Comments on: Futurama

Futurama

Protocols of the Elders of Awesome — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 20:56:13 -0800

By: Mikey-San

Mikey-San — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 20:58:08 -0800

Yes, becaused unconfirmed talks of "maybe" bringing it back definitely equals "probably", and the fact that I've seen this report on every other site in the last two days means it must be the best of the Web.

By: Eideteker

Eideteker — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:00:26 -0800

In other news, wishful thinking causes rumour to spread like wildfire.

By: Rothko

Rothko — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:01:52 -0800

Flagged as "unfounded rumour", as "wishful thinking" wasn't available.

By: todbot

todbot — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:02:57 -0800

But it's in Variety so it must be true!

By: Protocols of the Elders of Awesome

Protocols of the Elders of Awesome — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:03:43 -0800

You people have obviously been hurt bad by Hollywood executives in the past. Can't you have a little faith in the system?

By: Afroblanco

Afroblanco — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:04:17 -0800

Wow... I so hope that this turns out to be true. My theory? Now that the Simpsons has become a shadow of its former glory, we're re-discovering the gems that were passed over back when it was funny.

By: fenriq

fenriq — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:04:28 -0800

Can I put in a request for the new version to not have Zoidberg?

By: Protocols of the Elders of Awesome

Protocols of the Elders of Awesome — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:04:44 -0800

My theory: Fox likes money.

By: Astro Zombie

Astro Zombie — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:05:22 -0800

I still have hopes for that Eddie Murphy thing. Remeber that thing? It was, like, claymation and was set in the projects? What the hell was that called?

By: Protocols of the Elders of Awesome

Protocols of the Elders of Awesome — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:06:12 -0800

Triumph of the Will?

By: Rothko

Rothko — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:06:30 -0800

"The PJs"

By: Afroblanco

Afroblanco — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:06:48 -0800

fenriq - Zoidberg must stay! In my mind, the "Zoidberg is a scavenger" theme is one of the best running gags in modern cartoonery. I also like how he is portrayed as being Jewish, despite being a VERY un-kosher form of aquatic life.

By: kalimac

kalimac — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:08:32 -0800

Yes! Someone else remembers (and loves) "The PJs"!

By: Protocols of the Elders of Awesome

Protocols of the Elders of Awesome — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:09:33 -0800

By: Eideteker

Eideteker — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:12:55 -0800

The PJs ruled. "My Beloved Luther Van" came on right after I finally read "A Clockwork Orange." "What on Eartha Kitt?!" And the scene where they build a go kart: "What should we name it?" "Tercel!" "LeBaron!" "Silly kids, you don't give cars people names." Zoidberg should stay, why not? Such a funny character have you ever seen before? You can't beat the way he says "robut." ON PREVIEW: "And I'm his friend, Jesus!"

By: poorlydrawnplato

poorlydrawnplato — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:14:27 -0800

It's a fishing license! And it's mandatory! (I love Futurama.)

By: skallas

skallas — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:14:57 -0800

>Can't you have a little faith in the system? Here's hoping executive beta rolls, "Cancelled sci-fi cartoons."

Network President: "Greetings, gentlemen. You already know my execubots. Executive Alpha, programmed to like things it has seen before." Executive Alpha: "Hey, hey, hey!" Network President: "Executive Beta, programmed to roll dice to determine the fall schedule." Executive Beta: *rolls dice* "More reality shows!" Network President: "And Executive Gamma, programmed to underestimate middle America." Executive Gamma: "It's funny, but is it going to get them off their tractors?"

By: Eideteker

Eideteker — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:16:02 -0800

But honestly, I'm surprised how many people hadn't heard about this. I remember seeing an interview with Matt Groening where he mentioned they were in talks to resurrect Futurama based on DVD sales about a month ago.

By: bobo123

bobo123 — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:21:33 -0800

Probably? Let me know when it's provably coming back.

By: washburn

washburn — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:22:26 -0800

pleasepleasepleaseyes!

By: poorlydrawnplato

poorlydrawnplato — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:25:08 -0800

Mikey-San: "it must be the best of the Web." Please, for your sake and for ours, stop wasting your time with "inferior" threads. If you really want to improve MeFi, flag posts you think are unacceptable and move on. If you want to feel good about yourself by bitching about FPPs, then.... well, keep doing what you're doing. (This would be directed at everyone who feels the urge to post sarcastic remarks on FPPs. Please shut up, you are worse than the posts you criticize.)

