futurama

Has it really been seven years since FOX axed the consistently brilliant, charming and hilarious Futurama? It was a show as funny as The Simpsons in its prime, but had the added advantage of taking place in a fully realized and often surprisingly deep science fiction universe. If you haven't seen it yet, who are you? And why are you reading this site?

Like fellow FOX victim Family Guy, Futurama gained a huge cult following post-cancellation, prompting the release of several hit-and-miss straight to DVD movies. Comedy Central picked up the show, promising to revive the series. It feels like it's taken years, but this is finally coming to pass. The show's Facebook page and Comedy Central Insider have officially announced that new episodes of Futurama will premiere this June.

Added bonus: the entire cast will be returning, despite reports to the contrary. Hooray!

I know a lot of fans were disappointed with the movies (and rightfully so), so there's always the question of whether or not they'll recapture that old magic, but I have a positive feeling deep in my gut. Call it a Good-Taste-Hunch.

(More info via Ain't It Cool)

Oh, PETA, when will you learn that people will stop making fun of your crusade for the ethical treatment of animals if you stop making outrageous, implausible demands? I do appreciate your resilient campaign of tricking getting celebrities to pose naked in anti-animal clothing advertisements, but now you've just gone back into crazy mode proposing what sounds like a joke from Futurama.

The Daily Record is reporting that PETA thinks it is unethical to keep the famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil in captivity just so he can walk through a tree stump once a year to amuse a small town. Their solution? Robo-Punxsutawney Phil! Yes, they're serious. From the official PETA website:

"With Groundhog Day just a week away, I've got a Bill Murray movie on my mind-but the classic Groundhog Day isn't it. No, I'm thinking of Caddyshack-and the scene-stealing Mr. Gopher-and hoping that the folks in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, take a cue from the humane concept behind that cinematic critter by retiring Phil to a sanctuary and replacing him with an electronic groundhog."

Silly, PETA, now what would that accomplish? We all know robots can't predict the weather; only groundhogs can.

Over on kimncris.com, Cris, an amateur maker of movie prop replicas, has fashioned himself just about the most perfect Bender costume I've ever seen. Futurama fans take note--it even has a chest compartment containing a 40oz bottle of Olde Fortran!

Cris details the creation on his blog, but, sadly, didn't take any pictures of the work in progress. Sounds like it took a lot of styrene, bondo, and unabashed love for Matt Groening's cult hit TV show to get things this perfect. Cris went on to win a "Most Humorous" award at Comic-Con with his amazing costume. Check out some images of it below.

Looking for something good and geeky to watch? Here are this week's notable DVD and Blu-ray releases:

Futurama: The Complete Collection (DVD)
Nerds with some cash to spare will want to snag a pair of these sets (complete with Bender's preserved head) to use as collectible bookends. Oh, and the show is pretty damn great, too! The 18-disc set contains all four volumes plus Bender´s Big Score, The Beast With A Billion Backs, Bender´s Game, Into the Wild Green Yonder and tons of commentary, docs, Easter eggs and deleted scenes.

Drag Me to Hell (DVD & Blu-ray)
Audiences whined when Sam Raimi's glorious return to schlocky, suspenseful horror was tagged with a PG-13 rating. Now you can watch Alison Lohman live out her worst nightmares in an unrated edition, packaged together with the theatrical release.

More of this week's DVD releases after the jump.

This post originally appeared on our partner blog Comics Alliance

In an apparent attempt to alienate everyone ever, Fox is bringing back "Futurama" without its original voice talent after all. Comicvine confirms fans' worst fears with a link to Killerfilm's voice actor audition information.

To be fair, there was plenty of warning. We've been following this story from an initial announcement to last week's Comic-Con where the voice talent skipped the "Futurama" panel. But just because the news was delayed doesn't mean the show's fan base is any less bummed.

There's 13 episodes in the pipeline for 2010, which means 13 30-minute blocks Comedy Central will have to convince viewers the show is still legit.

Personally, I thought this was all just a negotiating tactic. Remember when "Friends" and "The Simpsons" had money drama every season?

We'll all doubtless be waiting to see how the new season shakes out. So good luck to the new cast. Please don't suck, okay?

UPDATE: According to HitFix, a deal has been cut for the original cast members to return to the show!

This might just be a shady way for Fox to reposition their bargaining chips, but great zombie Jesus ... this just cooks my clams. According to Forces of Geek (and the Facebook pages of the actors themselves), it sure looks like Fox is trying to re-cast some key Futurama voices. Oh ... only folks like Fry, Bender, Leela, Farnsworth, Zoidberg, Zapp Brannigan, Kif Kroker, and about a dozen others. Yep, we might actually be looking at a Futurama without Billy West, Katey Sagal, John Dimaggio, and Maurice Lamarche. Actually, make that "WE" a "YOU," because there's no way in holy green hell I'd watch a Futurama episode without ALL of those people on board. You could even break out the Hypnotoad and I wouldn't budge.

Thanks again to FoG for bringing this horrific story to our attention. (They even have the casting calls posted over there! Ye gods!) And as one of the biggest Futurama freaks you'll ever meet (check out my Twitter page), I assure you that I'd be just as livid if Fox tried to replace the producers, the writers, the animators, or the guy who does all the darn music. (The brilliant Christopher Tyng.) Clearly Fox is planning new Futurama episodes because the original series (and the four subsequent movies) sold really damn well. And here's a freaking news flash for you: Without Billy West and the others, you have NOTHING.

FoG has a Fox contact you can email, but don't be childish with your opinions. Try thanking them for bringing the show back (again), and then firmly state that you won't buy the damn things without our beloved cast members. That we even have to bring this up is sort of pathetic.

My favorite foul-mouthed, alcoholic Mexican robot is finally heading back to TV! Comedy Central and 20th Century Fox have ordered 26 new episodes of Futurama, set to premiere in the middle of 2010. Billy West, Katey Sagal and John DiMaggio have all signed on to return to the show to voice Fry, Leela and Señor Bender.

TV Squad's Danny Gallagher caught up with Sagal and DiMaggio recently to talk about the big news. Both actors credit Futurama's fan base for the show's return. Check out a few highlights from the interviews after the jump:

The term 'what's done is done' doesn't seem to apply to some animated TV shows, as Family Guy somehow found its way back into the weekly TV schedule on Fox after that same network had canceled it -- and now the same thing is happening to Futurama, which, after shoving out four new movies on DVD, will find a new life with new episodes on Comedy Central beginning in mid-2010. When the show does return, it will have been seven years since new episodes were last aired on Fox -- a lot longer than Family Guy had to wait before that show got its rebirth.

According to Reuters, show creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen are already working on a new batch of episodes, and the core writing staff -- as well as the original voice cast -- will all return. Says Groening, "[The four specials were] a great way of keeping the show alive, and one of the great things was that everyone enjoyed doing them, so it's been relatively easy trying to get everyone who was originally on the show to come back."

Discuss: What are you most looking forward to with the new Futurama show?