Futurama turns 25 - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 03-28-2024, 07:58 PM

https://www.primetimer.com/features/...e-the-simpsons

When the sci-fi animated comedy from Matt Groening and David X. Cohen premiered on Fox on March 28, 1999, “it did so almost a decade after Matt Groening had broken open the gates of modern mainstream TV animation with The Simpsons," says Josh Spiegel. "The intervening 10 years had seen more mature animated fare on the small screen, from the edgy Ren and Stimpy to the cult favorite The Critic. Though The Critic was created by two longtime Simpsons writers (and led to a moderately controversial crossover between the two), Futurama marked Groening’s first new series since The Simpsons. Now that we’re a quarter-century removed from its premiere, you can draw some rough lines between the comedic style and character development of the two series, but the strengths of Futurama lie in something that The Simpsons deliberately never featured as its foundation: a hook-driven high concept that was both immensely appealing to eventual diehard fans, and yet not enough to draw in the same wide audience as the show about a town called Springfield."

ALSO:

Futurama's stupid portrayal of the future is secretly brilliant: "Sit a young viewer down with Futurama today and they’ll be baffled by guest stars like Rich Little, Pauly Shore, and Ron Popeil (yes, the Ron Popeil)," says Mark Hill. "All futuristic sci-fi, even the comedy, is tied to the era that created it, and the fact that Al Gore guest starred twice (his head is conveniently kept alive, alongside so many other celebrities, with 31st-century technology) speaks to the year Futurama debuted. But those confused viewers will still quickly grasp every sci-fi idea that makes the future seem wild yet predictable. It’s all very silly, but the mundane, workaday concerns perfect for comedy haven’t changed a bit. In some ways, Futurama did presage the future. Clicky articles like ‘Times Futurama Freakishly Predicted The Future’ mostly just express shock and awe at basic joke construction, but what Futurama really saw coming was anarchical sci-fi comedies like Rick and Morty and Solar Opposites. Meanwhile, that some of its running subplots were teased with Easter eggs was a preview of a burgeoning internet fandom’s exhaustive Lore obsession. ‘Space Pilot 3000’ hid secrets that would pay off later, and it was fun to learn the truth in the days before YouTubers immediately picked every facet of pop culture to bloody scraps."
Billy West celebrates Futurama's 25th anniversary by praising its cast and crew: "You make me better than I am"

03-28-2024, 07:58 PM	#1
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 124,387	Futurama turns 25 https://www.primetimer.com/features/...e-the-simpsons When the sci-fi animated comedy from Matt Groening and David X. Cohen premiered on Fox on March 28, 1999, “it did so almost a decade after Matt Groening had broken open the gates of modern mainstream TV animation with The Simpsons," says Josh Spiegel. "The intervening 10 years had seen more mature animated fare on the small screen, from the edgy Ren and Stimpy to the cult favorite The Critic. Though The Critic was created by two longtime Simpsons writers (and led to a moderately controversial crossover between the two), Futurama marked Groening’s first new series since The Simpsons. Now that we’re a quarter-century removed from its premiere, you can draw some rough lines between the comedic style and character development of the two series, but the strengths of Futurama lie in something that The Simpsons deliberately never featured as its foundation: a hook-driven high concept that was both immensely appealing to eventual diehard fans, and yet not enough to draw in the same wide audience as the show about a town called Springfield." ALSO: Futurama's stupid portrayal of the future is secretly brilliant: "Sit a young viewer down with Futurama today and they’ll be baffled by guest stars like Rich Little, Pauly Shore, and Ron Popeil (yes, the Ron Popeil)," says Mark Hill. "All futuristic sci-fi, even the comedy, is tied to the era that created it, and the fact that Al Gore guest starred twice (his head is conveniently kept alive, alongside so many other celebrities, with 31st-century technology) speaks to the year Futurama debuted. But those confused viewers will still quickly grasp every sci-fi idea that makes the future seem wild yet predictable. It’s all very silly, but the mundane, workaday concerns perfect for comedy haven’t changed a bit. In some ways, Futurama did presage the future. Clicky articles like ‘Times Futurama Freakishly Predicted The Future’ mostly just express shock and awe at basic joke construction, but what Futurama really saw coming was anarchical sci-fi comedies like Rick and Morty and Solar Opposites. Meanwhile, that some of its running subplots were teased with Easter eggs was a preview of a burgeoning internet fandom’s exhaustive Lore obsession. ‘Space Pilot 3000’ hid secrets that would pay off later, and it was fun to learn the truth in the days before YouTubers immediately picked every facet of pop culture to bloody scraps." Billy West celebrates Futurama's 25th anniversary by praising its cast and crew: "You make me better than I am"