What Futurama Means to Me.

[on:]

Hi, I'm new here and just wanted to share what Futurama means to me. Back when I was a sophomore in high school I heard that Matt Groening's new show was going to be a sci-fi cartoon of sorts. That is what drew me in in the first place.

After awhile I started missing episodes due to I had no idea when they were going to air (thanks a lot fox). College made me miss the last season of the show. I just recently rediscovered the show thanks to Wal-Mart selling Volume 1 DVD's for really cheap.

I instantly fell in love with the show again. I remembered why I liked it in the first place. I quickly snatched up Volumes 3 & 4 (Volume 2 I can't find or it's too expensive).  My second viewing of the show brought about a different response. Something like a tugging of my heartstrings. I couldn't believe the heart that this show really had.

The Fry and Leela dynamic episodes being my personal favorite and my best example of the shows with heart. On how Fry tries (and tries again) to win Leela's heart. I don't care what anybody says but that last episode was pure genious. It showed a man desperate to show a woman he loves her while still being a funny episode.

Any show that will show that kind of humanity amidst the humor deserves commendation and renewal in my book.

When I watch this show I feel at home. I'm not sure if that will make sense to anybody else but it does to me. The humanity and heart of this show I have yet to see surpassed in a cartoon.

It's a shame it was cancelled before it's time. Shame on you Fox. I thank the crew of the show with ending it with such power though.

I'm sorry for the length of this post I had a lot to say.

[Reply #1 on:]

CM, you just summed up the feelings of about every person on this board.

Futurama was something special to all of us, and we miss it dearly. We're always happy to find another person who rediscovered the show through the DVDs, and we all hope that because of the success of the DVDs, FOX might have a change of heart and renew the show.

Welcome to PEEL Clonemenace, I hope you enjoy your stay at Nerd World! 

PS: Don't be angry if this thread is closed, as the moderators here at PEEL have a strict policy on new threads. Don't worry, you did nothing wrong.

[Reply #2 on:]

Great first post. 

Yeah, like Nasty Pasty said, you're definitely not the only person who feels like this.  I'm more attached to Futurama than I think I have been to any other show, which is saying quite a bit for a cartoon.  The show just works on so many levels, and those who can see and fully appreciate it on all the levels are the ones who really feel so fondly about the show (most of us, for example).

To be honest, I didn't really get into Futurama until this year.  I had seen a couple random episodes briefly and didn't find it very funny for some reason (?!)  Then at some point I realized how clever it could be, so I watched a few more episodes.  Fell in love, bought all the dvds, and spent hours watching.  In one sense, I love the unique humor that actually dares to aim for the geekier/more knowledgeable viewers.  That alone caught my eye.  And then I discovered the brilliant writing, the emotional quality, the character depth, the subtle references, the animation, everything.  I could go on and on about why Futurama is my favorite show...  Everything about it seems to have had so much thought put into it, and it dares to be more than just a generic, animated comedy show.

I'll always have some hope that Futurama may one day get resurrected.  Would I bet any money on the fact that it will?  Probably not.  But the chance is still there.

[Reply #3 on:]

Just to give my two cents, I think this is worthy of a thread, since its a post with substance and not just a threat at Fox followed by the middle-finger smiley or whatever.

Great post, CloneMenace.  Very well said.  There's been lots of people that seem to have discovered the show through the dvds and reruns, which is great.  Given a chance to actually catch it, it seems like more people have discovered its brilliance.  While a renewal seems unlikely, I'm still holding out hope that enough of a cult audience will build up that we'll see a theatrical movie down the line (can you imagine the CG effects on the big screen? holy shit...)

I always loved Futurama, starting with when I first started watching it (third season), but I remember gradually becoming more and more of a fan as it went on.  In the third season I tried to catch it whenever I could, but in the fourth season I started to actually track it and look up the episodes so I wouldn't miss any (though I sadly missed "Godfellas" for a while).  When I saw "A Tale of Two Santas" and absolutely couldn't believe what I was seeing (in the best possible way), I realized how much of a travesty the cancellation really was.  Sometime before the fifth season I started to really get into it, and obviously became really sad as it dawned on me that that only a handful of episodes were left at that point.  Now that its over I still wish desperately that it would come back; it was really cut off in its prime, and I even have the feeling that it hadn't quite peaked yet (and that a 5ACV run would've been so fantastic as to truly blow almost anything else away), which makes the cancellation even more tragic.  At least there's still 70+ episodes that I can always pop in and enjoy for years to come.

