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Television Media It's funny. Laugh.

Futurama Movie Set For November 27 308

Posted by kdawson from the on-a-bender dept.
kevin_conaway writes "TV Squad informs us that the new Futurama movie will be available on November 27. The show will return as a full-length, high-def film sold on DVD. It will be followed by three additional films, and each film will be divided into four episodes, each to be aired on Comedy Central. So, that's 4 DVD movies or 16 new episodes."
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Futurama Movie Set For November 27 More

Futurama Movie Set For November 27

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  • Oblig. (Score:5, Funny)

    by Jack Malmostoso ( 899729 ) on Tuesday July 31, 2007 @02:18AM (#20053683)
    Good news everyone!
  • I missed Nixon.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by friedo ( 112163 ) *
      Arrooooooo?
    • What's the deal with Futurama's constant parody of Nixon, anyway? Does anybody who's a fan of the show even *remember* Nixon? Hell, for that matter, do the writers of the show even remember Nixon, or are they just going by the standard "make fun of Richard Nixon" humor template?

      I just find that odd. If it was Reagan, more people would relate I think. I mean, yes, ok, we get it, Nixon was a bad president, ha ha ha. But he's already been parodied in every comedy show there is, we don't need yet another go at

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by k_187 ( 61692 )
        I believe that Matt Groening has said his favorite thing about Futurama was that he could still make fun of Nixon.
  • ...Giggity giggi- oh, wait...

    Seriously though, this is fantastic news and makes it a lot more real in my mind. I hope they leave those god damned clone kids out of it though :)
    • I hope they leave those god damned clone kids out of it though

      Agree the clones in Futurama remind me of Scrappy Doo in Scooby Doo. Both annoying characters. Though I'm glad to get a solid date. This is one of my favorite American shows.

  • Finally (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Tykho ( 1133421 ) on Tuesday July 31, 2007 @02:31AM (#20053797)
    Life is worth living again!

  • About damn time (Score:2, Flamebait)

    by sqrt(2) ( 786011 )
    With the Simpsons ending, perhaps a successful release of these DVDs will help get the series back into full production. It was really far too brilliant to end after only 4 (3 production) seasons. I've been so angry with Fox ever since they canceled it and allowed the mind numbingly stupid show Family Guy back. Futurama is so much more deserving than that show. But it's never too late to start making good decisions.

  • The Velour Fog (Score:5, Funny)

    by jomama717 ( 779243 ) * <jomama717@gmail.com> on Tuesday July 31, 2007 @02:50AM (#20053901) Journal
    I only hope Zapp Brannigan plays a major role - he steals the show in my book. Best Shatner parody ever.

  • Oh thank GOD! (Score:5, Funny)

    by doyoulikeworms ( 1094003 ) on Tuesday July 31, 2007 @02:59AM (#20053951)
    That saved me a trip to the suicide booth!
  • "He'll be as strong and flexible as Gumby and Hercules combined!"

    "Gumbercules?! I love that guy!!"

  • Yay (Score:5, Funny)

    by Safiire Arrowny ( 596720 ) on Tuesday July 31, 2007 @03:37AM (#20054171) Homepage
    I'm happier than a snake in a sugar-cane field.
  • You can all bite my shiny metal ass.

  • I never really.. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by daydr3am3r ( 880873 ) on Tuesday July 31, 2007 @03:45AM (#20054215) Homepage
    ..understood as to why Futurama never really took off to the mainstream as Simpsons did. Especially with the declining quality of the latter and the pretty much consistent high quality of the former. Must be the sci-fi tag that works like a repellant: "Oooh I want gonna laugh you know, but can't, it's sci-fi fer christ's sakes!..."

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by neglige ( 641101 )
      "Oooh I want gonna laugh you know, but can't, it's sci-fi fer christ's sakes!..."

      Ah, yes, but Firefly, Farscape and Futurama (ok, and sometimes Lexx) should have tought us otherwise by now. Star Trek also had its moments, although not constantly. Sci-Fi CAN be funny :)
    • understood as to why Futurama never really took off to the mainstream as Simpsons did

      What fraction of Americans do you think are going to get "aleph-1-plex" or jokes about Hawking?

    • Re:I never really.. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by dakameleon ( 1126377 ) on Tuesday July 31, 2007 @04:44AM (#20054469)
      Lack of instant broad family appeal. The Simpsons has a character everyone can identify with, but Futurama has quirky characters that aren't as broad in their reach. I for one say Futurama is far funnier, but then I land smack-bang in its target audience, so I would wouldn't I.

