One thing I noticed in the Hulu/Disney Plus revival is that scenes are very fast paced. Like certain punchlines only last a second before it rushes to the next scene. Which is weird, because now it’s on streaming services, runtime shouldn’t be a problem.

I always thought Bender's Big Score actually did a pretty good job with the relationship stuff. It resets Fry and Leela to basically the same place they were at the beginning of any season 4 episode (Devil's Hands included), and addresses why they still aren't together despite all the episode endings that looked like they would be - Fry isn't mature enough for that relationship to be sustainable yet, but he will be eventually, and the episode tells both of them that in no uncertain terms. It would have been a great springboard to either put them in a relationship from that point on and gradually work through the difficulties of knowing they're right for each other but not quite being in sync, or to put Fry on an active path to be more mature and responsible, trying to become a better all around person and finally having a sense of purpose, and get them together definitively at a fixed point not to far ahead.

And then Beast with a Billion Backs opens with the biggest middle finger to Fry and Leela's relationship possible in its first scene, and then lampshades how little of a shit the writers gave in the last scene.

I also was not excited when they announced it was coming back. Futurama is one of the few shows that actually had a good ending. Why put that in Jeopardy just so Hulu can get a few more clicks?

Futurama is the only show I feel has the same magic as Doctor Who. I love both shows and can rewatch them endlessly without diminishing returns.

1:30 not quite accidentally since nibbler blew his chair.

Just curious: I normally skip intros, but I never do that with Futurama for some reason - does anyone else?
Its that theme tune. I've put it on my random listening Spotify playlist and I never do that with TV themes

I've always been a fan of Futurama, and when they said it was bringing it back, I was like, okay, I'm going to give it a watch.

I'm glad you mentioned the slack run time having an effect on the overall quality.  I've felt that getting rid of the strict 22 minute time frame has had a negative effect on comedies and animated shows.  I know the preference is for a piece of art to wholly reflect the artists vision, but I think this is an example of studio interference having a positive effect and ensuring only the best parts are shown.

Weird, I never saw the Devil's Hands episode as resolving anything. It was like many other Fry and Leela episodes. The fact that I didn't realize it was the last episode for a long time since I was just watching the show in reruns probably has something to do with that.

I don’t typically comment on videos but I just wanted to say thank you for making this, you’ve summed up all of my thoughts and feelings about Futurama and the Hulu revival. It means a lot to me that there are other people out there who share my feelings on something I love.

Thank you Stuart. I have the same relationship with Futurama. I recently got Disney+ and started catching up on Futurama of the comedy central era from when I dropped out, I've watched The Late Phillip J Fry, but is still in my continue watching

I was not excited, and every time a new season comes out I don't really care for half the episodes, but they always include something special.

This new season wasn't as sharp as old ones, but it had some good episodes and I liked how it addressed Fry and Lela as a couple

Futurama is easily my favourite TV show of all time. I was an autistic kid who was way too smart and nerdy for his own good, living in one of the most uncertain times in the world, where all the adults were scared of terrorists and wars, and it seemed like bad news everyday. I did not understand the world. I always felt out of place, and my philosophy was mostly “Nearly everyone in the world is either an idiot or a dick”. And then I found Volume 1 of Futurama at a yard sale. And it perfectly reflected how I felt. Nearly everyone who wasn’t a main character was either an idiot or a dick. The world was just as crazy and polarizing, and at the middle of it all, was a young person, albeit older than me, who did not understand the world he was thrust into. And that is why I love it so much.

I remember liking the Comedy Central run, but this latest comeback definitely sucks ass. The thing that really bums me out about it is that it already had such a good ending. It’s kind of like if you won a million dollars in the casino, and then immediately lost it all like an idiot.

Very good video. Agreed with all the points you made.


Except for the decision to use the broadcast order. Seeing Fox-era episodes referred to as "Season 5" always looks wrong to me.  I guess it's because I grew up with the Futurama DVD box-sets which were released in the intended production order.

Never. Ever. Would I have hoped to see a video with such a title from you and that I would even catch it instantly after it's been uploaded.

This video was not what I was expecting. They way you expressed your thoughts and feelings depressed, but in the best way. I could tell this show meant a lot simply because of the phrasing you used throughout invoked such a deep sense of nostalgia for a time since past. As if you were an old man, living alone, thinking fondly, yet forlornly over the life you once lived. You had your ups and downs, but all in all, it was a good life, you just wish it were ending on a better note. But hey, maybe tomorrow will be better than today.

Bender is my favorite character

Aside from "All the way down" being a deftly craft philosophical (and emotional) story that I absolutely loved, I did feel a bit fatigued by this season. I really think it is at its best when the futurastic elements act as a unique veichle for emotional character driven stories. Also yeah the Sting is the best episode hands down. That scene when leela is about to fully succumb to her breakdown before being pulled out of her coma by Fry really affected me when I watched it as a young teenager. It still gets me right in the stomach even today.

I'm in the same boat as you, Futurama was a huge cultural touchstone that I place it next to Looney Tunes, Animaniacs, and Garfield and Friends in terms of directly influencing my sense of humor as an adult.

I remember back in 2008 being cautious but overall excited about Futurama's return. I didn't catch every episode on the day it originally aired, but i was overall satisfied with the the continuation.

And it's been ten years and I still say that no tv show I've watched before or since has had a more satisfying and emotionally resounding finale as Meanwhile...

I don't know about everywhere else, but when it fitst aired the final scene of Meanwhile... dissolved seamlessly into the opening scene of Space Pilot 3000 giving off the sense that the story had come full circle. It's hard for TV shows to have one great series finale but Futurama managed to have two great series finales luke it was nothing.

So you can imagine my shock and dismay to hear that Futurama got revived again on Hulu. And to add insult to injury, John DiMaggio almost didn't return because of payment disputes, so I was really nervous about it returning and was kind of hoping the dispute with John DiMaggio would scuttle rerelaunch.

I haven't kept up with the show after Children of a Lesser Bog but I've more positive than negative.

I hate to say it, but the meta humor has gotten extremely lazy. Which is upsetting because meta humor has always been one Futurama's best qualities. The Comedy Centeal era had this problem as well but to a far, far lesser extent. I'm honestly worried that each time Fururama gets rebooted the writers and actors are going to grow more and more detached from the roles and it's going to go the way of Family Guy after the WGA strike back in 07-08.

I understand why some fans will happily flock back to their favorite shows because of nostalgia, but Futurama has been a very poignant exercise in the law of diminishing returns.

Hopefully after the next season, Futurama doesn't come back for a third on Hulu.