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Futurama

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Biography

otherusesInfobox television| show_name = Futurama| format = Animated sitcom | genre = Sitcom
Animation
Science fiction | creator = Matt Groening | developer = Matt Groening
David X. Cohen | voices = Billy West
Katey Sagal
John DiMaggio
Tress MacNeille
Maurice LaMarche
Lauren Tom
Phil LaMarr
David Herman | theme_music_composer = Christopher Tyng | opentheme = "Theme from Futurama"| composer = Christopher Tyng| country = United States| language = English| num_seasons = 7| num_episodes = 136| executive_producer = Matt Groening
David X. Cohen
Ken Keeler
small|co-executive producers:
Patric M. Verrone
Josh Weinstein
Eric Horsted
Michael Rowe
Dan Vebber | producer = Lee Supercinski
Claudia Katz | editor = Paul D. Caulder| runtime = 22 minutes| company = The Curiosity Company
20th Century Fox Television (as 30th Century Fox Television)| distributor = 20th Television (as 30th Television)| network = Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox (1999–2003)
Comedy Central (2008–present)| picture_format = 480i ( 4:3 SDTV ) (season 1–4)
1080i ( 16:9 HDTV ) (season 5–)| audio_format = Dolby Surround (season 1–4)
Dolby Digital 5.1 (season 5–)| first_aired = start date|1999|3|28End date|2003|8|10;
Start date|2008|3|23| last_aired = present| list_episodes = List of Futurama episodes| website = http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/futurama/index.jhtml
Futurama is an United States|American Cartoon series|animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company . The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J. Fry , who, after being unwittingly cryonics|cryogenically frozen for one thousand years, finds employment at Planet Express, an interplanetary delivery company in the Retro-futurism|retro-futuristic 31st century. The series was envisioned by Groening in the late 1990s while working on The Simpsons , later bringing Cohen aboard to develop storylines and characters to pitch the show to Fox.

In the United States, the series aired on Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox from March 28, 1999 to August 10, 2003 before ceasing production. Futurama was then aired in rerun s on Cartoon Network 's Adult Swim from 2003 to 2007, until the network's contract expired. It was revived in 2007 as four direct-to-video films; the last of the four was released in early 2009. Comedy Central entered into an agreement with 20th Century Fox Television to syndicate the existing episodes and air the films as 16 new, half-hour episodes.cite web|url= http://www.rottentomatoes.com/news/1648183/|title=Groening's Bargain to Yield Four Futurama Movies|publisher=Reuters|date= 2007-01-28|accessdate=2008-06-03|first=Fred|last=Topelcite web|last=Wallenstein|first=Andrew|url= http://entertainment.tv.yahoo.com/entnews/va/20060622/115104459800.html|archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20061106224128/ http://entertainment.tv.yahoo.com/entnews/va/20060622/115104459800.html|archivedate=2006-06-11|title="Futurama" gets new life on Comedy Central|publisher=Reuters|date=2006-06-22|accessdate=2008-06-03

In June 2009, producing studio 20th Century Fox announced that Comedy Central had picked up the show for 26 new half-hour episodes, which began airing in 2010 and 2011.cite web|url= http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx? id=7549|title=Comedy Central's 'South Park,' 'Lil' Bush,' More to Return in March|date=08-02-07|accessdate=2008-11-08cite web|title=Things Are Looking Good for Another Season of Futurama|url= http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/02/futurama_renewed.html|work= Vulture |date=2010-02-02|accessdate=2010-02-28|author=Josef Adalian and Vlada Gelman The show has since been renewed for a Futurama (season 7)|seventh season , set to air in 2012 and 2013.cite web|title='Futurama' renewed for two more years!|url= http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/03/24/futurama-renewed/|date=2011-03-24|accessdate=2011-03-24|first=James|last=Hibberdcite web|url= http://www.comedycentral.com/press/press_releases/2011/032811_futurama-renewed-for-26-new-episodes.jhtml|title=COMEDY CENTRAL® RENEWS "FUTURAMA" FOR 26 NEW EPISODES|date=March 29, 2011|accessdate=March 30, 2011

Throughout its run, Futurama has received critical acclaim, culminating in a Guinness World Records|Guinness World Record for "Current Most Critically Acclaimed Animated Series" in 2010.cite web|url= http://pixelatedgeek.com/2010/07/comic-con-futurama-sets-guinness-world-record/|title=Comic Con 2010 Futurama Sets Guinness World Record|last=Abalos|first=Nelson|date=July 25, 2010|work=PixelatedGeek.com|accessdate=4 September 2010 Futurama has also been nominated for 17 Annie Awards and 10 Emmy Awards , winning seven and five, respectively. Futurama has also been nominated four times for a Writers Guild of America Award , winning two for the episodes " Godfellas " and " The Prisoner of Benda ", and nominated for a Nebula Award . The show has also received Environmental Media Award s for " The Problem with Popplers " and " The Futurama Holiday Spectacular ".cite web|url= http://www.ema-online.org/awards/21st-awards/|title=21st Annual Environmental Media Awards|date=October 2011|accessdate=9 April, 2012 Futurama -related merchandise has also been released, including: a tie-in Futurama Comics|comic book series and Futurama (video game)|video game , calendars, clothes, and figurines.

Production


Development


Fox expressed a strong desire in the mid-1990s for Matt Groening to create a new series, and he began conceiving Futurama during this period. In 1996, he enlisted David X. Cohen , then a writer and producer for The Simpsons , to assist in developing the show. The two spent time researching science fiction books, television shows, and films. When they pitched the series to Fox in April 1998, Groening and Cohen had composed many characters and story lines; Groening claimed they had gone "overboard" in their discussions.cite journal |last=Needham |first=Alex |url= http://web.archive.org/web/20000824051707/www.frcr.com/library/the_face1.html |title=Nice Planet...We'll Take It& #33; |journal=The Face |issue=33 |date=October 1999 Groening described trying to get the show on the air as "by far the worst experience of his grown-up life."cite web | title=Matt Groening | work= Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones | url= http://www.motherjones.com/media/1999/03/matt-groening | last=Doherty | first=Brian | date=March /April 1999 | accessdate=January 14, 2007

During that first meeting, Fox ordered thirteen episodes. Immediately after, however, Fox feared the themes of show were not suitable for the network and Groening and Fox executives argued over whether the network would have any creative input into the show.cite news|first=Alex|last=Needham|url= http://web.archive.org/web/20000824051707/www.frcr.com/library/the_face1.html|title=Nice Planet...We'll Take It!|date=October 1999|accessdate=2008-06-03 With The Simpsons the network has no input.cite news |first=Dan|last=Snierson|url= http://web.archive.org/web/20000824042829/www.frcr.com/library/ew_online1.html|title=Space Case|publisher= Entertainment Weekly |date=1999-03-26|accessdate=2008-06-03 Fox were particularly disturbed by the concept of suicide booth s, Zoidberg|Doctor Zoidberg , and Bender (Futurama)|Bender 's anti-social behaviour.cite video|people=Cohen, David X.; Groening, Moore, Rich; Vanzo, Gregg; Horsted, Eric; Haaland, Bret; West, Billy|date=2002|title=Futurama: Volume One DVD commentary for the episode " I, Roommate "|medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox|quote=
Matt Groening: Well, I think that's a good idea– I always wanted to have Bachelor Chow right now and so– this was– Anyway, the network really– really was freaked out by the show, the suicide booths– and lobster creatures and Bender being so anti-social and so– yeah, this was our show to tone things down. This script was written specifically to their specifications.
Groening explains, "When they tried to give me notes on Futurama , I just said: 'No, we're going to do this just the way we did Simpsons .' And they said, 'Well, we don't do business that way anymore.' And I said, 'Oh, well, that's the only way I do business.'"cite web|url= http://web.archive.org/web/20000824051817/www.frcr.com/library/mrshowbiz1.html|title=Groening Bites the Hand that Feeds|publisher=Mr. Showbiz|date=1999-04-08|accessdate=2008-06-03 The episode " I, Roommate " was produced to address Fox's concerns, with the script written to their specifications.cite video|people=Cohen, David X.; Groening, Moore, Rich; Vanzo, Gregg; Horsted, Eric; Haaland, Bret; West, Billy|date=2002|title=Futurama: Volume One DVD commentary for the episode " I, Roommate "|medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox|quote=
Matt Groening: This is the third episode in the series. And this is the series that– had a trouble beginning– with the Fox Network, who felt that the show was too outrageous and too much out of space. This was our attempt, the third episode, to bring the show back to Earth.
Fox strongly disliked the episode, but after negotiations, Groening received the same independence with Futurama .cite video|people=Cohen, David X.; Groening, Moore, Rich; Vanzo, Gregg; Horsted, Eric; Haaland, Bret; West, Billy|date=2002|title=Futurama: Volume One DVD commentary for the episode " I, Roommate "|medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox|quote=
Matt Groening: And their reaction, David? David X. Cohen: "Worst. Episode. Ever." Groening: Yeah, they really– they really hated this script, and — sorry, Eric — and this was the point at which, we decided we wanted to the show that we wanted to do. Their notes made no sense anyway, they're completely contradictory. And so– we did what we wanted.