[Reply #4 on:]

My experience was very similar. I had enjoyed watching Futurama when it first came out on Fox, but due to the awkward scheduling times, I wasn't really able to keep up with it. Flash forward to two summers ago, and I had come across a Futurama fansite (Space Station Futurama, I believe) and I was reacquainted with what was to become my truly favorite show. Ever. I agree with how brilliant the writing, voice acting, and animation was, but I won't get into that now. We already know. If only Fox did...

[Reply #5 on:]

It's the same for me too.
At the time I miss season 1 and 2. (No cable/crapy antenna/Fox moving show around)
The first one I fully saw was Amazon womens in the mood.

But now I have all the dvds and I can watch Futurama anytime I want and anywere I want.

 

[Reply #6 on:]

Welcome to PEEL. Good idea for a thread...actually, I don't think it's ever been done. Futurama does seem to do something to people's love organ...er, heart. Bad choice of words.

[Reply #7 on:]

When “Futurama” first came on, I didn’t really get into it. I saw a couple episodes and I didn’t think it was as good as “The Simpsons”.  But when started coming on cartoon network that’s when I realized what a masterpiece this show was.  I guess I just started to pick up on all the subtle little jokes.  Now I have the dvd’s and I watch it on [adult swim] all week.  I think “The Simpsons” is a classic, but “Futurama” is more creative and a better show.  If FOX can bring “Family Guy” back, they can bring back “Futurama”.  Come on, they got “Life on a Sitck” and "Stacked" on tv now.

[Reply #8 on:]

I think the main reason that Futurama draws me in is because it's unlike any other adult oriented show. The world it takes place in is a complete fantasy world. As much as I love shows like Seinfeld and Arrested Development, and no matter how funny they can be, they take place here and now, in our world. The world of Futurama is one you can escape to for a half hour, which is a claim that very few shows can make.

Oh by the way, whenever you finally get Season 2, I'd go in with lower expectations. It sounds to me as though you love the more gentle and kind Futurama episodes. Volume 2 seems to me to be a bit meaner spirited than the other three seasons. It's still really good, but it doesn't have the same heart that was evident in the rest of the show's run. One man's opinion.

[Reply #9 on:]

I never caught a single airing of Futurama when it was on FOX. I didn't even know what it was...except that it was the show "with that robot in it". I saw part of the opera in "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings" when it aired, and I was intrigued to say the least. I remember thinking, "Who is that cyclops? She's beautiful.".  After that, I researched the show online, only to find that there was no way for me to watch it. A few months later, I rented the first disk of Season 1. I was blown away by the quality, the backgrounds, and especially the colours.

I knew then that I was a fan.

Futurama is simply the most innovative show ever created, and I love it.

[Reply #10 on:]

For me, I got into Futurama when it was still new. It was 2002, I believe. I saw a few episodes, and never saw it again until Summer 2003, which, unluckily enough, was its last year. I watched TBS's reruns that summer. I never knew it was canceled until I watched Adult Swim. Ever since Adult Swim, I try not to miss an episode.

I searched the internet for Futurama sites and found gotfuturama.com, which is the site that lead me here. I must say, Futurama has a very diverse fanbase. People from all over the world watch this show right now. It's amazing to be talking online to people in Canada, Europe, and Australia at the same time, me being from the US.

What Futurama means to me? It's my favorite show, hands down. I think I've heard this before from somewhere, but it was compared as "the Seinfeld of animation". I bought the DVDs because I love the show. And, for me, it is the Seinfeld of animation. Like George said in the one episode when he was pitching a show idea to NBC, it's a show about nothing, which is exactly what Futurama is...but in the future and in space!

Also, to put my two cents in on Fox, why not bring back Futurama? I mean, it's ratings are high and the DVD sales are high as well. Family Guy is back for those reasons, and Futurama has bigger ratings. I say oh well to Fox. They're just lossing money.{Sorry to put a Fox two cents in, but it was something that was part of what Futurama means to me.}

[Reply #11 on:]

 

Originally posted by i_c_weiner:
For me, I got into Futurama when it was still new. It was 2002, I believe.

It wasn't new anymore then.   

[Reply #12 on:]

i found peel of google looking for the notes for the tune on keyboard, and came across a thread where people asked for this,

anyway, great thread,
visit Futurama Party.com

[Reply #13 on:]

Good post. Warrants a reply.

It was actually my g/f who introduced me to Futurama. What the hell had I been missing? In the UK the box sets are regularly on offer, and she suggested we pick up Season 1 for the paltry sum of £20.

