‘Futurama’ Is Coming Back To Hulu... But Bender May Not Be!
By Kristin Myers on February 10, 2022 at 8:30 AM EST
Fans of “Futurama” have a good reason to be excited!
Although it’s been nearly a decade since “Futurama” wrapped up Fry and Leela’s romance with a neat little bow, the cast is returning for a 20-episode adventure that will premiere sometime in 2023. Here’s everything we know so far!
‘Futurama’ Returns: Who’s Coming Back? Or, More Importantly, Who Isn’t?
We’ll start with the bad news first – Bender might not be coming back! Fans can argue that “Futurama” wouldn’t be the same show without Fry’s shiny metal best friend, but John DiMaggio reportedly couldn’t strike a deal. According to Deadline, DiMaggio felt “the proposal was not competitive based on the success and name recognition of the original series.”
The Hollywood Reporter said that DiMaggio is still finalizing a deal, so there is still hope that Bender will return after all (or perhaps be recast!)
Now for the good news: “The Simpsons” creator Matt Groening and David X. Cohen will return to create the new adventure for the Planet Express crew.
Original stars Billy West will return as Fry and Katey Sagal will return as Leela. The ensemble cast of Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr, and David Herman are all expected to make a return.
The History of ‘Futurama’: It Just Keeps Coming Back!
The very first episode of “Futurama” premiered, quite appropriately, on March 28, 1999. The series ran on Fox until it was canceled in 2003.
However, the show returned in 2007 with four direct-to-DVD movies that Comedy Central ran as 30-minute episodes. The success of the four animated films prompted them to revive the series in 2010. The show finally had what many thought would be the show’s final episode on September 4, 2013. The show had 7 seasons in all and over 140 episodes. During its run, it earned six Emmy Awards, including two for outstanding animated program, seven Annie Awards, and two WGA Awards.
Cohen and Groening both provided comments on the series' revival.
“I’m thrilled to have another chance to think about the future… or really anything other than the present,” Cohen said.
“It’s a true honor to announce the triumphant return of Futurama one more time before we get canceled abruptly again,” Groening jokingly added.
Craig Erwich, President of Original Series at Hulu and ABC Entertainment, said, “When presented with the opportunity to bring fans and viewers new episodes of Futurama, we couldn’t wait to dive in.”
“This iconic series helped blaze the trail for the success of adult animation since its initial launch and we look forward to Matt and David continuing to pave the way and further establishing Hulu as the premiere destination for fans of the genre,” he added.
Marci Proietto, head of animation at 20th Television Animated, added, ““What I love about animation is that it’s possible for a successful show to take a pause and then resume years later, even on a different platform, and pick up right where it left off.”
“Futurama is one of those shows,” Proietto continued. “The excitement from Hulu about returning Matt and David’s genius creation for all-new episodes has been off the charts. I’m thrilled that this incredible team will get to tell more stories, and that our Planet Express crew will have more adventures together. It’s a win for the fans who have loved the show since the beginning, and for the ones who will now discover it for the very first time.”
What Do Fans Think About The Latest ‘Futurama’ Revival?
Fans were split about whether or not the new episodes will hold up to the classics.
“Weren’t the new episodes the last time this happened a bit forgettable?” one fan asked. “Nah, they were still really good,” another replied. “Def can’t beat the classics but what show can do that?”
“OMG thank you,” another fan wrote. “Futurama is my favorite show of all time.” “Hey, you have great taste!” Hulu responded.
“The show already had a perfect ending,” another wrote, leading another fan to comment, “I wonder if the majority of the season will take place prior to the season finale.”
“It had a perfect ending 3 times already,” said another, to which another fan wrote, “Correction, it had 2 perfect endings.”
Fans will most likely be debating how perfect the ending to “Futurama” was up until the new episodes air on Hulu sometime in 2023! Fans can check out Futurama's four different endings in the video below!