The name Futurama comes from a pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair . Designed by Norman Bel Geddes , the Futurama (New York World's Fair)|Futurama pavilion depicted how he imagined the world would look in 1959.cite book|last=Taylor|first=Timothy Dean|title=Strange Sounds: Music, Technology & Culture|year=2001|isbn=0-415-93684-5|pages=104–105 Many other titles were considered for the series, including "Aloha, Mars!" and "Doomsville", which Groening notes were "resoundly rejected, by everyone concerned with it".cite video|people=Cohen, David X.; Groening, Moore, Rich; Vanzo, Gregg; DiMaggio, John|date=2002|title=Futurama: Volume One DVD commentary for the episode " Fear of a Bot Planet "|medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox|quote= Groening: The original name for this show was not "Futurama", by the way. There was a long long list of possible names, the only two I remember which were resoundly rejected, by everyone concerned with it; "Doomsville" was my number one choice. And my number two choice — and I don't even know why I thought this was a good idea for a name — somehow, "Aloha, Mars" struck me and that was also not particularly...cite web|url= http://www.ugo.com/tv/futurama-facts-you-never-knew|title=Futurama Facts You Never Knew|last=Fitzpatrick|first=Kevin|date=August 4, 2011|publisher=UGO|accessdate=5 August 2011

It takes approximately six to nine months to produce an episode of Futurama .cite news|first=Dusty|last=Saunders|url= http://web.archive.org/web/20000824051917/www.frcr.com/library/denver1.html|title=Fox's far-out Futurama looks like a hit|publisher= Denver Rocky Mountain News |date=1999-03-25|accessdate=2008-06-03 The long production time results in several episodes being worked on simultaneously.cite web|url= http://web.archive.org/web/20000929144303/frcr.com/library/april6_matt_g_chat.html|title=Online Chat with Matt Groening|publisher= TV Guide |date=1999-04-06|accessdate=2008-06-03

Executive producers


Matt Groening and David X. Cohen have served as executive producers and Showrunner|show runners during the show's entire run, and also function as creative consultants. Ken Keeler became an executive producer for Season 4 and subsequent seasons.

Writing


The planning for each episode begins with a table meeting of writers, who discuss the plot ideas as a group. A single staff writer writes an outline and then produces a script. Once the first draft of a script is finished, the writers and executive producers call in the actors to do a table read. After this script reading, the writers collaborate to rewrite the script as a group before eventually sending it to the animation team.cite web |url= http://www.gotfuturama.com/Information/Articles/DavidInterview/DavidXCohenInterview.dhtml|title=David X Cohen interview with GotFuturama.com|accessdate=2008-06-03 At this point the voice recording is also started and the script is out of the writers' hands.

Voice actors


See also|List of guest stars on Futurama Futurama has eight main cast members. Billy West performs the voices of Philip J. Fry , Hubert J. Farnsworth|Professor Farnsworth , Doctor Zoidberg , Zapp Brannigan and many other incidental characters. West auditioned for "just about every part", landing the roles of the Professor and Doctor Zoidberg.cite web|url= http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/652/652770p1.html|title=IGN Interviews Billy West|author=Ken P.|date=2005-08-22|accessdate=2005-08-22 Although West read for Fry, his friend Charlie Schlatter was given the role of Fry. Due to a casting change, West was called back to audition again and was promptly awarded the role. West claims that the voice of Fry is deliberately modeled on his own, so as to make it difficult for another person to replicate the voice. Doctor Zoidberg's voice is based on Lou Jacobi and George Jessel (actor)|George Jessel . The character of Zapp Brannigan was originally created and intended to be performed by Phil Hartman .cite web|url= http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/06/15/billy-west-the-tv-squad-interview| title=Billy West: The TV Squad Interview| author=Joel Keller|date=2006-06-15| accessdate=2007-10-25 Hartman insisted on auditioning for the role, and "just nailed it" according to Matt Groening . Due to Hartman's death, West was subsequently given the role. West states that his version of Zapp Brannigan is an imitation of Hartman and also "modeled after a couple of big dumb announcers I knew."

Katey Sagal voices exclusively Leela (Futurama)|Leela , and is the only member of the main cast to voice only one character. The role of Leela was originally assigned to Nicole Sullivan . In an interview in June 2010, Sagal remarked that she did not know that another person was to originally voice Leela until many years after the show first began; going on to state that she is still unaware who the original voice actor even is.cite web|url= http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/futurama-rama-welcome-back-to-the-world-of-tomorrow/| title=‘Futurama’-Rama: Welcome Back to the World of Tomorrow| author=Itzkoff, Dave| publisher= The New York Times | date=2010-06-24| accessdate=2010-07-08

John DiMaggio performs the voice of the robot Bender (Futurama)|Bender Bending Rodríguez and other, more minor, characters. Bender was the most difficult character to cast, as the show's creators had not decided what a robot should sound like.cite video| people=Cohen, David X |date=2003|title=Futurama season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Space Pilot 3000"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox DiMaggio originally auditioned for the role of Professor Farnsworth, using the voice he uses to perform Bender, and also auditioned for Bender using a different voice.cite video| people=Dimaggio, John |date=2003|title=Futurama season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Space Pilot 3000"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox DiMaggio describes Bender's voice as a combination of a sloppy drunk, Slim Pickens and a character his college friend created named "Charlie the sausage-lover".

Tress MacNeille voices Mom (Futurama)|Mom and various other characters. Maurice LaMarche voices Kif Kroker and several supporting characters. LaMarche won the Emmy Award for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance|Outstanding Voice-Over Performance in 2011 for his performances as List of recurring Futurama characters#Lrrr|Lrrr and Orson Welles in the episode " Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences ".Cite web|url= http://www.emmys.tv/sites/emmys.com/files/2011CreativeEmmyWinners.pdf|title=2011 Creative Emmy Award Winners|date=September 18, 2011.
Lauren Tom voices Amy Wong , and Phil LaMarr voices Hermes Conrad . David Herman voices Scruffy and various supporting characters. During seasons 1-4, LaMarche is billed as supporting cast and Tom, LaMarr and Herman billed as guest stars, despite appearing in most episodes. LaMarche is promoted to main cast and Tom, LaMarr and Herman to supporting cast in Season 5, and promoted again to main cast in Season 6.

Main cast members
align=center
Billy West Katey Sagal John DiMaggio Tress MacNeille Maurice LaMarche Lauren Tom Phil LaMarr David Herman
Philip J. Fry Leela (Futurama) Bender Bending Rodríguez Mom (Futurama) Kif Kroker , various Amy Wong , various Hermes Conrad , various Scruffy (Futurama)


In addition to the main cast: Frank Welker , who voices Nibbler; Kath Soucie ; and Danny Jacobs (actor)|Danny Jacobs voice supporting and minor characters. Like The Simpsons , many episodes of Futurama feature guest voices from a wide range of professions, including: actors, entertainers, bands, musicians, and scientists. Many guests stars voice supporting characters, although many voice themselves; usually as their own head preserved in a jar. Recurring guest stars include: Dawnn Lewis , Tom Kenny , Phil Hendrie , Dan Castellaneta , Coolio , Al Gore , and Stephen Hawking , among others.

hidden end

Animation


Rough Draft Studios animates Futurama . The studio receives the completed script of an episode and storyboard s it into over 100 drawings. It then creates a pencil-drawn animatic with 1000 frames. Rough Draft's sister studio in South Korea renders the 30,000-frame finished episode.

In addition to traditional cartoon drawing, Rough Draft Studios often uses Computer-generated imagery|CGI for fast or complex shots, such as the movement of spaceships , explosions , nebula , and snow scenes. The opening sequence is entirely rendered in CGI. The CGI is rendered at 24 Frame rate|frames per second (as opposed to hand-drawn often done at 12 frames per second) and the lack of Digital artifact|artifacts makes the animation appear very smooth and fluid. CGI characters look slightly different due to spatially "cheating" hand-drawn characters by drawing slightly out of proportion or off-perspective features to emphasize traits of the face or body, improving legibility of an expression. PowerAnimator is used to draw the comic-like CGI.cite web|url= http://www.peelified.com/Futurama-Forum-1/Topic-520-0-D_Animation_in_Futurama.html|title=Scott Vanzo of Rough Draft Studios e-mail response|accessdate=2001-06-20

The series began high-definition production in Futurama (season 5)|Season 5 , with '' Futurama: Bender's Big Score|Bender's Big Score ''. The opening sequence was re-rendered and scaled to adapt to the show's transition to 16:9 widescreen format.

For the Reincarnation (Futurama)|final episode of Futurama (season 6)|Season 6 , Futurama is completely reanimated in three different styles: the first segment of the episode features black-and-white Fleischer Studios|Fleischer and Walter Lantz style animation, the second is drawn in the style of a Display resolution|low-resolution video game , and the final segment is in a style of Japanese language|Japanese anime .cite web|url= http://tv.yahoo.com/news/article/ustv.associatedcontent.com/ustv.associatedcontent.com-futurama-producer-david-x-cohen-talks-holiday-special|title='Futurama' Producer David X. Cohen Talks Holiday Special|date=2010-11-19|accessdate=2010-11-29

Cancellation and revival


see also|List of Futurama episodesGroening and Cohen wanted Futurama to be shown at 8:30pm on Sunday, following The Simpsons . The Fox network disagreed, opting instead to show two episodes in the Sunday night lineup before moving the show to a regular time slot on Tuesday.cite news |first=Andrew|last=Duncan|url= http://web.archive.org/web/20000824042839/www.frcr.com/library/radio_times1.html|title=Matt Groening Interview with Radio Times|publisher=Radio Times|date=1999-09-24|accessdate=2008-06-03 Beginning with its second broadcast season Futurama was again placed in the 8:30 Sunday spot,cite news |first=Annabelle|last=Villanueva|url= http://web.archive.org/web/20000929143556/frcr.com/library/cinescape1.html|title=Fall TV Preview: Tricks and Treats|publisher=Cinescape|date=September–October 1999|accessdate=2008-06-03 but by mid-season the show was moved again, this time to 7:00& nbsp;p.m. on Sunday, its third position in under a year.cite news |first=Adam|last=Winer|url= http://web.archive.org/web/20000824051659/www.frcr.com/library/ew_online3.html|title=Futurama Shock|publisher= Entertainment Weekly |date=1999-12-09|accessdate=2008-06-03

Even by the fourth season Futurama was still being aired erratically.cite web| url = http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi? id=11499| title = UPDATE UPDATED!& #33; FUTURAMA Thing of the Past? ? Or What? ? | work = Ain't It Cool News | date = February 12, 2002| accessdate=2006-06-14 This was parodied in the opening sequence of the last episode of Season 4 with a picture of Fry, Leela, and Bender captioned "See You On Some Other Channel." Due to being regularly pre-empted by sporting events, it became difficult to predict when new episodes would air. This erratic schedule resulted in Fox not airing several episodes that had been produced for seasons three and four, instead holding them over for a fifth broadcast season. Fox executives were also not supporters of the show.cite web| url= http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2003/03/19/2684/out_of_their_minds| title='Out of their minds': Groening savages TV execs| work= Chortle| date=2003-03-19| accessdate=2009-04-09 Although Futurama was never officially cancelled, midway through the production of the fourth season, Fox decided to stop buying episodes of Futurama , letting it go out of production before the fall 2003 lineup.cite web| url = http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271| archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20031014031053/ http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271| archivedate = 2003-10-14|73838|1|,00.html| title = Fox Says 'No' to 'Futurama'| work = Zap2it| date = February 12, 2002 | accessdate=2008-06-03cite web| url = http://www.gotfuturama.com/Futurama/News/1053009995,66450,/| title = Remeber(sic) Me after my Death!| work = Can't Get Enough Futurama| date = May 15, 2003| accessdate=2008-06-03sic

