8 Reasons Futurama Doesn't Need A Season 8
Bad news, everyone!
It was recently announced that Matt Groening and David X Cohen's beloved science fiction series was to be resurrected for Hulu in the US and Disney+ in the UK.
Billy West, Katey Segal, Lauren Tom and Phil LaMarr are all confirmed to return as Fry, Leela, Amy and Hermes respectively, and talks are ongoing to recruit the remaining cast members. It was a left field announcement that has been greeted with mixed reactions from fans on social media.
This is the fourth Futurama incarnation after the original series, the spin-off movies, and the previous revival on Comedy Central. It's truly a series that refuses to stay dead. But the return of Futurama doesn't feel as much of a cause for celebration as it did in 2008.
Instead, it has the sense of one of the show's many pickled celebrity heads. This time, Futurama feels like it's been preserved long past its sell-by date, doomed to continue entertaining audiences forever. Here's just some of the reasons that the latest revival is a mistake...
8. No Bender?!
One of the names conspicuous by their absence in the revival's press release was John DiMaggio's. Whilst it's "hoped" that the actor will return to the role of Bender, it's by no means confirmed. Could he be holding out for a higher wage on account of the fact he's not interested in bringing back the character?
Futurama without Bender doesn't bear thinking about, but an off-brand sounding Bender would be even worse. Fry's alcoholic, narcissistic robot best friend is such an integral part of the core cast. It's why it's always Fry, Leela, and Bender on the title sequence and on various merchandise items. Bender has also been a part of some of the series' best episodes, like in Godfellas where he becomes an omnipotent god to the microscopic civilisation living on his chest.
As much as that's down to a (presumably also returning) writing team, it's also down to John DiMaggio's performance as Bender. In anyone else's hands the character could be a monster, but DiMaggio always maintains the balance between aggression and vulnerability. Bender without DiMaggio isn't Bender at all.