# Matt Groening has faith in the relaunch of Futurama **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 20, 2005, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-groening-has-faith-in-the-relaunch-of-futurama/336407 "2005-12-20T04:43:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-groening-has-faith-in-the-relaunch-of-futurama/336407/1 "2005-12-20T04:43:47Z")
> **[Off the planet](https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/off-the-planet-20051212-gdmm1b.html)** Due to large DVD sales and high popularity on Cartoon Network and in Australia, Groenig & Cohen may relaunch Futurama. > [@Cohen](#): > > “Three months ago, I would have said we were going to start tomorrow,” says writer David X. Cohen, who collaborated with Groening on Futurama. “And one month ago I would also have said we were going to start tomorrow. So …” He pauses. “My current estimate is that we’re starting tomorrow.” I really hope they do. Jim ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-groening-has-faith-in-the-relaunch-of-futurama/336407/2 "2005-12-20T04:53:45Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > [http://www.smh.com.au/news/tv--radio/off-the-planet/2005/12/10/1134086846734.html](http://www.smh.com.au/news/tv--radio/off-the-planet/2005/12/10/1134086846734.html) > Due to large DVD sales and high popularity on Cartoon Network and in Australia, Groenig & Cohen may relaunch Futurama. > > I really hope they do. > Jim Holy Zombie Jesus, i really hope Futurama comes back 🙂 Morbo DEMANDS more Futurama! ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-groening-has-faith-in-the-relaunch-of-futurama/336407/3 "2005-12-20T04:55:10Z")
I think in the next five years, the DVD market is going to be a viable alternative to TV and movies, rather than just a byproduct. If Futurama doesn’t make it back on TV, it might make it as DVD-only entertainment, which could very well net them a healthy income. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-groening-has-faith-in-the-relaunch-of-futurama/336407/4 "2005-12-20T04:56:58Z")
> [@MacTech](#): > > Holy Zombie Jesus, i really hope Futurama comes back 🙂 > > Morbo DEMANDS more Futurama! Robot Devil take them if they don’t. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Khan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3ab097/32.png) [@Khan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-groening-has-faith-in-the-relaunch-of-futurama/336407/5 "2005-12-20T05:09:08Z")
That’s some fertile ground for a discussion there, **GuanoLad**. I wonder what it is about DVDs that makes that possible while it never happened with VHS? I don’t know how much DVDs cost relative to VHS for domestic releases, but I would imagine it has something to do with extra features and the ability to jump around much more easily than with fast forward or rewind. As for Futurama, I find myself conflicted. It’d be nice to have some more to watch, but getting cancelled just forced them to quit while they were ahead. The new Family Guy episodes have been good for the most part, but they’ve been getting unsettlingly self-referential. And with Futurama, the tension between Fry and Leela was getting resolved right there at the end. Do we really want to see that built up more (or fall apart)? Not to be a downer or anything… :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-groening-has-faith-in-the-relaunch-of-futurama/336407/6 "2005-12-20T05:33:23Z")
I have somewhat the same feeling **Khan**. The ending, such as it was, worked well for me. But I’ve also been buying the comic books which have been way to few and far between so I guess I really crave more Futurama. I think I’d rather see them start with a movie. I’d like to see what they can do with 90 minutes or more while there are still storylines that haven’t been touched upon. Then start up the series again. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-groening-has-faith-in-the-relaunch-of-futurama/336407/7 "2005-12-20T05:33:47Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I think in the next five years, the DVD market is going to be a viable alternative to TV and movies, rather than just a byproduct. > > If Futurama doesn’t make it back on TV, it might make it as DVD-only entertainment, which could very well net them a healthy income. Already what’s known as the “back end” of the entertainment industry (i.e. DVDs, merchandizing, etc.) is beginning to drive the “front end.” Several films which didn’t make money at the box office, but have had sucessful DVD sales have inspired theatrical sequels (_The Transporter_ being one). Indeed, now, there’s a war in the board rooms about how long a film should stay in the theaters, because the less time it stays in theaters, the sooner they can start on the DVD sales. Those of you who remember the _Eddie and the Cruisers_ movie, will remember how the film did almost nothing at the box office, but when it hit HBO (or whatever premium cable channel), the ratings took off, and the film was _put back into the theaters_, and then an absolutely hideous sequel was made. _Family Guy_ is the first TV show to be axed, but because of the popularity it had in syndication was brought back in just a short period of time. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-groening-has-faith-in-the-relaunch-of-futurama/336407/8 "2005-12-20T05:37:45Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > …snip… > _Family Guy_ is the first TV show to be axed, but because of the popularity it had in syndication was brought back in just a short period of time. I assume this means you don’t count Star Trek? There have been a few rescued shows over the years. Even Taxi got a reprieve by jumping Networks when ABC canceled them. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-groening-has-faith-in-the-relaunch-of-futurama/336407/9 "2005-12-20T05:41:54Z")
