The Making of Futurama was a Sh*t Show (Part 1)
It Was A Sh*t Show・15 minutes read
The Simpsons and Futurama, created by Matt Groening, revolutionized adult animation with rebellious humor and unique storytelling, leading to massive success but facing challenges with network executives that ultimately led to Futurama's premature end despite critical acclaim.
Insights
- The Simpsons, created by Matt Groening, sparked a rise in adult animation with its rebellious humor and social satire, leading to a massive fanbase and merchandise success.
- Futurama, developed by Groening and David X. Cohen, faced challenges with Fox's erratic scheduling, impacting its viewership despite critical acclaim, ultimately ending after 72 episodes, highlighting the show's creative success but struggle with network decisions.
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Recent questions
What is the premise of Futurama?
Fry wakes up in the year 3000.
Who created Futurama?
Matt Groening and David X. Cohen.
What inspired the characters in Futurama?
Old sci-fi TV shows like Dr. Who.
When did Futurama premiere?
Successfully in 1999.
Why did Futurama end?
Fox did not order another season.
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Summary
00:00
The Simpsons and Futurama: Animation Revolutionaries
- The Simpsons, created by Matt Groening, revolutionized adult animation and became a massive hit for Fox in 1989.
- The show's rebellious humor and social satire offended many but garnered a massive fanbase and merchandising success.
- The Simpsons' success led to a boom in adult animation in the 90s, inspiring shows like Family Guy and South Park.
- Matt Groening's next project, Futurama, was born out of a desire to combine comedy with science fiction.
- Futurama's premise revolves around Philip J. Fry waking up in the year 3000 and his adventures with a mad scientist, Professor Farnsworth.
- David X. Cohen joined Groening to develop Futurama, drawing inspiration from old sci-fi TV shows like Dr. Who.
- The characters of Futurama, like Bender and Dr. Zoidberg, were carefully crafted to bring a unique blend of humor to the series.
- Despite initial struggles with Fox executives over creative control and casting changes, Futurama premiered successfully in 1999.
- The show's digital animation techniques and unique storytelling set it apart from The Simpsons, receiving mixed reviews but showing promise.
- Futurama's debut episode attracted a large audience, outperforming The Simpsons, and marked the beginning of a successful run for the series.
13:21
Futurama's turbulent journey on Fox.
- Futurama aired on Fox on Sunday nights between The Simpsons and The X-Files, but was moved to Tuesday nights due to technical difficulties, losing nearly 50% of its audience.
- Creator Matt Groening criticized Fox for not fostering original series and operating in damage control mode, but remained optimistic about the show's quality attracting viewers.
- Futurama was moved back to the prime Sunday 8:30 pm slot for only four episodes before being shifted to 7pm, a challenging time slot due to sportsball games running over.
- Fox's erratic scheduling led to episodes airing inconsistently, impacting the show's continuity and audience building, ultimately resulting in declining viewership.
- Despite critical acclaim and creative success, Futurama ended after 72 episodes when Fox did not order another season, leaving fans disappointed but recognizing the show's peak in quality under David Cohen's decisions to embrace sci-fi roots and evoke emotional responses from audiences.
