While they may not be as prevalent as live action projects, animated television series and films have come to play an integral role in Hollywood history. From the inception of Disney to the birth of series such as The Simpsons and Family Guy, many animated projects have helped largely in defining popular culture as we know it today and, at least in the case of series like the latter two, continue to survive after decades on the air. Not every animated television series is so lucky though, with some failing to make it past their first season and others seeing a much more marginal run on television that spans a few healthy seasons before being cancelled. But now one of those cancelled projects is set to make a return, with the beloved animated series Futurama set to be revived by streaming giant Hulu in the coming months that is sure to have its plethora of fans beyond elated.
Originally debuting on Fox in 1999, Futurama was a unique series which saw a pizza boy get cryogenically frozen for 1,000 years and awakes in the year 3000. From the mind of Simpsons creator Matt Groening, Futurama comedically explored what life in the future might be like in a way that resonated with the culture of the early 2000’s that it was virtually a guaranteed hit. The first four seasons would air on Fox before the network surprisingly decided to pull the plug on it in 2003, but in 2008 Comedy Central elected to pick the series back up and delivered three more seasons to the pleasure of die hard fans who were sad to see it go in the first place. Then this week, Hulu dropped some very big news: the streaming giant is ready to bring Futurama back just like it never left, with season eight set to officially premiere on July 24th with new episodes releasing every Monday. The season will consist of ten episodes, though Hulu originally ordered 20 episodes in February of 2022 which means a ninth season is likely in the works as well, and the first official teaser for the reboot reposted below features quick snippets of a myriad of memorable Futurama characters that seemingly indicates that no stone will be left unturned in the series’ return. As a big Futurama fan I’m personally very excited to see it return, and I’ll be one of many patiently awaiting its debut this July.
Most of the times when a series is cancelled, it almost never makes a return. The fact that Futurama is set to make a comeback twice though speaks volumes about the series, and die hard fans will likely tell you it should’ve never came off the air in the first place. Futurama is set to make a big comeback, and fans can begin counting down the days until July 24th.
