It's recently been announced that Futurama will return (again), this time on the streaming giant, Hulu. Fans are already excited to see Planet Express embark on new adventures and are eagerly questioning what the future brings for Fry, Leela, and the rest of the crew (minus Bender, potentially).
But so much of Futurama's humor and depth comes from the show's side characters. While never given the spotlight they deserved, many of the show's supporting characters were absolutely hilarious and engaging, often stealing every scene they were in.
Hedonismbot
Flamboyant, gluttonous, and always seeking carnal pleasure, Hedonismbot is one of Futurama's most hysterical characters. He's a robot modeled after an ancient Roman Emporer and seems to care about nothing but himself. In a way, he's very much like Bender, but whereas Bender enjoys mischief and adventure, Hedonismbot simply wants to experience the maximum amount of pleasure while being as lazy as possible. Every line the character delivers is filled with a mix of wit and over-the-top opulence, making him a truly memorable and hilarious addition to the cast.
Hypnotoad
Hypnotoad is a global phenomenon, both in the show and in real life. In Futurama, Hypnotoad has the power to hypnotize anyone who looks into his eyes. Because of this, he's the star of his smash hit sitcom, Everybody Loves Hypnotoad. But he's also gained popularity in the real world too.
Audiences love Hypnotoad so much that he's become a meme and one of the Futurama DVDs even has a full episode of Everybody Loves Hypnotoad in the special features section. Plus, Hypnotoad videos have since been uploaded to YouTube and have amassed millions of views. It seems the world can't get enough of Hypnotoad, so he surely needs to be featured prominently in the reboot.
LaBarbara Conrad
As viewers saw in season six's 'Lethal Inspection' episode, Hermes truly is a deep person with a lot to offer the show, solidly cementing him as a main character. In the reboot, the show should focus more on him and his family, including his wife LaBarbara.
The two have some great moments of bickering, shooting off an endless stream of fantastic one-liners. But underneath the humor is something relatable and likable. LaBarbara and her relationship with Hermes is a subplot that the show hasn't yet fully explored and could lead to some hilarious and surprisingly deep moments.
Malfunctioning Eddie
Some could see Malfunctioning Eddie as Futurama's version of Ol' Gil from The Simpsons. Eddie is a malfunctioning robot that runs a used car lot. He's always down on his luck and just moments away from a breakdown (in this case, a literal one, as Eddie's head has a tendency to explode.) Just like Gil from The Simpsons, there's something endearing about Malfunctioning Eddie. Everyone knows the feeling of being down on their luck and just moments away from exploding (emotionally), so Malfunctioning Eddie has proven to be an oddly relatable and enjoyable character for many viewers.
Robot Santa
Legend has it that in the year 2801, Mom built Robot Santa to help judge who was naughty and nice...but due to a programming error, his standards were set too high and he now judges virtually everyone as naughty and attempts to slaughter everything in sight each Christmas. Robot Santa was originally voiced by John Goodman, and it would be incredible to see him return for the role which has become iconic and produced some of the best Christmas-themed TV episodes ever.
Petunia
Petunia is a woman of mystery and intrigue. It's alluded to that she might be an escort...but in a later episode, she's seen operating an apiary. She also makes various comments about her past and the things she's seen and done. It appears that Petunia has lived quite the life, has seen a lot, and has been-there-done-that to just about everything. It's very likely that she has some excellent stories to tell and the Futurama reboot just needs to give her some added screen time to do so.
Mad Hatter Robot
The Mad Hatter Robot, sometimes also called the Mad Hatterbot, was the breakout hit of the 'Insane in the Mainframe' episode as well as the movie Bender's Game. The Mad Hatterbot is an inmate at the Hal Institute for Criminally Insane Robots.
He's a robot version of the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland and is known for pouring tea and shouting "Change places!", which causes every robot in his vicinity to suddenly get up and scramble to a new spot. His character is simple and pointless, but absolutely hysterical, providing big laughs every time he's on-screen.
Dr. Banjo
Dr. Banjo is an orangutan scientist who refutes Professor Farnworth's claims of evolution. He was used by Futurama to discuss some of the show's bigger concepts, such as religion vs. science and evolution vs. creationism. Making Dr. Banjo an orangutan added a level of humor to the often controversial subject matter, making it easier to absorb and enjoy by viewers. Plus, it's rumored that he was inspired by Dr. Zaius from Planet of the Apes, who was also an orangutan that believed in religion and dogma over science. The return of Dr. Banjo in the reboot could also mean more examinations of difficult topics.
Scruffy
Scruffy is Planet Express' janitor, who was sadly relegated to the shadows of the sidelines. Despite being an employee of Planet Express, he was only seen in the background of scenes in many earlier episodes. However, as time went on, Scruffy become a fan-favorite and his character continued to develop and grow.
In the reboot, Futurama fans will surely want to see more Scruffy as he's the unsung hero of the Planet Express crew and has developed a large fanbase who love his devil-may-care attitude towards life.
Hyper-Chicken
Stealing the spotlight of every scene he's in, Hyper-Chicken is the show's go-to lawyer. He's an alien from "a backwoods asteroid" and he's very much modeled after a conservative Southerner... as well as Colonel Sanders, the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken. The absurdity and dichotomy of an alien chicken loving the taste of fried chicken and conservative politics leads to endless comedy. Also, with the number of times the Planet Express crew find themselves in court, it's likely that audiences will get to see a lot more of Hyper-Chicken in the Hulu reboot.