By Hawking's chair! Futurama is back! (News thread) (No spoilers)

[Reply #440 on:]

Some more spoilers (sorry for any redundancy; it's really hard to read my screen in this light and on battery power):

Show spoiler

• Returning writers include Mike Rowe and Patric Verrone.
• Yes, Matt, DXC, and Co. visit the fan forums sites!  They said sites, not forums (though I honestly think they visit both).  One person asked about the possibility of a feature length film (I think, I was grabbing my t-shirt when it was asked) and the crew basically said they’d love to do one, and the fans should push for it if they really want to see it (indicating that, yes, we do make a difference).
  
  
• The writers are dealing with Fry and Leela’s relationship, citing that they will have their “ups and downs” but that it is also destiny that they be together.  Hmmm.... At least one episode will involve a date.  
  
  
• Kif and Amy’s relationship is still rocky, as will be demonstrated… well, you already know.
• Those who guessed the controversial relationship would be between Bender and Amy were correct!  Those who guessed the episode would be based on the Prop 8/Gay marriage controversy were also correct!  In the future, it’s Proposition [Infinity Symbol], and the idea is that up until this point robots have not been able to marry humans.  Lucy Lu is, at the moment, not involved.
  
  
• There will be an episode discussing why Zoidberg works for Farnsworth despite being completely incompetent.  Something about a friendship… or a debt.
• The origins of Scruffy will finally be revealed! :D
• Some more info about that time traveling episode:  Fry, Farnsworth, and ??? can only travel forwards in time.  The first jump is 10 years into the future.  I am predicting Fry/Leela offspring, though it wasn’t mentioned at all in the panel.  They keep jumping forward, hundreds and thousands of years into the future, hoping they’ll find a time machine that will send them back into their time.  This is also the Fry/Leela date episode mentioned earlier.
• There are guest stars planned, but they can’t name names yet.

Edit: I have pictures; I'll try to post them after I get my signatures; and if I can't get a signal or my battery runs out, I'll do it tonight when I get home.

Edit 2: Shutting off the computer now since it's almost 3:00 here.  If you have any questions about the panel post them here or PM me and I'll try to answer them as best I can.

[Reply #441 on:]

Well if nothing changes then all I have to say is this:

R.I.P. Futurama 1999-2009

It was fun while it lasted.

EDIT: Some of those episode descriptions sound good though.

[Reply #442 on:]

Variety has this:

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118006493.html?categoryid=14&cs=

Currently No plans for talks resuming? Uh oh

[Reply #443 on:]

Yeah but that Variety article looks really hastily put together.

[Reply #444 on:]

Looks like my voting "Not so much" wasn't such a bad idea after all >_>

[Reply #445 on:]

I would say it's moved from 'not so good' to 'bad' and will remain that way until the original VAs are reinstated.

[Reply #446 on:]

Yeah but that Variety article looks really hastily put together.

True...it looks like it was written hurriedly on a laptop on the way out of the panel

I would say it's moved from 'not so good' to 'bad' and will remain that way until the original VAs are reinstated.

And then it will move to"fucking fantastic!"

[Reply #447 on:]

Looks like my voting "Not so much" wasn't such a bad idea after all >_>

We had no idea they'd do this at the time. Should've known better.

[Reply #448 on:]

Don't believe all these articles saying it can't come back because of the Vocie Actors/Fox Dispute.
MG and DXC signed a contract to create 26 new episodes that they (unfortuntely) can't get out of. That's how it works in Hollywood.
Therefore, the show either comes back with new voices and completely BOMBS or they reach an agreement and everything is back to normal!

I have a good feeling about it. These contract negotionations happen all the time on Movies and TV shows, and they usually turn out okay.
This 'contract dispute' just happens to have a lot of media attention.

I've got my fingers crossed, and I'm praying for the best.
-- I'm an actress here in the beautiful discusting city of Los Angeles

[Reply #449 on:]

Yes hopefully it should all turn out ok and we're just overreacting
Stupid fox....they deliberately let this VA thing slip a week before comic con just to raise more media attention and speculation. As well as thinking it may force the actors into signing for low pay just to keep the fanbase happy...idiots

[Reply #450 on:]

Some more spoilers (sorry for any redundancy; it's really hard to read my screen in this light and on battery power):

Show spoiler

• Returning writers include Mike Rowe and Patric Verrone.
• Yes, Matt, DXC, and Co. visit the fan forums sites!  They said sites, not forums (though I honestly think they visit both).  One person asked about the possibility of a feature length film (I think, I was grabbing my t-shirt when it was asked) and the crew basically said they’d love to do one, and the fans should push for it if they really want to see it (indicating that, yes, we do make a difference).
  
