Good news everyone! Futurama is being revived by Hulu, with the streaming service ordering 20 episodes of the animated sci-fi series, according to Variety.
Original voice cast members Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr and David Herman will all return. Notably absent from that list is John DiMaggio, the voice of the foul-mouthed, beer-guzzling robot Bender. While he hasn’t been confirmed to return, he hasn’t been confirmed to not return, either, as apparently negotiations with DiMaggio are still ongoing.
The series premiered in 1999 on Fox and ran for four seasons before being cancelled in 2003. Then, after finding success on Comedy Central through syndication, 20th Century Fox released four straight-to-DVD films in 2008 that would become the 5th season of the show. Comedy Central also announced that two new seasons would be produced, airing through 2013.
“I’m thrilled to have another chance to think about the future… or really anything other than the present,” said Futurama co-creator David X. Cohen. It’s a true honor to announce the triumphant return of ‘Futurama’ one more time before we get canceled abruptly again,” added fellow co-creator Matt Groening.
“When presented with the opportunity to bring fans and viewers new episodes of ‘Futurama,’ we couldn’t wait to dive in,” said Craig Erwich, president of Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment. “This iconic series helped blaze the trail for the success of adult animation since its initial launch and we look forward to Matt & David continuing to pave the way and further establishing Hulu as the premiere destination for fans of the genre.”
Production on the new episodes of Futurama is set to begin later this month with an anticipated 2023 premiere.