"What, that show with the robot and the cyclops?" says I.

Since then, I had to buy the rest. And I've watched them to death - and I'm still watching them to date. The best £80 I ever spent was the Futurama collection. The show has so much depth it's scary - the fact is I've watched the lot over and over, and I'm still finding new things from each episode.

A shame it was put to bed before it's time, I feel that there was plenty of life in it and it was far superior in my opinion to the likes of Family Guy.

[Reply #14 on:]

Futurama helped me through a bad time I was going through.  Lost my girlfriend, my family packing up to go to South Carolina, and my parents getting mad at me for every little thing I did.  There was even a time when I liked Family Guy better than Futurama.  Then after a while FG bored me then I decided Futurama was the better show to be into. 

Futurama helped me adjust moving to the east coast, get my life together and go to college and overcoming my heartbreak.  And not to mentioned making new friends.  So, thank you Futurama.  For helping me get through a really bad time.  I will always be grateful for being into this show.   That's what the show means to me.

[Reply #15 on:]

I agree with i_c_weiner and KurtPikachu2001, in the sense that while enjoying Futurama in its own respect, I also have found the benefits in its fandom. Meeting new friends on this very forum, brought together by our mutual love of the show from all over the world. That just blows me away, personally. I know I'm waxing saccarine here, but bear with me. I mean, at heart, I'll always be a Futurama fangirl. And I can only hope that with all our combined efforts, like buying the new DVD when it comes out, we can let them know what a huge fanbase Futurama really has. After that, we can only hope. STAY POSITIVE!! 

[Reply #16 on:]

 

Originally posted by T-Veronica:
And I can only hope that with all our combined efforts, like buying the new DVD when it comes out, we can let them know what a huge fanbase Futurama really has.

New DVD?  Please explain...

[Reply #17 on:]

I don't remember the name of it, but it comes out in May for Europe and August for US.

@David A--I meant new as in new episodes, not new as in first season/year.

[Reply #18 on:]

 

Originally posted by i_c_weiner:
I don't remember the name of it, but it comes out in May for Europe and August for US.

Is it new material?  Old material repackaged?!  Now you've got me interested....

[Reply #19 on:]

It's the best episode from each production season selected by Matt and David.
Season 1--Hell is Other Robots
Season 2--Anthology of Interest I
Season 3--Roswell That Ends Well
Season 4--The Sting
It includes new commentary, a new opening to the DVD, and a animatic and(if I'm correct)commentary to Hell is Other Robots.
I think it is May 20th in Region 2 and August 23 in Region 1. Corrections?

Also, on this topic, Futurama means so much to me that I wrote a magazine project for school on Futurama. Screenplay, fanfiction, essay, the works.

[Reply #20 on:]

Yes, I agree with Clonemenace. This show has some good funny scences, but the fact it can bring in such emotion and heart just tops off the perfect ending.

At the end of each episope, i find myself smiling, and not to be an emo,but at the part in old new york in the episode space pilot 3000, when fry explains his lonelyness,i almost had tears running from my eyes.

It is a very sentimental show and we all miss it. Lets hope they can start again and make a good 7 season or whatever one they are on lol (im a noob and only a poppler)

[Reply #21 on:]

nm,at the end of that post i turned into a Crustacean :P

[Reply #22 on:]

Congratulations. Also, remember about this:

It's your friend in the not double posting world of PEEL.

[Reply #23 on:]

I just thought of another thing that Futurama means to me.

Every time I watch Jurassic Bark (favorite episode), I have to go hug my cat.  How many other shows can make a person appreciate their pets more?

[Reply #24 on:]

hahaha!!! dont get to cosey with that cat of yours

*cheezy 70s porn music*

[Reply #25 on:]

 

Originally posted by i_c_weiner:
I don't remember the name of it, but it

i think it's
"robot monster maniac madness"

not too sure, checkCGEF news to see

[Reply #26 on:]

 

Originally posted by Clonemenace:
... wanted to share what Futurama means to me...
<Long post omitted>

<*Applauds*>

[Reply #27 on:]

 

Originally posted by Colonel43:
hahaha!!! dont get to cosey with that cat of yours

*cheezy 70s porn music*

You just don't understand our love, maaaaaaaaan.

[Reply #28 on:]

F_ing A, Man!

 

[Reply #29 on:]

   

Originally posted by DotheBartman:
 You just don't understand our love, maaaaaaaaan.

