15 Best Futurama Episodes

Airing 170 episodes over seven seasons - the first four airing on Fox, the final three over on Comedy Central - Futurama was created by Matt Groening and David X. Cohen, who were both enjoying the unrivalled success of The Simpsons when they pitched the comedic space opera in 1999.

Taking place in the 31st century, the series debuted as an instant hit, thanks in equal measure to its gigantic scope, increasingly bizarre but endearing characters, witty social commentary, and over-the-top homages and spoofs of the sci-fi genre.

Through the adventures of Fry, Leela, Bender and the rest of the wildly dysfunctional Planet Express crew, Futurama gave audiences numerous brilliant episodes - most of which are devastatingly funny, several of which are just plain devastating, and all of which show off the series' ability to be at once a crass adult animation and an emotionally charged slice of drama.

So, from catastrophic bee stings to time-bending mind-melters, and alien invasions to confrontations with God, here are the 15 best Futurama episodes of all time.

This article will contain spoilers.

After learning that the original Star Trek series have been banned from audiences since a cataclysmic war caused by the series' biggest fans, Fry enlists the help of Leela, Bender and Leonard Nimoy to travel to a forbidden planet to retrieve the show's lost tapes.

On the hidden planet, the group find the original cast being ruled over by an obsessive and powerful fan, who the Planet Express crew attempt to destroy.

Featuring guest spots from almost the entire original Star Trek cast and packed with hilarious fan service, ingenious spoofs and wonderfully funny self-awareness, Where No Fan Has Gone Before finds Futurama at its most endearing and relentlessly entertaining.

From the death of "Welshie" to the countless Star Trek references, spoofs and cameos, it's a top-shelf episode, and a high point in a season with many.