By: Jon Mitchell

Jon Mitchell — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:27:12 -0800

I really liked it...but it ended before I'd had a chance to become totally bored with it, and I'd actually rather it wasn't brought back than see it become a hollow played out mockery of its former self....

By: modernist1

modernist1 — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:28:54 -0800

People really liked that show? I thought it was unfunny in the extreme...granted I only watched it a few times when it first started - that was all I could take. And I liked the Simpsons a lot at the time, too.

By: edgeways

edgeways — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:30:48 -0800

ummm but does that apply to your use of sarcasm?

By: amberglow

amberglow — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:34:31 -0800

the last season was totally the best--the devil/holo-opera episode, the bees... it's like they were just hitting their stride.

By: geoff.

geoff. — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:34:35 -0800

Yeah I hated it too, it got better once it stopped the heavy-handed sentimentality. There were some really funny episodes, as long as they stopped trying so hard to make an obvious joke. I remember not even getting into it until I downloaded the episodes and realized it got better towards the end. I hate to say it, but the feel-goodness of the Simpsons is best staying with the Simpsons. It should have relished in the absurdity of the situation instead of trying to show that character x was actually good on the inside.

By: poorlydrawnplato

poorlydrawnplato — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:37:13 -0800

Geoff: "I remember not even getting into it until I downloaded the episodes and realized it got better towards the end." I agree, the end was far better. Futurama became great once the writers realized what the characters were and were not good at portraying. The ending seasons were more humor, less moral. That's a lot of why it was so fun to watch.

By: poorlydrawnplato

poorlydrawnplato — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:38:10 -0800

Of course, there's also something to be said about the characters themselves. By the last seasons they were way more developed.

By: jacquilynne

jacquilynne — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:43:35 -0800

I realize this is tangential, but is there a reason why the article keeps referring to it as a 'skein' instead of a show or a series or a word that makes sense in that context? Is this some showbiz insider term that I'm not privy to?

By: poorlydrawnplato

poorlydrawnplato — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:45:39 -0800

Skein

By: Protocols of the Elders of Awesome

Protocols of the Elders of Awesome — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 21:57:58 -0800

It's nice to see there are still people out there who don't know how annoying Variety is.

By: Afroblanco

Afroblanco — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 22:00:00 -0800

poorlydrawnpotato and geoff - totally agreed about the moralizing and heavy-handed sentamentality. To be honest, I think that even The Simpsons generally falls flat on it's face when attempting to be "feel-good." To my mind, King of the Hill is the only modern cartoon series that successfully manages to appeal to the emotions without being heavy-handed or manipulative. And it's funny to boot.

By: Robot Johnny

Robot Johnny — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 22:05:52 -0800

Sweet Zombie Jesus! (And Protocols of the Elders of Awesome: you totally dropped the ball on not titling this page "Good news, everyone!")

By: justgary

justgary — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 22:11:31 -0800

To my mind, King of the Hill is the only modern cartoon series that successfully manages to appeal to the emotions without being heavy-handed or manipulative. And it's funny to boot. I've never understood how king of the hill stays under the radar among the 'cool kids'. Consistently funny, smart writing. (This would be directed at everyone who feels the urge to post sarcastic remarks on FPPs. Please shut up, you are worse than the posts you criticize.) posted by poorlydrawnplato Check out the balls on you. Been here two months and already giving advice to 30,000 members. Better advice would be to ignore derails (do what i say, not what I do). You're gonna be uncontrollable when you reach 3 months.

By: loquax

loquax — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 22:19:35 -0800

I've never understood how king of the hill stays under the radar among the 'cool kids'. Consistently funny, smart writing. Agreed. And it has the Mike Judge/MTV/B&B/Office Space pedigree.

By: Robot Johnny

Robot Johnny — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 22:22:18 -0800

You can't beat the way he says "robut." That's how my dad says it... cracks me up every time. "Did you know they have ro-bit vacuum cleaners now? Wonders never cease!"

By: amberglow

amberglow — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 22:28:45 -0800

you totally dropped the ball on not titling this page "Good news, everyone!" : >

By: dglynn

dglynn — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 22:34:38 -0800

Adult Swim showed what ended up being the final episode of Futurama the other night, and I loved the little blurb at the beginning of the title sequence; "See you on some other channel" Smart show.

