With Futurama officially back on Hulu with a new season, fans wonder about the show’s past cancellations. Why has the show been put on halt for so long? And why did it return now? Here’s what you need to know.
Why did Fox cancel Futurama?
Futurama faced scheduling issues on Fox, leading to erratic airing and low ratings.
Created by Matt Groening (also the creator of The Simpsons) and David X. Cohen, Futurama first aired on March 28, 1999, and concluded its initial run on August 10, 2003. Groening and Fox never reached an agreement on the show’s regular time slot, leading to people losing interest in the animated series. Despite the lack of an official cancellation, Fox stopped buying episodes during the fourth season, causing it to go out of production in 2003.
Why was Futurama canceled by Comedy Central?
The show wasn’t renewed in 2013 by Comedy Central.
Comedy Central picked up the series after Futurama found new life in reruns and four direct-to-DVD movies. These movies were later divided into episodes and broadcast as a fifth season on the new broadcaster. The revived series on Comedy Central enjoyed a successful second run, airing three additional seasons from 2010 to 2013 before the second final episode aired on September 4, 2013.
Why Did Futurama Come Back?
Futurama returned after Hulu revived the series with a 20-episode order in 2023.
Much to the series fans’ delight, Hulu believes there is much interest in the show, picking up Futurama (or Hulurama, if you prefer) for a third run. The streamer also reassembled the voice cast, including John DiMaggio as Bender.
For more Futurama-related content, check out the reference in the ‘How the West Was 1010001’ episode. Also, here is the poster for the Hulu revival.