Yes but how many shows have been cancelled, stayed cancelled for 3 years, not shopped around, and THEN picked up by the same network that cancelled them in the first place? I didn’t realise Futurama was doing well here (don’t watch terrestrial TV) but I’m glad it is. I’ve decided that speaks well for the country! ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-groening-has-faith-in-the-relaunch-of-futurama/336407/10 "2005-12-20T05:44:38Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > I assume this means you don’t count Star Trek? > There have been a few rescued shows over the years. > Even Taxi got a reprieve by jumping Networks when ABC canceled them. > > Jim Star Trek doesn’t figure in this, since TAS wasn’t live action like the original, plus, the original crew wasn’t brought back for the later TV series. Taxi’s also different because the show didn’t spend a year or so in syndication before being “revived,” like the original Star Trek, or Buffy, it merely jumped networks. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-groening-has-faith-in-the-relaunch-of-futurama/336407/11 "2005-12-20T05:51:41Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Star Trek doesn’t figure in this, since TAS wasn’t live action like the original, plus, the original crew wasn’t brought back for the later TV series. Taxi’s also different because the show didn’t spend a year or so in syndication before being “revived,” like the original Star Trek, or Buffy, it merely jumped networks. That’s fair, but most of the Original cast did do the [Cartoon (TAS)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069637/) and the movies. It is similar but different. Taxi only lagged for a few weeks and didn’t even start the next season late, so I get your point. Not the same thing, just a stupid network decision. How about BattleStar Galactica coming back after a year as [Galactica 1980](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080221/)? Jim ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-groening-has-faith-in-the-relaunch-of-futurama/336407/12 "2005-12-20T05:56:30Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > How about BattleStar Galactica coming back after a year as [Galactica 1980](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080221/)? > > Jim Again, similar but different. Galactica 1980 was an almost completely retooled show, with most of the cast replaced (and not in a good way). _Family Guy_ hasn’t been retooled, the original cast is all back, as well as most of the original staff. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-groening-has-faith-in-the-relaunch-of-futurama/336407/13 "2005-12-20T05:58:58Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Again, similar but different. Galactica 1980 was an almost completely retooled show, with most of the cast replaced (and not in a good way). _Family Guy_ hasn’t been retooled, the original cast is all back, as well as most of the original staff. Okay, I’ll conceed and just hope that Futurama will soon follow the Family Guy Model. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-groening-has-faith-in-the-relaunch-of-futurama/336407/14 "2005-12-20T06:13:57Z")
This is the best entertainment news I’ve heard in a long, long time. I have to admit when Futurama came out, I liked it, watched the first 5-6 episodes. Then I lost track of things and missed it for awhile. In the back of my mind I knew it was around, knew it was considered pretty good by people with similar tastes to me. Then I turn on Fox one weekend and can’t find it, it seems like the show was only aired once every month or something, with little to no warning of a new episode coming. I honestly thought the show had been cancelled two years before the fact because it was such a hassle to both find Futurama on the lineup AND be lucky enough to catch a new episode. So basically by the time Futurama had been cancelled I’d effectively only seen about 1 season’s worth of episodes. I fell in love with Family Guy ever since it hit the airwaves, and followed it faithfully to Adult Swim and DVD. And since AS has consistently sandwiched Futurama and Family Guy together, I watched more and more Futurama. And a funny thing happened, as the years passed after Family Guy had been cancelled, after repeat viewings, I came to appreciate Futurama as the superior show for several reasons. Firstly Futurama has some really beautiful animation at certain points, and a cool mixing of computer graphics in with traditional animation that worked very well in my opinion. Secondly, while Family Guy at one point made me laugh so much I couldn’t imagine an animated show that could surpass it, after awhile you start to realize a huge portion of FG’s comedy relies on the fact that it comes at you out of nowhere, hits something very taboo, and leaves you in a stupor of shocked laughter. My favorite Family Guy episodes are the ones where the storyline actually gets some notice, but then very sparingly the write’s have dropped in the insane flashbacks or ridiculously over the top moments. In the more recent episodes of Family Guy (and you started to see this some near the end of the original run) it seems