Futurama season 8 explained
Bgcolour: | - 18386B
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Num Episodes: | 10 |
Network: | Hulu |
The eighth season of Futurama consisted of ten episodes. It premiered on Hulu in the United States on July 24, 2023. Although the seventh season was intended to be the final season, having concluded in September 2013, Hulu greenlit the eighth season in February 2022. All of the main voice cast returned, including John DiMaggio after he spent a month in negotiations to sign a new deal with Disney.
This season has alternatively been titled the eighth season (production),[1] and the eleventh season (broadcast).[2] [3] This list follows the previous season box sets, which feature the episodes in the original, intended production season order, ignoring the order of broadcast.
Cast and characters
See main article: List of ''Futurama'' characters.
Regular
- Billy West as Philip J. Fry, Professor Farnsworth, Zoidberg, Zapp Brannigan, Richard Nixon's Head, Smitty, Judge Ron Whitey
- Katey Sagal as Turanga Leela
- John DiMaggio as Bender, Elzar, Joey Mousepad, Igner, Robot Santa, Sal, Randy
- Tress MacNeille as Mom, Monique, Linda, The Grand Midwife, Petunia, Tinny Tim, Turanga Munda, Leela's Grandmother, Hattie McDoogal, Ndnd, Gypsy-Bot
- Maurice LaMarche as Kif Kroker, Morbo, H.G. Blob, Calculon, Donbot, Clamps, The Borax Kid, Walt, The Crushinator, Axl, Lrrr, Headless Clone of Agnew, The Hyperchicken, Hedonismbot
- Lauren Tom as Amy Wong, Inez Wong, Jrrr, Newt, Mandy
- Phil LaMarr as Hermes Conrad, Dwight Conrad, Reverend Preacherbot
- David Herman as Scruffy, Roberto, Larry, Turanga Morris, Mayor Poopenmeyer, Dr. Ogden Wernstrom, Dr. Banjo
Recurring
Special guest stars
Episodes
See also: List of Futurama episodes.
Production
Development
In February 2022, Hulu revived the series with a 20-episode order expected to premiere in 2023. In August 2022, the titles of the first 10 episodes were announced by Hulu,[4] and by November 2022, the production team was aiming to complete the episodes by the end of the year.[5]
Casting
At the time of the announcement, the majority of the main voice cast was set to return, while John DiMaggio was still in negotiations.[6] DiMaggio stated that he had not accepted the role in mid-February 2022 as he believed the entire cast of Futurama should be paid more. He stated, "Bender is part of my soul and nothing about this is meant to be disrespectful to the fans or my Futurama family. It's about self-respect. And honestly, [it's about] being tired of an industry that's become far too corporate and takes advantage of artists' time and talent... I wish I could give you every detail so you would understand, but it's not my place."[7] In March, DiMaggio officially rejoined the series after working out a new deal, calling the prior events "Bendergate".[8] He later revealed that he did not get a raise, "but what I did get was a lot of respect". Had he not returned, Bender would have been voiced by a different guest star in each episode.[9]
Similar to other animation recastings after the murder of George Floyd, several non-white characters originally voiced by white actors have been recast. Amy Wong's father, Leo Wong, was originally voiced by West, and reporter Scoop Chang, who was originally voiced by Maurice LaMarche, are both now being voiced by Feodor Chin. Both Officer URL and Barbados Slim, two other characters that DiMaggio had voiced previously, are now voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.
Rapper Coolio, who provided his voice for Kwanzaa-Bot in three previous episodes, died on September 28, 2022. Two days after his death, it was confirmed that Coolio had recorded another episode as Kwanzaa-Bot before his death.[10] When the series was released, this episode was revealed as the sixth episode "I Know What You Did Next Xmas", which was dedicated in his memory.
Release
In February 2023, a release window was set sometime around the mid-2023 season.[11] On May 18, 2023, Hulu announced that the season would premiere on July 24, 2023.[12] Hulu's sister streaming service, Disney+ announced, via a press release, that it would also stream the new season of Futurama internationally as a Star Original.[13] Disney+ later announced that the season would premiere new episodes around the world simultaneously with Hulu in the United States.[14]
Reception
Audience viewership
Parrot Analytics, which looks at consumer engagement in consumer research, streaming, downloads, and on social media, reported that Futurama had the second most in-demand United States series premiere in the second quarter of 2023. It had 50.2 times the average demand of all other series in the U.S. during the week of June 24–30, 2023.[15] According to Whip Media's viewership tracking app TV Time, which tracks viewership data for the more than 25 million worldwide users, Futurama was the fifth-most streamed original series across all platforms in the U.S. during the week of July 30 and August 6, 2023,[16] [17] the fourth during the week of August 13,[18] the third during the week of August 20,[19] and the fourth during the week of August 27 and September 3.[20] [21]
Critical response
[22] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave the season a score of 67 out of 100 based on 13 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[23]
Accolades
Futurama was nominated for Animation at the 76th Writers Guild of America Awards.[24] [25]
Notes and References
- Web site: Murray . Alex . June 27, 2023 . Futurama Season 8 Trailer: New Parodies, Old Characters (& Time Travel, Of Course) . June 28, 2023 . Screen Rant.
