Summary
Now thatFuturamaseason 12 has begun, the sci-fi sitcom needs to keep the best trend from its season 11 revival alive.Futuramaseason 12represents the satirical animated comedy’s fifth return to screens.Futuramabegan life in 1999 and its original run lasted for four seasons until 2003. The show was revived for a quartet of direct-to-DVD standalone movies between 2007 and 2009 before the success of these spinoffs saw the series revived for the first time.Futurama’s first revival aired for two further seasons between 2010 and 2013 before the series was revived for a second time in 2023.
Now, despiteFuturamaseason 11’s issues, season 12 has once again revived the show.Futurama’s Planet Express crewreturned with episode 1, “The One Amigo.” This goofy outing saw Bender become an NFT, only to lose his image to an art museum. Feeling bereft of an identity and purpose, Bender returned to his home country of Mexico and met his long-lost family. This goofy misadventure eventually tied back into the episode’s NFT storyline by the end. Season 12 promises plenty of typically surreal stories, butFuturamamust bring back one season 11 trend.
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The legendary sci-fi comedy cartoon Futurama has continued to be popular after being revived in 2023, and it has already been renewed for more.
Futurama Season 11 Aired A Christmas Episode In August
Futurama’s Revival Didn’t Stress About Timing
Futuramaseason 11, episode 6, “I Know What You Did Next Xmas,” marked the first time that the series released a Christmas special in the middle of the year.Futuramaseason 11’s Christmas episode arrived in Augustsince the show’s release schedule ran from July to September. This meant the series needed to either ignore holidays like Halloween and Christmas or ignore its release dates, andFuturamawisely opted to take the latter approach. This was smart for numerous reasons, not least becauseFuturama’s Christmas episodeshave always been some of the show’s strongest outings.
It makes sense for Futurama’s new seasons to include holiday episodes, even if these won’t be released anywhere near the relevant holidays.
Although traditional sitcoms always release their holiday episodes around the right time, it is not unusual for viewers to come across these outings year-round. Reruns often air Christmas episodes at the height of summer and Halloween specials during spring, while shows can also end up missing significant dates due to scheduling.The Simpsonsseason 35’s Treehouse of Horror Halloween special was one of the season’s best outings, but it didn’t arrive until November 2023. As such, it makes sense forFuturama’s new seasons to include holiday episodes, even if they won’t be released anywhere near the relevant holidays.
Futurama Season 12 Should Continue This Approach
Streaming Release Schedules Make Holiday Episodes Trickier
If every new season ofFuturamaarrives between July and September as seasons 11 and 12 have, the show will never have Christmas/Halloween episodes without ignoring its inconvenient scheduling.Futuramaseason 11’s Christmas episodewas a typically strong outing that balanced sweet character comedy with the show’s usual satirical edge, soit would be a shame ifFuturamacould no longer pull off Halloween or Christmas episodes in the future. Streaming services have already reshaped TV viewing habits in many ways and a lot of these, from binge-watching to spoiler culture, aren’t entirely positive.
Futurama’s approach to holiday specials is a nostalgic reminder of traditional TV viewing.
As such, it is refreshing to see a series simply ignore its scheduling and treat its storylines as if they were airing on network TV. Ironically, given the show’s futuristic setting,Futurama’s approach to holiday specials is a nostalgic reminder of traditional TV viewing. The show releasing holiday specials at inopportune times feels more like the television of the early ‘00s than the recent TV events manufactured by large streaming services.Futurama’s meta-comedyhas often mocked the show’s struggles with network executives, censors, and the industry as a whole, so the series should subvert the new norm.
More Shows Should Copy Futurama’s Approach
Futurama’s Choice To Ignore Its Release Schedule Was Great
Not only isFuturama’s creative choice understandable, but more comedy streaming shows should replicate the show’s attitude around holiday specials. Streaming shows would feel more like traditional network sitcoms if they ignored their release schedules and released holiday episodes whenever that felt fitting for the story. AlthoughHow I Met Your Fatherdid obliquely reference the mysterious events of “Halloween 2018” in one running gag, theHow I Met Your Motherspinoff series never had a Christmas or Halloween episode in its two-season run.
This is particularly unfortunate since, between season 1, episode 6, “The Slutty Pumpkin,” and season 7, episode 12, “Symphony of Illumination,” it is fair to say some of the original show’s best episodes were holiday outings. It is a shame to see something as arbitrary as release schedules shape the content of shows, especially when many streaming shows now only release new episodes for a few weeks a year. As such, more comedies should copyFuturama’s season 11 revival trick and season 12 of the sci-fi cartoon should lead by example.