In 2005, Comedy Central acquired the syndication rights to Futurama .cite web| url = http://www.turnerinfo.com/programinfoitem.aspx? P=CARTOON& CID01=f1f70fce-1735-493e-bdeb-7f2755eb5c8c& CID02=f1f70fce-1735-493e-bdeb-7f2755eb5c8c| archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080102142245/ http://www.turnerinfo.com/programinfoitem.aspx? P=CARTOON& CID01=f1f70fce-1735-493e-bdeb-7f2755eb5c8c& CID02=f1f70fce-1735-493e-bdeb-7f2755eb5c8c| archivedate = 2008-01-02| title = Adult Swim| work = Cartoon Network Pressroom| date = | accessdate=2008-06-03 During the negotiations, Comedy Central discussed the possibility of producing new episodes. In 2006, it was announced that #Films|four straight-to-DVD films would be produced, and later split into 16 episodes comprising a new season.cite interview|last=Katz|first=Claudia|subjectlink=Claudia Katz|interviewer= Evan Jacobs|title=Exclusive Interview: Claudia Katz on Futurama the Movie: Bender's Big Score|url= http://www.movieweb.com/news/NEyTuBCyy6XECD|date=2007-11-16|accessdate=2008-06-03 Since no new Futurama projects were in production at the time of release, the final movie release Into the Wild Green Yonder was designed to stand as the Futurama series finale. However, Groening had expressed a desire to continue the franchise in some form, including as a theatrical film.cite web | url= http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/11/futuramas-anima.html | title=Futurama Animators Roll 20-Sided Die With Bender's Game | last=Wortham | first=Jenna | date=2008-11-04 | publisher=Wired.com | accessdate=2009-02-28 In an interview with CNN , Groening said that "we have a great relationship with Comedy Central and we would love to do more episodes for them, but I don't know... We're having discussions and there is some enthusiasm but I can't tell if it's just me."cite news|url= http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/02/26/matt.groening.futurama/index.html|title=Matt Groening looks to the future|last=Leopold|first=Todd|date=2009-02-26|publisher=CNN.com|accessdate=2009-03-17

In June, 2009, 20th Century Fox announced that Comedy Central had picked up the show for 26 new half-hour episodes that began airing on June 24, 2010.cite web|title=It's official: 'Futurama' is reborn!|url= http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2009/06/its-official-futurama-returns.html|work= Entertainment Weekly |date=2009-06-09|accessdate=2009-06-09|author=Ausiello, Michaelcite web|title='Futurama' Returns to Production with an initial order of 26 New Episodes to Premiere Mid 2010|url= http://www.comedycentral.com/press/press_releases/2009/061009_futurama_returns.jhtml|work=Press Central Comedy Central Press Release|date=2009-06-10|accessdate=2009-06-24|author=cite web|url= http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/993/993144p1.html|publisher=IGN|title=Futurama Return Made Official|author=Goldman, Eric|date=2009-06-09|accessdate=2009-06-10 The returning writing crew was smaller than the original crew.cite news|title='Futurama' returns with new episodes|work= Variety (magazine)|Variety |date=2009-06-09|accessdate=2009-06-14|author=Schneider, Michael|url= http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118004722.html? categoryid=14& cs=1 It was originally announced that main voice actors West, DiMaggio, and Sagal would return as well, but on July 17, 2009, it was announced that a casting notice was posted to replace the entire cast when 20th Century Fox Television would not meet their salary demands.cite news |url= http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118006123.html? categoryid=14& cs=1 |title='Futurama' without original voices? |publisher=Variety |author=Schneider, Michael |date=2009-07-17 |accessdate=2009-07-18 The situation was later resolved, and the entire original voice-cast returned for the new episodes. The dispute had stopped the original actors from appearing on the Futurama panel for Comic-Con 2009, to the disappointment of fans.cite news | url= http://www.avclub.com/articles/comic-con-day-3-cartoon-capers-and-the-ongoing-fut,30860/ | title=Comic con day 3:cartoon capers ect. | publisher=A.V.Club.com | author=Keith Phipps | date=2009-07-29 | accessdate=2009-07-29

Near the end of a message from Maurice LaMarche sent to members of the "Save the Voices of Futurama" group on Facebook, LaMarche announced that the original cast would be returning for the new episodes.cite news | url= http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php? gid=216285555057 | title=Save the Voices of Futurama | date=2009-07-31 | accessdate=2009-07-31 The Toronto Star confirmed, announcing on their website that the original cast of Futurama signed contracts with Fox to return for 26 more episodes.Salem, Rob. http://www.thestar.com/comment/columnists/article/674841 "Futurama cast members ink new deal with Fox", TheStar.com, July 31, 2009 Similarly, an email sent to fans from Cohen and Groening reported that West, Sagal, DiMaggio, LaMarche, MacNeille, Tom, LaMarr, and Herman would all be returning for the revival.cite web | url = http://gizmodo.com/5345037/futurama-returning-with-full-original-cast-after-all | title = Futurama Returning with Full Original Cast After All | first = Adam | last = Frucci | publisher = Gizmodo | date= 2009-08-25 | accessdate = 2009-08-25

Cohen told Newsday in August 2009 that the reported 26-episode order means "it will be up to 26. I can't guarantee it will be 26. But I think there's a pretty good chance it'll be exactly 26. Fox has been a little bit cagey about it, even internally. But nobody's too concerned. We're plunging ahead". Frank Lovece|Lovece, Frank . http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/futurama-finds-a-new-future-on-comedy-central-1.1402526 "'Futurama' finds a new future on Comedy Central", Newsday , August 28, 2009; posted online August 27, 2009 Two episodes were in the process of being voice-recorded at that time, with an additional "six scripts ... in the works, ranging in scale from 'it's a crazy idea that someone's grandmother thought of' to 'it's all on paper'.

When Futurama aired June 24, 2010, on Comedy Central, it helped the network to its highest-rated night in 2010 and its highest-rated Thursday primetime in the network's history.cite web|url= http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100629/tv_nm/us_futurama|title="Futurama" returns with strong ratings|last=Gough|first=Paul J.|date=June 29, 2010|publisher= Yahoo& #33; News |accessdate=1 July 2010|archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20100711180204/ http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100629/tv_nm/us_futurama |archivedate=11 July 2010 The show has since been renewed for a seventh season, consisting of at least 26 episodes, scheduled to air in 2012 and 2013.

In July 2011, it was reported that the show has been picked up for Broadcast syndication|syndication by both The CW Television Network|CW affiliates and WGN America . Broadcast of old episodes began in September 2011.cite web|url= http://blog.sitcomsonline.com/2011/07/wgn-america-fall-2011-schedule-metv.html |title=WGN America Fall 2011 Schedule; MeTV Network Celebrates Lucille Ball's 100th Birthday With 100 Episodes of Lucy Series |publisher=Blog.sitcomsonline.com |date=2011-07-26 |accessdate=2011-08-23 On September 19, 2011, WGN America began re-running Futurama , and now airs the series weeknights at 1:30a ET and 2a ET, and on Saturday nights at 3:30a ET.cite web|url= http://www.wgnamerica.com/shows/futurama |title=Futurama |publisher=wgnamerica |date=2011-10-19 |accessdate=2011-11-01 Futurama has since doubled its viewership in syndication.cite web|url=https://twitter.com/#!/Kitchelfilms/status/164409657446764544|author=Eric Rogers|date=2012-01-31|title=Kitchelfilms|site=w|Twitter|accessdate=2012-01-31

In March 2011, it was announced that Futurama has been renewed for a seventh season, consisting of at least 26 episodes, scheduled to air in 2012 and 2013. The first episode of season 7 is set to premier June 20, 2012 on Comedy Central. http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/futurama Futurama - Series | Comedy Central Official Site | ComedyCentral.com, Comedy Central , accessed March 27, 2012

Due to the uncertain future of the series, there have been three designated series finales. " The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings ", Into the Wild Green Yonder and " Overclockwise " have all been written to serve as a final episode for the show.cite web |url= http://web.archive.org/web/20100907171942/ http://ifmagazine.com/feature.asp? article=3955 |title=Exclusive Interview: 'FUTURAMA' CO-CREATOR DAVID X. COHEN BLOWS OUT THE 100TH EPISODE CANDLE AND TALKS ABOUT THE SEASON SIX FINALE |work=If | date=September 1, 2010 |accessdate=March 19, 2012 | author=Cortez, Carl Archived by Wayback Machine from http://ifmagazine.com/feature.asp? article=3955 the original on September 7, 2010.cite web | url= http://www.ugo.com/tv/futurama-david-x-cohen-interview? page=3 | title=Exclusive: Futurama Creator Spills on Special Last, Last Episode& #33; (Page 3) | work=UGO | date=June 22, 2010 | accessdate=August 25, 2010 | author=Zalben, Alex Comedy Central does not have to make a decision on continuing the series beyond Futurama (season 7)|Season 7 until 2013.cite web|url=https://twitter.com/#!/ERogTweets2Much/status/187628157413756928|author=Eric Rogers|date=2012-04-04|title=ERogTweets2Much|site=Twitter|accessdate=2012-04-05 Fox has announced that they may consider airing Futurama again if the show remains successful on Comedy Central.cite web |url= http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/08/06/more-from-fox-execs-futurama-glee-dollhouse-but-no-more-ki/ |title=More from Fox execs: Futurama, Glee, Dollhouse... but no more King of the Hill - TCA Report |publisher=TV Squad |author=Keller, Joel |quote= Kevin Reilly: It’s going to do its run on Comedy Central first. They really saw continued commercial business on that and fan interest and that’s what led to that order. It’s a good show, we like the show. It’s not out of the question to pick it up on Fox, but we have not committed to picking up that option yet.|date=2009-08-06 |accessdate=2009-08-06

