Good news, dear readers; Futurama is back…again! The 2024 TV schedule has blessed us fans with what’s considered Season 12, and this past week saw the latest chapter in the lives of the Planet Express gang kick-off! Being able to say that still sounds like a miracle, considering how many times the former Fox series has been canceled over its 25-year history.
So of course, with every new season comes the same question: is Futurama going to end (again) anytime soon? Well, in the interest of tempting fate and good conversation, I asked members of the cast of one of the best animated TV shows how they felt about the matter. Not only did I get an actual answer, but the actors on hand also shared some fond wishes for what should happen in the potential future.
John DiMaggio And David Herman Know The Futur(ama)
I had the absolute honor of representing CinemaBlend for the press days commemorating Futurama Season 12. Through two conversations with some of the actors who make it all fantastic, the subject of counting the seasons actually tied into concerns about whether or not the twice canceled series would be on the chopping block once again.
By no means did I expect my chat with John DiMaggio and David Herman to yield an answer as satisfyingly definitive as they provided. But if you want a concrete answer as to whether Futurama will be sticking around, check out what Mr. DiMaggio had to share with CinemaBlend:
Well, we know … we're doing our third one right now, our third season. And then we have a fourth one after that. So hopefully we continue to do more and more and more, like Dave's indicating with his fingers.
Last November, Futurama was renewed for Seasons 13 and 14, per Variety. Hulu’s 2022 Futurama announcement had Matt Groening and David X. Cohen’s animated baby returning for an initial commitment of 20 episodes; which, if you’re keeping track, confirms that Season 12’s finale “Otherwise” will not be in the path of the Streaming Reaper.
Set to air on September 30, you can kind of see where others who are keeping score would have started to get a bit anxious if this wasn't the case. Especially because some of us fans still carry the scars of watching “Meanwhile,” the Season 10 episode that served as the finale before Comedy Central canceled Futurama.
But with the re-confirmation about Seasons 13 and 14 on the map, we might not have to worry about those sorts of tears again for at least another two years. That didn’t stop David Herman, the voice of numerous staples like Scruffy the Janitor, from being superstitious. Hedging the series’ bets in the name of safety, Herman engaged in the following japery with John DiMaggio and CinemaBlend:
David Herman: I'm scared to say one thing about it, because I know I will, I will jinx it to high heaven. So I…
John Dimaggio: You're not gonna jinx it.
Herman: I'm just gonna say, should I play the other side? Play the other side of like, oh no, we're going away. Yeah, we're gone.
Dimaggio: Totally. We're gone. Right? It's a wrap. It's a wrap.
Herman: It's a wrap. It's a wrap.
If I’m being totally honest, I kind of side with David Herman’s superstition when it comes to Futurama’s potential run. While John DiMaggio says Seasons 3 and 4 are in production as we speak, that doesn’t mean some sort of freak tax write-off can’t come in and crush the dreams of those of us who are digging the new stuff sometime in the future. At the same time, my other chat with members of this comedy gem’s cast provided some further food for thought on just where the story should go.
Billy West And Lauren Tom’s Wishes For The Futur(ama)
It’s a pretty solid bet to say that the entire cast of Futurama is thankful for the continued existence of what’s always been a fan favorite. That much was evident in both groupings of cast members mentioning the phenomenon of “Futurama Sleepers,” a fun name for the multitude of viewers that credit this enduring classic with helping them sleep.
Fellow legacy cast members Lauren Tom and Billy West, who voice Amy Wong and Phillip J. Fry, respectively, tied those feelings in with some thoughts on just how long the series could continue to run. In their chat with CinemaBlend, Tom and West revealed these hopes for what’s to come:
Lauren Tom: Wouldn't this be a miracle and wonderful if, if our show just kept going on and, and these characters got old? I mean, some of 'em are kind of old already, like the professor. But I mean, what would someone who's kind of shallow and into looks and clothes and, and like, just like gig partying, how does a person like that let go of their cuteness overload? Or letting go of all the chips that they can't cash in anymore.
Billy West: The story of life, Lauren. That's the human condition. You get too tired for nonsense.
If Futurama manages to run that long, it’d be pretty spectacular. Which, based on remarks made by Billy West during that conversation, would be for at least another eight years; at least according to his current age of 72. On the plus side, with two more seasons already in the pipeline, the series’ luck would only need to hold out for three more renewals at two years apiece.
This only brings us back around to a question that many fans ask about this beloved source of convention fodder. After 25 years and three major network switches, why does Futurama continue to stick around? To close us out with optimism for the world of tomorrow, here are John DiMaggio's further thoughts on that matter:
The thing is about this show, it's just got staying power. Usually, it's really something to come back after 10 years, you know? And come outta the gate like we never went away. You know what I mean? It's a special group of people. It's a special show. I'm always excited about the stuff that they've written for us to perform. And we got the most over-educated writing staff in Hollywood. They're brilliant. You can't say enough about them, and about the jokes that they write for us. It's a real collaborative effort in that we get to say these words, really enjoy saying them and really help make them shine. It's something, it's a real treat.
Friends, if you’ve made it to this point in the interview, you’re a true fan of Futurama. You might even be a Futurama Sleeper in need of new episodes to watch, before or during your nighttime ritual. Fear not, as Season 12 has debuted, and will be dropping fresh new episodes from now until September 30’s finale. And they said that Hulu subscription wouldn’t pay off!
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