Sometimes I just want to watch something that doesn't require me to think at all.

I jumped into the geek favorite Futurama after hearing it was canceled (that's how I roll for some reason - if you want to keep a show alive, keep me unaware of it.) Let me say, I like it! And non-geeks, stick around for this post! Oh, did I mention it was made by the same guy who made the Simpsons? Plus, the show intro is really cool.

Futurama starts with 'Fry', an everyman from the 20th century who is accidentally cryogenically frozen, only to wake up in the year 3000. Robots exist with AI,aliens come and go, and for some reason Nixon is president of the entire planet.

The show hits the ground running well; the first episode or 2 chronicle this but by the 3rd you've met the whole swell gang:


The Professor - Fry's nephew (it's complicated), and owner of 'Planet Express', a UPS for the space age in which all the major characters work and play.
Fry - Cute, funnily stupid bachelor 20 something
Leela - A one-eyed, purple (people...no, she doesn't eat people, sorry. That's deeply ingrained.) Humanoid, who kicks ass and saves Fry's.
Bender - Everyone's favorite, selfish and kinda evil robot with very human feelings underneath his shiny metal surface. Also has a storage door where he like to keep loot.
Dr. Zoideberg - A 'Doctor' who couldn't tell a hand from a foot. Oh, he's also some type of lobster alien.
Amy - The Planet Express intern with a huge trust fund and klutziness to match.
Hermes - Jamaican Bureaucrat, in charge of all the funny little details. Would kill his mother so he could fill out the necessary forms.

Not to mention a host of recurring characters, each with their own quirks and endearingly funny personalities (Zapp Branigan, anyone?)

The show is funny. There are chuckles, smiles, laughs, and most of them have nothing to do with geekery. I think putting the show in the future just opened up so many creative options (robots drink beer for fuel, aliens watch Earth TV, Bellevue hospital is now TacoBellvue). As such, the stories are always original and a great adventure.

The characters are so spot on. You'll start to relate to Fry and Leela especially. But the voices raise them to a new level. Perfectly chosen, and really adds to the comedic effect. The animation is also really good - standard, modern detailing is mixed with some very cool CGI that's indistinguishable from real drawing for a smooth, immersive experience.

One great thing about the show is the way the writers integrate geek jokes without alienating normal people. The Prof. might complain how a horse race was unfair because they measured the outcome (Quantum Mechanics), but if the joke goes over you, you never miss a beat of the story or any other laughs. Plus, most of the jokes are not so much geeky as 1999y - AOL, dial up internet, and Napster all make the cut for mockery. Really, most of the jokes are standard Simpsons style humor, in the form of unnamed side characters with funny habits and a nice amount of funny but never biting social satire. You really don't need to be a geek at all to laugh at this show.

You also get standard nuggets like running jokes, funny continuations of stories left off, and the rest from a multi-show season.

I suck at reviewing shows or film, so I would say take a gamble and rent the first or second seasons. I think you'll like it. They're also available for purchase on iTunes.

Brilliant but canceled. It was a witty, smart, funny and imaginative show that was ended all too soon. Thank-goodness for reruns and for comedy central for bankrolling more movies.