Modern-day Hollywood is all about reboots and revivals. Every day it seems like another show returns, a new legacy sequel is announced, or a beloved old property is remade for a modern audience. With the rise of streamers and their seemingly unending ability to produce new content, television reboots are at an all-time high.
Most follow a similar setup. A show returns from the dead with new content before inevitably ending again. Series finales are becoming more and more meaningless, as the show can just return at a later date. A successful show with a successful revival could even have two series finales by the time both runs conclude. But what if there were more? Well, that brings us toFuturama, which has had a grand total of four series finales. And they’re not done.Yet another revivalof Matt Groening’s animated hit will premiere July 24 on Hulu, the show’s third platform.
What makesFuturamaso immortal? It does seem fitting that a show with a 1,000-year-old human protagonist keeps rising from the dead. Beyond that, it’s just a good show that’s lived on with fans for nearly 25 years. So let’s take a look at all the times thatFuturamaended, returned, and then ended again.
The Early Days
BesidesFuturama, Matt Groening’s best-known work remainsThe Simpsons. But unlikeFuturama, The Simpsonshas managed to air continuously since 1989, and it will air until the sun envelops the Earth. It was the success of Homer’s family that led Fox to petition Groening to make another show, andFuturamawas born.
Related:Futurama: Philip J. Fry’s 10 Best Quotes, Ranked
Debuting on June 05, 2025, the show quickly became a hit with critics and audiences, though the goodwill did not extend to its network. Despite having a consistent Tuesday night timeslot in its first season, the show was regularly moved around the schedule in later years.
Episodes scheduled for early Sunday nights were often preemptedby sports overruns, with little notice about a rescheduled air date. Fox’s lack of confidence in the show led to its quiet cancellation in 2003 after four seasons. The crew was aware they’d likely be canceled and were able to write the fourth season finale, “The Devil’s Hands Are Idle Playthings,” as the series end.Futurama’s first life on Fox was done.
The First Revival: Direct-to-Video Movies
In the early 2000s, Adult Swim acquired bothFuturamaand another canceled Fox animated show,Family Guy, for syndication. This proved successful, asFamily Guyreturned to the air in 2005.Family Guy’s success inspiredFuturama’s team to try the same, and it worked. Comedy Central picked up syndication rights in 2005 and agreed to produce four direct-to-DVD films.
Related:Futurama and the Wildly Impractical Technology From the Year 3000
Bender’s Big Score, The Beast with a Billion Backs, Bender’s Game, and Into the Wild Green Yonderwere released between 2007 and 2009. Each movie was later split up into four TV episodes and aired as the 16-episode fifth season on Comedy Central. Since the deal was only for those four films, the crew did not know if the show would continue further. Thus,Into the Wild Green Yonderwas written as the show’s second series finale, bringing Fry’s story to an end once again.
The Second Revival: New Comedy Central Episodes
Comedy Central recognized the potential forFuturamato be a hit and didn’t want to let it go. A sixth season of 26 new episodes was ordered in 2009 and began airing in June 2010. Audiences hadn’t forgotten the Planet Express crew, as the show gave Comedy Central some of the highest ratings in the network’s history.
So it was no surprise that a seventh season was ordered soon after. However, the crew was wary from the past, and season six’s finale, “Overclockwise,” was also designated as a potential series finale had there not been a seventh season renewal. We’re up to three finales for those counting at home.
But since it’sFuturama, the good times couldn’t last. The seventh season wasconfirmed as the final(again) in 2013. Its finale, “Meanwhile,” aired on July 14, 2025, as the fourth and final series finale. For the longest time, it seemed like that was it. Groening wanted to find a new home, but nothing ever came of it, andFuturamawas effectively done for good.
The Third Revival: Hulu Saves the Day
Fast-forward to 2022.Futuramahas continued to air in syndication, now on SyFy, FXX, and again Adult Swim. Hulu took notice of the show and ordered a new season of 20 episodes in February 2022. Despite some uncertainty about John DiMaggio’s return,#Bendergate was soon resolved, and the entire main cast was confirmed to reprise their roles.
So here we are.Futuramaon Hulu will premiere on July 18, 2025, a decade after its last finale. The first ten episodes will air this year, with the second half in 2024. Is this the revival that finally sticks? Or will we get a few good years and then more series finales? Only time will tell if Hulu judges the show to be a hit once again. If not, wake us up in the year 3000. There should be at least a few hundred moreFuturamarevivals by then.
