General Futurama Discussion - A New Thread

[on:]

If anybody still talks about Futurama they can do it here

The Old Thread

[Reply #1 on:]

I received my Bender's Big Score disc this week and watched it last night, with the commentary track enabled.  Unfortunately I fell asleep partway into it

Awww, you missed the chance to cash in on the current Star Wars cycle by using the title "General Futurama Discussion - The Thread Awakens"

[Reply #2 on:]

I received my Bender's Big Score disc this week and watched it last night, with the commentary track enabled.  Unfortunately I fell asleep partway into it

Much of my entertainment came from those DVDs when I didn't have the internet.

Awww, you missed the chance to cash in on the current Star Wars cycle by using the title "General Futurama Discussion - The Thread Awakens"

I'm one of those rare, few people that would prefer the next several years of Futurama discussion not be dubbed with a Star Wars reference. So... thanks, Tweek.

[Reply #3 on:]

lol wtf is star wars??

[Reply #4 on:]

More info on the Futurama mobile game, "Release the Drones".

 http://www.engadget.com/2015/11/23/futurama-mobile-game/



If the TV show that you love gets axed before you're ready to let it go, then there are a couple of things you can hope for. For instance, a streaming service could step in to fund a new season of the show, or people can turn to Kickstarter and do it themselves. But it turns out that there's another route towards salvation in the form of a mobile game, which is how Futurama is going to make its auspicious return. 20th Century Fox has signed a deal with German game developer Wooga to create Futurama: Release the Drones. The story will see the Planet Express crew take on MomCo in a delivery war, with players asked to connect groups of drones to solve puzzles.

Thankfully, Wooga saw fit to call upon some heavyweight names to help create the game behind the scenes. For starters, it'll be designed by Dave Grossman, who wrote The Secret of Monkey Island, Sam & Max as well as Telltale Games' Tales of Monkey Island. He'll team up with former Futurama producer Patric Verrone, who was co-executive producer in the show's later years and wrote episodes like The Problem with Popplers and That's Lobstertainment!. There's no word on when the title will be released, although we imagine that the turnaround time won't be particularly.

[Reply #5 on:]

Vewy intevesting.  Hopefully the game will be more like Popplers and less like Lobsters

[Reply #6 on:]

It sounds like it's being developed as more of a legitimate game and less of a piece of cynical shit like Simp City and Family Guy: Tapped Out, which is good.

[Reply #7 on:]

Yeah, I'm definitely happy this seems to be a step above the glorified slot machines that are the Simpsons freemium games, but I still doubt I'll check this out unless I hear really great things about it.

[Reply #8 on:]

Screenshots from the game.

[Reply #9 on:]

Can't say it looks too bad at all. Nice to see it being made in three-dimensions actually.

[Reply #10 on:]

He'll team up with former Futurama producer Patric Verrone, who was co-executive producer in the show's later years and wrote episodes like The Problem with Popplers and That's Lobstertainment!.

Of all the episodes Patric has written, they thought "That's Lobstertainment!" was one of the best examples?

Nice to see more news about the game, looking forward to it lots. The screenshots look pretty decent.

[Reply #11 on:]

So I was watching "Meanwhile", yesterday, and I was thinking about why I don't like the second run (mostly season 7) and what I wouldn't like to see in a potential *third* run. I don't know whether this has already been discussed, on this thread or on another, so please don't hit me. And perhaps gifts. (In the form of 00100100.)

I don't think what makes the show interesting are the stories. Futurama is too nonsensical for that. It's a cartoon show set in space, and everyone's a bunch of weirdos. The only human and not completely unrelatable characters are Fry and the professor.

I think what can make the show great are the interactions between the characters (and not necessarily their relationships (not whether they always fight or defend each other but whether they have memorable exchanges)), namely

• Fry-professor
• Fry-Bender
• Professor-Bender
• Fry-Zoidberg

(Because Fry and Bender are the most relatable and the professor and Zoidberg are the most interesting. (I'm not including "Zoidberg-professor" because they're too similar (they're both old characters that do weird things) and I'm not including "Zoidberg-Bender" because it's an alien and a robot.))

What I think Futurama needs to not totally suck is very little Amy, a non-bitchy Leela, a non-whiny Fry, and a lot of Bender, professor, and Zoidberg.