...and there's that, too.   
In addition, what other show has such deliciously quote-able lines? And when you quote Futurama, everyone knows what you're quoting. (Although, a lot of people who claim to love the show don't even realize it's been cancelled!) They always sound so shocked. "But it's playing on [adult swim]!" We gotta make sure the word is out. You can't petition for a show's revival if you don't know that it needs it.

 

[Reply #30 on:]

Well, one more new guy chiming in with love for the show.  Not much new to say in terms of what it means to me, I think what other people have said sums it up very nicely.

What I would like to add is that its not just die hard fans, as you might expect to find on a futurama message board.  No offence to anyone here (hey I'm here too), but to me when someone on a fan site says how great a show is, I really take it with a grain of salt.  What gets *ME* is what it seems to mean to people that are just casual fans. (This is going somewhere, I promise)

I'm sure that at least one or two of you here aremembers of the somethingawful forums, or at least know they exist.  Those of you that know of the place Im sure know the general kind of humor in there.  What really struck me was a thread I was reading recently, something along the lines of 'Images that make you sad'

For a site that rarely takes a serious tone on anything, this thread was staight up somber.  Anyway the image that got the most agreement, and people that had their own little stories of it was a little animated gif of Seymore at the end of Jurrasic Bark.  There was at least 2 pages of people saying that they eiter cried after that epsiode, had to hug their pet, or found it to be the sadest image in the thread.  Most people also felt the need to comment on several other Futurama episodes that made them sad/cry, namely The Sting and the episode with Leela's Parents.

I think the fact that someone slowed this image down makes it much sadder even.

(thanks imageshack)

this response is so much longer than I expected.

[Reply #31 on:]

*wipes tears from eyes*
We are definently moved.

[Reply #32 on:]

I forgot to mention how well the music sets the mood in Futurama.  The music at the end of Jurrasic Bark is great.  I was watching Obsolutely Fabulous with comentary the other day and when bender is wreking up the place they comment on how rocking the soundtrack is and that its original music.  Several times throughout the show they comment on how good the music is, and I wholehartedly agree.  When they do use other music it is usually the perfect choice.  Music is such an important aspect of entertainment.

Also another 'what it means to me' sort of feeling.  I have watched nearly every episode many times.  I have also watched nearly every episode with comentary, some more than once even.  I do generally like comentaries, because I like to know how things are done, and the like, but they usually arent replayable really.  What I love about the futurama comentaries (and I admit it isnt not unique to futurama) is that its almost like sitting down and watching with a group of friends that happen to know a bit more about the show than I could.  They have fun commenting, and act similarly to how I would watching the show with a friend.  It feels almost personal because they dont just sit there and talk about everything they did and why they did that and that.  They talk like a bunch of friends.

Edit: forgot to really say what I originally wanted to.
Also, after talking about the music, I feel the need to comment on how much I love the last little holophoner line in 'Devils hands'
As David Cohen puts it "A little credit to Christopher Ting here, he was charged with writing bad music that was very touching for the end."  That is not an easy thing to do, but I think it was perfect.

This is gonna be a problem, I keep thinking of more things I love. I'll have to find another thread to talk about them in...

[Reply #33 on:]

 

Originally posted by jacoby:
I'm sure that at least one or two of you here aremembers of the somethingawful forums, or at least know they exist.  Those of you that know of the place Im sure know the general kind of humor in there.  What really struck me was a thread I was reading recently, something along the lines of 'Images that make you sad'

Wow.  I'm not registered at SA but I was JUST reading that exact thread a day or two ago (talk about depressing, but I couldn't stop reading it.  :/)

The thing about SA is that even within its tons of rough humor, there are still some really good serious threads.  A quick trip to the Debate and Discussion forum showed me this too.  And there seem to be quite a few Futurama fans too, which is pretty nice.  8)

[Reply #34 on:]

 

Originally posted by T-Veronica:
In addition, what other show has such deliciously quote-able lines?

Well, The Simpsons for one.  I was once accused of not being able to have a conversation without quoting The Simpsons.  Of course, this was before Futurama came along.

 

And when you quote Futurama, everyone knows what you're quoting.

Maybe they do when you quote it, but when I do, all I get are blank stares and/or people asking me, "What is that from?"

[Reply #35 on:]

Huh. Well perhaps it's because I only hang out with fellow gee-
I mean, nerds and so they naturally already know what Futurama is. I also have heard it said that I can't go through a conversation without quoting Futurama.  (And regarding The Simpsons, the only reason I don't quote it as often is 'cause I don't watch it as much as Futurama. I've nothing against the show at all. Just to clarify.) ^_^

[Reply #36 on:]

 

Originally posted by T-Veronica:
   

Originally posted by DotheBartman:
 You just don't understand our love, maaaaaaaaan.