By: jjg

jjg — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 22:45:30 -0800

I've never understood how king of the hill stays under the radar among the 'cool kids'. Consistently funny, smart writing. Yes, but nowhere near enough pop-culture references masquerading as jokes.

By: zerolives

zerolives — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 22:57:29 -0800

King of the hill is a damn fine show. jjg: Eh. I like family guy. Will it stand the test of time? Doubtful. It's not Shakespere, or even Duckman, but it's silly fun.

By: Afroblanco

Afroblanco — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 22:58:19 -0800

Yes, but nowhere near enough pop-culture references masquerading as jokes. Why the hell should I listen to this guy? He though Duckman was funny. Frigging Duckman. That aside, I actually do agree with some of his points about Family Guy. Still doesn't change the fact that I find the show sidesplittingly hilarious.

By: 235w103

235w103 — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 23:04:06 -0800

Why the hell should I listen to this guy? He though Duckman was funny. Hahah, that's my new objection to any sort of new information. "The ice caps are melting? Why the hell should I listen to you? You thought Duckman was funny!" My only hope is that they'll bring back Everybody Loves Hypnotoad. Sure, the 3rd season was the best, but I think that they can get their act together again.

By: scheptech

scheptech — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 23:13:21 -0800

I've never understood how king of the hill stays under the radar among the 'cool kids'. Consistently funny, smart writing. Because the main character is a middle-aged white male, although of course Bobby is the real star. Oh right: here's hoping there's a new Futurama in the Future. And yes: Family Guy, most amusing, and that Lois is hot too...

By: Tullius

Tullius — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 23:15:48 -0800

Fucking. About. Time. Thanks poorlydrawnplato.

By: Scoo

Scoo — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 23:22:31 -0800

The return of Futurama was the first thing that came to mind when I heard that The Family Guy was being resurrected. I think Family Guy sucks, but found the story to be a bellwether of TV execs cluing into to the benefits of the Long Tail phenomenon.

By: gramschmidt

gramschmidt — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 23:24:58 -0800

1) If true, this is phenomenal news. 2) Holy fucking Calculon, I had forgotten how irritating Variety is. 3) For the record, Family Guy is best considered the insecure, obsequious, overzealous little brother of The Simpsons. He tries so hard, but he's just not funny. Family Guy is akin to an interminable sequence of Ralph jokes (told in lazy flashback, no less), and Ralph is by far the worst thing about The Simpsons. /TV culture-wars dip

By: gramschmidt

gramschmidt — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 23:28:47 -0800

Oh, and fenriq is crazy.

By: loquacious

loquacious — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 00:23:05 -0800

Fuck TV. Kill your television. TV makes you stupid and gives you cancer. TV is a brainwashing cult that skull-fucks nuns and shits in your cornflakes while making rude comments about your mother. I fucking hate TV so much I'd stab babies and grandmothers in the face non-stop every day for a year to get rid of it forev... wait! What!!? Did you just say Futurama might be coming back? PRAISE JESUS! HALLALUJAH! THERE IS A GOD! *dances naked*

By: Effigy2000

Effigy2000 — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 00:45:18 -0800

At last! At last I can sit back and shake my head in utter bewilderment as people who claimed to be fans of Futurama denounce the new episodes as "not as funny as the old episodes" as as happened with the return of the still incredibly funny Family Guy. And while they do, I can sit back and enjoy new Futurama. You know... probably.

By: Citizen Premier

Citizen Premier — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 02:17:35 -0800

The thing I really hated about Family Guy was that it started out with an episode where Peter has to do without tv. They didn't even have to establish Peter's character because we already knew this was a cheap ripoff of the Simpsons. But hell, I still laugh at a lot of it. It might not be of value, but it's still pleasurable, a bit like masturbating maybe.

By: kyleg

kyleg — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 02:19:51 -0800

Count me among those who don't want it to come back for fear of tarnishing former glory, but that's only because I haven't made it through all the DVDs. Once I've seen all the episodes, I'll be ready for more of that shiny metal ass. And as a whole, I think I prefer Futurama over the Simpsons and Family Guy. Smarter and more entertaining overall, and it never devolved into a sad mimicry of itself, rehashing the same old jokes. At least there was a good reason for bizarre things to happen in the Futurama universe, unlike the other two. ("Hey, what if they go to Japan and are on a crazy gameshow!" "No, let's send them to Washington D.C. and make snarky, heavy-handed commentary about politics!" "We already did that one this season.")

