10 Things You Learn Rewatching Futurama
When you binge rewatch this comedy classic, does it still stand up to scrutiny?
Futurama is frequently considered one of the greatest shows of the 21st Century, but seeing as it’s set in the 31st Century, is it ahead of its time, or already very dated?
After a rewatch of the entire series, it’s clear that the truth lies somewhere in between. In fact, rewatching Futurama back reveals a lot of things which aren’t immediately obvious on a first watch.
With the 20 year anniversary of Fry, Leela, Bender and the rests debut looming, now feels like a great time to look back on the animated classic and evaluate how well it lives up to today’s standards. With Disenchantment Season Two on the horizon too, Futurama comparisons are sure to come thick and fast.
Futurama is a beloved show, and rewatching it highlights the reasons why as well as potentially pointing out foibles. It’s easy to see why it’s held in such high regard, even if a second watch does bring with it a more critical eye.
It will surely be remembered for a long time to come, possibly even until the real year 3000. But what exactly does a binge rewatch teach us?
10. They Didn’t Utilise The Wider Cast
One of the big things you notice when rewatching the show is that while Futurama had a huge and colourful cast, it didn’t always get the best out of them. Fry, Bender and Leela were pretty much always in the driving seat, occasionally backed up by Zoidberg and the Professor.
Amy & Hermes in particular got the raw end of the deal, but it’s not just inside of Planet Express where things are a little lacking.
Comparisons to The Simpsons are unavoidable with Matt Groening at the helm for both, and New New York just doesn’t have the iconic characters of Springfield. Yes, one’s a metropolis and the other’s a small town, but we always see the same New New York cops, and they’re no Wiggum, or even Lou. Probably better than Eddie though.
There’s definitely great characters still, with Roberto, Hedonismbot and Hyper-Chicken, but rewatching it feels like they could have branched away from the central trio more often.
Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr and David Herman were promoted to starring cast rather than supporting for the Comedy Central series, but that’s four years of classic episodes they were sidelined for.