3
(humor at the expense of the sacred)
5
(cartoon violence, crude language, sexuality, nudity)
7
(worth seeing multiple times)
"Futurama" was kind of my guilty pleasure for a while. It can be distasteful, even perverted, yet it consistently remained one of my favorite TV shows until it finally crossed the line one too many times and killed my interest. I guess it's the elements of it that agree with me: futuristic sci-fi setting, weird looking aliens, self-aware robots, lots of references to and spoofs of classic sci-fi, plenty of satire, and groundbreaking combo of 2D and 3D art.
On the downside the storytelling, at least in some of these early episodes, often lacks. There's very little emotional range, it's just all-out goofy comedy. There are numerous inconsistencies between episodes, and the humor is often overly crude and too irreverent.
If you're not familiar with the series you've probably at least heard the premise by now. Fry, a pizza delivery boy, is cryogenically frozen for 1000 years. He wakes up to a world of aliens, space travel as common as driving to the grocery store, vast societal changes, and a misconception of life in the 20th century. Not only is Fry clueless about the new world around him, he's also an idiot getting himself into more trouble than he can get out of. He meets up with a shapely Cyclops woman, a robot that drinks and smokes, and a distant descendant that hires the trio to be the crew of his "Planet Express" delivery service which funds his mad-scientist lifestyle.
As Season 1 progresses Fry has a mild interest in Leela but nothing yet as serious as it will become. Amy is introduced to future lover Kif, and space captain Zapp develops an unhealthy obsession with Leela.
You may have heard that this is nothing more than "The Simpsons" in space. So what if it is? It's still good. However, that said, I disagree with such a premise. Fry could be an older Bart (in personality not appearance), and Professor Farnsworth is similar in some ways to Grandpa Simpson, but that's it. Leela and Amy are nothing like Marge or Lisa, Bender and Hermes are unique, and the closest person to Zoidberg is Nick Riviera, not a main character. In addition, the stories and approach are different. Of the various reviews I've read passing off "Futurama" as a "Simpsons" rip, not one has explained where that idea comes from. Just because they have animation or design similarities due to a common creator does not mean they are the same show. I think calling "Futurama" unoriginal in such a way is little more than a convenient, mindless judgment for those that want to write off the show without spending too much time actually evaluating it. Don't listen! At least catch a few episodes on Cartoon Network and make your own judgments!
I'm often awed by the art. Excellent 3D renderings mixed seamlessly with 2D cell animation should be tempting for any fan of animation as a visual art form. Chris Tyng does a fine job with the music, and the theme is one of my favorites of the new millennium.
John DiMaggio's Bender voice is instantly recognizable. It's so unlike any robot I've ever heard that you have to hear it to appreciate it - it's loud and obnoxious yet hysterical. He's always calling humans "meat sack" and such. Fry, like I said, is an idiot, Farnsworth is intelligent but senile, Amy is ditzy, and Zoidberg is confused. Hermes, the Rastafarian, and Leela, the captain, are the only ones that provide a semi-normal basis to balance the rest. Katey Sagal of "Married With Children" fame is the voice of Leela. She has the perfect balance of seductive feminine tones and stern strength. Lauren Tom who voices Amy has appeared in everything from "Friends" to "Batman Beyond." Anyone that follows voice actors may also recognize other cast members like Billy West, Maurice La Marche, and the legendary Tress MacNeille (only a guest star at this point, but later to become a part of the regular cast).
The creators managed to find a way to have modern guest stars in the future by way of preserved living heads. Leonard Nimoy, Dick Clark, Pamela Anderson, and numerous others show up throughout the seasons.
I usually like the comedy either because it's satirical or because it's so stupid it's funny. For example, I love the scene with Fry in Bender's apartment for the first time. Fry wants to know where the bathroom is but Bender has no concept of such a thing. "The what room?" It reminds me of classic skits like "Who's On First." At one point Bender goes into sleep mode and begins muttering, "Kill all humans." He awakens to tell Fry about this wonderful dream they were both in. I suppose I must accept that it's not funny when I tell it, is it? But it's a riot when coming from Bender.
This is not a show for everyone. You can't be easily offended, you can't be turned off by stupid comedy, you can't get sick to your stomach over gross jokes, and you can't be expecting Timothy Zahn quality stories. However, if you're looking for a sci-fi based comedy series and know this ain't your Daddy's "Mork & Mindy," you'll likely become a fan.
Morality
Most if not all episodes have at least some strong language. Mom's scenes in "A Fishful of Dollars" are particularly bad. Even when not using questionable words the language can be crude and insulting.
There is violence. Though it's primarily silly and unrealistic it's still occasionally bloody.
