An engaging tv series that elicits laughs and conveys messages of love, trust, and a semblance of real-world circumstances is Futurama. The tv show was created by Matt Groening, the American screenwriter-producer who’s also the creative force of the hit tv series “The Simpsons.” Despite being over though, the Comedy Central page still has lots of Futurama content available here, much is also available on Netflix!
Several endearing characters are introduced in Season 1 Futurama episodes. There’s Philip Fry, who awakens in year 3000 after being cryogenically frozen for a thousand years. There’s also the robot named Bender who becomes his friend, and figures in all sorts of adventures with him. A marvelous one-eyed alien named Leela joins them and serves as captain of the Planet Express ship.
Also part of the irreverent series that can bring endless guffaws to viewers is a mad scientist named Professor Farnsworth. He’s the one who hites Fry, Leela and Bender to run his intergalactic pizza delivery service. He sends the Planet Express delivery crew to suicide missions.
Most things become the butt of joke in the hilarious tv series. In effect, even serious topics like team-building, genetic engineering, and waste disposal are presented in a light but identifiable manner in Futurama episodes.
Indeed, there’s a lot of humour, heart, and relevance in the Futurama storylines. Some situations that are depicted in the tv series also reflect or resemble real-life occurrences. It’s only after a bit of online research that viewers will learn the real-life link.
In one episode entitled “A Big Piece of Garbage” for instance, Professor Farnsworth invents a device, the Smell-O-Scope, that can zoom in on doggie crap in the universe. It turns out a similar intriguing device called the Nasal Ranger Field Olfactometer which is used for odour monitoring was invented in 2011. That episode conveyed that by year 3000, environmentalists’ efforts to create a greener society should’ve finally reaped results. The episode creatively depicts Fry teaching citizens how to counteract a ball of garbage hurtling into space from New York City and heading straight to Earth.
The other inventions made by Professor Farnsworth that were featured in Futurama episodes were the mind switcher, Fing-Longer which allows easy reach of distant objects, the Forwards time machine, the Clone-O-Mat, and the 31st century eyePhone, among others. The latter is an obvious parody of a well-known computer company’s device.
Through the years, Futurama has garnered awards as best animated tv show, voice acting/voice-over performance, plus numerous Emmy nominations. Among the episodes that earned a nomination at the Primetime Emmy Awards for “Outstanding Animation Program” were “A Big Piece of Garbage,” Jurassic Bark,” and “The Tip of the Zoidberg.” Musically-inclined viewers were also quite entertained by episodes like”The Devil’s Hands Are Idle Playthings” which earned an Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Music and Lyrics.” The song entitled “I Want My Hand Back” had huge entertainment value especially for viewers who love musical plays. There are lots of other episodes that got rave reviews and the critics’ nod of approval. Some are humorous, while others were dramatic/moving. One of the interesting episodes that bagged an Emmy award, “Parasites Lost” was so creatively rendered it won for storyboard artist Rodney Clouden the award for “Outstanding Individual in Animation” back in 2001.