‘Futurama’ returns with new episodes on Hulu
Good news, everyone! Fry, Leela and Bender are reuniting once again for more intergalactic adventures as Futurama hits the revival button on Hulu.
As reported by Deadline, Hulu has ordered a 20-episode run of Matt Groening and David X. Cohen's sci-fi animated comedy with majority of the show’s voice cast expected to reprise their roles such as Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr and David Herman.
However, John DiMaggio, who voiced the beloved foul-mouthed robot, Bender, is not returning for the revival.
The decision to look for another voice actor was apparently made after DiMaggio’s “negotiations with Futurama studio 20th Television Animation came to a standstill, though there is a desire on both sides to have him rejoin the cast and reprise his role.”
Deadline’s sources claimed that the offer to DiMaggio “was in line” with fellow actors West and Sagal who agreed after a back-and-forth negotiation. DiMaggio, however, “felt the proposal was not competitive based on the success and name recognition of the original series.”
First aired on Fox, Futurama follows the life of a 25-year-old pizza delivery guy named Philip J. Fry, who accidentally locks himself in a cryogenic machine on Dec. 31, 1999 and wakes up 1,000 years later in the 31st century.
From there, Fry meets his distant nephew Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth and decides to accept his offer to work at his interplanetary delivery company with the one-eyed sewer mutant Leela and robot Bender.
“I’m thrilled to have another chance to think about the future… or really anything other than the present,” said Cohen. For his part, Groening said: “It’s a true honor to announce the triumphant return of Futurama one more time before we get canceled abruptly again.”
The series was created by Groening in the mid-’90s while working on his acclaimed animated TV series, The Simpsons. He then tapped Cohen to work on the storylines and characters and later pitched the show to Fox, which aired the sci-fi series from March 28, 1999 to Aug. 10, 2003.
After the animated series was cancelled on Fox following its four-season run, Futurama aired reruns of its episodes on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, which happened from 2003 to 2007 and then in 2021.
Four direct-to-video films were also produced and later turned into the show’s fifth season consisting of 16 new half-hour episodes.
In 2009, Comedy Central ordered 26 new half-hour episodes which aired in 2010 to 2011. Futurama was later renewed for its seventh and final season in 2012 and aired until 2013.
The critically-acclaimed animated sci-fi show quickly gained a cult following around the world since it premiered in 1999 and won several awards including seven Annie awards and six Emmy awards.
“When presented with the opportunity to bring fans and viewers new episodes of Futurama, we couldn’t wait to dive in,” said Craig Erwich, president of Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment. “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.”
“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,” said Marci Proietto, head of 20th Television Animation. “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.”
Hulu has yet to announce the release date of Futurama’s new episodes.