[Reply #12 on:]

I don't think what makes the show interesting are the stories. Futurama is too nonsensical for that. It's a cartoon show set in space, and everyone's a bunch of weirdos. The only human and not completely unrelatable characters are Fry and the professor.

While I share your sentiment that the interaction between the characters is an even greater aspect of the show than its futuristic setting and sci-fi plots (creative as those often are), I'd have to disagree with your low assessment of how relatable those characters are. Sure, they're robots and monsters and old people, and brains fly through space and everyone eats lasers, but a large part of the show's satire is in exploring how the more things change, the more they stay the same. This applies not only to plots parodying present-day issues (with mixed results, as you'd probably agree) but to the motivations and emotions of the characters too; they may live in a crazy world, but that world is real to them and they behave as such, living their lives realistically in accordance with their personalities and the means their world affords them (and frankly, our own real world can seem pretty crazy too). A lot of both the humor and the heart of the show comes from the characters having recognizable personalities and being in recognizable situations, at least in terms of their relationships with each other (and I don't even necessarily mean romantically, but just as coworkers who, by the nature of their business and the adventures that they have, become friends and a makeshift family). Having the show just focus more on pithy exchanges at the expense of learning who the characters are wouldn't improve it much, in my opinion.

[Reply #13 on:]

+1, would read again.

Most of the characters in the show have fairly straightforward motivations and I find it easy to relate to them, though some of the motivations do seem to change more as a convenience to the plot than to any long term human (or mutant, or alien) development.  Of the main characters, Amy's motivations seem the most fluid to me, but that's no big deal as they're usually laid out at the beginning of an Amy-centric episode.

[Reply #14 on:]

@Tedward I just think the show can seem too ridiculous to a general viewer if not executed right, as it was in the second run. It's dangerous to have these kinds of character, because it makes it easier for the show to come across as a kid's show.

"Having the show": I'm not saying it should focus on them. I'm just saying that's where the writers should put their effort. If those are present the plots can be whatever. That no matter how good the story is if the characters that figure most don't feel real the episode will suck and that good characterization can make a bad story not impact the episode.

@Tachyon Do you mean him or me?

Aw.

</wernstrom>

[Reply #15 on:]

My +1 comment was in reference to Tedward's post.

I suspect that a significant fraction of the people who catch a glimpse of an animated show drawn in a cartoonish style (e.g. Futurama) rather than a more anthropomorphic style (e.g. Archer) will initially assume that it's a kid's show, and there's probably no getting around that.  But I don't really think it's that big a deal.

As far as my introduction to Futurama is concerned, the deadpan humor combined with a sci-fi universe caught my interest immediately.  By the time I'd watched a second episode I was completely hooked.  Regarding the various broadcast seasons, each had episodes I liked a lot and some that I didn't care for at all, though some of the latter grew on me after repeated viewings.

But what are the hard metrics that define a gulf between a kid's show and a show for adults?  It's mostly in the mind of the viewer, in my opinion.  When Invader Zim was on TV it seemed pretty clear to me that it was a adult cartoon masquerading as a kid's show.  And the character interplay in some shows that are targeted toward kids is entertaining for adults despite the fact that the show might be grounded in a more innocent and simplistic framework -- Gravity Falls comes to mind.

Why is The Simpsons enormously more popular than Futurama ever was?  One could argue that despite a wry sense of humor, The Simpsons leans more toward the childish than did Futurama, yet legions of adults watch The Simpsons religiously.

[Reply #16 on:]

My point is that Futurama shouldn't feel like it's My Little Pony.

[Reply #17 on:]

I recently had an discussion with somebody who, upon me mentioning Futurama, said something to the effect of "Isn't that that stupid cartoon?" before going on about how great Family Guy is. With them benig a fan of Family Guy, American Dad! and even The Simpsons, I found that quite baffling and was able to convince them to give it another go. From what I could gather, they were under the impression that it was some kids' thing.

[Reply #18 on:]

I think I've posted this before at some point during my time on PEEL, but a lot of people I've spoken to who don't like Futurama usually say they "don't get it" or that it "isn't funny".

*edit*

[Reply #19 on:]

I recently re-watched Reincarnation and noticed that Fry has a line about he wants this moment to last forever. It's near the end of the black and white cartoon segment. I thought that was interesting, considering what they ultimately decided on for the last episode. Perhaps the notion was already rattling around in the writer's heads, somewhere in the back?