Characters


further2| List of characters in Futurama Futurama is essentially a workplace situation comedy|sitcom , the plot of which revolves around the Planet Express interplanetary delivery company and its employees,cite web |url= http://www.locusmag.com/2004/Reviews/04Cook_Futurama.html |title=Hey, Sexy Mama, Wanna Kill All Humans? : Looking Backwards at Futurama , The Greatest SF Show You've Never Seen |accessdate=2008-07-29 |work= |publisher= Locus Online |date=2004-04-26 |author= Cook, Lucius a small group that largely fails to conform to future society.cite news|url= http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html? res=9800EFD61530F937A15752C0A96F958260& sec=& spon=& pagewanted=2| title=Groening's New World, 1,000 Years From Springfield | author=Gates, Anita| date=1999-01-24| accessdate=2008-06-13| publisher= The New York Times Episodes usually feature the central trio of Fry, Leela, and Bender, though storylines centered on the other main characters are common.
; Philip J. Fry ( Billy West ): Fry is a dim-witted, immature, slovenly, yet good-hearted pizza Delivery (commerce)|delivery boy who falls into a cryogenic pod, causing it to activate and cryonics|freeze him just after midnight on January 1, 2000. He re-awakens on New Year's Eve, 2999, and gets a job as a cargo delivery boy at Planet Express, a company owned by his only living relative, Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth. Fry's love for Leela is a recurring theme throughout the series.
; Leela (Futurama)|Turanga Leela ( Katey Sagal ): Leela is the competent, List of one-eyed creatures|one-eyed captain of the Planet Express Ship . Abandoned as a baby, she grew up in the Cookieville Minimum Security orphanage|Orphanarium believing herself to be an extraterrestrial life|alien from another planet, but learns that she is actually a List of recurring characters in Futurama#Sewer mutants|mutant from the sewers in the episode " Leela's Homeworld ".cite episode| episodelink=Leela's Homeworld| title=Leela's Homeworld| series= Futurama| network= Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox Network | airdate=2002-02-17 | season=4 | number=12 Prior to becoming the ship's captain, Leela worked as a career assignment officer at the cryogenics lab where she first met Fry. She is Fry's primary love interest. Her name is a reference to the Turangalîla-Symphonie by Olivier Messiaen . http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0149460/trivia "Futurama" (1999) - Trivia
; Bender (Futurama)|Bender Bending Rodríguez ( John DiMaggio ): Bender is a profanity|foul-mouthed , Alchoholism|heavy-drinking , cigar-smoking, kleptomania cal, misanthropic, egocentric, ill-tempered robot manufactured by Mom's Friendly Robot Company . He was originally programmed to bend girders for suicide booth s, and is later designated as assistant sales manager and cook, despite lacking a sense of taste. He is Fry's best friend and roommate .
; Hubert J. Farnsworth|Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth ( Billy West ): Professor Hubert Farnsworth, also known simply as "the Professor," is Fry's distant nephew.cite episode |title=A Clone of My Own |episodelink=A Clone of My Own |series=Futurama |network=Fox Network |airdate=2000-04-09 |season=2 |number=10 |minutes=3 Farnsworth founded Planet Express Inc. to fund his work as a mad scientist . Although he is depicted as a brilliant scientist and inventor, at more than one-hundred and sixty years old he is extremely prone to age-related forgetfulness and fits of temper. In the episode "A Clone of My Own," the Professor clones himself to produce a successor, Cubert Farnsworth , whom he treats like a son.
; Doctor Zoidberg|Dr. John A. Zoidberg ( Billy West ): Zoidberg is a lobster -like alien from the planet Decapod 10 , and the neurotic staff physician of Planet Express. Although he claims to be an expert on humans, his knowledge of human anatomy and physiology is woefully inaccurate. Zoidberg's expertise seems to be with extra-terrestrial creatures. He is homeless, penniless, and—despite being depicted as Professor Farnsworth's long-time friend—held in contempt by everyone on the crew, except Fry.
; Amy Wong ( Lauren Tom ): Amy is an incredibly rich, blunt, spoiled, ditzy, and accident-prone long-term intern at Planet Express. She is an engineering student at Mars University and heiress to the western hemisphere of Mars . Born on Mars, she is ethnically Han Chinese|Chinese and is prone to cursing in Yue Chinese|Cantonese and using 31st-century slang . Her parents are the wealthy ranchers List of recurring characters in Futurama#Leo and Inez Wong|Leo and Inez Wong . She is promiscuous in the beginning of the series and eventually enters a monogamous relationship with Kif Kroker . In the show's sixth season, she acquires her doctorate.
; Hermes Conrad ( Phil LaMarr ): Hermes is the Jamaica n accountant of Planet Express. A 36th-level bureaucrat (demoted to level 37 during the series) and proud of it, he is a stickler for regulation and enamored of the tedium of paperwork and bureaucracy. Hermes is also a former champion in Olympic Limbo, a sport derived from the Limbo (dance)|popular party activity . He gave up limbo after the 2980 Olympics when a young fan, imitating him, broke his back and died. Hermes has a wife, LaBarbara Conrad|LaBarbara , and a 12-year-old son, Dwight Conrad|Dwight .
; Zapp Brannigan ( Billy West ): Zapp Brannigan is the incompetent, extraordinarily vain captain of the DOOP starship Nimbus . He is a satirical pastiche of James T. Kirk|Captain Kirk and William Shatner . Although Leela thoroughly detests him, Brannigan—a self-deluded Seduction|lady's man —pursues her relentlessly, often at great personal risk. Brannigan was dishonorably dismissed from the DOOP in Brannigan Begin Again but was reinstated in the same episode. He was originally going to be voiced by Phil Hartman , but Hartman died before production could begin.
; Kif Kroker ( Maurice LaMarche ): Zapp Brannigan's 4th Lieutenant and long-suffering personal assistant, Kif is a member of the amphibious species that inhabits the planet Amphibios 9. Although extremely timid, he eventually works up the courage to date Amy. Kif is often shown sighing in disgust at the nonsensical rantings of his commanding officer.
; Mom (Futurama)|Mom ( Tress MacNeille ): Mom is the malevolent, foul-mouthed, cruel, and narcissistic owner of MomCorp, the thirtieth century's largest shipping and manufacturing company, with a monopoly on robots. In public, she maintains the image of a sweet, kindly old woman by speaking in stereotypically antiquated statements and wearing a mechanical fat suit. She occasionally launches insidious plans for world domination and corporate takeover. She has a romantic history with the Professor which left her bitter and resentful. She has three bumbling sons, Walt, Larry, and Igner (modeled after the Three Stooges ), who do her bidding despite frequent abuse, and often infuriate her with their incompetence. In Bender's Game , it is revealed that Igner's father is Professor Farnsworth.
; Nibbler (Futurama)|Nibbler ( Frank Welker ): Nibbler is Leela's pet Nibblonian, whom she rescued from an imploding planet and adopted early in the series. Despite his deceptively cute exterior, Nibbler is actually a highly intelligent super-being whose race is responsible for maintaining order in the universe. He is revealed in " The Why of Fry " to have been directly responsible for Fry's cryogenic freezing. While the size of an average house cat, his race is capable of devouring much larger animals. He defecation|defecates dark matter , which until '' Bender's Game is used as fuel for space cruisers in the series.

Setting


Futurama is set in New New York at the turn of the 31st century, in a time filled with technological wonders. The city of New New York has been built over the ruins of present-day New York City , referred to as "Old New York." Various devices and architecture are similar to the Googie architecture|Populuxe style. Global warming , inflexible bureaucracy , and substance abuse are a few of the subjects given a 31st-century exaggeration in a world where the problems have become both more extreme and more common. Just as New York has become a more extreme version of itself in the future, other Earth locations are given the same treatment; Los Angeles, for example, is depicted as a smog-filled apocalyptic wasteland.

Numerous technological advances have been made between the present day and the 31st century. The ability to keep heads isolated brain|alive in jars was invented by Ron Popeil (who has a guest cameo in " A Big Piece of Garbage "), which has resulted in many historical figures and current celebrities being present, including Groening himself; this became the writers' device to feature and poke fun at contemporary celebrities in the show. Curiously, several of the preserved heads shown are those of people who were already dead well before the advent of this technology; one of the most prominent examples of this anomaly is frequent Earth president Richard Nixon , who died in 1994. The heads also appear to be in the age that the individual was most famous and not the older age in which they died. The Internet, while being fully immersive and encompassing all senses& nbsp;— even featuring its own digital world (similar to Tron or The Matrix (series)|The Matrix )& nbsp;— is slow and largely consists of pornography , pop-up ad s, and "filthy" (or Filthy Filthy) chat room s. Some of it is edited to include educational material ostensibly for youth. Television is still a primary form of entertainment. Self-aware robots are a common sight, and are the main cause of global warming thanks to their ethanol|alcohol-powered systems. Wheel|The wheel is obsolete (no one but Fry even seems to recognize the design),cite episode | title=Mother's Day | episodelink=Mother's Day (Futurama) | series=Futurama | network=Fox Network | airdate=2000-05-14 | season=2 | number=14 having been forgotten and replaced by Hovercar (fiction)|hover cars and a network of large, clear Pneumatic tube|pneumatic transportation tubes .

Environmentally, common animals still remain, alongside mutated, cross-bred (sometimes with humans) and extraterrestrial animals. Ironically, Spotted Owls are often shown to have replaced rats as common household pests. Although rats still exist, sometimes rat s act like pigeon s. Pigeons still exist, as well. Pine tree s, anchovies and poodle s have been extinct for 800 years. Earth still suffers the effects of greenhouse gases , although in one episode Leela states that its effects have been counteracted by nuclear winter . In another episode, the effects of global warming have been somewhat mitigated by the dropping of a giant ice cube into the ocean, and later by pushing Earth farther away from the sun.