...and there's that, too.     

Heh.  And just in case anyone didn't get all that (I'm sure you did), my response was of course a joke.  Besides, my cat's a male, and we all know male cats are just awful in bed.....

Ahem.

Anyways, very well said, Jacoby.  I've actually suprisingly had similar experiences off the 'net.  Lots of people I talk to (friends and family), including ones I wouldn't expect this from neccesarily, have commented about finding certain episodes to be very moving, particularly Jurassic Bark.  I'm talking people that are casual fans or even only watch the show very rarely.  The Sting has been mentioned too (my mother for one really liked that one).

And as for quotes, I've found that even if someone doesn't know the show or watch it enough to recognize specific quotes, you can still make them laugh with a carefully picked quote (this is true of The Simpsons as well).  Something like "(insert name here) need brain....for....smart making!" still works for people, even if they don't know the context or the fact that its even a quote.

Plus, when people do know the quote, its sort of like a special connection between fans, and also a special feeling that there's people out there that know what you're talking about.  Its happened a lot since Adult Swim's reruns too (before that started I rarely heard quotes.  When it first started, I actually was hearing Futurama quotes on a daily basis for a while).

[Reply #37 on:]

 

Originally posted by T-Veronica:
Huh. Well perhaps it's because I only hang out with fellow gee-
I mean, nerds and so they naturally already know what Futurama is.

Nah, I hang out with nerds too, and I'm pretty sure that they all know what Futurama is.  I think that they're just slow or something.

Like, this one time, my friend Craig was home on leave from the Navy, and he was staying with my friend Marc.  One day, Craig needed to get into Marc's house while Marc was at work, so we went to get the key from Marc.  When Marc saw us, he asked, "What do you guys want?"  Before Craig could say anything, I answered, "Quarters!  A million allowances worth of quarters!  Fork 'em over!  Fork 'em over!"  Marc just gave me one of those blank stares I was talking about, and Craig said, "I was going to ask you for your house key, but his answer was better."  Neither of them got the reference.

Also, this other time, we were playing video games, and Marc named his character "Melvar".  He pointed it out to me and said, "You know what that's from, right?"  I said, "Melllvar has three Ls."  Instead of telling me that he'd been to enough conventions to know how to spell Melllvar, he just said, "Oh, really?  Oops."  Pathetic.

[Reply #38 on:]

Ah.. quotes from Futurama.
My friends and I use the Saftey Dance and air Piano from Future Stick as our default mocking celebratory cheer.  Its fun.

I also find that I often need to restrain myself from making too many Futurama referenaces.  I constantly relate how much I loved the ship underwhater joke (just from memory, not really quoted):
Leela: 48 hundered feet
Leela: 50 hundered feet
Leela: 5 thousand feet
Professor: Dear lord, thats over 150 atmospheres of preasure!
Fry: How many can the ship withstand?
Professor: Well, its a spaceship so I'd say anywhere between 0 and 1.

I love that joke so much its scary.

[Reply #39 on:]

Oh man, I've got to use the 'quarters' quote up there sometimes. I use Futurama quotes all the time as well, indeed very quotable, but people hardly get it. Not even my two Futurama friends, at times. Disgrace.

I don't think I can add anyone to this. Everyone has pretty much said anything that can be said about it, in general at least. I'd fill pages with all the details I love.

Little Futurama event:
There's a big TV at the my school, where kids can go during recess or when there's no class. They're practically always watching Family Guy (eh..), but I've occasionally caught them watching Futurama. So 2 days ago I was sitting there with a whole bunch of people, and someone yelled "Put Futurama on!" And somebody put Jurassic Bark one. Oh god. I wasn't sure I could handle it, but I pulled it out (*resists urge to write Bender's reply*) anyway. When it was done, there was a complete silence down there, but after a while a girl said. "Oh no. That just completely broke my heart!" Then the rests started to agree, nod and add how absolutely heartbreaking that was, and how surprising it was as well. I heard this coming from somewhere: "I didn't know Futurama could do this! I mean, isn't it a comedy?!"
I loved that comment. He said that in a positive tone. Heh. Family Guy has never gotten such a strong reaction from the school audience, not that I've seen. Sure, it has gotten laughs (and so has Futurama), but not a dead silence and actually thoughtful comments afterwards.