The Simpsons alum Tress MacNeille (Leela’s Mom, Nerdbot, Linda), and Lauren Tom (Amy Wong) will all return to their same roles. Canadian actor Maurice LaMarche of Pinky and the Brain fame will also reprise his parts as Kif, Morbo, and Calculon.

BENDER VOICE ACTOR JOHN DIMAGGIO ORIGINALLY HELD OUT FOR MORE MONEY

futurama reboot

The only holdout for the Futurama reboot had been actor John DiMaggio, who initially voiced the pivotal role of Bender. Bender is a cigar-smoking, mean-spirited, alcoholic robot who is best friends with Fry. DiMaggio entered negotiations to reprise the role with Fox and Hulu for a raise in order to come back but held off on signing on to the reboot for quite some time.

John DiMaggio stayed true to his convictions that the rest of the Futurama cast should be paid more in order to return for the Hulu reboot.

Variety reported in February 2022 that DiMaggio wanted more respect for the work done to keep the series and its popularity alive. He stated at the time, “Bender is part of my soul and nothing about this is meant to be disrespectful to the fans or my Futurama family. It’s about self-respect.”

Believing the television industry had waded into the waters of corporate greed where it takes advantage of “artists’ time and talent,” John DiMaggio tried to negotiate for more money. However, his efforts proved to be fruitless, and he eventually returned to Futurama one month later to begin production on the reboot without a pay raise.

Audiences should expect the Futurama reboot on Hulu to feature many, if not all, of their favorite characters from the original version of the series.

THE PLOT WAS KEPT UNDER WRAPS

As with many reboots of television shows recently, like FrasierWill & GraceNight Court, and Murphy Brown, most television audiences have a feel for what the new season would be about. However, in the case of Futurama, the final season of the series on Comedy Central left a bit of a cliffhanger for its loyal fans.

Season 7 of Futurama ended with the episode entitled “Meanwhile,” where Fry and Leela became engaged. A time machine built by Professor Farnsworth sends the two lovebirds on an adventure where they see their lives together in the future, growing old and traveling the world. However, the time machine is triggered to restart the entire series from the beginning again, leaving much to be desired.

This cliffhanger in Futurama‘s initial series finale opens many possibilities as to where the reboot can take audiences. Animated shows have a way of distorting reality, and they have different rules in terms of following a linear storyline path for plot development. Matt Groening and David X. Cohen could keep with the original ending and start Season 8 from where the previous season ended almost 10 years ago.

Groening and Cohen also have other options at their disposal, and they have the power to write a new beginning for their trusted characters. The first episode in the Futurama reboot is called “The Impossible Stream,” which doesn’t give much away as to where the writers will go with this new television season.

Ultimately, the Futurama reboot started with a story about Bender wanting to make more use of his life.

Latest Futurama Stories


futurama

Why We Love Futurama Making Us Look Stupid

Futurama is back for a miraculous twelfth season on Hulu after twice being canceled. It is back at making fun …

2 months ago

Pneumatic Tube Delivery Systems Are Making A Comeback

You might be familiar with pneumatic tube delivery systems from TV shows like Star Trek and Futurama, but these systems …

2 months ago

Raunchy ’90s Adult Cartoon Is Finding A New Generation

If you’re a fan of adult animation, you’ve likely seen all the staple shows like The Simpsons, Family Guy, or …

3 months ago

The Sci-Fi Comedy Series On Hulu Helped By Getting Canceled

Futurama is one of my favorite animated sitcoms, combining a sci-fi setting with the comedy style of The Simpsons. Despite …

4 months ago

The Coolest Time Machines In Movies And Television

We here at GFR decided to put our heads together and make our picks for the best time machines we’ve …

5 months ago

Rebel Wilson Says Only Gay Actors Playing Gay Roles Is ‘Total Nonsense’

In the last several years, the sexual, gender, and racial identities of actors has become a hot topic in Hollywood, …

6 months ago

The Best Star Trek And Sci-Fi-Inspired Cocktails To Try Now

Sci-fi movies and shows always feature really delicious-looking sci-fi cocktails. In some faraway galaxy, on some undiscovered world, or perhaps …

7 months ago

Disney+ Has The Best Paradox-Free Time Travel Movie

Time travel movies are a staple of modern cinema, with classics such as Back To The Future, The Terminator, and …

8 months ago

See Isaac Asimov’s Eleven – The Ultimate Robot Heist Team

If you’re gonna break the law, why not break it with robots?

8 months ago

artificial intelligence

Male Robot Touches Woman Inappropriately

The unveiling of Saudi Arabia’s first humanoid “male” robot, Muhammed, took an awkward, uncomfortable detour. In a clip widely shared …

9 months ago

Futurama’s Darkest Sci-Fi Joke Becomes Reality

They say life imitates art—and they’re often right. No more than in a recent, exceedingly dark twist, one in which …

11 months ago

Futurama Plans Star Trek Surprise In New Season

New York Comic-Con 2023 was especially satisfying for Futurama fans. The show’s executive producers, David X. Cohen and Claudia Katz, divulged intriguing …

11 months ago

Futurama Getting Cancelled Again? Hulu Reveals Unexpected News

Good news everyone! Despite a number of issues plaguing the film and entertainment industry in the last year or so, …

1 year ago

Futurama’s Most Emotional Moments

Futurama has a reputation of being among the smartest and most thought-provoking shows ever made, with many claiming that the …

1 year ago

More Seasons Of Futurama In The Works After Hulu Revival?

Claudia Katz, executive producer of Futurama, hopes the series will return for a ninth season. She recently told SFX Magazine …

1 year ago

futurama

Futurama Replacing Fan-Favorite Voice Actor

Despite original reports promising the entire cast would be returning to reprise their roles from the hit sci-fi adult cartoon, …

1 year ago

futurama

Futurama’s Most Hilarious Running Gags

We cover the six funniest running gags on Futurama.

1 year ago

futurama

Futurama Revival On Hulu Gets A Premiere Date And It’s Coming Up Fast

The new season of Futurama will drop on Hulu on July 24.

2 years ago

buffy reboot

The 5 Most Heart-Wrenching TV Episodes That Made Us Cry

Thanks to ongoing television shows like The Simpsons and classics like Seinfeld (we’re not the only ones mainlining that show …

2 years ago

futurama

Futurama Actor Says His Standoff With Hulu Ended Without A Pay Raise

Futurama is set to be rebooted for Hulu, and one of its most important voice actors has revealed their return and negotiations did not contain a pay raise.

2 years ago

futurama
futurama

Futurama Revival On The Way, But The Most Important Actor Is Missing

Futurama is headed towards a reboot/ revival on Hulu but there is going to be one noticeable omission from the talented cast

3 years ago

futurama

Futurama Reboot Talks Happening

Could Futurama be getting resurrected once again?

4 years ago

time travel movies

The Best And Worst Time Travelers To Time Travel With

Who would you really want to spend time with?

5 years ago

These Sci-Fi Franchises Need A Movie Right Now

There’s a wealth of science fiction out there, just waiting for some movie studio to pick it up and do something with it.

5 years ago

The Toughest Science Fiction Characters Of All Time

Stallone, Schmallone.

5 years ago

smelloscope

Can We Sniff Out Alien Life? Some Scientists Think So

Scientists have been searching for extraterrestrial life for some time now, and various individuals and organizations have made different predictions …

10 years ago

cosmos

Cosmos, Futurama, And More Represent Sci-Fi With Primetime Emmy Nominations

As sci-fi fans, we all know that unless an awards ceremony is specifically centered on science fiction, genre programming doesn’t …

10 years ago

Ripley