A thought about Futurama

Topic: Shadow Realm Note

Users: @Graham @SuzyQ Beb Chris fellranger gkscotty|CoH

irc.simpworks.com

[Bothead]

(Bothead's attached to a pole with wood all around him. Everyone else have torchs and fire, about to set it alight)

Woah, woah, woah! Hold on there! I'm not saying I agree with what I'm going to say, I'm just saying I heard it.

On another forum recently, there was a topic about Futurama ending. A person on it said it was best that it ended now instead of going on and (possibly) lose its sparkle. What do you lot think about this?

(People are about to let to let Bothead go but someone accidentaly sets the wood on fire)

Uh oh!

[Don Cobra]

I wouldn't be able to say, but if I were to give an opinion, I'd say that Futurama hadn't exhausted its possibilities yet. I think it could have went on for a longer time without starting to suck. 2 or 3 seasons, in the least. But then again, I'm not THE Futurama expert.

[Wilde Grey Yonder]

Man, I would love to agree with you. But... enh.

IMHO, Futurama was still on the ascent when it was cancelled. None of the earlier seasons was anything less than funny, but Season 4 was *brilliant*, with such resplendent episodes as "The Sting", "Obsoletely Fabulous" and "The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings". I mean, I'm still lost for words about that peak of excellence. Maybe, just maybe, we should be grateful for it ending there, rather than sagging ever so slightly, but I'm not.

Think of OFF. If that had ended before Season 5, well... we would never have had to suffer through the Scully Era, for sure, but we would still have been so much poorer. It's the one comparison I can think about. I guess genius is a limited resource, but Futurama had SO MUCH MORE to give.

Anyway, I'm happy that we never had to see some debased travesty of Futurama where Leela would be a whiny skank, Bender would be voiced by a different actor every week, and every episode would be The Whacky Adventures Of Fry And Some Head In A Jar We Couldn't Care Feck About. And so far, I agree with you. But Futurama... it didn't have to go. It could have lived!

[Dark Mage]

I haven't seen Futurama all the way though myself but I honestly believe they could've done a bit more with it.  A few more seasons could've hurt them now really?  Not when you've look at what they've done with The Simpsons.

[Lord Kingsley]

Well just look at what happened to the Simpsons.  Although its gotten better than the last few seasons it's still not anywhere near as good as it was in say seasons 2-6.  Just my opinion.  I just wish there could have been an actual final episode of Futurama.  You know, just for some closure.  Fry goes back to the 21st century, Fry and Leela finally hook up, something like that.

[Archonix]

There's always fanfic...

[Wilde Grey Yonder]

I agree with the red-haired bounty hunter.  

[Molloy the Catburglar]

Terry, did you see 'The Devil's Hands Are Idle Play Things', the final episode?  That worked pretty well, I think.

[gkscotty]

Apparnalty the story in the Futurama game is supposed to be considered the final episode.

However, I reject that notion fully and comprehensively.

[Molloy the Catburglar]

Oh dear, that doesn't sound good...

I tend to think of it as Devil, myself.  I know I've said it already but that seems pretty final and hints at one or two major things, I think.

[Neodium]

I watched the final episode last Sunday. I really liked it, and now I think the show could have lasted for some more seasons...

Now, this topic brings back some memories... Our cable guide used to publish its readers' opinions about a specific topic they proposed each month. Some months ago, the question was: "Why 'Futurama' wasn't as sucessful as 'The Simpsons'?".

And the most repeated answers were related to Futurama being so different to OFF. Since then, I've always believed that fans didn't give Futurama a chance because they expected it to be just like OFF.
People compared both shows (even the question "..as sucessful..." involved comparing). It happened to me until the day I decided to watch it.

To sum it up:
Futurama + Misunderstanding people = Disaster

And concerning OFF... well, the ratings were with them. The "Scully era" episodes, (un)fortunately, were well received and attracted new fans. Besides, the target audience changed a bit. I could prove that just by listening to my classmates (I'm talking about 16-17 year-olds who've NEVER said anything about old episodes, but talk a lot about the recent ones). Now I think the show has been improving a little, but it's not the show I got obsessed with. But I still watch every episode I can, even knowing it'll suck...

Then we have:
OFF + old fans who haven't lost hope + new fans = More Ratings = Popular Show

And:
Popular Show + Another Show created by the same person = Comparison

And, since Futurama came out later...

(End Of Extremely Pointless Rant)

[Shockwave]

Yes, as Graham said, there's fanfics to keep Futurama alive... perhaps some of you who wish the show was still alive might consider reading them?  

[Dark Mage]

Fanfics are good.

Hell, I prefer fanfic most of the time anyway.  At least most fanfic writers put in some thought as to a decent plot.


*goes off to read the lastest chapter of UoM*

[Wilde Grey Yonder]

Man, Neodium, you said it. All too true, I think. Maybe if Futurama had had the good sense to use more plots hinging on bestiality and jockey elves and getting silicone implants it would still be alive...

... and everyone with a brain in their heads would have hated it. Never mind. I guess this goes to show that Bothead has a point.

[Bothead]

Thank you.

'The Devil's Hands Are Idle Play Things' was a good episode to end the series, with some areas open for any comeback shows but enough to give it a final ending, if you get me. I see the Futurama video game as more of a 'lost episode', like the new Buffy: Chaos Bleeds game, rather than the final episode of Futurama itself.