Futurama 's setting is a backdrop, and the writers are not above committing continuity error s if they serve to further the gags. For example, while Space Pilot 3000|the pilot episode implies that the previous Planet Express crew was killed by a space wasp, the later episode " The Sting (Futurama)|The Sting " is based on the crew having been killed by space bees instead. Patric Verrone|Verrone, Patric M (2003), DVD commentary for " The Sting (Futurama)|The Sting ", Futurama . Original air date June 1, 2003. No. 12, Season 4. 20th Century Fox. The "world of tomorrow" setting is used to highlight and lampoon issues of today and to parody the science fiction genre.cite video| people=Cohen, David X |date=2003|title=Futurama season 1 DVD commentary for the episode "Space Pilot 3000"| medium=DVD | publisher=20th Century Fox

Themes


Earth is depicted as being Multiculturalism|multicultural to the extent that a wide range of human, robot, and extraterrestrial beings interact with the primary characters. In some ways the future is depicted as being more socially advanced than Fry's, and therefore the audience's, reality. However, it is often shown to have many of the same types of problems, challenges, mistakes, and prejudices as the present.

Robots make up the largest "minority". Most robots are self-aware and have been granted freedom and self-determination, but while a few are depicted as wealthy members of the upper class, they are often treated as second-class citizens. Likewise, robot–human relationships (termed "robosexual") are stigmatized,cite episode | title=I Dated a Robot | episodelink=I Dated a Robot | series=Futurama | network=Fox Network | airdate=2001-05-13 | season=3 | number=15 and robot–human marriages are initially depicted as illegal.cite episode | title=Proposition 8 | episodelink=Proposition Infinity | series=Futurama | network=Fox Network | airdate=2010-07-08 | season=6 | number=4 Sewer mutants are mutated humans who must live in the sewers by law. They are initially depicted as holding urban legend status and regarded as fictional by most members of the public. This was contradicted by later episodes that depict Earth society as having enforced laws regarding mutants. However, since the conclusion of Season Six, mutants have been granted full status as citizens and are therefore granted the same rights to surface use as normal humans.

Religion is still a prominent part of society, although the dominant religions have evolved. A merging of the major religious groups of the 20th century has resulted in the First Amalgamated Church,cite book |last=Pinsky |first=Mark |title=The Gospel According to the Simpsons. Bigger and possibly even Better& #33; edition |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-664-23265-8 |pages=229–235 while Haitian Vodou|Voodoo is now mainstream. New religions include Oprah Winfrey|Oprahism , Religion in Futurama|Robotology , and the banned religion of Trekkie| Star Trek fandom . Religious figures include List of recurring characters in Futurama#Father Changstein-El-Gamal|Father Changstein-El-Gamal , the List of recurring robot characters from Futurama|Robot Devil , Preacherbot|Reverend Preacherbot , and passing references to the Space Pope, who appears to be a large crocodile -like creature. While very few episodes focus exclusively on religion within the Futurama universe, they do cover a wide variety of subjects including predestination, prayer, the nature of salvation, and religious conversion.

Earth has a World government|unified government headed by the President of Earth. Richard Nixon's head is elected to the position in Season Two, and holds the office in subsequent episodes. Earth's capital is Washington, D.C. , and the flag of Earth is similar in design to the flag of the United States , with the western hemisphere displayed in place of the fifty stars. The show is set mostly in the former United States, and other parts of the world are rarely shown. Citizens of Earth are referred to as "Earthicans," and English language|English is shown to be the primary language of almost every sentient species.

The Democratic Order of Planets (D.O.O.P.) has been compared to both the United Nations and the United Federation of Planets of the Star Trek universe.cite episode | title=Love's Labours Lost in Space | episodelink=Love's Labours Lost in Space | series=Futurama | network=Fox Network | airdate=1999-04-13 | season=1 | number=4 Numerous other galaxy|galaxies have been colonized or have made contact by the year 3000. Mars has been terraforming|terraformed and is home to Mars University, Mars Vegas, and tribes similar to Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans , though they departed upon learning that the "worthless bead" they traded their land for (the Martian surface) was actually a giant diamond worth a fortune, deciding to buy another planet and act like it is sacred.

A derivative of baseball , called blernsball, is played, and the New New York Mets, a laughingstock of the league, still play in Shea Stadium . A New New York Yankees team also exists.

Due to the fact that the world of Fry's time was destroyed, much of the knowledge of history before then was lost. In the 31st century, facts gathered by archaeologists are portrayed as grossly inaccurate. For example, in " The Lesser of Two Evils ", the theme park "Past-O-Rama" presents a history in which 20th-century car factories had "primitive robot" assembly lines in which cars were not assembled by giant robotic welding arms, but by robots dressed like stereotypical cavemen. Another example comes from " The Series Has Landed ", in which knowledge of the Moon Landing has been lost for centuries. As a result, archaeologists came to the conclusion that the idea to go to the moon came from the infamous quote from The Honeymooners .

Hallmarks


Opening sequence


Much like the The Simpsons opening sequence|opening sequence in The Simpsons with its Chalkboard gag|chalkboard , Sax solo gag|sax solo , and couch gag s, Futurama has a distinctive opening sequence featuring minor gags. As the show begins, blue lights fill the screen and the Planet Express ship flies across the screen with the title of the show being spelled out in its wake. Underneath the title is a joke caption such as "Painstakingly drawn in front of a live studio audience." or "When you see the robot: DRINK!"cite news|title=Farewell to the funny future|url= http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-14221036_ITM|author=Azrai, Ahmad|date=2004-10-31|accessdate=2008-01-10 | work=Asia Africa Intelligence Wire After flying through downtown New New York and past various recurring characters, the Planet Express ship crashes into a large screen showing a short clip from a classic cartoon. These have included clips from Looney Tunes shorts, cartoons produced by Max Fleischer , a The Simpsons Shorts|short of The Simpsons from a Tracey Ullman episode,cite web| title='Flickr Slideshow' |url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/nachop/sets/450093/show/ |accessdate=2007 and the show's own opening sequence in " The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings ". Most episodes in Futurama (season 6)|Season 6 use an abridged opening sequence, omitting the brief clip of a classic cartoon. Several episodes begin with a cold opening before the opening sequence, although these scenes do not always correspond with the episode's plot. The opening sequence has been lampooned several times within the show, in episodes including " That's Lobstertainment! ", " The Problem with Popplers ", as " Future-roma " in " The Duh-Vinci Code " and as " Futurella " in " Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences ".

Series director Scott Vanzo has remarked on the difficulty of animating the sequence. It took four to five weeks to fully animate the sequence, and it consists of over 80 levels of Computer animation|3D animation composited together.cite video|people=Cohen, David X.; Groening, Matt; Kelley, Brian; Sheesley, Brian; Moore, Rich; Vanzo, Scott; DiMaggio, John|date=2002|title=Futurama: Volume One DVD commentary for the episode " Love's Labours Lost in Space "|medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox|quote= Scott Vanzo: The final is kinda difficult for us to create, it has over 80 levels of 3D animation that are composited together, a lot of cheats, probably the single biggest scene that we have ever done, or at least we view it as a scene, so... I don't know what else to say. David X. Cohen: How long did it take just to animate that 28 seconds? Vanzo: I think we did it in about four or five weeks, all together. It takes approximately one hour to Rendering (computer graphics)|render a single frame, and each second of the sequence consists of around 30 frames.cite video|people=Cohen, David X.; Groening, Matt; Kelley, Brian; Sheesley, Brian; Moore, Rich; Vanzo, Scott; DiMaggio, John|date=2002|title=Futurama: Volume One DVD commentary for the episode " Love's Labours Lost in Space "|medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox|quote= David X. Cohen : How long does it take — out of curiosity, I don't even the answer to this — how long does it take to render one frame of that kind of degree of computer– 3D computer graphics? Scott Vanzo: We split it into a lot of different levels, because it was taking so long, and that way we can fix things a lot easier. I would say, probably about an hour a frame for that title. Cohen: And 30 frames per second? So that adds up.


'' Futurama: Bender's Big Score|Bender's Big Score has an extended opening sequence, introducing each of the main characters. In Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs|The Beast with a Billion Backs and Futurama: Bender's Game|Bender's Game '' the ship passes through the screen's glass and temporarily becomes part of the environment depicted therein—a pastiche of Disney 's Steamboat Willie and Yellow Submarine (film)|Yellow Submarine respectively—before crashing through the screen glass on the way out. In Into the Wild Green Yonder , a completely different opening sequence involves a trip through a futuristic version of Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas located on Mars . The theme tune is sung by Seth MacFarlane and is different from the standard theme tune. The end of the film incorporates a unique variation of the opening sequence; as the Planet Express ship enters a wormhole, it converts into a pattern of lights similar to the lights that appear in the opening sequence.

The Futurama theme was created by Christopher Tyng . The theme is played on the tubular bell s but is occasionally remixed for use in specific episodes, including a version by the Beastie Boys used for the episode " Hell Is Other Robots ", in which they guest starred. The theme also samples a Amen break|drum break originating from "Amen, Brother" by American soul group The Winstons ; however, the drum break is replaced in Season 6. A remixed rendition of the theme is used in Season 5, which features altered instruments and a lower pitch. Season 6 also uses this remix, but it has been reduced again in pitch and tempo. The theme has been noted for its similarities to Pierre Henry 's Psyché Rock (1967).youtube|AOqfWj0HqNE|PIERRE HENRY - Psyché Rock (Pre Futurama Theme) (HQ)

It was originally intended for the Futurama theme to be remixed in every episode.cite video|people=Cohen, David X.; Groening, Moore, Rich; Vanzo, Gregg; Burns, J. Stewart; Haaland, Bret; West, Billy|date=2002|title=Futurama: Volume One DVD commentary for the episode " Mars University "|medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox|quote=
Matt Groening: This is the remix theme, we were gonna remix the theme every week and then listened to this one and decided never to do it again.
This was first trialled in the opening sequence for " Mars University ", however it was realized upon broadcast that the sound did not transmit well through most television sets and the idea was subsequently abandoned.cite video|people=Cohen, David X.; Groening, Moore, Rich; Vanzo, Gregg; Burns, J. Stewart; Haaland, Bret; West, Billy|date=2002|title=Futurama: Volume One DVD commentary for the episode " Mars University "|medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox|quote=
David X. Cohen: It actually sounds pretty good, if you have a good quality TV stereo system, but it didn't transmit that well on the air. It lost a lot of the dynamic range, so it doesn't sound as good on actual broadcast as we thought it would.
Despite this, Beatboxing|beatbox renditions of the theme performed by Billy West and John DiMaggio are used for the episodes " Bender Should Not Be Allowed on Television " and " Spanish Fry ".