By: dhartung

dhartung — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 02:22:58 -0800

I'll have to put up my page again about how the Futurama theme is ripped off from the Z soundtrack. Yes, I'm serious. I assume it was unintentional.

By: graventy

graventy — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 02:50:54 -0800

Oh, man, if they crank out more episodes of the quality they were doing towards the end....damn. The one where Bender leaves civilization to join the anti-technology robots? Awesome.

By: TheDonF

TheDonF — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 02:55:06 -0800

I loved the PJs! I thought this Futurama news was old as well. I loved that series - how can anyone want it back without Zoidberg? Some choice Futurama quotes for enjoyment.

By: Protocols of the Elders of Awesome

Protocols of the Elders of Awesome — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 03:23:03 -0800

The thing I really hated about Family Guy was that it started out with an episode where Peter has to do without tv. No it didn't.

By: Cyrano

Cyrano — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 03:26:53 -0800

At last I can sit back and shake my head in utter bewilderment as people who claimed to be fans of Futurama denounce the new episodes as "not as funny as the old episodes" I agree. But I fear this phenomenon is the "Your favorite band sucks" of the TV world.

By: Hands of Manos

Hands of Manos — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 03:59:44 -0800

this is a fact believed by many people

By: Cyrano

Cyrano — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 04:42:21 -0800

I don't wanna go on a RANT here but America's foreign policy makes about as much sense as Beowolf having sex with Robert Fulton at the first Battle of Antetum. I mean when a neo-conservative defenstrates it's like Raskalnakov filibuster dioxymonohydrostinate.

By: Joeforking

Joeforking — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 04:58:23 -0800

I'd love to see the return of Futurama, but for the love of God lose the heads in jars.

By: Gator

Gator — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 05:06:23 -0800

I loved Futurama, but...I think it ended in the right place. True, Fox kept screwing around and changing the schedule and all that other unfaaaaaaair stuff, but the last season, while awesome, started to feel like the show was just about on the edge of starting to become a parody of itself. It ended well, Fry's whole backstory got cleared up with a massive continuity-gasm reaching all the way back to the first episode, the Fry-and-Leela thing looked like it was gonna go somewhere...I mean, I'll watch it if it comes back, and I'm sure I'll love it, but I think it's had its day. I also love Family Guy just as much as I love Futurama. No more, no less. Wrap yer brains around that, hataz!

By: parallax7d

parallax7d — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 05:28:22 -0800

Some of the later seasons of Futurama were really creative and stunning, I hope they can keep the quality up if they come back. I think Family Guy is a cheap show, but it has a good sense of comedic timing - that Futurama sorely lacked at first. I think that's all Family Guy really has, which is enough for most viewers, sadly.

By: Citizen Premier

Citizen Premier — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 05:49:06 -0800

No it didn't. Well, alright, the second one, Mr. Trivia Giant. But it was the first one when the show really got going.

By: Citizen Premier

Citizen Premier — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 05:50:57 -0800

I'd love to see the return of Futurama, but for the love of God lose the heads in jars. They never did explain why all the presidents were available in head form. Chester A. Arthur had access to cryogenic freezing?

By: Gator

Gator — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 05:59:13 -0800

Chester A. Arthur had access to cryogenic freezing? I just best those giant carrots had something to do with it. Remember? When giant carrots roamed the Earth?

By: Gator

Gator — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 05:59:39 -0800

Er, just bet More coffee!

By: parallax7d

parallax7d — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 06:10:28 -0800

The heads in jars were a mixed bag, feeding them like fish is NOT funny, but "Hi, I'm Dick Clarks head" almost made up for it all.

By: XQUZYPHYR

XQUZYPHYR — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 06:20:58 -0800

Why the hell should I listen to this guy? He though Duckman was funny. Frigging Duckman. Screw you. Screw you straight to hell. "This is just the break I needed after a long day of making art and being insane!"

