‘Futurama’ is back – again

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

(CNN) — The past of “Futurama” figures in prominently to its present.

Matt Groening’s popular animated sci-fi series has returned for its third iteration, this time on Hulu.

The show originally debuted on Fox in 1999 to much excitement given the success of Groening’s other animated series, “The Simpsons.”

In “Futurama,” a pizza delivery guy gets accidentally frozen in 1999 only to be awakened 1000 years later to a very different world.

It is one filled with quite the cast of characters including a drunken, foul mouthed robot named Bender.

Fox canceled the show in 2003 much to the chagrin of its devoted fan base who loved the crisp humor and satirical send up of science fiction tropes.

It was revived in 2009 by Comedy Central which initially aired reruns. That same year Groening talked to CNN about whether the show was done for.

“We hope not. If it is, we feel we’re offering an emotionally satisfying conclusion to this epic science fiction saga,” he said at the time. “But we did leave the door open just a bit in case we get renewed.”

Comedy Central eventually ordered new episodes, before canceling the series again in 2013.

Now a decade later “Futurama” is back and actor John DiMaggio, who voices robot Bender, believes fans will be happy with the new revival.

“It’s as good if not better (than the original),” he told EW.

The-CNN-Wire
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