  
• The writers are dealing with Fry and Leela’s relationship, citing that they will have their “ups and downs” but that it is also destiny that they be together.  Hmmm.... At least one episode will involve a date.  
  
  
• Kif and Amy’s relationship is still rocky, as will be demonstrated… well, you already know.
• Those who guessed the controversial relationship would be between Bender and Amy were correct!  Those who guessed the episode would be based on the Prop 8/Gay marriage controversy were also correct!  In the future, it’s Proposition [Infinity Symbol], and the idea is that up until this point robots have not been able to marry humans.  Lucy Lu is, at the moment, not involved.
  
  
• There will be an episode discussing why Zoidberg works for Farnsworth despite being completely incompetent.  Something about a friendship… or a debt.
• The origins of Scruffy will finally be revealed! :D
• Some more info about that time traveling episode:  Fry, Farnsworth, and ??? can only travel forwards in time.  The first jump is 10 years into the future.  I am predicting Fry/Leela offspring, though it wasn’t mentioned at all in the panel.  They keep jumping forward, hundreds and thousands of years into the future, hoping they’ll find a time machine that will send them back into their time.  This is also the Fry/Leela date episode mentioned earlier.
• There are guest stars planned, but they can’t name names yet.

In response to spoilers:

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• Awesome! Futurama can continue to toot that it has the WGA President on staff!
• Even more awesome! On part one. On part two, I'd be weary of a feature-length movie just yet. Peut-être que after these two new seasons, but I don't want to hear about it until after we're a wild success again.
  
  
• "Ups and downs" probably means a return to the original series status of the relationship, especially Seasons 3 and 4, as in a return to the status I liked best, since they weren't really together and it left open the door to good stories where they're not together.
• That's good that they're on the rocks too. It, once again, opens up the door to good stories where they're not together.
• Awesome, a Prop 8 episode! I hope that they have more topical episodes planned throughout the new run. Hopefully Lucy Lui will return for this episode. She's not doing much anyway.
• A debt? Sounds like Han Solo and Chewbacca!
• More Scruffy sounds good to me! Hopefully it doesn't suck like the Seymour Skinner episode from The Simpsons... Hopefully it's something more like Forrest Gump.
• This episode idea... I dunno. We'll see. It doesn't sound fantastic right now.
• I WANT NAMES!!!

[Reply #451 on:]

More summaries:

http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Comic-Con-Futurama-Ignores-Controversy-Promises-To-Take-On-Twitter-18844.html

Hm.  People still can't spell "Zapp" and "Leela".  Must be hard.

[Reply #452 on:]

In response to spoilers:

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• More Scruffy sounds good to me! Hopefully it doesn't suck like the Seymour Skinner episode from The Simpsons... Hopefully it's something more like Forrest Gump.
• This episode idea... I dunno. We'll see. It doesn't sound fantastic right now.
• I WANT NAMES!!!

Some good ideas but we'll have to wait an see whether they'll be good episodes

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love your idea about scruffy....I hope it will be something like that and not anything lame like he's farmsworths son or something
[\spoiler]

[Reply #453 on:]

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"Ups and downs" probably means a return to the original series status of the relationship, especially Seasons 3 and 4, as in a return to the status I liked best, since they weren't really together and it left open the door to good stories where they're not together.

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I'm not sure "ups and downs" refers to a season 3 - 4 style situation. That's more like 1 step forward 2 steps back. "Ups and downs" probably means what I've been suggesting for years, the way the handle their relationship and get used to it. Besides trying to weasel out of ITWGY's ending seems too difficult to actually pull off without just being lazy/stupid.

[Reply #454 on:]

More summaries:

http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Comic-Con-Futurama-Ignores-Controversy-Promises-To-Take-On-Twitter-18844.html

Hm.  People still can't spell "Zapp" and "Leela".  Must be hard.

Or maybe fox are changing more than the VAs....Zack, leila; Kry? Bonder?