    • Re:I never really.. (Score:4, Informative)

      by cowboy76Spain ( 815442 ) on Tuesday July 31, 2007 @04:45AM (#20054477)
      Because it was a little too geeky. Many of the jokes involved references to sci-fi movies or series, or scientific / mathematical theory (for example this list [lycos.es] (spanish)). Most people won't get what is about a 7-11 clerk in a box, but you know it is the shield from "Dune". Or that a aleph-sub-0 cinema would have a countable infinite number of rooms.

      Also, many of the jokes are more subtle than those usual to the Simpsons, and probably people won't want to look at a cartoon and have to think harder to understand its humour.

      That said, I am already waiting on it.

      • Is "specialist" humour more "subtle"? IMHO, no. (Score:5, Insightful)

        by Dogtanian ( 588974 ) on Tuesday July 31, 2007 @07:00AM (#20055147) Homepage

        Also, many of the jokes are more subtle than those usual to the Simpsons, and probably people won't want to look at a cartoon and have to think harder to understand its humour.
        I'm not convinced; I think you've mistaken "specialist" humour that's more reliant upon knowledge of a particular area (including its pop-culture references) for genuine "subtlety".

        The Simpsons *did* contain subtle humour in some areas. Whereas I feel Futurama's was very reliant upon parodying retro science fiction cliches and the old "aspects of present-day society given a futuristic twist" school of sci-fi comedy.

        For my money, Futurama *never* felt like it would have the same universal appeal that The Simpsons managed so effectively. That's not to say that it was bad, but dakameleon put his (her?) finger on it very well when he said that The Simpsons had more characters people could identify with [slashdot.org].

        FWIW, I feel that The Simpsons actually has more creativity and freedom than Futurama. On first glance you'd expect the opposite, as being set in a fantasy future it has the freedom to do anything. In reality, it's quite tied by its retro sci-fi roots and reliance upon parody, both of which limit it creatively and in terms of audience appeal.

        This probably sounds like I think Futurama sucks; I don't. It's all relative- but there are sound and legitimate reasons why it's not- and never will be- as well-loved as The Simpsons.

      • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

        by Chris Mattern ( 191822 )
        Or one of my favorites, the horse race with the quantum finish. Prof. Farnsworth complained that they'd changed the outcome by measuring it.

        Chris Mattern

    • Re:I never really.. (Score:4, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 31, 2007 @05:27AM (#20054677)
      I didn't see this answer in the previous replies to your question.

      Fox set up Futurama to run at 7PM EST / 6PM CST. This was on a Sunday. Fox had football running on Sundays. With the exception of the west coast, most of the country never saw the show. Many times they joined the show already in progress at approx 20 after, so no one could know what was going on. Too many football games went past their time slot.

      Plus, there are those that attended church on Sunday nights, so they never saw an episode. While living with the parents, it was a requirement to attend church on Sunday nights. I never caught the show unless I was sick or after I had moved out. So I never got a chance to see the entire run until Adult Swim started showing it.

      So for a few, other things were going on on Sunday nights. For many others they never got a chance to see the show due to Fox's use of a 7PM time slot on a day they had football scheduled until 7PM, but typically it ran until 7:20.

      No promotion behind it. All I remember ever seeing commercials for was Simpsons and King of the Hill.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by LWATCDR ( 28044 )
        Sorry that you where forced to go to church on Sunday night. I missed a lot of Futurama because I chose to go to church on Sunday night.
        I do agree that the time slot sucked. Same thing for King of the Hill which I also like a lot more than the Simpsons. I would miss it because of church activities or because of some stupid football game.
        Thank goodness for adult swim.
    • Besides the scheduling and other issues that have been mentioned I think the simple reason that Futurama struggled in comparison to The Simpsons is that The Simpsons doesn't involve any allegorical nature in its setting. We know that the Future really represents now (partly because Matt said so) but some people just can't get round that these aren't real things or people, like they can with The Simpsons. Many people have this problem with fantasy as well, they think it is for kids because it involves some i

    • Re:I never really.. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Lord Ender ( 156273 ) on Tuesday July 31, 2007 @09:37AM (#20056515) Homepage
      To fully appreciate Futurama
      • You need to have read Asimov and Heinlein
      • You must have seen pretty much all of ST:TOS
      • You must have a college-level understanding of physics ("no fair! you changed the outcome by measuring it")
      • You must have some understanding of American political history (President Nixon, etc.)
      • You must know a bit about digital technology ("Don't worry, Bender. There's no such thing as 2.")
      • Tou must not take religion too seriously ("sweet zombie Jesus!")