- Web site: (#1101) "The Impossible Stream" . September 25, 2023 . The Futon Critic.
- Web site: Panigrahi . Madhuparna . June 27, 2023 . 'Futurama' Reboot: Everything We Know So Far About the New Episodes . June 28, 2023 . Collider.
- Web site: Amanda. Lamadrid. Futurama Reboot Episode Titles Confirmed. Screen Rant. August 25, 2022. August 31, 2022.
- Aguirre . Summer . Young Pasadena artist talks joining 'Futurama' reboot team . 2023-01-12 . . November 3, 2022 . en-US.
- Web site: Goldberg . Lesley . February 9, 2022 . 'Futurama' Revived at Hulu . February 9, 2022 . The Hollywood Reporter.
- Web site: 'Futurama' Voice Actor John DiMaggio Wants Entire Cast to Be Paid More for Revival: 'It's About Self-Respect' . J. Kim . Murphy . February 15, 2022 . February 18, 2022 . .
- Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . John DiMaggio To Return For 'Futurama' Revival On Hulu: "#Bendergate Is Officially Over" . Deadline . March 1, 2022 . March 1, 2022.
- Web site: Bender Voice Actor John DiMaggio 'Didn't Get More Money' After Futurama Contract Standoff. Slash Film. Ettenhofer. Valerie. May 29, 2022. May 29, 2022.
- Web site: Coolio Recorded a Kwanzaabot Cameo for the Upcoming Futurama Revival. Jason P.. Frank. Vulture. September 30, 2022. August 18, 2023.
- Web site: Jonathan. Kesh. Futurama's Revival Gets an Optimistic Release Window. Comic Book Resources. February 1, 2023. February 4, 2023. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20230204194350/https://www.cbr.com/futurama-revival-optimistic-release-window/. February 4, 2023. live.
- Web site: Otterson . Joe . May 18, 2023 . 'Futurama' Revival at Hulu Sets Premiere Date, Drops First Teaser . May 18, 2023 . Variety. en-US. https://web.archive.org/web/20230518233945/https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/futurama-revival-hulu-premiere-date-1235616847/. May 18, 2023. live.
- Web site: February 10, 2022 . "FUTURAMA" LANDS FUTURE AT DISNEY+ WITH NEW EPISODES . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230528081507/https://press.disney.co.uk/news/-futurama-lands-future-at-disney+-with-new-episodes . May 28, 2023 . July 5, 2023 . Disney.co.uk . en-GB.
- Web site: July 27, 2023 . What to watch on Disney+ this month: New content dropping in July . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230701102959/https://www.disney.com.au/news/what-to-watch-on-disney-plus-july-2023-watchlist . July 1, 2023 . July 5, 2023 . . en.
- Web site: Latchem . John . July 14, 2023 . 'Stranger Things' No. 1 on Parrot's Digital Originals Demand Chart Week Ended June 30 . 2023-08-09 . . en-US.
- Web site: Prange . Stephanie . August 9, 2023 . 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,' 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Top Weekly Whip U.S. Streaming Charts . 2023-08-19 . . en-US.
- Web site: Prange . Stephanie . August 1, 2023 . 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,' 'Secret Invasion' Top Weekly Whip U.S. Streaming Charts . 2023-08-09 . . en-US.
- Web site: Prange . Stephanie . August 15, 2023 . 'Red, White & Royal Blue,' 'Only Murders in the Building' Top Weekly Whip U.S. Streaming Charts . 2023-08-19 . . en-US.
- Web site: Prange . Stephanie . August 24, 2023 . 'Red, White & Royal Blue,' 'Only Murders in the Building' Again Top Weekly Whip U.S. Streaming Charts . 2023-08-26 . . en-US.
- Web site: Prange . Stephanie . August 29, 2023 . 'The Flash,' 'Only Murders in the Building' Top Weekly Whip U.S. Streaming Charts . 2023-08-31 . . en-US.
- Web site: Prange . Stephanie . September 6, 2023 . 'Bat Mitzvah,' 'Only Murders in the Building' Top Weekly Whip U.S. Streaming Charts . 2023-09-08 . . en-US.
- Web site: Futurama: Season 11 . March 25, 2024 . Rotten Tomatoes.
- Web site: Futurama: Season 11 . August 9, 2023 . . Fandom, Inc..
- Web site: 2024 Writers Guild Awards Winners & Nominees . 2024-08-06 . . en.
- Web site: Lewis . Hilary . February 21, 2024 . WGA Awards: ‘Air,’ ‘Barbie,’ ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘May December’ Among Film Screenplay Nominees . 2024-08-06 . . en-US.