Futurama has had a tough life after being canceled and renewed several times over, but following 10 years off the air, it'll return on Hulu with a 20-episode season, and the episode titles have already been revealed. The show will be released on the streaming platform in 2023, and if the titles are anything to go by, the show will be a complete return to form with another Christmas-themed episode and more Bender-centric episodes.
However, while fans are excited to see the outcome, they also have a lot of his expectations, and their demands range from fairly likely to out-of-this-world absurd. Between a couple of crossovers, lowkey fan-favorite characters, and its place in time, fans can dream.
A Simpsons Crossover
Ackmondual wants to see the two Matt Groening creations share the screen together, even though they're completely different entities. The Redditor notes, "There was a crossover episode, but for s**** and giggles, I want to see Futurama do a crossover episode with The Simpsons anyways! (the other way around!)"
As the Redditor points out, there has already been a Simpsons and Futurama crossover, which happened in "Simpsorama," episode six of season 26 of The Simpsons. But that was well into the time when The Simpsons wasn't operating on full cylinders, and the writing team didn't take advantage of the crossover potential, making what should have been a huge event rather uneventful. But with Futurama back on the air, there's a chance to right this wrong.
Bring Back The Original Writers
Bakoro wants to see the same writers hired for the new 20-episode season, noting, "Hopefully they can get some writers back, or at least people with a comparable level of education and writing experience." Futurama was known for its prestigious writers who were way extremely well-educated.
The writers of the show were Havard graduates and had Ph.Ds, but that's what led to such incredibly thought-provoking Futurama episodes such as "The Prisoner of Benda", which was written by Ken Keeler who has a Ph.D. in applied mathematics. According to the American Physics Society, Keeler even proved the theory in the episode before writing it. That's a commitment that isn't heard about all that often today. Keeler hasn't written anything since the series finale, so the series return would make a perfect comeback.
A Quarantine Episode
Given that everyone has just lived through what will be talked about in history for centuries to come, Intellectualidiot thinks it'd be appropriate if there was a quarantine-based episode in the new season. The Redditor comments, "I wonder if they’ll be an episode where Lrrr accidentally infects Earth with an Omicronian virus and the planet has to quarantine."
However, while that seems interesting, a similar Futurama episode where Fry brings the common cold to the 31st century, "Cold Warriors," already exists. But it just might happen, as "Rage Against the Vaccine" is a confirmed episode title. Either way, it's almost certain that Lrrr will return, as the alien was one of the best tertiary characters of the animated show.
It Should Be Meta
Caolan114 thinks the show should be more meta and self-aware, pitching, "I hope the first Joke of the new Futurama Is Bender sounding weird then clearing his throat and sounding normal in reference to his voice actor situation." The user is referring to the fact that John DiMaggio almost didn't return due to negotiation issues, and though it's impossible to know if the Redditor has a Ph.D., they'd be a great candidate for one of the new writers.
While it's nigh-impossible to accurately guess what the very first joke of the season will be, there's no doubt that the series will be more meta. If the studio has taken influence from more modern movies and shows, which are generally much more self-aware than they used to be, Futurama will surely follow suit. Though being more meta isn't a bad thing, hopefully, the show will still stay true to itself if it does go down this route.
More Barbados Slim
Xboarder84 is excited to see Barbados Slim of all characters, claiming, "I knew we haven’t heard the last of Barbados Slim!" While the Redditor is clearly referring to the character's line when he says, "You haven't seen the last of Barbados Slim," Slim is one of the most unlikely characters to be excited about returning.
Even characters who have only appeared in one episode have had more screentime in than Slim, who only features extraordinarily briefly each time. Slim was Hermes' wife's ex-boyfriend, and she quickly ran back to him whenever Hermes disappointed her. This schtick was basically his only storyline, so he likely isn't high on the list of characters fans want to see back.
Acknowledge Rick And Morty's Success
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Fans of mature animated series are living their lives best right now, as there are so many great shows on the TV landscape, such as Archer, Bob's Burgers, and many others. However, Rick and Morty is far more talked about, full of more imaginative concepts, and totally unrivaled. One Redditor thinks that the upcoming Futurama series can't ignore Rick and Morty's influence, noting, "They have to acknowledge the impact. I see that pushing them to be more ambitious with the sci-fi, and they'll have to be very deliberate with the tone."
Though Futurama was tackling just as deep concepts long before Rick and Morty was ever conceived, the dark animated show's popularity could have influenced the decision to renew it. And though it's unlikely given that they belong to different networks, a Rick and Morty crossover would be way more interesting than a Simpsons one.
Bring Back Scruffy
Mrsunsfan seemingly demands, "Scruffy better be back." While it initially seems a little strange to hope for the return of the Planet Express janitor who had a non-speaking role for the longest time, Scruffy was a fan favorite from the very beginning.
Ironically, even though the later seasons are heavily criticized (except for a couple of episodes), that's when Scruffy became more of a main character, but there's certainly no connection between the show's worsening quality and Scruffy's prominence. Scruffy was easily one of the best things of the later seasons, and one of the few reasons why they're rewatchable, so it's an almost certainty that the janitor will be back.
Make Amy Three-Dimensional
FromABroomCloset thinks Amy should finally be developed into a three-dimensional character in the upcoming season. The Redditor posits, "Amy was underused. One of the early episodes, it's mentioned that she is Farnsworth assistant, college such and such, they never make much use of that dynamic."
Amy was one of the main members of the Planet Express crew, but she rarely led any episodes and her character certainly didn't develop. The most screentime she had was when she had a fling with Fry, but that didn't add any layers to who Amy was. The character has a fascinating background, and the next season should delve much further into that. It makes sense, as the Fry and Leela arc is all wrapped up.
Another Emotional Ending
Stonesword75 wants to see another emotional ending, as they half-jokingly note, "Oh boy. I can't wait for another emotional, perfect ending when the show is 'canceled for good this time.'" The user is referring to the fact that the show has been canceled and picked up by different networks several times at this point, but the final episode before it was canceled, "Meanwhile," is one of the most perfect series finales ever made.
The Redditor also considers that the show could get canceled yet again, which is the last thing fans want to see happen. Hopefully, co-creator David X. Cohen gets to cancel it on his own terms this time.
Set It Before The Final Season
Though fans are dying to see more episodes of Futurama, a 20-episode season could ruin that perfect ending in "Meanwhile," but that's why Wordswontcomeout thinks it should be something of a prequel. The Redditor explains, "If they are going to do this I want the new seasons to be chronologically before the final season."
It's a smart way to get around that perfect ending, otherwise the upcoming series would ruin it similar to how Scrubs: Interns ruined the proper season finale. And given how animated shows are literally timeless when it comes to their periods, whether it's The Simpsons or Rick and Morty, Hulu could make as many episodes as it wanted if it was set before the seventh season and nobody would raise an eyebrow.