Futurama: "Viva Mars Vegas" (7.12)
When Futurama is parodying a genre, it’s usually a mixed blessing. Its parodies are usually tight and pretty spot-on. The show’s writers almost always know how to make an exciting version of a genre, but that’s because they also stick pretty closely to formula, more intent on parodying the idea than in bringing something really revolutionary to it. In this, Futurama has replaced its forebear The Simpsons as the best spot for these things, playfully poking fun at movies and TV through reasonably good genre parodies that are good for quite a few laughs. But the downside of this is... read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsFuturama: "Near-Death Wish" (7.10)
When it comes to Futurama‘s cast, Bender is the guts, Leela the head and Fry the heart. Of course he’s more complex than that—which is a blessing considering that every successive season of The Simpsons or Family Guy flattens out their characters—but as the show’s gone on he’s transitioned away from being just a cipher for the 20/21st-century audience. It’s no coincidence that Fry’s involved in practically every episode of Futurama that has emotionally significant notes. He may be stupid, but he has real emotions.... read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsFuturama: "Zapp Dingbat" (7.5)
Despite whatever cranks on the internet may claim, The Simpsons’ decline was gradual. A disappointing episode here and there became a bad episode practically every time out, until the show was practically unrecognizable. Even though the show still had ambitious episodes, they never really hit their marks. After a while, it felt like The Simpsons’ writers were just there for a job; the passion was long since missing, and every year the plotlines were worse and worse.... read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsFuturama: "The Bots and the Bees"/"A Farewell to Arms" (7.1 & 7.2)
Matt Groening’s recent announcement that he has ended Life in Hell felt odd for a number of reasons, chief among them that Groening has never seemed like he wants any of his creations to end. The Simpsons looks to outlive us all at this rate, and Life in Hell until recently looked like it would do the same. If anything, the comic was a successful model of how to age an ongoing work well, though, since unlike The Simpsons, Life in Hell successfully transitioned from being primarily an outlet for Groening’s bitter musings into a more tender comic frequently centered... read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsInfographic: Conversations on Character, Billy West's Famous Voices
We spoke with West about five of his most iconic characters and how their voices came to be. read more
Found in: Blogs, 1000 WordsCatching Up With Futurama Voice Actor Billy West
The role of the voice actor is changing. With cinema-established actors and actresses flooding the field, very few voice artisans remain intensely committed to the craft. Billy West is one of them. A self-described musician-turned-voice actor, Billy West has brought some of TV’s most memorable characters to life for more than 20 years.... read more
Found in: TV, FeaturesFuturama Review: "Futurama Holiday Spectacular" (6.13)
In maybe the earliest holiday special ever televised, Futurama was back on the air last night celebrating the three major holidays of the season commonly recognized in our country. As such, rather than a normal episode they decided to split the show into three independent stories in the same manner as a Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episode or, perhaps more relevantly, the Anthology of Interest episodes we saw back before the show’s first cancellation. Of course, anthology episodes, like anthology movies, are notoriously inconsistent and this was certainly the case with “The Futurama Holiday Spectacular,” which had some nice highs... read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsFuturama Review: "Rebirth" 6.1
Good news, everyone! Futurama is back on the, well, not the air exactly, but back to televising new episodes. Not that this should surprise anyone at this point, since the return offered more publicity than the show has ever received in the past, but it’s still a blessing and—if you haven’t figured it out by now—I’ll be covering it weekly.... read more
Found in: TV, ReviewsFuturama Cast Not Returning?
Being a Futurama fan means appreciating some of the smartest satire television has ever had to offer, enjoying consistently funny material that surpasses even its progenitor, oh, and never knowing whether the show you love will make it onto the air again. That latest facet has been an issue for the past six years, and though it seemed like all was in the clear for a new season, it turns out that's not exactly the case.... read more
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