[Reply #455 on:]

According to Phil LaMarr's Facebook:

Phil LaMarr Upstairs in autograph alley w/ the cast of Futurama NOW!
5 minutes ago

[Reply #456 on:]

According to Phil LaMarr's Facebook:

Phil LaMarr Upstairs in autograph alley w/ the cast of Futurama NOW!
5 minutes ago

Sounds interesting....hopefully he'll enlighten us more later

[Reply #457 on:]

I feel no shame when I say that the news of the VA's literally hurts my heart. I'm almost positive that we'll get the VA's back, but it still hurts that something this bad could happen (again) to our favorite, little show. Really, it's all our faults for believing that FOX wouldn't be capable of doing something this stupid. We're talking about FOX here! I hope that this gets resolved quickly because I don't want this hurt to be hanging over me for too long.

My responses to Officer IBDI's spoilers:

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*Nice to know that we have more writers than just the ones for the movies
*I wonder if they know about the reception to the films? Will this in any way affect story for the episodes?
*I'm looking forward to more closeness between the characters. I felt they stuck the perfect balance in ITWGY. It seems like the writers want them to take it slow, which is fine by me. Anything is better than a reset.
*My BWABB's hate shows here, since I'd rather not have any references to that one. Hope it's a good episode anyway (even though I've never been interested in Kif and Amy).
*Bender and Amy? That's disappointing. All the talk of "Shocking, Sexual relationship" where we all started guessing it meant Leela and Bender made me start thinking that's what they were gonna do. Looks like the only place I'll get to see that now is in FuturamaFreak1's fanart. Oh Well.
*Wait a minute! How's Zoidberg completely incompetent? He stitched Fry back together in 205 and 207 and stitched the Professor's Hand and Hermes's Head in BBS. I certainly think that qualifies as competent.

Whatever. The episode itself is hard to comment on since their isn't much detail on it. I guess an episode devoted to the Professor and Zoidberg could be pretty funny though. I'll have to see how it turns out.

Does anyone think they'll use the Godfather II model for it? Previously it's only been used for "Emotional" episodes (304, 407, BBS, a little of 402), so it'll be interesting to see it used for a comedic episode.
*Sweet?
*Now this one sounds like the most interesting one out of the bunch. I've always loved the high-concept episodes of the franchise, so this one hits me just right. Can't wait to see what kind of crazy stuff Fry, The Professor, and ??? get into.

I wonder if Bender will be heavily involved? As a robot he doesn't really age (and could get a replacement body or tune-up if he ever wanted to live longer) so he could be used quite well in the plot. This one has me all giddy.
*Well spluh! Of course there would be guest stars! I just hope they aren't made too much a focus. I've written elsewhere before, but I prefer it when the celebrities play new characters over an ego-massaging cameo.

[Reply #458 on:]

Some more spoilers (sorry for any redundancy; it's really hard to read my screen in this light and on battery power):

Show spoiler

• Some more info about that time traveling episode:  Fry, Farnsworth, and ??? can only travel forwards in time.  The first jump is 10 years into the future.  I am predicting Fry/Leela offspring, though it wasn’t mentioned at all in the panel.  They keep jumping forward, hundreds and thousands of years into the future, hoping they’ll find a time machine that will send them back into their time.  This is also the Fry/Leela date episode mentioned earlier.

What do those "???" stand for? A name you didn't catch or a "OMG!NewCharacter"?

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Assuming it's another person connected to Fry's lineage, it must be either Qubert, Ignar or an eventual kid of Fry and Leela's.

[Reply #459 on:]

IGN's on it:

http://tv.ign.com/articles/100/1007511p1.html

[Reply #460 on:]

I just sent a message via Twitter to Rachel Maddow and David Shuster of MSNBC to tell Keith Olbermann about Fox's pissant underhanded negotiating tactic, saying Fox deserves (yet another) slot on his "Worst Person in the World" segment. It's a pretty REALLY desperate move, but he's a fan - and if he does put Fox in WPitW when he (hopefully) returns on Monday, it may not be much, but it certainly gives a boost to our side. *crosses fingers*

[Reply #461 on:]

Some more spoilers (sorry for any redundancy; it's really hard to read my screen in this light and on battery power):

Show spoiler

• Some more info about that time traveling episode:  Fry, Farnsworth, and ??? can only travel forwards in time.  The first jump is 10 years into the future.  I am predicting Fry/Leela offspring, though it wasn’t mentioned at all in the panel.  They keep jumping forward, hundreds and thousands of years into the future, hoping they’ll find a time machine that will send them back into their time.  This is also the Fry/Leela date episode mentioned earlier.

