Matt Groening is a prolific name in the animation industry who’s most commonly known for the creation of The Simpsons, yet his follow-up animated series, Futurama, is often considered to be an even greater accomplishment. The animation industry has shown tremendous growth over the past decade and now some of the most progressive and emotional stories on television are being told in adult animated series.
Futurama maintains the hilarity and brilliance of The Simpsons, but pushes its stories into heavy science fiction territory with a perfect fish out of water narrative that’s set 1000 years in the future. Futurama produced nearly 150 episodes throughout ten seasons across two networks. The series’ ambition and creativity are still regularly talked about and so it’s only natural to see how Futurama’s ten seasons stack up against each other.
10 Season 9 Of Futurama Is The Beginning Of The End In Many Ways (7.38)
It's difficult for any series to not experience a dip in quality in their ninth season, especially a show like Futurama that's gone through cancellation and multiple revivals. Season nine isn't necessarily bad, but there are no episodes that stand out as classics and some of the season's efforts to riff on unconventional ideas, like "Naturama," don't land as successfully as past efforts. Season nine also gets a little too focused on Bender, with him dominating many of the episodes, while characters like Leela become ineffectively broad.
9 Futurama Season 8 Begins To Get Sweaty, But Isn’t Bereft Of Quality (7.6)
Futurama’s eighth season is the first time that the series begins to show signs of fatigue, but it's impressive that it still happens much later than when The Simpsons struggles in this regard. Certain episodes like "Neutopia," "Cold Warriors," and "Benderama" feel like retreads of old ideas, and the characters begin to head in directions that don't necessarily make sense, but serve the story. Season eight isn't Futurama at its best, but it still contains episodes like "Overclockwise," which excels in serious storytelling, as well as "Reincarnation," which digs back into the anthology episode angle, albeit in a fresh way.
8 Season 6 Of Futurama Breaks Down Four Movies Into A Serialized Season (7.64)
It’s not normal for canceled TV shows to return, even if it’s become a more popular trend in recent years. Futurama’s initial cancellation was followed up with the announcement of four direct-to-DVD feature-length movies.
Once Futurama was properly renewed on Comedy Central, these films were divided into four episodes each to form a 16-episode season. There are some understandable growing pains in this approach and the serialized angle can leave some episodes feeling less essential than others. It still features some great moments for the series and the arc between Fry and Leela is surprising and beautiful.
7 Season 10 Of Futurama Ends The Animated Series With Class And Style (7.65)
Season nine of Futurama is a troubled year, but fortunately the follow-up final season course-corrects many of these issues and ends Futurama's run in a strong way. There's the right amount of focus on Fry and Leela's relationship, which helps tie the episodes together and culminates with the exceptional series finale, "Meanwhile," which is Futurama at its very best. Additionally, smart episodes like "2-D Blacktop" combine things like Flatland and The Fast and the Furious. Some episodes like "Assie Come Home" or "Saturday Morning Fun Pit" are a little too juvenile, but still feel appropriately like Futurama.
6 Futurama Season 7 Embraces Comedy Central With A Renewed Energy (7.68)
Season seven of Futurama is its first proper season on Comedy Central after the "movie season." Audiences were concerned that Futurama's return could feel different, but it’s an excellent, impassioned return to form that makes a strong case for why the Comedy Central seasons are just as strong as the FOX years. Season seven has some of the series’ smartest premises, but the biggest joy is the realization that Futurama's tone hasn't changed. Additionally, episodes like "The Prisoner of Benda" and "The Late Philip J. Fry" are simultaneously genius and hilarious.
5 Futurama Season 2 Gets More Experimental With Form And Its Supporting Cast (7.98)
Futurama's first season works hard to establish this heightened universe, the rules that it follows, and the core crew of Planet Express, but season two is able to dig deeper and really highlight the potential of the show's premise.
Season two expands upon the series' supporting characters in satisfying ways and begins to engage in more playful parodies, like riffs on Titanic, Star Trek, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Hermes and Amy both come into their own in this season and the excellent "Anthology of Interest I" begins a new tradition in the series.
4 Season 4 Further Fleshes Out Futurama’s Characters And Delivers An All-Time Great Entry (8.05)
Futurama's fourth season continues to demonstrate a more sophisticated and confident level of storytelling that still doesn't exhibit any signs of fatigue. "Roswell That Ends Well," one of Futurama's smartest episodes that actually won an Emmy, is a highlight that easily makes season four a winner. The season also takes some bigger risks with looks into Leela's past, unconventional romances with Bender, and a deeper look into Amy's family. "Anthology of Interest II" is another strong contender that stands together with the season's gleeful love letter to Star Trek, "Where No Fan Has Gone Before." Also, bone-itis and Blernsball.
3 Season 3 Features Many Futurama Classics And Expands The Series’ Growing Lore (8.05)
Season three of Futurama is when the series really begins to hit its sweet spot. It now has enough episodes under its belt that it's figured out the type of show that it is and what style of episodes work best. Season three contains many episodes that are considered the series’ best, like "The Day the Earth Stood Stupid," "The Luck of the Fryish," and "Time Keeps on Slipping." Season three brings back important elements from Fry's past and the series starts to take bigger swings when it comes to its continuity and serialized storytelling.
2 Season 1 Of Futurama Establishes A Hilarious And Bold New Tomorrow (8.2)
Futurama only gets more confident the longer that it runs, but there’s still exceptional promise in the series’ debut season. Futurama’s first season is considerably more simpler than what follows and it’s content enough to just showcase this radical version of the future. However, these introductory episodes immediately present strong characters and clever storytelling that surpasses the first seasons of The Simpsons or Disenchanted. Futurama’s first season also doesn’t try to overextend itself and its core cast of Fry, Leela, and Bender have excellent chemistry. It’s a satisfying glimpse into the series’ comedic deconstruction of science fiction.
1 Futurama Season 5 Fires On All Cylinders And Goes Out With A Blaze Of Glory (8.21)
Season five is a bittersweet year for Futurama since it doubles as both a season full of all-time great episodes, but it also marks the series’ first cancellation. Season five marks the end of Futurama's FOX run, but the series clearly isn't out of ideas. Episodes like "The Farnsworth Parabox" and "Three Hundred Big Boys" are masterpieces of structure and "Jurassic Bark" is a piece of television that still gets singled out as a triumph of the animated medium. Futurama's first "series" finale, "The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings" is also an excellent momentary goodbye to the series.