like the writers are overusing certain comedic devices and such, which is why I think the show isn’t as funny as it used to be (still great, though.) Family Guy stands on its over the top antics, while Futurama relies on, I guess, more “traditional” humor. Situations that are just funny in and of themselves without need for something over the top like a random fight with a giant chicken or a ludicrous appearance of Optimus Prime at a synagogue. Anyways, Futurama is actually one of the most amazingly consistent cartoon comedies ever. Several major plotlines are obviously developed from day one. For example in the very first episode of Futurama, long before Nibbler was even introduced into the show, you can clearly see a small hand push Fry’s chair backwards, propelling him into the cryogenic freezer. This all ties in with the larger “evil brains” plot arch and Fry’s unique situation in the universe caused by being his own grandfather. That’s why I think Futurama would actually benefit, if not from a full fledged rebirth, at least another season or a short series on DVD. There were a lot of major plot arcs that I think could be seen as unresolved by anyone who watched a good chunk of the show’s episodes. And additionally, and most importantly, all of these plot lines were advancing to what appeared to be some conclusion eventually. The Fry and Leela romance, and Fry’s unique situation in the universe (I think Groening planned another 2 episodes at least based on foreshadowing that Nibbler gives after the second defeat of the flying brains.) ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-groening-has-faith-in-the-relaunch-of-futurama/336407/15 "2005-12-20T06:25:05Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > Okay, I’ll conceed and just hope that Futurama will soon follow the Family Guy Model. AFAIK, everyone involved with _Futurama_ has said that they’d love to come back, and given that it’s voice work, it should be fairly easy for them to schedule it around their other work (I mean, practically every Asian female on Cartoon Network is voiced by Lauren Tom, who also does live action work, so if she can do it. . .). ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-groening-has-faith-in-the-relaunch-of-futurama/336407/16 "2005-12-20T11:58:52Z")
I have all 4 DVD sets, & I see this as great news! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Wash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9dc877/32.png) [@Wash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wash)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-groening-has-faith-in-the-relaunch-of-futurama/336407/17 "2005-12-20T13:14:33Z")
Sweet Llama of the Bahamas! I’d love to see Futurama back on our screens again. Why it was axed, when the ever more bizarre and unfunny Simpsons continues to this day, I’ll never know. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-groening-has-faith-in-the-relaunch-of-futurama/336407/18 "2005-12-20T13:52:12Z")
> [@Wash](#): > > Sweet Llama of the Bahamas! I’d love to see Futurama back on our screens again. Why it was axed, when the ever more bizarre and unfunny Simpsons continues to this day, I’ll never know. Simpsons have a loyal audience and still gets good ratings. Futurama never was left alone long enough to find a niche. It should have been the show following the Simpsons all those years and then Fox would have another Hot Property on its hands. Instead Futurama Jim ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-groening-has-faith-in-the-relaunch-of-futurama/336407/19 "2005-12-20T14:09:25Z")
> [@Wash](#): > > I’d love to see Futurama back on our screens again. Why it was axed, when the ever more bizarre and unfunny Simpsons continues to this day, I’ll never know. Like many great shows canceled pre-maturely, the producers dicked around with it, probably because one or two of them didn’t like it, so therefore they thought no one did (or no one should.) It’s easy to get killer ratings for a show that has millions of loyal fans and has been in the same time slot (which, BTW, is oine of the best timeslots ever) since the mid-90’s. But a show that keeps getting moved around? And when it finally DID have a “permanent” timeslot, it was one of the worst? (7 PM on a Sunday?) And then it was always preempted by baseball in the summer, football in the fall, and about a dozen Fox "“World’s Blankiest Blank” shows, it’s hard to keep a loyal fan base, since they have no idea when it’s going to be on! I will never forgive those bastards over at Fox for killnig Futurama. They are quite possibly the WORST people ever to take a great show too. They have a track record of canceling great shows. I think ther’s just one producer over there who apparantly hates everything that isn’t crappy reality shows, and puts to axe to the good stuff that’s quirky and funny, but he just doesn’t get it. “What? A talking lobster? That makes no sense! No more Futurama!” “What? Coybows in space? That makes no sense! No more Firefly!” “What? Teenagers in college? That makes no sense! No more Undeclared!” ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-groening-has-faith-in-the-relaunch-of-futurama/336407/20 "2005-12-20T14:17:04Z")
I never expected _Futurama_ to come back this way … but I’d always hoped! Well, when it does come back, you can expect me to be glued to my screen sipping my Diet Slurm! Hey, where’s **Hypnotoad**? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matt-groening-has-faith-in-the-relaunch-of-futurama/336407.md?page=2)