An Idea for a Perfect Episode

[on:]

An episode about a Hatfields and McCoys-like between Planet Express and Mom's.

An episode where Bender and Fanny are like Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

A Hermes, Amy, and Zoidberg adventure.

An episode where it's just the guys, or an episode where it's just the girls.

Plus, some episodes without Fry, Leela, or Bender would've been good too.  Don't always need the main characters to be in every episode.

[Reply #1 on:]

A Bullfighter episode would've been cool.

Fry switching places with a look-a-like prince a'la Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper.

Bender becomes a cop.

They go to a planet that's like an island full of headhunters.

[Reply #2 on:]

Are you serious with "Bender becomes a cop"?

How about an episode where Bender swaps hands with the robot devil so he can play the holophoner? Or an episode where Morbo suffers a mid-life crisis?

[Reply #3 on:]

"Bender becoming a cop" sounds quite okay to me.
Fry was a "nice guy" to start with, and -when accepting he can aquire the necessary skill by actually putting some effort into that job- quite good material for a good cop.
Bender's completely different character would lead to a very different story line.

I assume those stories would only have the cop career as common element, but take completely different turns and have a completely different mood in the other aspects.

[Reply #4 on:]

A Bullfighter episode would've been cool.

Fry switching places with a look-a-like prince a'la Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper.

Bender becomes a cop.

They go to a planet that's like an island full of headhunters.

First of all...

I'm not looking for lists of fanfiction. 

Second of all...
None of these wanted episodes seem really important to the series to me, and some have already been done. I think a Bullfighter one would be pretty bad myself, as I don't see that as something people in the Future would do. Also, that type of story has been done in "A Leela of her Own". The Prince and The Pauper story was done already in "The Prisoner of Benda", The Cop story was "Law and Oracle", and the Headhunter story would end up like "Murder on the Planet Express".

I wish they would've done more Anthology of Interest episodes instead of the Three Parter ones. The Anthologies allowed for much more interesting stories, along with alot more comedy. Other than Reincarnation, none of the Three Parters appealed to me that much, as they weren't very creative or funny.

[Reply #5 on:]

Bender becomes a cop.

Yeah, sure. Bender would make a great cop. 

[Reply #6 on:]

Bender becomes a cop.

Yeah, sure. Bender would make a great cop. 

Yes, considering he has gone to Robot Hell, knows more than one Convict, has broken multiple laws, wreaked havoc on the city with Robot Santa, Tore a hole in the universe, and even almost destroyed earth by making infinite clones of himself.

Seems like a fine, law-abiding robot. 

[Reply #7 on:]

Bender becomes a cop.

Yeah, sure. Bender would make a great cop.  

Bender becomes a cop.

Yeah, sure. Bender would make a great cop.  

Yes, considering he has gone to Robot Hell, knows more than one Convict, has broken multiple laws, wreaked havoc on the city with Robot Santa, Tore a hole in the universe, and even almost destroyed earth by making infinite clones of himself.

Seems like a fine, law-abiding robot.  

- Chief Wiggum from Simpsons
- Tackleberry and Zed from Police Academy
- Sledge Hammer

Yep, Bender would fit into that line.
He does not have to be a "good, lawful cop". He just needs to be an entertaining one.
(After all, the whole police academy series was based on people who are the worst cop material, yet somehow pull through).

Also, about repeating Fry's career choice.
Fry and Bender both became musicians in an episode. Yet, obviously, TDHAIP and 40PLB were completely different episodes, with different themes and tones.
There are thousand of detective stories, and lots of takes on said subject. I am pretty sure Futurama could stand two of them, without being repetitive

[Reply #8 on:]

There hasn't been a Scruffy episode.   There could've been one where he gets posessed by a Pandora's Box from a spider planet.  Or one where Farnsworth dates an old lady who dumps him for a waiter who's after her money.  And Fry, Bender, Leela and the rest have to find a way to get their dough!

[Reply #9 on:]

How about we switch things around a little and do an episode where URL and Smitty become ex-cops? Eh? Eh???

_{No, that's worse than any of the other cop ideas.}

[Reply #10 on:]

Anyway, there really is _no_ perfect episode, but if you had the chance.....What is your idea for a perfect episode of Futurama?   Mine's the obvious.   Another Bender and Hermes adventure with No Fry, No Leela, No Amy (she can show up in the end), and no Zoidberg.  

