To the joy of many, The Simpsons will be part of Disney+'s extensive catalogue, but Futurama isn’t. Disney+ is all set and ready to officially join the streaming wars as its launch date is fast approaching – that is, November 12 in the U.S., Canada, and the Netherlands, and November 19 in Australia and New Zealand. The service had already teased some of its upcoming original content, and some Pixar, Marvel, and Disney Channel properties will be joining the fun.
The list includes most films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, many TV shows from Disney Channel, and some titles that came in the Fox package. One of the biggest questions fans had regarding those Fox properties that can make it to Disney+ was about Matt Groening’s (seemingly never-ending) animated sitcom The Simpsons, which has been confirmed to be included among the content available at launch. But when thinking about The Simpsons, another Groening creation comes to mind: Futurama, which was left out from the catalogue.
Disney+ has an overwhelming amount of content coming in November, with mostly Disney classics of all types taking over the platform, but among all those is The Simpsons, which has had a weird history with streaming availability. Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart, Maggie, and the rest of the notable citizens of Springfield will now be exclusive to Disney+, but fans of Futurama will have to keep watching the series somewhere else.
Why Futurama Isn't On Disney+
There’s no reason for Futurama’s absence from the platform, but it might have to do with the Mouse House’s plans of making Disney+ a family-friendly service – even if its content doesn’t fully reflect that. The Simpsons is not exactly what can be considered family-friendly content, and has been considered in some regions as “unsuitable for children”, so in that regard, it doesn’t fit Disney+’s standards – but the series still has a big following, even if the quality of the episodes has been in decline for years. Not adding The Simpsons to the catalogue wouldn’t have been wise, but leaving Futurama out isn’t a tragedy, and the studio can justify it with either it not being “family-friendly” (as is the case with Family Guy and American Dad) or not drawing as many viewers as The Simpson does.
Futurama came to an end in 2013, while The Simpsons is still very much alive with its 31st season and the 32nd already confirmed. Nothing is set in stone with Disney+’s content, and their definition of “family-friendly” and what they want to achieve can change depending on how the service performs in its first months, so Futurama could be added at some point, though not as soon as some might want.