Hulu announces Futurama revival with new episodes inbound
Hulu caught "Futurama" fans off guard when it announced plans to revive the hit animated sitcom in a tweet published on February 9, 2022 — and yes, that means there will be new episodes. According to a report from Variety, the show is on the hook for 20 episodes and will be helmed by the series' original creators David X Cohen and Matt Groening.
Many of the original cast members are also reportedly on board, including but not limited to Katey Sagal (Turanga Leela), Phil LaMarr (Hermes Conrad, Ethan "Bubblegum" Tate ), Tress MacNeille (Mom, Tinny Tim), and Billy West (Philip J. Fry, Prof. Hubert J. Farnsworth, Dr. Zoidberg, Zapp Brannigan).
John DiMaggio (Bender "Bending" Rodriguez) has not been confirmed as of yet, but a source told Variety the producers are hoping to bring him on. If that doesn't work out, they'll instead recast Bender, which seems like a tall order.
What we know about the Futurama revival
Familiar faces (technically voices, but this is a metaphor) aren't just limited to most of the principal cast, either. Rough Draft Studios is also returning to handle the animation.
20th Television Animation is said to be producing this time around instead of The ULULU Company (formerly known as The Curiosity Company), which might be too busy with Groening's other cartoon comedy, "Disenchantment," though that's pure speculation. It's a bit surprising to see 20th Television attached, considering Fox was responsible for the series being canceled the first time around.
As for what we can expect, well, that's unclear at the moment. Details on plans for the show's story haven't been revealed (or possibly even drafted) yet, but it's "Futurama." The show has pulled off time travel, parallel realities, alternate timelines, what-ifs, and other bizarre shenanigans before. Chances are it'll find a way to reconcile the previous final episode with whatever we have to look forward to.
According to Variety, the current plan is for production to begin in February 2022, with the intention of a premiere sometime in 2023. While waiting, fans can experience the original show on Hulu, which currently offers every season.