Nudity shows up a few times. I don't mean someone's butt crack poking out of their pants (though there is that, too), I mean full-on bare butt shots of Fry (something a rarity on TV back when this aired though perhaps not as much anymore) and shots of Zapp with only his crotch covered up (and that just barely). There are numerous sexual jokes and plenty of crude humor. Bender talks a lot about hookers; he's most definitely a fan. Zapp loves the ladies and is frequently seducing them occasionally getting some bed time.
Smoking, drinking, gambling, porn, prostitution: it all shows up sooner or later.
Spirituality
The series pokes fun at religion fairly often. I can laugh at myself because they're doing that to everyone, nobody is singled out, but some viewers are likely to be put off by this. In this season in particular Bender finds religion – kind of a cross between fundamentalist Christian and Scientology I think. He becomes loving and prayerful but so annoying about it that his friends decide they prefer the loud pervert he used to be. They actually set out to turn him into a sinner once again. Having accepted the precepts of Robotology Bender unwittingly agrees that if he should sin he will go to Hell.
In a sense it puts forth the notion that whatever you believe is true. So if you believe in Hell you'll go there, if you believe in reincarnation you'll experience that instead. Robot Hell is not a spiritual place but a physical one. There's even a robot Devil who tortures sinners Dante style. It's too ridiculous to take seriously and doesn't bother me personally.
Bender's penchant for stealing may be another thing that rubs viewers the wrong way. He really is amoral, though I will say he's never presented as a positive role model.
Final Thoughts
It's great comedy. It goes overboard to the point that many are turned away from watching it. Are you willing to put up with such things in order to get a sci-fi laden laugh?
Buying Guide
"Futurama" is released in “volumes” rather than “seasons” possibly because the DVD's follow the production chronology which can differ from the air dates. I'll probably end up calling them “seasons” anyway because I'm just seasoned that way. So here's vol. 1 with the first few episodes.
You can get this first set by itself, of course, but in 2 vastly different packages. I'll spend some time talking about this in a little while because as a collector there are things about the differences that matter to me so they might to you as well.
There are also 2 series sets. One is the Bender's head set containing everything up to the point of the Comedy Central restart. The other is newer and contains the complete series old and new.
The new repackaging is done with simple cardboard and an art deco theme which has the benefit of fitting with the look of the later seasons. It's designed to be more eco-friendly which would be fine if it weren't so product unfriendly. The flimsy disc holders tend to let the discs slide out of the pouches easily which means easily damaged DVD's (just tilting the folder the wrong way can cause every DVD to fall out onto the floor). If the DVD's are useless the whole package is a complete waste which seems a lot more eco-unfriendly than a good design that collectors are going to want on their shelves long-term.
The complete series has a few notable points. First of all, it includes all 8 seasons plus the 4 movies. They are all on DVD so you'll sacrifice HD for the ones that offer it. The set includes a special wall calendar but does not include any other extras beyond what is offered in the individual releases (though those extras are not lacking). Packing is essentially all of the individual seasons, repackaged in their flimsy cardboard cases, residing in a larger box.
Final Recommendation:
I'm not fond of the eco-fiendly package design. I'm fine with people wanting to be environmentally conscious, but if that results in a substandard product I'm going to be less likely to want to pay for it. The full series box set is not worth the hassle in my opinion. The original plastic and cardboard packaging is great, and the Bender head set is a worthy purchase which would leave you with only the last few seasons to flesh out your library. Go with one of those if at all possible.
Volume 1 is a 3 DVD set.
Video
1.33:
It's clean and sharp. There are a few moments of quickly passing fuzziness.
Audio
2.0 Dolby:
Clean and dynamic but it all comes from the front.
Packaging
I mentioned the new packaging already so now I'll talk about the original. Each disc comes in its own thin-clamshell plastic case. Those fit inside a box which has an outer slipcover to keep anything from spilling out. It's an extremely convenient design with other benefits as well. At first I thought this was excessive packaging (adding to the cost), but I have come to appreciate having a case for each DVD instead of 1 folder for all of them. Accessibility is easier especially for pulling out the Christmas episodes during the holiday season.
The whole package is covered in amusing artwork. The outer sleeve has windows looking in on the main box. The only downfall is that the diecut edges around the windows have a way of catching on things making them look ragged after a while so be wary of that. Each case has an image that fits with the others to form one large mural, and the inside of each has a comical theme with the art on the DVD it contains. That's a lot of detail just on the aesthetics, but it's something that I appreciate about the packaging and miss in the new design so I think it worth mentioning.
There is no insert exactly, but the sleeves for the DVD cases have episode details on the back and chapters printed on the inside cover.
The interface is a static but original image with sound effects. Each episode has its own unique menu.
