"Futurama" (1999) TV series 1999-????

User Rating:

9.2/10   

Creator:

Matt Groening

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Release Date:

28 March 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The future is here!

Plot:

Fry, a pizza guy is accidentally frozen in 1999 and thawed out New Year's Eve 2999.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Robot | Delivery Boy | Future | Doctor

Awards:

Won 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 6 wins & 16 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Tue. July 7	1:00 AM	COMEDY	30 Percent Iron Chef	#4.11
Wed. July 8	1:00 AM	COMEDY	Fear of a Bot Planet	#1.5

Cast

Billy West	...	Philip J. Fry / ... (72 episodes, 1999-2003)
Katey Sagal	...	Turanga Leela / ... (72 episodes, 1999-2003)
John Di Maggio	...	Bender / ... (72 episodes, 1999-2003)
Tress MacNeille	...	Additional Voices / ... (70 episodes, 1999-2003)
Phil LaMarr	...	Hermes Conrad / ... (65 episodes, 1999-2003)
Maurice LaMarche	...	Additional Voices / ... (65 episodes, 1999-2003)
Lauren Tom	...	Amy Wong / ... (63 episodes, 1999-2003)
David Herman	...	Additional Voices / ... (58 episodes, 1999-2003)
Frank Welker	...	Nibbler / ... (30 episodes, 1999-2003)

Also Known As:

"Aloha Mars!" (USA) (working title)
"Doomsville" (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

30 min (72 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

UK:12 (video rating) (some episodes) | UK:PG (video rating) | USA:TV-14 (some episodes) (original TV rating) | USA:TV-PG (original TV rating) | UK:U (video rating) (one episode) | Australia:G (some episodes) | Canada:14+ | Ireland:12 (some episodes) | Ireland:PG (some episodes) | Argentina:Atp (original rating) | Argentina:M (DVD rating) | Australia:PG | Brazil:Livre | Canada:G (Quebec) (DVD rating) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) (DVD rating) | Finland:K-7 | Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

The character Cubert (the Professor's clone) was initially conceived as being somebody who would point out all of the show's inconsistencies and plot holes. The idea was that he would be the voice of obsessed fans that paid far too much attention to detail. Unfortunately, the writers couldn't figure out a way to introduce him until Season 2, and aside from his debut episode he never took on his original intended role.

Goofs:

Continuity: In Season 4 Episode 12 "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" Fry mentions the Star Trek films and attracts negative attention because the show was banned long before then, and apparently saying the show's name is forbidden. However, in Season 1 Episode 1 "Space Pilot 3000" Fry refers to Leonard Nimoy's head as Spock, and in Season 3 Episode 8 "That's Lobstertainment!" at an Oscar awards ceremony a featured film is titled "Star Trek: The Pepsi Generation" and no mention of Star Trek being forbidden is made. Also, in Season 5 Episode 4 "A Taste Of Freedom", Dr. Zoidberg passes by a pink building labeled as the "Klingon" embassy.

Quotes:

[Leela is fighting her old teacher Fnog]
Fnog: You were an excellent student. Too bad I was a lousy teacher!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror IX (#10.4)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

I'm Alright

A Misunderstood Series

Futurama is the whipping boy of modern prime time cartoons. Since it was made by the creator of the Simpsons it was expected to be exactly like it. Futurama had its own brand of comedic flair, which is absolutely hilarious. Bender, Fry, Leela, Hermes, Zoidberg, all of these characters are well thought out and work incredibly well together, on top of the fact that situations and anecdotes from previous episodes are brought up all the time, adding continuity to an already excellent series. I'll admit that I too was among the people crying foul when Futurama first came out, I didn't grow to truly appreciate it until it was put in syndication on adult swim, and more so later as I bought all the episodes on DVD. I don't think the world was ready for what futurama had to offer when it first came out, and everyone should give it another shot through adult swim or by DVD rental. It has solid entertainment value, and a unique comedic style.

4.5 out of 5 stars