10 Things Futurama Wants You To Forget

Bender and Amy really shouldn't have ever got together.

By Scott Banner /

Despite constant comparisons to the Simpsons, and a life destined to be lived in the shadow of Matt Groening's first major cartoon, Futurama enjoyed a successful run. Airing on and off from 1999 to 2013, first on Fox then Comedy Central, the show earned itself a loyal fan base.

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Following the adventures of Philip J. Fry as a fish out of water initially, the series' stories expanded as Fry found his new family in the Planet Express crew. Characters like Leela, Bender, Zoidberg, Professor Farnsworth and more became essential, loved aspects of the show.

For all its critical acclaim and adoring fans, like anything else on television, it isn't perfect. Basing a show 1000 years in the future opened all kinds of doors in terms of characters and storytelling, but with that came the increased threat of plot holes and contradictions. Not to mention episodes that simply haven't aged well.

While the likes of Family Guy and Rick and Morty often go out of their way to offend or bring shock value to the table, Futurama has never intentionally done this, but it isn't without its controversial moments. From cringe worthy episodes to accidental ret-cons, there are plenty of things the creators of Futurama would prefer you forgot.

10. Robot Santa's Original Voice

There have been dozens of celebrity guests on Futurama throughout the years, and though most of them appear as their own head in a jar, there are some that portray an original character rather than themselves. Emilia Clarke, Coolio, and Sigourney Weaver are just three among these names, as is John Goodman.

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In Season Two's 'Xmas Story', Goodman lends his voice as Robot Santa, the evil metallic version of Saint Nick that judges everyone in the future to be naughty. He is a hilarious character, and was brought back to Futurama three more times in Season Three's 'A Tale of Two Santas', Season Six's 'The Futurama Holiday Spectacular', and 'Bender's Big Score'.

The only problem however, is that John Goodman did not return. The character instead was voiced by John DiMaggio, putting on his best Goodman impression. The producers may have been hoping that no one would notice, but we did.

In fact, in 'A Tale of Two Santas', the Robot Devil also appears, but isn't voiced by the usual Dan Castellaneta. It seems he wasn't available and for just three words they thought they could get away with using Maurice LaMarche instead.

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