Futurama has amassed a cult following over the years and even overcome two cancellations. And now, a 20-episode revival of Matt Groening and David X Cohen’s animated sci-fi comedy is on the way, courtesy of Disney Plus and 20th Television Animation.
Original cast members Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr and David Herman are all set to reprise their roles in the new season. Voice acting legend John DiMaggio has now alleviated fans fears that he wouldn’t be returning following a standoff with bosses over pay to announce that he will be back as fan favourite Bender.
Well, that’s the good news folks. The bad news is that the new episodes won’t be hitting the streaming platform until 2023.
Futurama revolves around the life of Philip Fry (voiced by Billy West), a 25-year-old pizza delivery boy who, after tripping and falling into a cryogenic freezer (as you do) in 1999, wakes up 1000 years later with a new bunch of pals including Leela (Katey Sagal), a one-eyed alien and a foul-mouthed robot called Bender.
Craig Erwich, Hulu’s president of originals, has said the revival is both an effort to please fans of the original series with new episodes and part of Hulu’s aim to establish itself as the platform people associate with adult animation.
“This iconic series helped blaze the trail for the success of adult animation since its initial launch, and we look forward to Matt and David continuing to pave the way and further establishing Hulu as the premiere destination for fans of the genre,” Erwich explained.
Futurama returns! New episodes coming to Hulu. pic.twitter.com/xQFAW79VdH
— Hulu (@hulu) February 9, 2022
Futurama was initially cancelled in 2003 after launching in 1999 but, after outrage from fans, the show returned – before getting cancelled again after seven seasons in 2013.
“I’m thrilled to have another chance to think about the future… or really anything other than the present,” said Cohen in a statement.
“It’s a true honour to announce the triumphant return of Futurama one more time before we get canceled abruptly again,” joked Groening.
Read on for everything you need to know about the new season of Futurama.
Futurama revival UK release date speculation
!["Futurama]("https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/3/2017/09/futuramareturning-e1644494396931.jpg?quality=90&crop=4px%2C3px%2C536px%2C357px&resize=536%2C357" "\"Futurama")
Sadly, the Futurama reboot won’t be landing on Hulu until sometime in 2023.
The series will be released on Hulu in the US and internationally, including in the UK, on Disney Plus. You can sign up to Disney Plus for £7.99 a month or £79.90 a year.
Futurama revival cast
Original Futurama cast members Billy West (Fry) and Katey Sagal (Leela) are expected to return for the revival, alongside ensemble characters Tress MacNeille (Mom, many others), Maurice LaMarche (Kif), Lauren Tom (Amy), Phil LaMarr (Hermes), and David Herman (Scruffy).
Voice acting legend John DiMaggio has confirmed that he will be back as fan favourite Bender, after previously citing pay issues as the reason he initially turned down a return to the show. He posted a statement to announce his return on Twitter: “I’M BACK, BABY! So damn grateful for the love and support of fans and colleagues alike during this whole time (especially my wife, Kate), and I cannot wait to get back to work with my Futurama family.
“#Bendergate is officially over, so put it on the back of a shelf behind Xmas decorations, or maybe in that kitchen drawer with all of the other crap you put in there like old unusable crazy glue, or maybe even put it in a jar you save farts in. Whatever floats your boat, I don’t care, you get the picture. I’M BACK, BABY! BITE MY SHINY METAL A**!”
Update: #bendergate pic.twitter.com/tBG7d9hQ3R
— John DiMaggio (@TheJohnDiMaggio) February 16, 2022
Is there a trailer for the new season of Futurama?
No, there isn’t a trailer for the Futurama revival as yet, but watch this space!
Futurama revival plot theories
There’s no word on what the plot will entail as yet.
However, we can look back over Futurama’s last season – the seventh part of the series that aired in 2013 on Comedy Central – to get an idea of what may unfold.
Fans will remember that the series finale saw Fry work up the courage to propose to Leela. Meanwhile, in the lab, Professor Farnsworth invented a new Time Button to allow the user to travel backwards in time by ten seconds.
However, after a series of unfortunate events, Farnsworth’s button had some unwelcome side effects, namely freezing everything in the world except for Fry and Leela. Could the revival pick up from this point, with Fry and Leela wandering aimlessly through New York and Farnsworth trying to reverse the effects of the button? Fans will have to wait and see.
Check out our full TV Guide or visit our Entertainment hub for the latest news.
The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.