Many television shows aren’t properly appreciated during their original runs, and Futurama is a prime example of a series with tons to offer that took time to cultivate its audience. It’s exciting to see how much adult animated series have grown and turned into programs with even more potential than live-action comedies.
There are many iconic adult animated programs, but The Simpsons are one of the biggest of all time, and its success often overshadowed Futurama in the process. Futurama and The Simpsons are both hilarious series that share a lot in common, but in the end, it’s ultimately Futurama that’s the more rewarding of the two.
10 There’s More Freedom With Its Sci-Fi Angle
The Simpsons explore many different genres of storytelling, and they’re no strangers to science fiction. Still, the sci-fi genre is entrenched in Futurama’s very premise, and so it tries to push the staples of the genre as far as possible.
Futurama establishes a context that allows it to justify its rampant nerdy nature as it indulges in classical tropes. Science fiction gives Futurama more versatility than The Simpsons since its characters can die and get reborn and do other radical things that would only be possible in one of The Simpsons’ “Treehouse of Horror” installments.
9 It Benefits From Fry And Leela’s Relationship And Drama
A major element present nearly from the start of Futurama is Fry’s devoted love for Leela. The earlier seasons detail Fry’s unsuccessful attempts to get Leela to reciprocate his love, but it still teases a future between them. Fry’s efforts to woo Leela reveal a lot about both of their characters.
In Futurama’s later seasons, the two do get together, and the series explores the new stress from their budding relationship. This emotional bond and its growth throughout the series are satisfying, and The Simpsons doesn't have any equivalent.
8 There Are More Dramatic Episodes
Adult animated series like BoJack Horseman and Rick and Morty have received lots of praise for how they’ll explore serious and depressing topics with a respectful maturity. Futurama also did this way ahead of the curve, and most of the episodes that receive the highest praise are entries like “Jurassic Bark” that are intentionally tearjerkers.
Futurama learns the strength of this tone and frequently leans into it, whereas The Simpsons episodes that carry the same impact are few and far between. Futurama understands that the audience cares about these characters enough to see them struggle with real issues.
7 It's Actually Smart
There are plenty of television shows that feature smart characters or explore the intelligent territory, but the writing isn’t able to do these things justice. A certain knowledge of science, math, and science fiction isn’t mandatory for something like Futurama to succeed. Still, part of its success is owed to actual scientists and people with doctorates on the writing staff.
One episode of Futurama even proves its own theorem and helps elevate the material to something even better. The Simpsons are funny, but not on that same reflexive level.
6 It’s More Consistent
A big joke surrounding The Simpsons for years is that the series might not ever actually end. It’s accomplished an extremely rare feat in the fact that over 700 episodes have aired, and there’s still no end in sight.
In comparison, Futurama has 140 episodes, which is a lot, but still a manageable amount. This allows Futurama to have a much higher ratio of strong episodes. Most of its episodes are winners, whereas the excessive amount of content behind The Simpsons makes it much more difficult to determine what’s worthwhile.
5 There's More Of A Focus On Continuity And Serialization
There are a handful of important events that have taken place during The Simpsons, but by and large, it’s an episodic series that can comfortably be watched in any order.
This is largely true for Futurama, but there are still a collection of more important lore-driven episodes that build on each other and comment upon past continuity. This is present in many of Futurama’s biggest moments, and season five, which is a re-edited version of the movies, are serialized and tell a bigger, connected story.
4 Future Setting Can Comment On The Past
Futurama is a science fiction series, but it’s also a set 1000 years in the future. Futurama’s timeline lets the series have a lot of fun with the events in the interim time and create its own wild history.
The Simpsons can be satirical and comment upon modern events with a critical eye. Still, Futurama’s capacity for this becomes so much greater because of the absurdity of the future. There’s a hilarious factor of self-aware hindsight that’s impossible in The Simpsons.
3 It Has An Ending
Comedies like Futurama and The Simpsons are meant to be enjoyed because they’re funny and feature lovable characters, not because there’s a complicated story that requires resolution.
That being said, Futurama does become a lot more poignant since it has an ending to fall back on that nicely ties the whole series together. Futurama has actually been revived twice from cancellation and features several pseudo endings, all of which are extremely satisfying. The Simpsons continues to run and doesn't have the same advantage of its story, feeling like it’s received some resolution.
2 It's More Than Just A Family Cast
The Simpsons has done strong work to make sure that all of Springfield stands out and plenty of the supporting characters get opportunities to shine, but at its core, it’s still a comedy that’s centered around a family.
This remains a very traditional idea, and Futurama’s cast is a lot more unconventional with a group of eclectic individuals who have been brought together to form their own family. Additionally, Futurama features a whole universe of characters that cover more variety than what’s present in Springfield.
1 There Are Easter Eggs And Rewards For Repeated Viewing
Sometimes series can build continuity and adopt a serialized structure almost by accident rather than important details being set in stone from the start. An entertaining detail with Futurama is that it does seem to have many of its larger story beats figured out ahead of time, and savvy viewers can catch these references when they rewatch the series.
The most satisfying example is that the hiding Nibbler can be seen in the pilot episode before it pushes over Fry’s chair and sets Fry’s journey in motion. The Simpsons doesn’t have anything on this level.