By: XQUZYPHYR

XQUZYPHYR — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 06:30:05 -0800

On a side note, I'm not super optimistic but I'm ready to believe this revival rumor more than I am for a lot of other series', such as Arrested Development and Firefly. Animation has recently been getting a huge surge in recognition from fan base and DVD sales. In addition to the Family Guy ressurection, older studios are suddenly pumping lots of old cartoons into the DVD market (recently, Thundercats, GI Joe, and Danger Mouse) and Disney announced last month that they're renewing one of their kid's shows, Kim Possible, for a fourth season. That's probably not as big a deal here given the demographics of MetaFilter, but for the animation industry, it's enormous- Disney is infamous for what's called "Rule 65" which is their stone-solid declaration that no series, live or animated, goes beyond 65 episodes... this is one of, if not the, first times Disney has broken the rule, which means fan base and DVD sales overrode the higher-ups. I think part of it is that people just want to watch cartoons repeatedly far more than many live-action series. I don't fawn over that many live-action shows, but I buy every Adult Swim show DVD and have watched the episodes over and over again. College students archiving every episode of Family Guy to watch over and over again is why the series was brought back.

By: PinkStainlessTail

PinkStainlessTail — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 06:35:08 -0800

Yes, but what is your opinion of the Capitol Critters cancelation?

By: XQUZYPHYR

XQUZYPHYR — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 06:36:47 -0800

It was shit.

By: Dormant Gorilla

Dormant Gorilla — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 06:41:44 -0800

In the Family Guy straight-to-dvd movie, a reporter says to Stewie "hey, do you know if they're going to bring back Futurama?" and Stewie climbs onto his shoulders and snaps his neck. I'm just sharing. Also...any show with the line "...I'm getting one of those...what do you call them? A headache, with pictures..." is a good show. But Zoidberg should be boiled and eaten.

By: JHarris

JHarris — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 06:42:10 -0800

Metafilter: It's not Shakespere, or even Duckman.

By: Dormant Gorilla

Dormant Gorilla — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 06:48:19 -0800

I miss Freakazoid.

By: Eideteker

Eideteker — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 07:00:19 -0800

Dormant Gorilla : He was, by Leela, in that episode where she kills the professor. Remember? She and Fry end up having sex at the end?

By: you just lost the game

you just lost the game — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 07:08:06 -0800

Wasn't that an episode featuring the "What If? Machine," Eideteker? Meaning it never really "happened"... / Futurama nerd

By: elpapacito

elpapacito — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 07:18:24 -0800

Executive Gamma: "It's funny, but is it going to get them off their tractors?" If by tractor you mean my second Mercedes Benz

By: infidelpants

infidelpants — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 07:24:22 -0800

yjltg: Yeah, that was "Anthology of Interest". I believe that one also had the story which ends with Al Gore, Nichelle Nichols, Deep Blue, Gary Gygax, and Fry trapped in limbo, playing Dungeons & Dragons. "I'm a tenth-level Vice-President!" / Also futurama nerd (Hey, did XQERWEJKG say something about Danger Mouse on DVD? Off to amazon....)

By: the sobsister

the sobsister — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 07:51:37 -0800

a) Bringing back Futurama is meaningless if they continue to schedule it pre-primetime on the East Coast, i.e., subject to constant preemption by the last interminable five minutes of the Jacksonville Jagoffs-Green Bay Turdblossoms game or, even worse, by Howie-Jimmy-Terry-Snoopy-Grumpy's postgame circle-jerk. It drove me batshit when they did it to Futurama during its first go-round. It drove me batshit withen they did it to King of the Hill last season. b) Does this mean I can hope to see a return to Fox of Wonderfalls and Firefly? Huh? Does it? Huh?

By: amberglow

amberglow — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 07:59:36 -0800

i recently discovered Wonderfalls on Logo, sob--excellent show! They have to remember that if they do bring it back, they should use Scootie-Puff Sr. and not Jr. : >

By: Afroblanco

Afroblanco — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 08:05:54 -0800

Frigging Duckman. Screw you. Screw you straight to hell. Dude, get over it. The only funny thing about Duckman was the talking pig character. And even he wasn't all that.