Language


There are three alternative alphabets that appear often in the background of episodes, usually in the forms of graffiti , advertisements, or warning labels. Nearly all messages using alternative scripts transliterate directly into English. The first alphabet consists of abstract characters and is referred to as Alienese, a simple substitution cipher from the Latin alphabet .cite web| url= http://www.omniglot.com/writing/futurama.htm|title=Omniglot|accessdate=2008-06-03 The second alphabet uses a more complex modular arithmetic|modular addition code, where the "next letter is given by the summation of all previous letters plus the current letter."cite episode| episodelink=The Day the Earth Stood Stupid| title=The Day the Earth Stood Stupid| series= Futurama| minutes= Audio Commentary 11 The codes often provide additional jokes for fans dedicated enough to decode the messages. The third language sometimes used is Hebrew . Aside from these alphabets, most of the displayed wording on the show uses the Latin alphabet.

Several English expressions have evolved since the present day. For example, the word Christmas has been replaced with Xmas (pronounced " ex -mas"), and the word wikt:ask|ask with aks (pronounced axe ). According to David X. Cohen it is a running joke that the French language is extinct language|extinct in the Futurama universe (though the culture remains alive), much like Latin is in the present.cite episode |title=Space Pilot 3000 |episodelink=Space Pilot 3000 |series=Futurama |network=Fox Network |airdate=1999-03-28 |season=1 |number=01 |minutes= Audio commentary 20 In the French dubbing of the show, German language|German is used as the extinct language instead.

Humor


Although the series uses a wide range of styles of humor, including self-deprecation , black comedy , off-color humor , slapstick , and surreal humor , its primary source of comedy is its Satire|satirical depiction of everyday life in the future and its parody|parodical comparisons to the present. Matt Groening notes that, from the show's conception, his goal was to make what was, on the surface, a goofy comedy that would have underlying "legitimate literary science fiction concepts."Keller, Joel (January 31, 2007). http://www.tvsquad.com/2007/01/31/matt-groening-talks-about-futuramas-comeback/ Matt Groening talks about Futurama's comeback. TV Squad . Retrieved February 1, 2007. The series contrasted " low culture " and " high culture " comedy; for example, Bender's catchphrase is the insult "Bite my shiny metal buttocks|ass " while his most terrifying nightmare is a vision of the Arabic alphabet#Numerals|number 2 , a joke referencing the binary numeral system (Fry assures him, "there's no such thing as two.").

The series developed a Cult television|cult following partially due to the large number of in-joke s it contains, most of which are aimed at " nerd s." In Audio commentary|commentary on the DVD releases, David X. Cohen points out and sometimes explains his "nerdiest jokes."cite episode | title=Raging Bender | episodelink=Raging Bender | series=Futurama | network=Fox Network | airdate=2000-02-27 | season=2 | number=8 These included mathematical joke s& nbsp;— such as " Loews Cineplex Entertainment|Loew's \aleph_0-plex" ( aleph number|aleph-null -plex) movie theater,& nbsp;— as well as various forms of science humor& nbsp;— for example, Professor Farnsworth, at a racetrack, complains about the use of a Photo finish|quantum finish to decide the winner "No fair& #33; You changed the outcome by measuring it," a reference to the observer effect (physics)|observer effect in quantum mechanics .cite episode | title=The Luck of the Fryrish | episodelink=The Luck of the Fryrish | series=Futurama | network=Fox Network | airdate=2001-03-11 | season=3 | number=4 In the season six episode " Law and Oracle ", Fry and the robot peace officer URL track down a traffic violator who turns out to be Erwin Schrödinger , the 20th century quantum physicist. On the front seat of the car is a box, and when questioned about the contents, Schrödinger replies "A cat, some poison, and a Caesium atom." Fry asks if the cat is alive or dead, and Schrodinger answers "It's a superposition of both states until you open the box and collapse the wave function." The run is a reference to the Schrödinger's cat thought experiment of quantum mechanics . The series makes passing references to quantum chromodynamics (the appearance of Strong interaction|Strong Force -brand glue ),cite episode | title=The 30% Iron Chef | episodelink=The 30% Iron Chef | series=Futurama | network=Fox Network | airdate=2002-04-14 | season=3 | number=22 computer science (two separate books in a closet labeled P = NP problem| P and NP respectively, referring to the possibility that P and NP-complete problem classes are distinct),cite episode | title=Put Your Head on My Shoulders | episodelink=Put Your Head on My Shoulders | series=Futurama | network=Fox Network | airdate=2000-02-13 | season=2 | number=7 electronics (an X-ray& nbsp;— or more accurately, an "F-ray"& nbsp;— of Bender's head reveals a 6502 microprocessor),cite episode | title=Fry and the Slurm Factory | episodelink=Fry and the Slurm Factory | series=Futurama | network=Fox Network | airdate=1999-11-14 | season=1 | number=13 and genetics (a mention of Bender's "robo- or R-NA").cite episode | title=Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles | episodelink=Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles | series=Futurama | network=Fox Network | airdate=2003-03-30 | season=4 | number=9 The show often features subtle references to classic science fiction . These are most often to Star Trek & nbsp;— many soundbites are used in homage & nbsp;— but also include the reference to the origin of the word robot made in the name of the robot-dominated planet Karel Capek|Chapek 9,cite episode | title=Fear of a Bot Planet | episodelink=Fear of a Bot Planet | series=Futurama | network=Fox Network | airdate=1999-04-20 | season=1 | number=5 and the black rectangular monolith labeled "Out of Order" in orbit around Jupiter (a reference to Arthur C. Clarke 's Space Odyssey| Space Odyssey series ).cite episode | title=Put Your Head On My Shoulders | episodelink=Put Your Head on My Shoulders | series=Futurama | network=Fox Network | airdate=1999-04-20 | season=2 | number=10 Bender and Fry sometimes watch a television show called The Scary Door , a humorous pastiche of The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone .cite book| last=Booker| first=M. Keith| title=Drawn to Television: Prime-Time Animation from The Flintstones to Family Guy| pages=115–124

Journalist/critic Frank Lovece in Newsday contrasted the humor tradition of Groening's two series, finding that, " The Simpsons echoes the strains of Irish-American|American-Irish vaudeville humor& nbsp;— the beer-soaked, sneaking-in-late-while-the-wife's-asleep comedy of Edward Harrigan|Harrigan and Hart , McNulty and Murray, the Four Cohans (which, yes, included George M. Cohan|George M. ) and countless others: knockabout yet sentimental, and ultimately about the bonds of blood family. Futurama , conversely, stems from Jewish-American humor, and not just in the obvious archetype of Dr. Zoidberg. From vaudeville to the Catskill Mountains|Catskills to Woody Allen , it's that distinctly rueful humor built to ward away everything from despair to petty annoyance& nbsp;— the 'You gotta do what you gotta do' philosophy that helps the 'Futurama' characters cope in a mega-corporate world where the little guy is essentially powerless". Animation maven Jerry Beck concurred: "I'm Jewish, and I know what you're saying. Fry has that type of humor, Dr. Zoidberg, all the vocal artist Billy West characters. I see it. The bottom line is, the producers are trying to make sure the shows are completely different entities".

Reception, legacy, and achievements


Success


Futurama s 7:00& nbsp;p.m. Sunday timeslot caused the show to often be pre-empted by sports and usually have a later than average season premiere. It also allowed the writers and animators to get ahead of the broadcast schedule so that episodes intended for one season were not aired until the following season. By the beginning of the fourth broadcast season, all the episodes to be aired that season had already been completed and writers were working at least a year in advance.cite web |url= http://www.scifi.com/sfw/interviews/sfw7897.html |title=David X. Cohen boards the Planet Express to find meaning in Futurama |publisher=Sci Fi Weekly|date=December 17, 2001|accessdate=2008-06-03 |work= |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20080610080245/ http://www.scifi.com/sfw/interviews/sfw7897.html |archivedate = June 10, 2008|deadurl=yes

When Futurama debuted in the Fox Sunday night line-up at 8:30& nbsp;p.m. between The Simpsons and The X-Files on March 28, 1999, it managed 19& nbsp;million viewers. Tying for 11th overall in that week's Nielsen ratings .cite news |first=David|last=Bauder|url= http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives? p_product=MWSB& p_theme=mwsb& p_action=search& p_maxdocs=200& p_topdoc=1& p_text_direct-0=0EB82C9405B7CAA1& p_field_direct-0=document_id|title=New animated show `Futurama' may be a score for Fox|publisher= The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |date=1999-04-01|accessdate=2008-06-03 The following week, airing at the same time, Futurama drew 14.2& nbsp;million viewers. The third episode, the first airing on Tuesday, drew 8.85& nbsp;million viewers.cite web |url= http://web.archive.org/web/20000824051808/www.frcr.com/library/dailytv1.html|title=Groening's Gripe|month=April | year=1999|accessdate=2008-06-03 Though its ratings were well below The Simpsons , the first season of Futurama rated higher than competing animated series: King of the Hill , Family Guy , Dilbert (TV series)|Dilbert , South Park , and The PJs .cite news |first=James|last=Sterngold|url= http://web.archive.org/web/20000824051735/www.frcr.com/library/new_york_times1.html|title=Futurama: Bringing an Alien and a Robot to TV Life|publisher=New York Times|date=1999-07-22|accessdate=2008-06-03

When Futurama was effectively canceled in 2003, it had averaged 6.4& nbsp;million viewers for the first half of its fourth broadcast season.cite web|url= http://www.medialifemagazine.com/news2002/feb02/feb11/4_thurs/news7thursday.html|title= Fox puts 'Futurama' order on hold|date=2002-02-14|accessdate=2008-06-03

In late 2002, Cartoon Network acquired exclusive cable syndication rights to Futurama for a reported ten million dollars.cite news| url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-11097857.html| title = Cartoon Network to Air 'Futurama'| work = AP Online | date = September 11, 2002| accessdate = 2012-04-15 In January 2003, the network began airing Futurama episodes as the centerpiece to the expansion of their Adult Swim cartoon block. In October 2005, Comedy Central picked up the cable syndication rights to air Futurama 's 72-episode run at the start of 2008, following the expiration of Cartoon Network's contract. It was cited as the largest and most expensive acquisition in the network's history. It airs every night on Comedy Central and WGN.cite news|author=Dempsey, John |url= http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117931802.html? categoryid=14& cs=1| title="Futurama" in Comedy Central's future via big deal|publisher=Variety|date=October 27, 2005|accessdate=2005-10-27 A Comedy Central teaser trailer announced the return of Futurama March 23, 2008,cite web| url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/news/02021902.shtml| archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20030419181300/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/news/02021902.shtml| archivedate = 2003-04-19| title = Silver screen Simpsons, Futurama facing finish? | work = BBC News |date=2001-01-19|accessdate = 2008-06-03 which was '' Futurama: Bender's Big Score|Bender's Big Score divided into four episodes followed by the other three movies. The series also airs in syndication in many countries around the world.

On June 24, 2010, the season six premiere, " Rebirth (Futurama)|Rebirth ", drew 2.92 million viewers in the 10& nbsp;p.m. timeslot, on Comedy Central.cite web|url= http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/06/25/thursday-cable-ratings-futurama-returns-strong/55378? utm_source=feedburner& utm_medium=feed& utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Tvbythenumbers+%28TVbytheNumbers%29|title=UPDATED Thursday Cable Ratings: Futurama Returns Strong; Plus Burn Notice, Royal Pains, NBA Draft & More|last=Gorman|first=Bill|date=June 25, 2010|accessdate=2010-06-26 The second episode of the sixth season, " In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela ", aired at 10:30& nbsp;p.m., immediately following the season premiere. "In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela" drew 2.78 million viewers. This was the series' premiere on the network, with original episodes—the fifth season had previously aired on the network, but it had originally been released in the form of the four direct-to-video films.

Awards


url=http:/ / www.imdb.com/ title/ tt0149460/ awards Nominations
Annie Awards :
  • Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Television Production
  • * 2000– Brian Sheesley for episode " Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love? "
  • Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Television Production
  • * 2001– John DiMaggio as Bender (Futurama)|Bender for episode " Bendless Love "
  • Outstanding Individual Achievement for Writing in an Animated Television Production
  • * 2001– Ron Weiner for episode " Luck of the Fryish "cite web |url= http://www.annieawards.com/29thannieawardwinners.htm |title= 29th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners |archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20050312140353/ http://www.annieawards.com/29thannieawardwinners.htm |archivedate=2005-03-12
  • Outstanding Directing in an Animated Television Production
  • * 2003– Rich Moore for episode " Roswell That Ends Well "
  • Best Home Entertainment Production
  • * 2008–'' Futurama: Bender's Big Score|Bender's Big Score
  • * 2009– Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs|The Beast with a Billion Backs
  • * 2010– Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder|Into the Wild Green Yonder
  • Emmy Awards :
  • Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation
  • * 2000– Bari Kumar (color stylist) for episode " A Bicyclops Built for Two "
  • * 2001– Rodney Clouden ( storyboard artist ) for episode " Parasites Lost "
  • Outstanding Animated Program
  • * 2002–" Roswell That Ends Well "
  • * 2011–" The Late Philip J. Fry "cite web |url= http://www.emmys.com/nominations/2011/Outstanding%20Animated%20Program |title= Primetime Emmy Awards nominations for 2011 - Outstanding Animated Program
  • Outstanding Voice-Over Performance
  • * 2011– Maurice LaMarche , as Lrrr & Orson Welles for episode " Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences "cite web |url= http://www.emmys.com/nominations/2011/Outstanding%20Voice-Over%20Performance |title= Primetime Emmy Awards nominations for 2011 - Outstanding Voice-Over Performance
  • Environmental Media Awards :
  • Comedy–TV Episodic
  • * 2000–" The Problem with Popplers "
  • * 2011-" The Futurama Holiday Spectacular "
  • Writers Guild of America Award :
  • Animation
  • * 2003– Ken Keeler for episode " Godfellas "
  • * 2011– Ken Keeler for episode " The Prisoner of Benda "
  • Annie Awards :
  • Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Program
  • * 1999–Futurama. The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television
  • Outstanding Individual Achievement for Writing in an Animated Television Production
  • * 1999– Ken Keeler for episode " The Series Has Landed "
  • Outstanding Achievement in a Primetime or Late Night Animated Television Program
  • * 2000–Futurama. The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television
  • Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Television Production
  • * 2000– Susie Dietter for episode " A Bicyclops Built for Two "
  • Outstanding Achievement in a Primetime or Late Night Animated Television Production
  • * 2001–Futurama. The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television
  • Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Production
  • * 2003–Futurama. The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television
  • Outstanding Music in an Animated Television Production
  • * 2004– Ken Keeler for episode " The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings "
  • Outstanding Writing in an Animated Television Production
  • * 2004– Patric Verrone for episode " The Sting (Futurama)|The Sting "
  • * 2011– Michael Rowe ; Futurama. The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television cite web|url= http://slurmed.com/news/2010-12-07/futurama-nominated-for-2-annie-awards-2011 |title=Futurama nominated for 2 Annie Awards 2011 |publisher=Slurmed.com |date=2010-12-07 |accessdate=2011-08-23
  • Best Animated Television Production
  • * 2011– Futurama. The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Television
  • Emmy Awards :
  • Outstanding Animated Program
  • * 1999–" A Big Piece of Garbage "
  • * 2001–" Amazon Women in the Mood "
  • * 2003–" Jurassic Bark "
  • * 2004–" The Sting (Futurama)|The Sting "
  • Outstanding Music and Lyrics
  • * 2004–The song "I Want My Hands Back" for episode "The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings"
  • Nebula Award :
  • Best Script
  • * 2004– David A. Goodman for episode " Where No Fan Has Gone Before "
  • Writers Guild of America Award :
  • Animation
  • * 2004– Patric Verrone for episode " The Sting (Futurama)|The Sting "
  • * 2011– Patric Verrone for episode " Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences "


  • Achievements


    ;The Futurama Theorem

    On August 19, 2010, Comedy Central aired " The Prisoner of Benda ", an episode written by Ken Keeler . To support the plot of this episode, Keeler, a PhD mathematician, penned "The Futurama Theorem", also known as "Keeler's theorem", which establishes (with mathematical proof ) an algorithm for reversing the results of a particular body swap scenario.

    ;Other honors

    In January 2009, IGN named Futurama as the 8th best in the "Top 100 Animated TV Series".cite web|url= http://tv.ign.com/top-100-animated-tv-series/8.html|title=Top 100 Animated TV Series|date=January 2009|publisher=IGN|accessdate=22 March 2010

    At the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International , Guinness World Records presented Futurama with the record for "Current Most Critically Acclaimed Animated Series".cite web|url= http://ccinsider.comedycentral.com/2010/07/24/comedy-central-at-comic-con-day-three-futurama-panel/|title=Comedy Central At Comic-Con: Day Three, Futurama Panel|last=Cordova|first=Gonzalo|date=July 24, 2010|work=Comedy Central Insider|publisher= Comedy Central |accessdate=1 August 2010

    Other media


    Comic books


    Main|Futurama Comics
    First started in November 2000, Futurama Comics is a comic book series published by Bongo Comics based in the Futurama universe.cite news| url= http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives? p_product=NewsLibrary& p_multi=CSGB& d_place=CSGB& p_theme=newslibrary2& p_action=search& p_maxdocs=200& p_topdoc=1& p_text_direct-0=0F34B832C954DA1A& p_field_direct-0=document_id& p_perpage=10& p_sort=YMD_date:D& s_trackval=GooglePM |title=Groening lanches 'Futurama Comics' |date=2000-11-19 |accessdate=2007-07-16 While originally published only in the US, a UK, German and Australian version of the series is also available.Press release (2002-09-25) http://www.gotfuturama.com/Information/Articles/titan.shtml Do you want Fry with that? Titan Publishing . Retrieved from gotfuturama on 2007-03-04 In addition, three issues were published in Norway. Other than a different running order and presentation, the stories are the same in all versions. While the comics focus on the same characters in the Futurama fictional universe , the comics may not be canon (fiction)|canonical as the events portrayed within them do not necessarily have any effect upon the continuity of the show.

    Like the TV series, each comic (except US comic #20) has a caption at the top of the cover. For example: "Made In The USA& #33; (Printed in Canada)." Some of the UK and Australian comics have different captions on the top of their comics (for example, the Australian version of #20 says "A 21st Century Comic Book" across the cover, while the US version does not have a caption on that issue). All series contain a letters page, artwork from readers, and previews of other upcoming Bongo comics.

    Films


    see also|Futurama (season 5)When Comedy Central began negotiating for the rights to air Futurama reruns, Fox suggested that there was a possibility of also creating new episodes. Negotiations were already underway with the possibility of creating two or three straight-to-DVD films. When Comedy Central committed to sixteen new episodes, it was decided that four films would be produced. On April 26, 2006, Groening noted in an interview that co-creator David X. Cohen and numerous writers from the original series would be returning to work on the movies.cite web|url= http://www.avclub.com/articles/matt-groening,13984/|title=Matt Groening|author=Rabin, Nathan|publisher= The A.V. Club |date=2006-04-26|accessdate=2008-06-03 All the original voice actors participated. In February 2007, Groening explained the format of the new stories: "The crew is writing them as movies and then we're going to chop them up, reconfigure them, write new material and try to make them work as separate episodes."cite web|date=2007-02-26|title=Rhymes with Raining|work=Crave Online|url= http://www.craveonline.com/articles/filmtv/04647510/rhymes_with_raining.html|accessdate=2007-03-25

    The first movie, '' Futurama: Bender's Big Score '', was written by Ken Keeler and Cohen, and includes return appearances by the List of recurring characters in Futurama#Nibblonians|Nibblonians , Seymour, Barbados Slim, Robot Santa , Godfellas|the "God" space entity , Al Gore's head|Al Gore , and Zapp Brannigan .cite web|url= http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi? id=24076|title=Ain't It Cool News: "Ben Sinister Has Read The New FUTURAMA 'Movie'!!"|accessdate=2008-06-03 It was animated in widescreen and was released on standard DVD on November 27, 2007, with a possible Blu-ray Disc release to follow.(April 5, 2008). http://www.hdtvtotal.com/module-pagesetter-viewpub-tid-1-pid-1146.html Tales of Interest: The Simpsons and Futurama in high-definition. HDTVTotal.com . A release on HD DVD was rumored but later officially denied. ''Futurama: Bender's Big Score was the first DVD release for which 20th Century Fox implemented measures intended to reduce the total carbon footprint of the production, manufacturing, and distribution processes. Where it was not possible to completely eliminate carbon, output carbon offset s were used, thus making the complete process carbon neutral .cite web|url= http://www.2snaps.tv/9812689|title="Futurama" Feature Length Movie DVD Specs|date=2007-11-14| accessdate=2008-06-03

    The second movie, Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs|The Beast with a Billion Backs , was released on June 24, 2008. The third movie, '' Futurama: Bender's Game|Bender's Game '', was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disccite web|first=Andreas| last=Hornig|date=2008-07-28|accessdate=2008-08-10|url= http://www.hdtvtotal.com/module-pagesetter-viewpub-tid-1-pid-1210.html|title= Futurama's third direct-to-disc movie "Bender's Game" on Blu-ray|publisher=HDTVTotal.com on November 3, 2008 in the UK, November 4, 2008 in the USA, and December 10, 2008 in Australia. The fourth movie, Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder|Into the Wild Green Yonder , was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on February 23, 2009.cite web|url= http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/movies.php? id=1889|title=Into the Wild Green Yonder at Blu-ray.com|publisher=Blu-ray.com|accessdate=2009-02-23

    Video game


    Main|Futurama (video game)On September 15, 2000, Unique Development Studios acquired the license to develop a Futurama video game for consoles and handheld systems. Fox Interactive signed on to publish the game.cite web|url= http://www.gamespot.com/news/2628824.html? q=Futurama|title=Futurama Finds a Developer|accessdate=2006-07-25 Sierra Entertainment later became the game's publisher, and it was released on August 14, 2003.cite web|url= http://www.gamespot.com/news/6025618.html? q=Futurama|title=Sierra to bring Futurama game to the US|accessdate=2008-06-03 Versions are available for PlayStation 2 and Xbox , both of which use cel-shaded animation|cel-shading technology; however, the game was subsequently canceled on the Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance in North America and Europe.cite web|url= http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/gamecube/data/583447.html|title=Futurama Info& nbsp;— Futurama Information& nbsp;— Futurama Release Date|accessdate=2008-06-03

    International broadcast


    Expand section|date=January 2012
    Country / Region Network(s) Aired Notes
    Flagcountry>United StatesFox
    Adult Swim Comedy Central
    Broadcast syndication
    January 1, 2003 – December 31, 2007
    March 23, 2008 – present
    Fall 2011 - present.cite news>title=Breaking News - "Futurama" is Set to Premiere This Fall in Broadcast Syndication ! TheFutonCritic.com
    Fox does not air the series.
    Adult Swim does not air the series. Comedy Central airs new episodes of the series.http:/ / www.comedycentral.com/ shows/ futurama/ index.jhtml
    Began airing weekend syndication, depends in market.
    Flagcountry>United Kingdom Sky1
    Pick TV
    Comedy Central
    present– until 2006
    – present
    Sky1 airs new episodes of the series.http:/ / sky1.sky.com/ sky1hd-shows
    Channel 4 does not air the series.
    Flagcountry>France Canal +
    TPS Cinéfamily
    NRJ12
    March 1, 2000 - September 2003
    September 3, 2003 – present
    September 1, 2007 – present
    Canal + does not air the series.
    TPS Cinéfamily airs new episodes of the series.
    NRJ12 airs new episodes and repeats of the series.
    Flagcountry>ChileCanal 13
    – present Canal 13 airs new episodes of the series and the movies.
    Flagcountry>The NetherlandsComedy Central – presentComedy Central airs new episodes of the series.
    Flagcountry>Ireland 3e - present 3e airs new episodes of the series.
    Flagcountry>Italy Fox (Italy) >Fox January 6, 2000 -
    September 4, 2004 - present
    Fox (Italy) >Fox airs new episodes of the series.
    Flagcountry>ArgentinaFox – presentFox airs new episodes of the series and the movies.
    Flagcountry>Canada Teletoon at Night
    Global Television
    – present
    March 28, 1999 – August 10, 2003
    airs the series .
    Global TV Network
    Flagcountry>Australia Network Ten
    Eleven (TV channel)>Eleven
    1999-2003
    2005-2010
    January 11, 2011 – present
    Eleven airs the series.
    Flagcountry>Mexico Fox PresentFox airs the series in Latin America
    Latin AmericaFox presentFox airs the series in Latin America
    Flagcountry>Germany ProSieben September 28, 2000 – present ProSieben airs the series in Germany .http:/ / www.prosieben.de/ tv/ futurama/
    Flagcountry>Czech Republic Prima COOL April 1, 2009 – present Prima Cool airs the new series
    Flagcountry>Hungary Viasat3
    Viasat6
    November, 2001–Present Viasat6 started airing the series again since May, 2008


    Merchandise


    While relatively uncommon, several action and tin figurines of various characters and items from the show have been made and are being sold by various hobby/online stores. When the show was initially licensed, plans were made with Rocket USA to produce wind-up, walking tin figurines of both Bender and Nibbler with packaging artwork done by the original artists for the series.cite web| url= http://web.archive.org/web/20100128185620/ http://www.space.com/sciencefiction/toyfair_tinworks_000229.html| title=Pushing Tin: Space Toys With Golden-Age Style| author=Janulewicz, Tom| date=2000-02-29| accessdate=2007-07-16 Dead link|date=April 2012|bot=H3llBot The Bender toy included a cigar and bottle of "Olde Fortran Malt Liquor" and featured moving eyes, antenna, and a functioning compartment door; it received an "A" rating from Sci Fi Weekly .cite web| url= http://www.scifi.com/sfw/cool/sfw6707.html| title=Bender: Matt Groening's Futurama inspires a nostalgia for the inventive toys of future past| author=Huxter, Sean| date=2001-03-05| accessdate=2007-07-16|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20071011135728/ http://www.scifi.com/sfw/cool/sfw6707.html |archivedate = October 11, 2007|deadurl=yes A can of Slurm actually contains a deck of cards featuring the Planet Express crew as the face cards. A two-deck pack of cards was also released.

    I-Men released five two-packs of convert|2.5|in|mm|sing=on high figures: Fry and Calculon ; Zoidberg and List of recurring characters in Futurama#Morbo|Morbo ; Professor Farnsworth and List of recurring characters in Futurama#URL|URL ; Robot Devil and Bender; Leela and Roberto (Futurama)|Roberto . Each figure comes with a corresponding collectable coin that can also double as a figure stand.

    The collectible releases include a set of bendable action figures, including Lieutenant Kif Kroker , Turanga Leela, and Bender. There have also been a few figures released by Moore Action Collectibles, including Fry, Turanga Leela, Bender, and the Planet Express ship. In late 2006, Rocket USA brought out a limited edition "super" heavyweight die-cast Bender. Another special edition Bender figure was released at the Comic-Con International|San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) in 2006; the figure was called "Glorious Golden Bender."

    Toynami is producing new Futurama figures.cite web|url= http://www.action-figure.com/index.php? name=News& file=article& sid=19970|title=Futurama SDCC Exclusive and Toy news|accessdate=2008-06-03|archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070929034559/ http://www.action-figure.com/index.php? name=News& file=article& sid=19970 |archivedate = September 29, 2007|deadurl=yes The first series of the Toynami figures is separated into 3 waves: wave one, released in September 2007, featured Fry and Zoidberg; wave two, released in January 2008, consisted of Leela and Zapp (who comes with Richard Nixon's head-in-a-jar); the third wave, released in June 2008, includes Bender and Kif. Each figure comes with a build-a-figure piece to assemble the Robot Devil. The second series of Toynami figures includes Captain Yesterday (A Fry variant from " Less Than Hero ") and Nudar in the first wave. The second wave includes Super-King (Bender from "Less Than Hero") and Calculon , and the third wave includes Clobberella (Leela from "Less Than Hero") and Amy Wong. The figures in series 2 include pieces to build Robot Santa. The third, and current, series of the Toynami line includes Professor Farnsworth (who comes with Nibbler), and Hermes. Wave 2 was released in February 2010 and includes Chef Bender and Mom, who comes with a removable fat-suit. Series 3 figures come with pieces to build Roberto (Futurama)|Roberto . Series 9 will include URL and Wooden Bender (from " Obsoletely Fabulous ") and Series 10 will include List of recurring characters in Futurama#Clamps|Clamps and List of recurring characters in Futurama#Joey Mousepad|Joey Mousepad . Series 11 consists of List of recurring characters in Futurama#The Donbot|The Donbot and Flexo (Futurama)|Flexo . That wave will not have a specific Build A Bot character, planned List of recurring characters in Futurama#Morbo|Morbo . All figures feature multiple points of articulation and character-specific accessories.

    In August 2009 Kidrobot released 3-inch vinyl mini figurines of some of the cast. These are sold in "blind" box form and each comes with an accessory. Probability of receiving each of the characters is printed on the side, with two special mystery characters having unknown probabilities.

    See also


    portal|Futurama|Animation|Comedy|TelevisionWikipedia books|Futurama
  • Life in Hell

  • The Simpsons

  • 1999 in television

  • -

    Notes


    reflist|30em

    External links


  • wiktionary-inline|Appendix:Futurama| Futurama

  • Wikinews-inline|Special:Search/Futurama| Futurama

  • Wikiquote-inline|Futurama| Futurama

  • Commons category-inline|Futurama| Futurama

  • Official website| http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/futurama/index.jhtml

  • IMDb title|id=0149460

  • tv.com|249|Futurama

  • Infosphere:|The Infosphere — a Futurama wiki

  • Wikicities:c:futurama|The Futurama Wiki at Wikia


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