Good news, everyone: Hulu will be making a delivery of Futurama to your screens next year.
The animated sci-fi sitcom from The Simpsons showrunner Matt Groening was picked up this week for a 20-episode run set to premiere in 2023.
Following the misadventures of interplanetary delivery workers Fry (Billy West), Leela (Katey Sagal), and robot Bender (John DiMaggio), the series first aired on Fox from 1999 to 2003, then on Comedy Central from 2008 to 2013.
Now, nearly 10 years after the team made their last delivery, original stars West, Sagal, and an ensemble of voices including Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr, and David Herman have returned to production, according to The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood Reporter. DiMaggio is still finalizing his deal.
“It’s a true honor to announce the triumphant return of Futurama one more time before we get canceled abruptly again,” Groening said in a statement published by THR.
Intended by Groening and co-developer David X. Cohen to air after The Simpsons on weekends, Fox instead gave the show a regular Tuesday-night time slot, before shifting it back to Sundays. Regularly preempted by sporting events, the program aired erratically and Fox eventually stopped buying episodes, letting Futurama fall out of production without officially cancelling it. Comedy Central in 2009 picked up the show for two 26-episode arcs, airing the final episode in September 2013.
“When presented with the opportunity to bring fans and viewers new episodes of Futurama, we couldn’t wait to dive in,” Craig Erwich, president of originals at Hulu and ABC Entertainment, told THR. “This iconic series helped blaze the trail for the success of adult animation since its initial launch and we look forward to Matt and David continuing to pave the way and further establishing Hulu as the premiere destination for fans of the genre.”
Futurama joins a slate of original programs that includes The Handmaid’s Tale, Marvel’s Runaways, Pen15, Shrill, and the final season of Veronica Mars, not to mention popular adult animations like Family Guy, Rick and Morty, Bob’s Burgers, and South Park.
“The excitement from Hulu about returning Matt and David’s genius creation for all-new episodes has been off the charts,” according to Marci Proietto, head of animation at producer 20th Television Animation. “I’m thrilled that this incredible team will get to tell more stories, and that our Planet Express crew will have more adventures together. It’s a win for the fans who have loved the show since the beginning, and for the ones who will now discover it for the very first time.”