Extras
-Commentaries: There's a commentary for each episode. I normally list and detail commentaries and their speakers, but for now I'll just summarize them. They include Matt Groening, David X. Cohen, writers, directors, and actors. The ones with John DiMaggio and Billy West are usually the best because they're so amusing. Sometimes they all try to talk over each other, and sometimes they don't have much interesting to say. Other times, though, you'll come away informed and entertained.
-Animatic: Check it out in the episodes section.
-Deleted Scenes: 6 episodes have deleted scenes.
-Featurette (4:53) This behind-the-scenes feature could stand to be longer. We get to see a table reading, but there's no audio to it - big disappointment (future releases give us audio but no video). Other than that, though, it's pretty good with a look at designing and drawing the characters.
-Image Gallery: The art gallery is great. Besides some terrific images there are descriptions to go with them. Look for a Homer cameo in the first image. If you watch for the Planet Express Ship and select it you get short interviews with Matt. There are 4.
Easter Eggs:
There are numerous hidden images. Most are movie poster parodies seen in episodes like "Fear of a Bot Planet."
-Planet of the Clams: Disc 1: Main Menu: highlight the hover limo.
-Quizblorg Quizblorg: Disc 2: Main Menu: highlight the Slurm truck.
-It Came From Planet Earth: Fear of a Bot Planet scene selection: highlight the NNY sticker.
-I Was a Teenage Human: My 3 Suns scene selection menu: highlight the buttons on the control panel.-Yentltron: Hell is Other Robots scene selection menu: highlight the Robotology symbol.
-Buff-Bot the Human Slayer: Disc 3: Main Menu: highlight the police car.
-Your Hot Stud: A Flight to Remember scene selection menu: push the button that says "Do not push."
-Galaxy Wars: Special Features menu: highlight the remote control screen.
-Fry (0:54) Matt talks about Fry. Select the ship on the early Fry design in the image gallery.
-Celebrity Voices (0:41) Matt talks heads in jars. Select the ship on the nearly final design of the Professor in the image gallery.
-Leela (0:38) Leela's 1 eye. Select the ship on the alternate Leela hairstyles in the image gallery.
-Bender (0:51) Bender's character. Select the ship on the early Bender concept in the image gallery.
The Bender's head box set contains all 4 seasons/volumes up to the point of the original cancellation plus the 4 followup movies. It contains only DVD's and does not include the Blu-rays of the movies that are available in HD.
The disc content is exactly the same as the original release. The audio and video details can be read above.
Packaging
The biggest selling point of this set is that the discs are housed in a huge Bender head. The back has a hatch that opens to allow access to all the discs stacked on top of one another. That makes it sound like they sit on each other which is not so. They have individual slots which prevent a disc surface from ever touching anything else. The upside is that disc damage is not going to happen due to packaging (which can not be said of the other set), the downside is that finding the disc you want at any given time requires counting and probably pulling out the wrong one a time or two before getting to the right one. Few DVD packages cause me to deviate from my meticulous shelving system. This is one that does. It just looks too good as a display piece and deserves a place apart from the rest.
The box that everything comes in is in itself pretty fun due to the head-in-a-jar artwork. Bender's antenna has to be attached so some assembly is required.
A guide book offers details on all the episodes.
Extras
The extras are exactly the same as each individual release. There are no additional extras for buying the head set except a letter.
-Letter: This is a note from Matt and David printed on Planet Express letterhead and assigning a number to your head. Mine is 11990/25500.
Episodes
This season is by far the shortest with only 13 episodes. They are half an hour when aired which means they are closer to 22 minutes without commercials. Chapter selection is set up well if you want to skip the opening (you'll miss the great tag at the end!) or jump to a point mid-episode. There is unfortunately no play all option for these early seasons.
1) Space Pilot 3000
-Animatic (25:44) This covers the whole episode. It's basically coloring book-type art with limited animation. The dialogue is different making it more fun to watch than just a colorless version of what you've already seen. It's a good illustration of the importance of music and sound effects in an episode.
-Script with Notes: This is a manual slideshow of the original script pages. Some of the notes are hard to read, but it's interesting to see this first draft especially with the storyboards, animatic, and final product available for comparison.
-Storyboards: Also a manual slideshow. The notes are small but legible.
2) The Series Has Landed
-Deleted Scenes (1:20) Gopher space jokes and the big escape.
3) I Roommate
-Deleted Scenes (0:55) Amy needs the shower and party planning.
4) Love's Labors Lost In Space
-Deleted Scene (0:37) Meeting a Killbot.
7) My 3 Suns
-Deleted Scene (0:52) Fighting water with water.
9) Hell Is Other Robots
-Deleted Scene (0:44) Hell freezing over.
12) When Aliens Attack
-Deleted Scene (0:31) The problem with whales.