Good News Everyone! Futurama Returns!

[Salty]

Comedy Central revealed last night that they were going to renew Futurama with brand new episodes!

Official Press Release

Currently, 26 episodes have been purchased and are expected to air mid-2010.

We're thrilled 'Futurama' is coming back. We now have only 25,766 episodes to make before we catch up with Bender and Fry in the year 3000." Added David X. Cohen, "We're excited and amazed that the show is coming back, perhaps due to some sort of mysterious time loop. We look forward to working with COMEDY CENTRAL and 20th Television to make this the best iteration of the loop yet!

[Mordokai]

That makes me a happy panda

[Selrahc]

Hopefully by returning to half hour slots, the show will get back to form. The movies were decent, but nothing spectacular.

[Athaniar]

Futurama is back? This indeed makes me happy. I can hardly wait to see the gang again. And Zoidberg.

[Starscream]

Yay! Though I do agree that the show is better in episodic format, ther movies weren't bad. Looking forward to seeing it again.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Score! I guess this means I should watch the second two movies. Beast with a Billion Backs left a bad taste in my mouth, but if it got renewed, the latter two can't be too bad. Plus, even that would have been good if it was written as separate half-hour episodes rather than being a solid 2 hour anticlimax.

[Flame of Anor]

YYYYEEEEEEESSSSSSS

[John Myers]

I'm super-jazzed about the return of Futurama, although I've probably liked the movies more than a lot of people, I think the return to the 20 minute format will really improve the show.

[littlequietguy]

I liked the first movie a ton but the rest somewhat worse.

This will probably be a false alarm but in theory we have no proof that these episodes will be good. Might be a huge disappointment. *sets expectations super-low so that they can be shattered*

[RMS Oceanic]

Score! I guess this means I should watch the second two movies. Beast with a Billion Backs left a bad taste in my mouth, but if it got renewed, the latter two can't be too bad. Plus, even that would have been good if it was written as separate half-hour episodes rather than being a solid 2 hour anticlimax.

I think you could safely ignore Bender's Game. I would definately watch Into The Wild Green Yonder, though.

[Blayze]

Set expectations to "Eragon". That way, nothing can disappoint me.

[Prock]

My fealings about this expresed in a webcomic by Joel Watson

[Icewalker]

Weren't the movies also reworked partway through production to be semi-episodic in a rather weak manner? I dunno, but they had very little going for them. I also welcome the return of our shorter episodes.

...Oh Futurama. Probably my second-favorite show, ever. Definitely in the vaguely ranked group of 'best shows'.

[Xondoure]

Wasn't there an older thread like this? Ah well, Futurama is good enough for two.

[arguskos]

I think you could safely ignore Bender's Game. I would definately watch Into The Wild Green Yonder, though.

I liked Bender's Game. It was corny in the extreme, but I liked it.

I REALLY need to watch Green Yonder though. Damn not being able to get it at Blockbuster.

[Starscream]

I really enjoyed Bender's Big Score. Thought it was as good as almost any of the original episodes. There have been so many time travel stories that it was great to see that Futurama found a way to do something original with the concept.

Beast With a Billion Backs was less entertaining. Maybe because there was no real "villain", and I thought the story was weak without a central conflict. Not every episode of the show needs a bad guy, of course, but a 90 minute film kind of does. It still has some very funny individual moments.

Bender's Game was a bit better. The story was still kind of weak, and had some elements that just got abandoned. Leela's anger problems for instance were never really given closure. She's mad, she gets a shock collar, some funny "Leela gets zapped" gags occur, she starts to like the shocks, she gives up violence in the fantasy world, she un-gives up violence, the end. Still some great moments, though.

Into the Wild Green Yonder was a definite step up. It was both very funny and very touching. The story was nice and science fiction-y, the characters personalities were intact, and the ending was great. If it were the last Futurama we ever got I'd be satisfied.