By: Atreides

Atreides — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 08:09:22 -0800

I learned to hate the NFL for its constant intrusion of my precious Futurama. Damn the men in helmets and tight pants, damn them all to robot hell (I feel it'd have a more ironic suffering scheme). I think Futurama exploded into existence as a result of Groening growing tired of the Simpsons. In truth, the Simpson episodes before, during, and for most part, after, the Futurama airing were subpar. They felt tired, like someone straining to write a show the formulaic way it was supposed to be and not really doing a very good job at it either. I've found most of the Futurama episodes enjoyable (own them all ) and the true value of the show is that I've been able to sit and watch the reruns on Cartoon Network repeatedly and still enjoy it. Do I want more episodes? Hell yes. Mind slugs for all who are scared what might come next might be subpar.

By: stifford

stifford — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 08:14:08 -0800

"Things were bad, but now they're good. Forever!" -Zoidberg

By: JHarris

JHarris — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 08:18:28 -0800

I think the thing about the Simpsons is that it's been around so long. I mean, there is such a thing as exhausting the jokespace of a premise. I don't think that's necessarily happened, but the intersection between that jokespace and the creative powers of the writers is necessarily finite. (Reading back over what I just wrote.) Wow. I really am a geek.

By: I Foody

I Foody — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 08:23:36 -0800

Futurama made me laugh. I would be happy if it came back.

By: Dormant Gorilla

Dormant Gorilla — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 08:24:09 -0800

Yeah, Zoidberg did get eaten but not for "real". I'll always love that episode because of the Thing Longer, which is so very close to my own Reaching Dowel. And yup- you can see Wonderfalls on Logo and Trio.

By: concreteforest

concreteforest — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 08:36:24 -0800

[Zapp Brannigan is briefing Fry, Leela, Bender and his crew on his plan to destroy an alien mothership] Captain Zapp Brannigan: If we hit that bullseye, the rest of the dominoes should fall like a house of cards. Checkmate. Captain Zapp Brannigan: Now, like all great plans, my strategy is so simple an idiot could have devised it. On my command all ships will line up and file directly into the alien death cannons, clogging them with wreckage. [Fry raises his hand] Fry: W-Wouldn't it make more sense to send the robots in first a - ? [Bender starts to choke him à la Homer Simpson to Bart in "The Simpsons". His antenna flashes again and he stops choking Fry and salutes] Bender: Sir, I volunteer for a suicide mission. [Bender's antenna stops flashing and he bangs his head with his knuckles] Captain Zapp Brannigan: You're a brave robot, son. But when I'm in command every mission's a suicide mission.

By: jjg

jjg — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 08:46:30 -0800

I'll always love that episode because of the Thing Longer I'm afraid the device you're referring to is the Finglonger.

By: hincandenza

hincandenza — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 08:56:07 -0800

I'd pay good money for a Thing Longer, Trebek! Can't believe some of you are asking for the ouster of Zoidberg- he was bar none the funniest thing about that show!!!

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 08:58:35 -0800

"Dude, get over it. The only funny thing about Duckman was the talking pig character. And even he wasn't all that." Wrong. But why should we listen to you? You like Family Guy, the show for people who aren't funny but want desperately to be.

By: mike9322

mike9322 — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 09:00:19 -0800

Zapp Brannigan is my favorite character in the history of animation. "Call me cocky, but if there's an alien out there I can't kill I haven't met him and killed him yet."

By: Dormant Gorilla

Dormant Gorilla — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 09:35:55 -0800

Noo, it's not Finglonger...is it? I really, really hope it's not, because Thing Longer is the best device name ever.

By: Afroblanco

Afroblanco — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 10:15:22 -0800

You like Family Guy, the show for people who aren't funny but want desperately to be. Wow, obviously I stuck a nerve. Sorry about that. To give Duckman it's fair share, I did like it during its original run. However, I saw it again recently, and for the life of me, I couldn't manufacture a chuckle. Some things just don't age well I guess. I tried watching Dr Katz again, and the squigglevision thing made me dizzy.

By: kurumi

kurumi — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 10:26:23 -0800

I, too, was a Zoidberg hater. He seemed like something a 10-year-old would think up (especially the name). Only redeeming feature was a resemblance to Cthulhu. But he grew on me, once his character was fleshed out. The Harold Zoid episode ("That's Lobstertainment!") was weak, but the other Zoidberg eps have been great. He shines in "A Taste of Freedom" ("Now the rubber band is on the other claw!") Other notable episodes: "Teenage Leela's Mutant Hurdles" (Zoidberg's 10 or so larval stages), "Roswell that Ends Well" ("Are you coming on to me?"), and "Why Must I be a Crustacean in Love" ("Please stand for the Decapodian National Anthem"). I thought the pilot sucked, too, when I first saw it: a big letdown for a SF and Simpsons fan. Bender looked like just a metal Homerbart, Leela was Marge, etc. But that episode had to do the heavy lifting of introducing all these unfamiliar characters. The show seemed to catch its stride pretty quickly.