[Reply #20 on:]

I think I've posted this before at some point during my time on PEEL, but a lot of people I've spoken to who don't like Futurama usually say they "don't get it" or that it "isn't funny".

I've never actually met somebody who dislikes Futurama. Even the types who love Family Guy still have some kind of respect for it.

[Reply #21 on:]

I recently re-watched Reincarnation and noticed that Fry has a line about he wants this moment to last forever. It's near the end of the black and white cartoon segment. I thought that was interesting, considering what they ultimately decided on for the last episode. Perhaps the notion was already rattling around in the writer's heads, somewhere in the back?

Was that where the world became still because everything was covered with diamonds and he was holding her hand?

* Tachy  looks...

Yep, and them being frozen in diamond seems sort of analogous to time standing still.  Interesting theory.  I'll have to go back and listen to the commentary track on Meanwhile again.

[Reply #22 on:]

Reincarnation was also written as a possible series finale, I do believe, though that particular segment was never in consideration to be the closing segment. The final segment was originally going to be the 8-bit videogame segment (ending with the text "SHOW OVER"). However, the anime segment was ultimately selected as the closing segment because it was so strongly received in audience testing (or whatever that part of the television production process is called).

[Reply #23 on:]

(ending with the text "SHOW OVER")

Pretty sure it was going to say "SERIES COMPLETE"

[Reply #24 on:]

The other week Gorky and I were discussing whether or not we thought that the new run of episodes was ultimately worthwhile for us as dedicated fans of the show, and I’ve grown curious as to what other PEELers think (I’m sure this issue has been debated many times before, yes, but I figure I’d bring it up again). It’s not really an interesting question for those who loved the new run and would obviously say yes or for those who hated it and would obviously say no, but what about for those like me who were largely disappointed in the new run but will readily admit that there was a handful of episodes--even if unfortunately small in number--that rank among my favorite things the show ever did?

For my part, I feel like I have to say that yes, the show’s return was worthwhile because I’ve been able to see those few outstanding episodes and just had to put up with a lot of unimpressive ones in order to do so…but then again, it’s not like I even knew I was missing out on those great ones in the period before the show’s renewal. We were able to have our cake and eat it too with the original run, I feel, because we could be righteously indignant that the show was cancelled in its prime, and yet could also be quite satisfied with the seventy-two episodes we did have and feel that the show, even cut short like that, was still “complete” as it was (and for that, it is oh-so-fortunate that the show’s makers were predicting the show’s demise and were able to pull out all the stops in season four, tying up the arcs of Leela’s origin and Fry’s purpose in the future).

The new run has made it much harder to say “Futurama is my favorite show” because all the episodes I don’t care for are now included in that (in an more extreme example, it’s also like wondering how I could in good conscience say that I love The Simpsons, when at this point in its run I wouldn’t be including almost half of its episodes in that statement), unless I regard the original run and new run as separate entities…which in all honesty I can’t help but do anyway because that’s how I experienced them, but it’s still a shame to have to clarify one’s fandom like that.

[Reply #25 on:]

Shows evolve.  The new run was different than the previous runs.  I'm not head over heels for it but I'm very glad that it was renewed and new episodes were made, even if the feel (and sound) has changed to some degree.

Beyond an objective, analytical take on the new episodes it's natural to view them through nostalgia-coloured glasses because recalling the older shows unavoidably brings back memories of one's life context from the time they aired.  It does for me, anyway.

[Reply #26 on:]

Not the art topic, I know; but I really think this deserves sharing.



(Source)

[Reply #27 on:]

Oh, it's a custom job   I was all ready to shout "Shut up and take my money!".

[Reply #28 on:]

I think an "official" version would have significantly less blood.

[Reply #29 on:]

Stuff

I respect Tedward. I think he's a good snail. But quite frankly, I agree with everything he just said.

Personally, I feel that the revived run had a handful of excellent episodes, as well as a handful (or maybe two) of stinking turds. The good more than made up for the bad, in hindsight. There's a definite decline evident towards the end of the show, but I'm glad overall that it came back in the way that it did, and really glad that we got episodes like "Meanwhile", F&LBF, and TLPJF out of it. Therefore, it was absolutely worthwhile.

