Futurama

It's such a shame that Futurama has been cancelled, for I feel the producers and cast had a lot more episodes planned and a lot more stories to tell.

I don't know why FOX cancelled Futurama, other than:

1) It's funny - much funnier than most other programmes on the network.

2) It's intelligent - the science fiction references for instance (some of the writers have PhDs!).

3) You care about the characters, each one is different and interesting in their own ways. Unlike many other cartoons, there has been a lot of character development.

4) There is a sense of continuity (the characters age, unusual in a cartoon, and there are various stories that spread out throughout different episodes, such as the Fry/Nibbler one).

5) The show has something for everyone - comedy, drama, romance, sci-fi, farce.

6) It is entirely original.

7) The animation is amazing.

8) IT'S FUNNY!

Yep, I can see why FOX cancelled it.

Start watching Futurama and you'll be hooked. Episodes to look out for in particual are the pilot, "Space Pilot 3000"; "Luck Of The Ftyrish", "Roswell That Ends Well" (this one won an Emmy!), "The Why Of Fry", "Anthology Of Interest I" and "Xmas Story".

I disagree with those who hate Futurama with a passion. On the contrary, I find the show so completely funny and original. Let me explain what I mean:

The plot of having a crude, broke pizza delivery-kid wander into a cryogenics lab and fall into a freezer shell for a thousand years is so creative...I'll expand further; He befriends a very well voiced "cyclops" mutant named Leela (Katey Sagal), a trash talking robot named Bender, his great, great,great (etc.) nephew Prof. Farnsworth, an alien-crab that sounds remarkably Jewish, Dr. Zoidberg, the list of imaginative characters and plot situations just doesn't stop! The humor is just awesome. I have never sat through Futurama once without laughing until I cried about something. I find it incredible that one could hold such disdain for the comedy. It really is so entertaining. But to each his own, I say.

Fry: Wait you're the only friend I have... Bender: You really want a robot for a friend? Fry: Yeah ever since I was six. Bender: Well, ok but I don't want people thinking we're robosexuals, so if anyone asks, you're my debugger.

Leela: Hey, he stole my ring! Bender: Sorry. Well, that solves the mystery of the missing ring. This calls for a drink.

Farnsworth: Let me show you around. That's my lab table and this is my work-stool. And over there is my intergalactic spaceship. And here's where I keep assorted lengths of wire. Fry: Whoa! A real live spaceship! Farnsworth: I designed it myself, let me show you some of the different lengths of wire I used.

Just a sampling of the amusing lines in the show. Thanks all!

Now that is not to say the Simpsons is bad or anything, I really like it, but it has jumped the shark for a few years now. Futurama is everything I love an animated series to be, funny, original and witty. I seriously don't know where to begin praising the show. Well for one thing the animation is amazing. The characters are really well drawn, the backgrounds are audacious and the visual effects are eye-popping. And the music is brilliant, it is cleverly composed with some funky songs featuring such as "Conga" and "Sunshine of Your Love" and the theme tune is definitely memorable. The writing is outstanding, the comedy works brilliantly and the more touching and subtle parts work just as well. The episode ideas springing from a brilliant concept are really original and fun, and the pacing is great. And the characters with the help of a truly talented voice cast are really unique and endearing, especially Fry, Bender and Zoidberg, and Leela is a feisty and headstrong character that I related to immediately. Overall, a truly wonderful show, with all the fun and originality that are lacking in the later episodes of the Simpsons. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Futurama is the second series by Matt Groening. Now when I was watching The Simpsons one idea was that why we can't see this guy more, why he is only behind a widely known TV series while poking some other people. But with Futurama I say he is (OK, was) unleashed.

Futurama deals with moron pizza delivery boy Fry being accidentally frozen and wake up 1000 years after into a whole new world. Strangely this is not the story of the Fry's adaptation, because he is not. He is still the same stupid guy back in 20th century.. Maybe a little improvement but that's all.. Then we meet Leela, who is the only cyclops alien in the whole galaxy (as far as she knows), orphan, different from others. Last but not least the main cast includes Bending Unit Bender which is a robot. Nice thing about him is that the general idea of a robot is that they are always serving and helping and supporting, but Bender does not. He lies, cheats, steals...

Then the supporting cast has the cute and horny Chinese (or Japanese?) Amy, Fry's great^20 nephew professor Farnsworth with crazy inventions but an unstable mind, doctor Zoidberg that mastered on human medical but not a human itself, Jamaican manager who is a qualified limbo master and denying machine...

I like Futurama because it creates an unexpected, yet tempting future and combines it with cunning references and a strange comedy style. It's range of poking is 'wider'..

Futurama can turn any depressed mood to a happy mood if just the watcher accepts the fact that show does not require a deep concentration for the whole concept, but likes to catch it slowly by using trivial extras and nicely planted sci-fi references.

This show was one of the best. Ever. It's a pity that it was canceled an I pity the fool who canceled it. Such things should continue till the end of time.. Thanks to the makers of DVD, they partially do.

Futurama is mandatory for all sci-fi and comedy lovers, and highly recommended for everyone else.

Reviews of Volume 3 and 4

Volume 3: 10/10

Futurama was even funnier than The Simpsons in its heyday (which, to my eyes, was seasons 8-10), and much of what made the series so great was perfectly exemplified by the DVD collection volume 3. There's an equal mix of cool sci-fi tales, brilliantly creative humor, and the addition of genuine heart that made this show unbeatable.

Favorite Episodes: Time Keeps on Slipping, Amazon Women in the Mood, Parasites Lost, The Luck of the Fryfish, That's Lobstertainment

Volume 4: 10/10

Probably my favorite volume, this last collection of episodes has all the humor, heart, and beautiful animation of the previous seasons. As the show wound to a close, the series satisfyingly touched on many emotional levels that most shows, animated or otherwise, wouldn't even dare approach with a ten-foot pole (most exemplified by Jurassic Bark). Special mention must definitely go out to the final episode, The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings, which is one of the series' best episodes (the only flaw being the lack of screen time given to Farnsworth), full of big laughs (Dan Castallaneta's guest role as the Robot Devil is priceless) and a strong emotional climax, capping off with a touching final scene that provides a sense of closure between the love and burgeoning romance of heroes Fry and Leela, while still keeping an open door for future possibilities. Fry, Leela, Bender, Farnsworth, Zapp, Kif, Calculon, Chicken Lawyer, Robot Devil, Morbo; I'm gonna miss you all. No doubt, it's been a great four seasons.

Favorite episodes: The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings, The Farnsworth Parabox, Where No Fan Has Gone Before, Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch