The Big Picture
Futurama
Season 12 is a fun mix of comedy and sci-fi that remains entertaining and reliably enjoyable.- The new season features stand-alone episodes with nods to series lore that fans will appreciate.
- Despite some dated real-world references, the show's consistency in writing and voice cast keeps the Planet Express ship flying high.
During the opening sequence of the Futurama Season 12 premiere, the animated series' ever-changing title caption reads simply: "Your TV Friend." And, really, could there be a more accurate summation of the now quarter-century-old series? Its current run on Hulu is the series' fourth incarnation overall, and, though each cancellation and rebirth came with its share of turmoil and distress, Futurama always manages to find its way back to our screens — largely unchanged, endlessly reliable, and ready to make us laugh just like it did when we were all so much younger.
When the series, which focuses on the employees of a galaxy-spanning delivery service in the 31st century, returned last year after taking a full decade off, its arrival came bundled with even more external noise than usual. Some of that was likely due to the extra long sabbatical this go-round, though there's no doubt the very public contract negotiations with John DiMaggio concerning his return as everyone's favorite foul-mouthed robot, Bender, played a part as well. With all of that in the rearview mirror, Season 12's launch admittedly feels more subdued and less of an event. But that's by no means a bad thing, as it allows the show to re-enter public discussion on its own terms as quite possibly the best mash-up of science-fiction and comedy purveyors of pop culture have ever been treated to. Is Futurama as strong a show as it was in its early FOX-years prime? Of course not. But does it continue to age better than pretty much every other animated series that's been around this long, including its more famous sibling, The Simpsons? On that front, let me just quote Professor Farnsworth (Billy West) and say, "Good news, everyone!"
'Futurama' Remains a Deft Mix of Crackling Comedy, Hard Sci-Fi, and Fuzzy Feelings
For the most part, the six episodes of Futurama Season 12 that were provided for review are funny, clever, and occasionally heartfelt — everything you want and expect Futurama to be. (Also, let me pause briefly to say I'm calling it "Season 12" because that's what Hulu wants me to call it. Wikipedia will tell you this is only Season 8. Futurama has been canceled and renewed in so many different forms that people can't even agree on how many seasons there have been.) While I wouldn't call any of these six episodes instant classics, five of them are firmly good installments, with only one — the sixth, which finds Farnsworth giving up science to become a fashion mogul — feeling like it comes from a series with its best days firmly behind it.
As is usually the case with Futurama, the season, which will eventually total 10 episodes released weekly, is full of standalone episodes featuring little connectivity between them. Still, there is some overall series lore being paid attention to here that will make fans happy. For starters, Kif (Maurice LaMarche) and Amy's (Lauren Tom) children from last year are still around! And another dive into Bender's family history at least tries to fit in with what's come before on that front. Still, Futurama is a series that never felt the need to adhere to a rigid continuity, and that doesn't change this season, either.
As usual, the new episodes' stories bounce between real-world commentary and playful interpretations of various sci-fi themes and tropes, often at a breakneck pace. Futurama has always been a little more hit-and-miss on the former of those two targets, mostly because the turn-around on this show isn't nearly as quick as it is on, say, South Park. So, this season, when the writers (led, as always, by executive producer David X. Cohen) put their spin on NFTs or the disastrous Fyre Festival, the jokes do feel like they might be a bit past their expiration date. A Squid Game spoof fares much better, though, likely because that show is rooted in the type of dystopian, high-concept science fiction that Futurama has always relished parodying. Season 12 isn't afraid to get silly, either, at one point turning Bender into a matador who faces off in an arena against enraged Buggalos, the series' overgrown, Martian bugs.
The main cast of characters is still used to good effect. Bender, stuck-in-the-future Fry (West), and one-eyed pilot Leela (Katey Sagal) remain the primary players in these episodes, with plenty of good stuff around the edges for, not just Farnsworth, but also Amy, Hermes (Phil LaMarr), and, my personal favorite, Zoidberg (West). (Yes, I cackled mightily when the ship's resident crustacean doctor enthusiastically dropped the non sequitur: "We ate bologna and got a disease!") Futurama also has a ridiculously deep supporting bench, and while there's not much Zapp Brannigan or Kif in the six episodes I watched, the series does make time for some deeper-cut characters, including Lrrr and NdNd, LaBarbara, Hedonismbot, and, maybe most surprisingly, Harlem Globetrotter Ethan "Bubblegame" Tate, who makes multiple appearances here. Meanwhile, the show's usual roster of voice-cast all-stars (DiMaggio, West, Sagal, etc.) is joined this season by guest stars such as Cara Delevingne, Danny Trejo, Tim Gunn, and Bill Nye.
With 'Futurama,' Behind-the-Scenes Continuity Is Key
Unlike last season, when the show's latest resurrection and new home were key points of self-referencing humor, Futurama doesn't spend much time commenting on itself this time around. One of those title captions does read "Who Keeps Cancelling Us?" and there is an in-universe TV commercial for "Fulu Premium" in Episode 4 ("The same old shows for an exciting new price!") that shows Futurama isn't afraid to bite the hand that feeds it. But, past that, Cohen and company seem content to focus on cranking out new episodes that could stand proudly among the old ones. A quick glance at the writing staff confirms that the people scripting Futurama now are largely the people who have always scripted it. Cohen co-wrote an episode. Eric Horsted and Patrick Veronne have been around since the very first season. Bill Odenkirk's first credit was in Season 2. David A. Goodman and Kristin Gore in Season 4. All of their names appear in the writing credits for this season.
That kind of consistency — with the writers, with the voice cast, with Cohen and creator Matt Groening's stewardship — has allowed Futurama to survive its various deaths and rebirths with its soul intact. Heck, the occasional time off has probably helped as well, with its writers being able to recharge their batteries during the periods when the show has gone dark. (The Simpsons staff writers can only shake their fists, Homer Simpson-style, at that notion.) One assumes that served the show well heading into its first two Hulu seasons and hopefully beyond, as well, as the streamer has already renewed Futurama for an additional two seasons past this one. For the first time in a long time, fans don't have to worry about the Planet Express ship suddenly being docked. It seems our "TV Friend" won't be abandoning us again any time soon. If the quality stays at the level of these last two seasons, that's good news, indeed.
Futurama
- Futurama remains as reliable as ever, with a new batch of episodes that are consistently entertaining.
- Season 12 splits its time pretty evenly among the core characters and finds fun ways to tap into the show's deep cast of supporting players.
- Some of the show's real-world satirical targets feel a bit dated at this point.
Futurama Season 12 debuts July 29 on Hulu with new episodes releasing weekly.
Watch on Hulu
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