"Futurama" Pulls a "Family Guy"

[Shivel]

Comedy Central is going back to the Futurama.

Three years after the show last aired on prime time, the cable net has signed a deal to resurrect the former Fox animated series for a minimum 13-episode run.

Comedy Central will start airing the new shows in 2008.

"We are thrilled that Matt Groening and 20th Century Fox Television have decided to produce new episodes of Futurama and that Comedy Central will be the first to air them," said David Bernath, the cable net's senior VP.

The new episode order is part of a larger deal Comedy Central made with the production company last year, when they bought the syndicated rights to Futurama's 72-episode library.

"There is a deep and passionate fan base for this intelligent and very funny show that matches perfectly with our audience, and it is great that we can offer them not just the existing library but something they've never seen as well," Bernath told the Hollywood Reporter.

The offbeat show was the brainchild of The Simpsons mastermind Groening and writer David X. Cohen and debuted on Fox in March 1999. The series revolved around Fry, a pizza delivery boy who is accidentally frozen for a thousand years. When he wakes up in the year 3000, he befriends a sassy one-eyed pilot, Leela, and a cranky robot, Bender, who both work for an intergalactic delivery service run by a distant nephew of Fry's.

In August 2003, after five seasons and three Emmys, including the 2002 award for Best Animated Series, Futurama was canceled due to low ratings.

Reruns of the show, however, were picked up by Cartoon Network, and just like cable home did with Family Guy before it, the move paved the way for a Futurama revival.

Both shows aired on the Cartoon Network and quickly built up unexpectedly robust ratings.

In 2004, Stewie & Co. were resuscitated by to Fox thanks to staggering DVD sales--the show ranks as the fourth-biggest TV series seller ever--and its proliferation in reruns.

In January of this year, 20th Century Fox began talks with Comedy Central to revive the long-gone Futurama as well, thanks to its resurgence in popularity courtesy of its second life in reruns and high--though not Family Guy high--DVD sales.

The cable net has already re-signed voice stars Billy West,

Katey Sagal and John DiMaggio to reprise their animated roles.

In the meantime, new Futurama plots can already be had in comic book form, with Groening's Bongo Comics releasing the stories.

Source.

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This was bound to happen eventually. I'm sure many people will be happy to hear this.

Edited June 23, 2006 by JayMan895

[__Kratos__]

*cheers like an idiot and runs around like a ferret on meth*

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why wasn't this done sooner?!

[Mr. Fahrenheit]

YES!

Allright!

YES!

I love Futurama. Glad to see it back (in 2 years )

Edited June 23, 2006 by Mr. Fahrenheit

[Super Pancake]

About time, hopefully Fry and Bender are still true their character

[Boff]

2008? Wow, long way away.

AWSOME news though. Great to see great shows still have a chance at life.

Would be awsome to see shows like Clone High, Undergrads or Mission Hill to comeb back..

[coldethyl]

I knew this would happen sooner or later!

Hooray!

[BurnSide]

Yeah, there's no way they should keep this down. Like Family Guy it was canceled just when people were starting to recognise it for what it is, a really freaking hilariously funny show. I'm very happy they're bringing it back.

Now they just need to cancel the Simpsons, bring back Clone High, and i'll be a very happy beaver.

[TooFarGone]

I never did get into Futurama, but after I became a Family Guy addict, I watched an episode or two, and liked it.

Thank god for re runs.

[BurnSide]

I will admit, it took me a long time to actually 'get' Futurama. While i watched it quite abit while it was airing, and had a good chuckle at the comedy here and there, i never fully got into it. But as i started to watch the reruns on late night Teletoon i started to really get what was going on and understand it differently, and it suddenly became the most hilarious premise i've ever seen.

There's no better show that pokes fun that the general stupidity of life.

[Shakezulah]

That's awesome news. I LOVE this show and watch it whenever I can. I'm so happy that it's officially coming back....but 2008? Damn, that's a real long time away.

[coldethyl]

I love the tension between Leila and Frye. My son loves Bender. My fave episode is the one with Beck on it! That was hilarious! I can't watch that Slurm episode, it makes me gag!

[Jack_of_Blades]

This ranks as one of my favorite shows, and its

going to come back with an explosion like Family Guy!

[Nova]

Oh, this is my favourite show - I own all episodes on DVD and have watched them so many times I could probably repeat parts of the DVD commentaries by heart, LOL! This makes me very, very, very, very happy!

[Novo]

HELLS YEAH

[AztecInca]

Well I`ve always been a fan but after years of re-runs you desperately need new episodes to watch and such a funny show certainly deserves a second chance.

[Megalomania]

Yes! I love that show!

Zoidburg ftw

[SAMURAI-X]

I love Futurama, The one episode thats sticks with me is when Fry finds his dog as stone and tries to bring it back to life, kinda made me sad at the end but it was a good one, Can't wait till 08, I wonder if they will have the same voice's, might be kinda weird to not have the same voice.

[Shivel]

I love Futurama, The one episode thats sticks with me is when Fry finds his dog as stone and tries to bring it back to life, kinda made me sad at the end but it was a good one, Can't wait till 08, I wonder if they will have the same voice's, might be kinda weird to not have the same voice.

Most of the original voices will return:

Billy West - Fry, Dr. Zoidberg, Professor Farnsworth, and Zapp Brannigan.

Katey Sagal -Leela

John DiMaggio - Bender

All we really need to worry about is Phil LaMarr and Lauren Tom returning for Hermes and Amy.

[punish3ment]

YES! CANT WAIT

futurama is way better than the simpsons

zapp branigann is funny as hell

[punish3ment]

EDIT: DOUBLE POST

Edited June 26, 2006 by Ajax is kewl

[00000000000000000000000000]

We'll get to see Zoidberg back!

I wonder why I have such an affinity with him...

[coldethyl]

We'll get to see Zoidberg back!

I wonder why I have such an affinity with him...

I wonder.....