# Futurama (1999)

> A 20th-century pizza delivery boy frozen for a thousand years becomes a Planet Express courier in a retro-futuristic 31st century.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/581

## Facts

- Seasons: 11
- Episodes: 164
- Episode runtime: 22 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, comedy, science fiction
- Created by: Matt Groening
- Network: FOX, Comedy Central, Hulu
- Cast: Billy West, Katey Sagal, John DiMaggio, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr, David Herman
- TMDB rating: 8.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0149460/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: breezy, irreverent, wistful, absurd, warm, satirical

## What critics say

Viewers broadly regard Futurama as a sharp, deeply layered sci-fi comedy whose jokes reward repeat viewing, though its later revival seasons are seen as weaker than the original run.

## Synopsis

Futurama (1999-2026) is an American adult animated science fiction comedy created by Matt Groening for FOX, later continued on Comedy Central and Hulu. Pizza delivery boy Philip J. Fry (voiced by Billy West), accidentally frozen for a thousand years, lands a job at Planet Express, an interplanetary delivery company run by his grandniece Leela (Katey Sagal) and the blunt robot Bender (John DiMaggio). Each episode follows the crew on deliveries across a retro-futuristic 31st century, where bizarre clients, mad scientists and alien bureaucracies turn every errand into a chaotic detour. The series runs eleven seasons and 164 episodes, mixing standalone adventures with a longer thread about Fry's place in a world that has moved on without him. Its engine is comic escalation: a simple delivery spirals into absurd complications, and the crew's bickering loyalty keeps the chaos grounded. Sharp social satire, pop-culture wit and a wistful undercurrent of displacement give the show its warmth. Its tone is breezy yet melancholic, and its sensibility places it alongside The Simpsons and Rick and Morty for fans of irreverent adult animation, with Red Dwarf appealing to those who love deadpan space comedy.

## Shows like Futurama

- [Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1989)](https://ember.film/tv/1844)
- [Tripping the Rift (2004)](https://ember.film/tv/4364)
- [The Orville (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/62609)
- [Aqua Teen Hunger Force (2000)](https://ember.film/tv/233)
- [Solar Opposites (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/82255)
- [Farscape (1999)](https://ember.film/tv/4058)
- [Dogs in Space (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/112966)
- [Cowboy Bebop (1998)](https://ember.film/tv/28571)
- [The Jetsons (1962)](https://ember.film/tv/2243)
- [Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/72994)

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