My daughter gave me this Futurama Planet Express sweatshirt for Father’s Day 2022. Besides being fashionable – in a geeky way – it’s also extremely soft and comfortable.
I wore this sweatshirt on my flights to/from London for attending Devoxx UK, the perfect conversation starter for those equally nerdy. One woman was gobsmacked and extremely excited to learn that the series is being resurrected yet again, this time on Hulu.
Needless to say, I am also excited for the serie’s third reboot – this one ten years after the previous finale – and just finished the first three episodes.
Reviews … barely
Honestly, I am a bit underwhelmed but likely it just needs to regain it’s rhythm….it has been ten years.
Episode 1 The Impossible Stream makes fun of TV series that get canceled and are subsequently restarted …. like Futurama! The opening credits are updated, and includes a briefly-shown Hulurama before transitioning with Futurama. Basically it’s many inside jokes that would be lost on new viewers and barely palatable for long-time fans.
Episode 2 Children of a Lesser Bog only makes sense if you watched Season 5 Episode 5 Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch. Because it takes twenty years for Kif‘s tadpoles (?) to emerge from the bog, the Hulu reboot is the first opportunity to revisit Kif and Amy becoming parents. Meh.
Episode 3 How The West Was Won 1010001 combines the Old West with Bitcoin farming. Again, meh, predictable.
Final Thoughts
Episodes 1 and 3 are ensemble-based, and Episode 2 more about what I consider secondary characters. Nothing really outrageous from Bender, though the cliches are back. Not much focus on Fry, Lela or their relationship. Roberto is back but I’d rather see Mom and her sons.
Maybe the expectations were artificially high after years of not watching reruns (except Xmas Story which I have on my DVR, absolutely love Robot Santa Claus), so I’ll probably re-watch these episodes as the season continues and perhaps I’ll change my views. But for now….meh.