Either with just Bender and Hermes or just have Farnsworth, Labarbra, and Scruffy be in it.   Either of these scenarios:

Bender and Hermes can find some weed on a planet that sells it cheap.  Wrote a fanfic about  that once.

They become The Green Hornet and Kato. (the others can be in this one)

Bender and Hermes go to Paris a'la Liam Neeson in Taken to try to find someone who went missing there.


If there's already a thread for this, I sincerely apologize.  This thread can be merged, no problem. 

[Reply #11 on:]

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure this belongs in the Fanfic section.

[Reply #12 on:]

B Movie parodies would've been good.   Such as Bride of The Monster, The Slime People, and those Gamera flicks.

Also, Honey Boo Boo should've been made fun of on Futurama (after all, South Park did).  Those James Garner 'Support Your Local Sheriff' movies totally deserved the Futurama treatment!   

Do yourselves a favor and watch them!

[Reply #13 on:]

Yeah, but making fun of celebrities is one of South Park's main hallmarks. Futurama doesn't really do stuff like that.

[Reply #14 on:]

B Movie parodies would've been good.   Such as Bride of The Monster, The Slime People, and those Gamera flicks.

The Beast with a Billion Backs.

Not to mention that they did do countless nods to crappy old films. The Professor's rambling speech about atomic supermen is straight out of Bride of the Monster.

Also, Honey Boo Boo should've been made fun of on Futurama (after all, South Park did).

No. Not they shouldn't've. Watch South Park episodes from about 3 years ago, now, and they're already horrendously outdated. Honey Boo Boo is exactly the sort of flavour of the month shit that doesn't deserve recognition by a show of this standard.
Plus, like you said, South Park did it. Why do you want all of your favourite shows to do the exact same thing until they morph together into one big, grey, unanimous blob?

[Reply #15 on:]

Agreed Cyber!

There could've been an episode where Leela and Bender get turned back into kids and Fry is still an adult and they go on a mission to take down a mad scientist who wants Fry's brain to put in a gorrilla.

There should've been an episode where some of them get turned into kids again.

[Reply #16 on:]

Agreed Cyber!

There could've been an episode where Leela and Bender get turned back into kids and Fry is still an adult and they go on a mission to take down a mad scientist who wants Fry's brain to put in a gorrilla.

There should've been an episode where some of them get turned into kids again.

What kind of idea is.....I'm not even gonna comment. Dude putting Fry's brain in a gorilla would make the gorilla dumber than it originally was. I do not approve the gorilla dumbifying! 

[Reply #17 on:]

I was right? This calls for a celebration.

[Reply #18 on:]

I'd say "Roswell that Ends Well", "The Luck of the Fryrish", "Parasites Lost", "The Farnsworth Parabox", "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" and "The Late Philip J. Fry" are as close to perfection as I need.


This isn't really a show where the idea is all that important. It's far more about the execution.

Fry becomes a cop is a pretty bland, almost lazy idea, but "Law and Oracle" executes it brilliantly.

[Reply #19 on:]

Agree with that list, except "Where no fan has gone before".
It was great regarding cult status, but I missed a "Bow your head to the cult classic" scene. Throughout the episode, the Star Trek crew was ALWAYS outperformed by the PE crew. Of course the whole humor was based on "Actors vs Real Space Travelers".

YEEEET: "Star Trek" is the giant upon whose shoulders shows like Futurama stand, the origin that laid the groundwork for many other shows. Therefore, I consider just one tiny little "Let the Star Trek Crew have the upper hand" scene a necessary gesture of respect the  original deserved. Not a big scene, just some tiny, but official "bow to the master" nod towards ST.

[Reply #20 on:]

Agree with that list, except "Where no fan has gone before".

Second.

As for Kurt's ideas, they really seem like terrible ones rather than anything that could lead to a "perfect" episode.

[Reply #21 on:]

Not to mention that an episode needs far more than a great premise to be perfect.

Also, I disagree with "no episode is perfect". To me, pretty much everything in my top 10 is perfect and I wouldn't change them at all (except maybe adding the full opening sequence for the newer ones, though that doesn't really count).

[Reply #22 on:]

Bender can become like a Dirty Harry style cop. 

There's one show I wished Futurama could've done a tribute to:

The Rockford Files.

[Reply #23 on:]

A perfect episode would be one where EVERYONE becomes a cop!