That's not to say that I'll ever be watching episodes like TSMFP again for any reason other than dusting off tnuk's big book of reasons why he hates stuff, and listing everything wrong with them.

But the revived series was a good thing, because if we'd missed it then we'd have let a few absolute gems fall unregarded by the wayside. Which would, overall, have been an enormous shame.

[Reply #30 on:]

There's also the point that no matter how bad an episode might be, it's still only an episode.

I can bitch and moan about SMFP and Neutopia all I want but at the end if the day, their existence does not negatively effect my life in any way.

[Reply #31 on:]

In retrospect I realize that it was a sort of silly thing to ask (even as fun as what-if questions are, as the show has shown us!); after all, like it or not, the show was brought back and what's done is done, so we might as well focus on the positives and be happy about such a miraculous production history that very few television shows could achieve.

Having rewatched the entire series recently, I too can more assuredly say that yes, the revival was certainly worthwhile, even if my overall lower enjoyment of the new run has not changed.

[Reply #32 on:]

I echo the same sentiments. The overall quality of the revived years was lower than the original run, but there are more than enough brilliant episodes dotted around in there to justify the new episodes being made.

In fact, despite being less consistently good, I still prefer season 6 to seasons 1 and 2. I'd always take a few 10/10 episodes and a few 1/10s mixed together over wall-to-wall 7 or 8/10s.
 
Season 7 was a drastic step down from 5 and 6 if you ask me, but even that was justified by giving us "Meanwhile", which is as much of a perfect finale as we could possibly ask for.

[Reply #33 on:]

I'm really enjoying Game of Drones. It's a Candy Crush Saga clone and, yet, unlike Candy Crash Saga, it somehow manages to be fun.

Here's hoping it makes a trillion dollars and convinces someone that Futurama is a highly profitable franchise so that they decide to make some films or something.

[Reply #34 on:]

I, too, am enjoying Game of Drones. The amount of detail gone into the 3D navigation screen is impressive, especially considering Futurama is pretty much dead.

This behind-the-scenes video shows just how much love has actually gone into the game, pretty cool:

[Reply #35 on:]

It does seem kind of lame that all of the voice clips I've encountered so far seem to just be ripped from the show. I wish they could have recorded some new lines for the thing.

Still, it's a fairly minor complaint.

Realistically, I hope that this game does well enough to convince someone to produce a new fully fledged Futurama console game - like the last one but better. Hell, I'll take like the last one but exactly as good again.

[Reply #36 on:]

Would've been really damn expensive to get some new lines done. I haven't downloaded it yet, but I'll check it out over the weekend, glad to hear it's pretty good. Still would've preferred another video game in the vain of the 2002 one, or even a Tapped Out styled game, but it's great that there is actually some Futurama content being produced.

[Reply #37 on:]

It can't be that expensive to get Billy West in a booth for a couple of hours, can it?

[Reply #38 on:]

I don't mind the dialogue snippets, however, Fry's line from "All the Presidents' Heads" is super annoying, since it's said in his British accent. To someone who hasn't seen that episode, I bet they find it super odd.

[Reply #39 on:]

I've been playing Game of Drones for a few weeks now (though I'm still only on the Zapp section because I refuse to go on to the next level until I have attained a three-star score on the current level; such perfectionism takes a while, as I am kind of bad at this game), and I agree that it's really fun. The story itself is about on-par with the comics, or the less successful new-run episodes, but there's still something very exciting about seeing the Planet Express crew et al. in action again, despite those cornier moments.

Also, I am bothered by iOS games in general because you always have to decide if you're going to suck it up and spend real-world money to get extra lives (that 30-minute waiting period is a real drag; now I understand how people feel when they have to wait five days for a gun: "I'm mad now!"), or sit through insipid advertisements for other games just so you can get one measly life, or (and this is the least-exciting prospect to me) bother your Facebook friends with one of those inane "[Insert Casual Acquaintance Here] Just Sent You a Request on [Insert Dumbass Mobile Game Here]" notifications. But that's more a complaint about this particular genre of game than the game-play itself, so I'll leave it at that...whilst echoing cyber_turnip's hopes for a new Futurama console game to rival the so-so game from the early 2000s.