What do those "???" stand for? A name you didn't catch or a "OMG!NewCharacter"?

Show spoiler

Assuming it's another person connected to Fry's lineage, it must be either Qubert, Ignar or an eventual kid of Fry and Leela's.

I was just assuming that they didn't pick who to go with them yet.

Show spoiler

I was thinking the most likely person would be Bender, but your idea is interesting too. If it was that they'd pick Cubert. But knowing Cubert's partial unpopularity with people, they will probably avoid a whole episode with Cubert saying things like "This is impossible, time travel can't happen!"

[Reply #462 on:]

I love how they had a "no time travel!" rule for so long and now that they've broken it, it's their favorite plot device. In for a penny, in for a pound I guess.

[Reply #463 on:]

I noticed this in the IGN article:

Fry and Professor Farnsworth travelling uncontrollably forward in time

By that description it sounds similar to Time Keeps on Slippin'.

Of course it won't be, but that was the basic plot of that episode, except that everyone traveled and there was no time machine.

edit: Oh, everyone is going to read that IGN article. Screw the spoilers.

[Reply #464 on:]

I love how they had a "no time travel!" rule for so long and now that they've broken it, it's their favorite plot device. In for a penny, in for a pound I guess.

Forwards time travel should be differen though....no more pesky retcons

[Reply #465 on:]

@MightyBoosh: Here Here!

@Smarty: They didn't really travel forward in time. The way it worked in that episode was more of amnesia. They would live their lives during the skips but then not remember the events. Like the Professor said, "Like a needle skipping on a record player".

This one is more true Time-Travel.

[Reply #466 on:]

well sadly its not a hoax... but i remain steadfast in my belief that this show will not end up on the air without the original voice cast. These contract disputes happen all the time, most similarly- as most of you know- it happened with the simpsons cast a few years back, and that all worked out. it happens on tv series and films all the time. Im confident that eventually this will all be settled, until then we support the voice actors and wait.

[Reply #467 on:]

Some more spoilers (sorry for any redundancy; it's really hard to read my screen in this light and on battery power):

Show spoiler

• Some more info about that time traveling episode:  Fry, Farnsworth, and ??? can only travel forwards in time.  The first jump is 10 years into the future.  I am predicting Fry/Leela offspring, though it wasn’t mentioned at all in the panel.  They keep jumping forward, hundreds and thousands of years into the future, hoping they’ll find a time machine that will send them back into their time.  This is also the Fry/Leela date episode mentioned earlier.

What do those "???" stand for? A name you didn't catch or a "OMG!NewCharacter"?

Show spoiler

Assuming it's another person connected to Fry's lineage, it must be either Cubert, Ignar or an eventual kid of Fry and Leela.

I was just assuming that they didn't pick who to go with them yet.

Show spoiler

I was thinking the most likely person would be Bender, but your idea is interesting too. If it was that they'd pick Cubert. But knowing Cubert's partial unpopularity with people, they will probably avoid a whole episode with Cubert saying things like "This is impossible, time travel can't happen!"

Show spoiler

To be honest, I'd like to see Ignar with them. It would make for an interesting episode, I think.

[Reply #468 on:]

Some more spoilers (sorry for any redundancy; it's really hard to read my screen in this light and on battery power):

Show spoiler

• Some more info about that time traveling episode:  Fry, Farnsworth, and ??? can only travel forwards in time.  The first jump is 10 years into the future.  I am predicting Fry/Leela offspring, though it wasn’t mentioned at all in the panel.  They keep jumping forward, hundreds and thousands of years into the future, hoping they’ll find a time machine that will send them back into their time.  This is also the Fry/Leela date episode mentioned earlier.

What do those "???" stand for? A name you didn't catch or a "OMG!NewCharacter"?

Show spoiler

Assuming it's another person connected to Fry's lineage, it must be either Qubert, Ignar or an eventual kid of Fry and Leela's.

I was just assuming that they didn't pick who to go with them yet.