      This is all true for the majority of my friends (who I know from engineering school or my career in software). However, my girlfriend's friends and my family can only check off one or two items on that list. They'll get a few laughs, sure. But even though The Simpsons and Family Guy are mediocre by comparison, those two shows never leave the majority of people thinking "I don't get it..." Futurama is just a masterpiece with a small audience, so it has less earning power.

      The good news is that with Video over IP finally becoming cheap, HTPCs starting to catch on, and the popularity of DVD sales and rentals; the cost of entry to the TV show market is plummeting. The future looks good for shows like Futurama :-)

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by hal2814 ( 725639 )
        I don't buy the you're-not-smart-enough-to-get-it argument. I can check off all of your points and never really cared for Futurama. I don't think the general dislike really has to do with the brainy jokes as much as it has to do with episode pacing and the main characters. It also had a weak first few episodes. Family Guy tosses in a lot of pop culture references that go straight over people's heads, but there are still plenty of people who enjoy the show. I know pop culture references aren't the same

  • At last! (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Finally, a good show on TV.

    Random celebratory quote:

    "The Elders tell of a young ball much like you. First he bounced 3 meters in the air... Then he bounced 1.8 meters in the air. Then he bounced *4* meters in the air."

  • Oh, wait: wrong series.

  • One thing I have been wondering about is if the series will add or remove some material? I guess some people would complain if they first bought the movies, and then found additional material on the series DVD release. If so, I would probably buy both. Remember that it was the good DVD sales that brought Family Guy back.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by AngryJim ( 1045256 )
      "Remember that it was the good DVD sales that brought Family Guy back."

      Yeah and look how that turned out.
      • >>"Remember that it was the good DVD sales that brought Family Guy back."
        >Yeah and look how that turned out.

        Ouch... yeah, point. I think Futurama season 4 was a slight step down in quality too. The jokes were telegraphed way ahead, and there were no new interesting characters introduced.

        On the other hand, the redeeming qualities were that plots moved from just being satirical joke-vehicles to real story arcs with interesting sci-fi twists and developing characters, at least with regards to Fry&
  • Theese news made my day!

  • Don't forget (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Dachannien ( 617929 ) on Tuesday July 31, 2007 @04:22AM (#20054365)
    Rumor has it that one or more of these DVDs will feature a very special full-length episode of Everybody Loves Hypno-Toad.

    All glory to the Hypno-Toad!

  • Networks (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Enderandrew ( 866215 ) <enderandrew&gmail,com> on Tuesday July 31, 2007 @04:23AM (#20054373) Homepage Journal
    Will the networks ever learn? They never marketed the show properly, and that is why it failed, just like why Family Guy failed the first time around.

    Often they bail very early on a show that could be successful (like Drive this year, or Firefly) before they ever give the show a chance to succeed. If you don't market a show, people don't know it exists, and they aren't going to watch it. The weird thing is that there is quite a bit of start-up cost in getting an animated show running with an animation shop. 16 episodes is more than a half-season slate. I don't know why they don't just bring it back as a mid-season replacement on Fox, see how it goes, and hopefully just bring the show back for good?

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by jellomizer ( 103300 ) *
      Well adds cost money. And they rather focus it to show that they know everyone will like. Futurama and Family Guy have a target audience (people who understand and appreciate sarcasm), a large majority of the population are kina luke warm about those shows Family Guy re-found success was that it gathered the Shock Watch Crowd (They Cant do that On TV) and the Sarcasm loving fans. Futurama is a lot less shocking then Family Guy so it looses that segment.
    • Drive was a terrible show. I was hoping they'd go somewhere with it, but they just locked themselves into that stupid race.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by barzok ( 26681 )
      It wasn't just about marketing, Fox never gave the show a chance on the schedule. They put it on at 7 PM on Sundays, right where it would get preempted by NFL games November & December (Fox starts their seasons in November for a number of shows). If a game ran more than 5 minutes past 7, they'd stick with post-game coverage till 7:30, then go to King of the Hill.

      A show can't build a fanbase, can't get ratings, can't sell ads, if it's not even on when it's scheduled to be.

      I don't think Fox wanted it to s
      • Family Guy, Futurama, Firefly and Drive all seemed to get the same treatment from the same network. Should we be surprised?

  • Futurama Movie Trailer! (Score:5, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 31, 2007 @06:39AM (#20055015)
    The trailer shown at the comic-con is online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEtZHOj4vHo [youtube.com]

    Cancelled by the 'Box Network'!

  • Great... (Score:2, Funny)

    by knoll99 ( 1126749 )
    Maybe Fox will prempt Futurama yet again by slipping some lousy NFL highlights video into the Futurama DVD jacket instead.

    Terrific news about 16 new episodes though! Katay Sagal needs the work.
  • ... give Morbo gas.

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