Futurama is a science fiction comedy animated series created by Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons. The show follows the life of Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically frozen and brought back to life in the year 3000. The show draws on math, science, and other forms of science fiction. The main characters work for an interplanetary shipping company and each episode involves parodying different aspects of science fiction. The show was cancelled after five seasons but was revived due to high DVD sales and an internet following.
Futurama is an animated television series created by Matt Groening, who also created the popular animated series The Simpsons which originally aired on the Fox television network from 1999 to 2003. The show is a science fiction comedy revolving around the life of its main character, Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically frozen at the end of the year 1999, only to be brought back to life in a drastically different world (and universe) in the year 3000. Futurama draws much of its humor and many of its storylines from the discipline math and science and draws heavily on many other forms of science fiction, including television shows, films, and books.
Groening’s inspiration for Futurama came from being a huge fan of science fiction literature as a child. He enlisted the help of David X. Cohen to develop a cartoon series that used science fiction conventions in the style of The Simpsons. The name “Futurama” comes from a pavilion at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Among other ways, Futurama differs from The Simpsons in using a storyline that unfolds freely from episode to episode rather than being “reset” for each episode and features a completely different cast of characters.
The main characters of Futurama work for an interplanetary shipping company called Planet Express and are the crew of the company’s ship of the same name. They include: Fry, who becomes a cargo deliverer aboard ship; a stubborn alcoholic robot named Bender Bending Rodriguez; one-eyed Fry’s love interest, Turanga Leelah; the rather senile owner of the ship and company, Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth; and staff physician, the lobster-like Dr. John A. Zoidberg, among others. The storyline of each episode usually involves parodying some different aspect of science fiction, and sometimes parallels the plot of a popular science fiction storyline. Interspersed throughout the series are many pointed references to mathematical and scientific theories, which have allowed Futurama to gain a large cult following, especially among a college-educated crowd.
The Fox network’s treatment of the show led to its early cancellation after only five seasons in 2003. High DVD sales, a large Internet following, and a revival on Cartoon Network, however, gave Futurama new life. The show was acquired by Comedy Central and eventually the series was reincarnated into four made-for-DVD movies, starting with Bender’s Big Score which aired as half-hour episodes starting in 2008.
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