Show spoiler

I was thinking the most likely person would be Bender, but your idea is interesting too. If it was that they'd pick Cubert. But knowing Cubert's partial unpopularity with people, they will probably avoid a whole episode with Cubert saying things like "This is impossible, time travel can't happen!"

Show spoiler

To be honest, I'd like to see Ignar with them. It would make for an interesting episode, I think.

Show spoiler

Yeah, then Fry and Farnsworth find out that Igner somehow knew how to travel backwards in time all along. :p

[Reply #469 on:]

Some more spoilers (sorry for any redundancy; it's really hard to read my screen in this light and on battery power):

Show spoiler

• Some more info about that time traveling episode:  Fry, Farnsworth, and ??? can only travel forwards in time.  The first jump is 10 years into the future.  I am predicting Fry/Leela offspring, though it wasn’t mentioned at all in the panel.  They keep jumping forward, hundreds and thousands of years into the future, hoping they’ll find a time machine that will send them back into their time.  This is also the Fry/Leela date episode mentioned earlier.

What do those "???" stand for? A name you didn't catch or a "OMG!NewCharacter"?

Show spoiler

Assuming it's another person connected to Fry's lineage, it must be either Qubert, Ignar or an eventual kid of Fry and Leela's.

I was just assuming that they didn't pick who to go with them yet.

Show spoiler

I was thinking the most likely person would be Bender, but your idea is interesting too. If it was that they'd pick Cubert. But knowing Cubert's partial unpopularity with people, they will probably avoid a whole episode with Cubert saying things like "This is impossible, time travel can't happen!"

Ah, sorry!  Those ??? just mean they didn't mention any other names.

Show spoiler

Though I got the impression that more and Fry and Farnsworth will become involved; at least down the [plot]line).

Clearly I just got back from Autograph Alley.  I, em, was unaware that I was going to pay money for those autographs, but it was worth every cent as soon as I got up to the table.

Phil LaMarr showed up first (10 minutes late; and this was on top of a whole other controversy where apparently Comic-Con staff didn't know the VAs were going to show up today, leading to an unintentional fire hazard in the making with the line); while we waited for the others he Twittered and chatted with various people in the line/on staff.  Billy and Maurice showed up next (20 minutes later)... with DXC and his family!  DXC went behind the table with them briefly and they talked and shook hands and such.  The mood was pretty somber, but it IMO it was in a "I really wish we knew we were still going to work together" sense rather than a "we have to pretend we're still getting along for the fans" sense.  John DiMaggio showed up last, about 5 minutes later, and DXC left after talking with him briefly.

For the price tag involved, I was only able to get one item signed, and I chose my promotional comic book from the 2007 Comic-Con.  All the VAs loved it; brought back memories of that panel when they dry read it aloud.  Maurice also said that they had been uninvited from this year's panel, further disproving that "boycott" rumor.

[Reply #470 on:]

Oooh - interesting tidbit...Apparently, at the panel for Star Wars: The Clone Wars:

One interesting question from the audience is worth mentioning however, and that is that those on the panel said that they would not be auditioning as replacements of the main cast on Futurama - as they "don't crap where they eat."

http://tv.ign.com/articles/100/1007139p1.html

The actors at the panel were James Arnold Taylor, Dee Bradley Baker, and Tom Kane.

Slightly good news!

[Reply #471 on:]

And the Respect-o-Meters in my head for all three of them just slid up a few notches....

Edit: Just realized I forgot a plot!  It may have already been mentioned, though:

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In one episode Leela and Zapp are stranded together on an isolated planet.  Keeler's penning the episode.

[Reply #472 on:]

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In one episode Leela and Zapp are stranded together on an isolated planet.  Keeler's penning the episode.

Isn't that just like "Amazon Women in the Mood"? Except without Amy, Kif, or the Amazonian women?

[Reply #473 on:]

"In one episode Leela and Zapp are stranded together on an isolated planet.  Keeler's penning the episode."

This sounds like a good episode.

[Reply #474 on:]

Phil LaMarr showed up first (10 minutes late; and this was on top of a whole other controversy where apparently Comic-Con staff didn't know the VAs were going to show up today, leading to an unintentional fire hazard in the making with the line); while we waited for the others he Twittered and chatted with various people in the line/on staff.  Billy and Maurice showed up next (20 minutes later)... with DXC and his family!  DXC went behind the table with them briefly and they talked and shook hands and such.  The mood was pretty somber, but it IMO it was in a "I really wish we knew we were still going to work together" sense rather than a "we have to pretend we're still getting along for the fans" sense.  John DiMaggio showed up last, about 5 minutes later, and DXC left after talking with him briefly.