Also, I find it interesting that, for all his protectiveness of Leela, Kurt thinks that a perfect episode wouldn't even have her appear at all.

[Reply #24 on:]

A perfect episode would be one where EVERYONE becomes a cop!

Also, I find it interesting that, for all his protectiveness of Leela, Kurt thinks that a perfect episode wouldn't even have her appear at all.

Ah, but who would be in charge?

[Reply #25 on:]

Ah, but who would be in charge?

Duh. The cops.

[Reply #26 on:]

Ah, but who would be in charge?

Duh. The cops.

So you're saying the Cops would control themselves? Wouldn't that just end up in them giving each other endless freedom, as they wouldn't want to turn a fellow officer in?

Futurama is show about the Future. That'd be waaay too much like present-day.

Shame, Shame...

[Reply #27 on:]

It's not that the ideas were nesessarily bad, Kurt, but they're just not meant for this thread, you know? You're definitely very creative, as those ideas display, so it's no wonder you were nominated for most creative PEELer.

Well..Kurt made that suggestion only ONCE*.
The "Let XY become a cop" being repeated endlessly is the real thing dragging the thread down.

*Also, Futurama has had repeating careers so far, see martial arts (RB, TBE), musicians (TDHAIP, 40LB), Fry being the chosen one due to his brain (TDESS, TWOF, IWGY), etc.. .
So, some argument why a repetition based on a law enforcment job is -unlike the examples above- is out of question would have been appropriate.
Also, "Inhuman Torch" dealt de facto with an escaped criminal. PE became NNYs fire department, but I am quite certain a similar story could have been made with PE having to replace the NNYP.

[Reply #28 on:]

Now before you all say anything  these are _NOT_ ideas I had in mind.  These are things the show could've done.  Futurama would've done an awesome kick ass parody of Sherlock Holmes movies.  Like Bender is Sherlock and Fry is Watson.  And Fu Manchu as well.  Zapp Branigan would've made a perfect Fu Manchu (or maybe Leo Wong) Bender could've been Nayland Smith and Fry could've been Dr. Petrie.    Had Futurama been renewed, it could've made fun of that Robin Thicke/Miley Cyrus 'twerking' escapade.    It would've been nice to see Fry and Leela have a kid.  

Sorry if you all think that I was doing this on purpose.   I really wasn't.   That wasn't my intention.   If you people want to think otherwise.  Fine by me.  I'm outta here.

[Reply #29 on:]

Include every great aspect in the show but shorten it into 20 minutes?

[Reply #30 on:]

I'm outta here.

Wait...forever?

[Reply #31 on:]

I'm outta here.

Wait...forever?

I think so. He hasn't made a single post on here since that one.

[Reply #32 on:]

I'm outta here.

Wait...forever?

I think so. He hasn't made a single post on here since that one.

I think so too. Well, at least for a while. He's said that before, and has always ended up coming back.

But if he really is leaving, he's making a big deal out of something so little. All people did was tell him that some of his ideas weren't that good.

[Reply #33 on:]

Agreed. I'd just learn not to post lists of ideas where they aren't welcome, then simply move on and continue posting if I were him. But, whatever. At least now threads won't be spammed with said lists.

[Reply #34 on:]

Also, at least now he won't be making three to five threads per week about something that could easily fit into an already existing thread (i.e. "Meanwhile destined to be the best episode ever?").

[Reply #35 on:]

Now there will be no more crap about how the writers are apparently 'Sadistic' and 'Enjoy hurting Leela'. Wow, there's alot of upsides to this happening...

Top Of The Page Dance

[Reply #36 on:]

Watch him come back, read these posts, start a thread in General Discussion about how everyone is mean to him, leave again, come back a few months later, and see that the cycle has repeated.

I honestly wouldn't be surprised at all if that does happen.  

Oh, and Kurt, if you're reading this: Don't take offense from any of these posts. Just look at them as a guide of what not to do on here.

[Reply #37 on:]

No problem.  No offense taken.  Next time I'll stay within the topics.

[Reply #38 on:]

Yeah, I'd also like to apologize. I'm glad you weren't offended.

[Reply #39 on:]

Also, I find it interesting that, for all his protectiveness of Leela, Kurt thinks that a perfect episode wouldn't even have her appear at all.

True.

But I think that the best episode would be a 3rd Anthology of Intrest.