By: chrominance

chrominance — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 10:30:22 -0800

Two things: Futurama (and Family Guy) are easier to put back on the air than, say, Firefly, because you don't have to rebuild sets, get new costumes and rehire all your actors. Yeah, you'd like to keep the same voice cast together, but animation even makes that problem easier to get around (Meg's been voiced by at least two people, and while it's easy to notice the difference, it's not as jarring as it would be were Family Guy a live-action show). At the end of the day, it's a question of economics; I'll bet Futurama would be a lot cheaper to make per episode than a one-hour live-action drama. Also: posted by you just lost the game at 10:08 AM EST on January 6 [!] DAMMIT

By: quin

quin — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 10:43:13 -0800

/derail amberglow, thanks for the Scootie-Puff Sr. reminder. i keep meaning to get that made as a sticker. Scootie-Puff Sr. -The Doombringer-

By: Smedleyman

Smedleyman — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 10:53:34 -0800

woo hoo!

By: fenriq

fenriq — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 10:55:05 -0800

Duckman had its moment but Jason Alexander (the voice of) is an incredibly annoying person and personality. Not as bad as Zoidberg but damned close. And I think Zapp Brannigan is one of the funniest characters on the show too. Just because he calls himself the "Zapper" after tricking Lela into bed. And tells her she got Zapped. But Zoidberg? No, no thank you. Shticky and dumb humor. But I loved the Nibblonians vs. the Brains episode with the Scootie Puff Jr. and Sr.

By: ruddhist

ruddhist — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 11:15:12 -0800

Is this something I'd need to own a Smell-O-Vision to understand? (great news, hope this happens)

By: gigawhat?

gigawhat? — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 11:48:23 -0800

Is it true that Phil Hartman was originally slated to be the voice of Zapp Brannigan?

By: Carbolic

Carbolic — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 12:00:01 -0800

My favorite: [Fry is trying out the Professors' new invention, the Smelloscope.] Farnsworth: ... And now Saturn. [Fry sniffs.] Fry: Pine needles. Oh, man, this is great! Hey, as long as you don't make me smell Uranus. [He laughs.] Leela: I don't get it. Farnsworth: I'm sorry, Fry, but astronomers renamed Uranus in 2620 to end that stupid joke once and for all. Fry: Oh. What's it called now? Farnsworth: Urectum. (Okay, I'm a 12 year-old trapped in a 45 year-olds body).

By: Ohdemah

Ohdemah — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 12:09:18 -0800

Fry: "I must've really been acting like a jerk." Bender: "Yeah, but everybody's a jerk. You, me, this jerk. That's my philosophy." Awesome.

By: mikrophon

mikrophon — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 13:04:10 -0800

Why, that skein could be some laffer's new tentpole!

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 13:33:53 -0800

Carbolic: That was on last night...

By: Slarty Bartfast

Slarty Bartfast — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 13:56:43 -0800

Hermes, after being served his meal at Elzar's: "Wow, look at all this -- jerked beef, jerked chicken, jerked pork...is there any meat this man can't jerk?" Futurama was Matt Groening's Finnegan's Wake. Setting a cartoon in a future world seemed to free the humor from a lot of constraints. When the Simpsons go to Rio, it's just stupid. I'm really amazed at how smart the writing was, the episodes are still consistently entertaining after the 10th viewing. Fry, after eating truck stop egg salad: "It's like there's a party in my mouth and everyone's throwing up."

By: Mitheral

Mitheral — Mon, 09 Jan 2006 07:44:11 -0800

XQUZYPHYR writes "Disney is infamous for what's called 'Rule 65' which is their stone-solid declaration that no series, live or animated, goes beyond 65 episodes... this is one of, if not the, first times Disney has broken the rule, which means fan base and DVD sales overrode the higher-ups." Hasn't the mickey mouse club been on for forever?