Here's hoping the new episodes hold up. I think they have a big advantage over the movies because they don't need a story that's quite so robust. All of the films had funny gags, but the plot frequently felt too stretched to justify a feature length film.

[Archonic Energy]

Wasn't there an older thread like this? Ah well, Futurama is good enough for two.

yes there was... back when the movies were announced!

anyway, WOOHOO!

[KjeldorMage]

"GARY GYGAX!"

"Here take my +1 mace"

I nearly 54!t myself during that episode.

Glad to see it's coming back.

[Fri]

Yay! Now zoidberg can be the popular one!

Seriously, he's my favourite character.

[Xondoure]

Yay! Now zoidberg can be the popular one!

Seriously, he's my favourite character.

Never going to happen. Everyone loves Zoidberg, but Bender will always be #1.

[banjo1985]

Awesome

As long as Fututrama doesn't do a Red Dwarf (i.e. come back for a short run of absolute rubbish) I'll be happy. It's my all time favourite animated show, and while the movies were a mixed bunch the shorter episodes were always pretty solid.

[chiasaur11]

Never going to happen. Everyone loves Zoidberg, but Bender will always be #1.

Love?

Zoidberg?

Illogical.

[Innis Cabal]

I really enjoyed Bender's Big Score. Thought it was as good as almost any of the original episodes. There have been so many time travel stories that it was great to see that Futurama found a way to do something original with the concept.

Beast With a Billion Backs was less entertaining. Maybe because there was no real "villain", and I thought the story was weak without a central conflict. Not every episode of the show needs a bad guy, of course, but a 90 minute film kind of does. It still has some very funny individual moments.

Bender's Game was a bit better. The story was still kind of weak, and had some elements that just got abandoned. Leela's anger problems for instance were never really given closure. She's mad, she gets a shock collar, some funny "Leela gets zapped" gags occur, she starts to like the shocks, she gives up violence in the fantasy world, she un-gives up violence, the end. Still some great moments, though.

Into the Wild Green Yonder was a definite step up. It was both very funny and very touching. The story was nice and science fiction-y, the characters personalities were intact, and the ending was great. If it were the last Futurama we ever got I'd be satisfied.

Here's hoping the new episodes hold up. I think they have a big advantage over the movies because they don't need a story that's quite so robust. All of the films had funny gags, but the plot frequently felt too stretched to justify a feature length film.

Sorta agree with this, though several points diverge. Never saw Into the Wild Green Yonder, but plan to.

I thought Bendres Big Score and Beast were two movies that could have been reduced to a 30 minute episode, and fogotten. Nothing really great about either of them. Pretty boring actually

[MCerberus]

It appears that the executives that canceled them were themselves fired.
And beaten up!
pretty bad!

There's really only quote that can sum up my feelings here, "Whoop whoop whoop whoop!"

[Moff Chumley]

God news, everyone! I've invented a machine that makes you read the sentence in my voice!

[hustlertwo]

I wasn't a huge fan of the show when it was on, but I found it moderately enjoyable. A shame that the rather pitch-perfect original series finale was sullied by the movies (only saw the first two, both seemed below average for the show), but I'm sure I'll watch the new ones anyhow, to see if they can recapture lost amusement.

[Berserk Monk]

God news, everyone! I've invented a machine that makes you read the sentence in my voice!

Hey! We're not supposed to talk about religion or god on the forums.

Second, after the movies and what happened to Family Guy, I'm not too thrilled about this:

Bender's Big Score: Loved it

Beast with a Billion Backs: HUGE disappointment; the only good part in it was...

Spoiler

Show

...when Bender gave his son to the Robot Devil; Funny no matter how many times I see it.

Bender's Game: liked it, but still a little disappointing

Into the Wild Green Yonder: never saw it

[arguskos]

Love?

Zoidberg?

Illogical.

Not loving Zoidberg? HERESY!

Loving Zoidberg? EXTRA HERESY!

Luckily, I'm extra heretical.