This is reassuring.
And this might be wishful thinking from my part, but I read their "If you want a feature-lenght movie, push for it" as an obscure way to show they want us to do our best to get the VAs back.

Either that, or I'm reading too much into it.

[Reply #475 on:]

RavenStar: I did the same when Futurama came back in May, but didn't get any response. I'm sure Keith'll do it if he hears about it.
It's also interesting that talk of Futurama is all across Comic-Con.

1BDI: DXC showing up is interesting. Him talking to the VA's shows that they're on good terms at least. Did he do any autographs? And cool that they loved the comic.
Oh, and on the other plotline, that sounds awesome!

[Reply #476 on:]

• Some more info about that time traveling episode:  Fry, Farnsworth, and ??? can only travel forwards in time.  The first jump is 10 years into the future.  I am predicting Fry/Leela offspring, though it wasn’t mentioned at all in the panel.  They keep jumping forward, hundreds and thousands of years into the future, hoping they’ll find a time machine that will send them back into their time.  This is also the Fry/Leela date episode mentioned earlier.
[/spoiler]

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Spoiler tags- how so unlike me!

I know just within the hour, I posted in some thread on the General Discussion section of the forums that I agree with Svip that the future time-travel episode will not include potential offspring of Fry and Leela. However, that little detail that the future time-travel episode is going to be the episode featuring the Fry/Leela date has made me update my insight on the future season.

Since the time travel episode is the same episode that's going to feature Fry and Leela's date, I assume that Fry and Leela's date will be a lead-in for the events to come that Fry and Farnsworth will view of the future. It'll be kind of like "The Farnsworth Parabox" in a sense and it seems like it's bound to feature Fry and Leela in a marriage, possibly with a child or chidren. If not, then it would be one of those dismal, depressing, dark, and dreary views of the future that would encourage Fry to change his ways or something along those lines.

[Reply #477 on:]

• Some more info about that time traveling episode:  Fry, Farnsworth, and ??? can only travel forwards in time.  The first jump is 10 years into the future.  I am predicting Fry/Leela offspring, though it wasn’t mentioned at all in the panel.  They keep jumping forward, hundreds and thousands of years into the future, hoping they’ll find a time machine that will send them back into their time.  This is also the Fry/Leela date episode mentioned earlier.
[/spoiler]

Show spoiler

Spoiler tags- how so unlike me!

I know just within the hour, I posted in some thread on the General Discussion section of the forums that I agree with Svip that the future time-travel episode will not include potential offspring of Fry and Leela. However, that little detail that the future time-travel episode is going to be the episode featuring the Fry/Leela date has made me update my insight on the future season.

Since the time travel episode is the same episode that's going to feature Fry and Leela's date, I assume that Fry and Leela's date will be a lead-in for the events to come that Fry and Farnsworth will view of the future. It'll be kind of like "The Farnsworth Parabox" in a sense and it seems like it's bound to feature Fry and Leela in a marriage, possibly with a child or chidren. If not, then it would be one of those dismal, depressing, dark, and dreary views of the future that would encourage Fry to change his ways or something along those lines.

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I agree about the children. It would fit with DXC's comments in that io9 interview that if they had offspring that  it would be "with a sci-fi twist". Thats been puzzling me for ages, now it all makes sense.

Gah, I must stop reading spoilers!

[Reply #478 on:]

@Chug a Bug: Spoilers can sometimes heighten the surprise (if they're vague enough), since you build up your own expectations of what will happen and then have those expectations subverted by what actually happens.

[Reply #479 on:]

From this article.

A fairly sedate Simpsons panel followed, featuring a few seconds of footage from this year’s “Treehouse Of Horror” episode, including a spiffy-looking, if not all that funny, homage to Hitchcock that veered from Psycho to North By Northwest to the Dalí sequence from Spellbound in a matter of seconds. The Q&A that followed included a kid asking Groening about what influenced The Simpsons to which Groening quipped, “I was inspired by The Family Guy.” He then gave the kid a Homer doll signed by Seth MacFarlane.

So this thing about MG giving away Family Guy merchandising was just a supposed-to-be-funny joke. Meh.