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Futurama Returns

riflemann writes "Another 26 episodes of Futurama will shortly go into production! This news comes from none other than Billy West (voice of Fry) himself, in a short post to his own message board. No further details are available, except that it's likely to be on TV, not straight to DVD." The best news is that means fresh quotes for slashteam to hide in the source code.

38 of 386 comments (clear)

  1. Futurama returns by thrillseeker · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well, bite my shiny metal ass.

    1. Re:Futurama returns by perp · · Score: 5, Funny

      Good news, everyone!

      --
      There are two kinds of sysadmins: paranoids and losers. I'm both kinds.
    2. Re:Futurama returns by roman_mir · · Score: 5, Funny

      is it a suppository?

    3. Re:Futurama returns by frodo+from+middle+ea · · Score: 4, Funny

      Now If we can hit this bullseye, all the dominos will fall like a house of cards...checkmate!

      --
      for the last time people, I am "frodo from middle eaRTH", not "middle eaST".
    4. Re:Futurama returns by dynamo52 · · Score: 5, Informative

      Not so good after all

      In another post on the blog, Billy West says:

      Guys,
      I'm sorry I gave inaccurate info on the cartoon.I was told on one end that the TV show was a go but DXC enlightened me (with a hammer) that this was not the case.I think there is a Futurama project as in DVD's but I appearently had bad info.But I do live to give good Futurama news to people.So I must've died or something.

      All eyes on the skies,

      Billy
      --
      Like this comment? I accept Bitcoin! - 153sc8UUBXyp12ofQqfAWDmJrzyiKCYC1x
  2. Good news, everyone! by ari_j · · Score: 5, Funny

    I was going to have to make my own cartoon...with blackjack...and hookers.

  3. Shouldn't the article title be more like... by CMU_Ken · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Back to the Futurama"?

  4. Now it's time to kill The Simpsons by Nicky+G · · Score: 5, Insightful
    OK -- Family Guy is back, American Dad is getting pretty decent IMO. Futurama is returning.

    PLEASE kill The Simpsons already. The longer it goes on, the darker the future is for all of us.

  5. It's really coming back? by scoser · · Score: 5, Funny

    Crazy theories one, regular theories a billion!

  6. HTTP headers by RonnyJ · · Score: 5, Informative
    The best news is that means fresh quotes for slashteam to hide in the source code.

    Here's an example of one (hidden in the HTTP headers that /. returns):

    X-Bender: Well I don't have anything else planned for today, let's get drunk!

    1. Re:HTTP headers by jZnat · · Score: 3, Informative

      I was waiting for this article to go live so I could post that! :(

      Slash has X-Fry and X-Bender headers it sends on every page (randomised). Press Ctrl+I to see that in Firefox, Konqueror, or pretty much any web browser.

      Slashcode.com also uses those quotes in its random quote of the moment thinger at the bottom of the page.

      --
      'Yes, firefox is indeed greater than women. Can women block pops up for you? No. Can Firefox show you naked women? Yes.'
    2. Re:HTTP headers by cyranoVR · · Score: 5, Informative
      Some more:
      X-Fry: Please, Mr. Nixon! We're appealing to your sense of decency!

      X-Fry: There's a lot about my face you don't know.

      X-Fry: People said I was dumb but I proved them!

      X-Fry: You mean Bender is the evil Bender? I'm shocked! Shocked! Well not that shocked.

      X-Bender: Fry, of all the friends I've had ... you're the first.

      X-Bender: Comedy's a dead art form. Now tragedy -- THAT'S funny.

      X-Fry: Make up some feelings and tell her you have them.
      Discovered these while playing with Firefox plugin LiveHttpHeaders. I, for one, am shocked and appalled that they are wasting our bandwidth in this manner!
    3. Re:HTTP headers by assassinator42 · · Score: 4, Informative

      You sure? I'm pretty sure firefox doesn't natively support viewing the headers. And I assume by Ctrl+I you mean Page Info, as it brings up bookmarks for some reason on Windows (probably because that's what IE does). That dialog only shows "Content-Type" under meta. Now, that would work if you installed this extension.

  7. Sweet! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Oh, Futurama, I love you more than the moon, the stars, the... POETIC IMAGE #36 NOT FOUND.

  8. Another great service... by AlphaLop · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Done by Cartoon Network. Im sure the high ratings Futurama reruns get there and on Fox had a lot to do with it.

    --
    It's only paranoia if your wrong...
  9. Two Down, One to Go... by Xeth · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Futurama
    Family Guy (Careful what you wish for...)
    Firefly

    --
    If your theory is different from practice, then your theory is wrong.
  10. You left out the most important part by despisethesun · · Score: 5, Funny

    In fact, forget the cartoon!

    --
    This poo is cold.
    1. Re:You left out the most important part by KrisW · · Score: 5, Funny

      In fact, forget the cartoon!

      ...and the blackjack.

      --


      "Think you can take me? Go ahead on. It's your move." --Joe Don Baker in Final Justice
    2. Re:You left out the most important part by wed128 · · Score: 5, Funny

      ...and the hookers

      i don't think i get the joke...

  11. You people.... by morganix · · Score: 5, Funny

    You people disgust me! There is currently a war in Iraq, american rights being taken away daily, a buggy operating system on almost every computer, and starving children in africa. With all this going you call another 16 episodes of a cartoon news? Blah!

    /me Makes fun of the war in Iraq, votes for bush, starts up Windows XP, and eats half a sadwich discarding of the rest while watching futurama.

    1. Re:You people.... by Symp0sium · · Score: 5, Funny

      No we call another 26 episodes news.

  12. Loved the show, not happy about this. by Don_dumb · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Please dont do this, let it be for gods sake.
    Going back to shows (or films series) has never worked, yes I love Futurama, but once something has stopped, dont try necromancy.
    TV shows should *never* give the viewer what they want, Star Wars EPI-III anyone? The last two Red Dwarf series (bringing back Rimmer) were horrible. Niles and Daphne getting together was at the point when Frasier turned bad
    When will people learn from the example of Seinfeld, Fawlty Towers, the Office (the real one of course)? They all stopped before the viewers had started going.
    The moral of the story is -
    "Always leave them wanting more."
    --
    If this were really happening, what would you think?
    1. Re:Loved the show, not happy about this. by portwojc · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Futurama is different though. The viewers didn't leave. The network did.

  13. Re:I don't own a television by kalidasa · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Balanced views: BBC, NPR, PBS, and FOX.

    The BBC: Mishal Husain. NPR: Carl Kassell. PSB: Jim Lehrer. FOX: Bill O'Reilly.

    In the words of one of the great PBS productions, "one of these things is not like the others."

  14. You're watching Futurama... by Osirius · · Score: 5, Informative

    The show that does not advocate the cool crime of robbery.

    This is great news for all us nerdlingers. For those of you who don't know already, here's a look at the backgrounds of some of the writers on the show:

    J. Stewart Burns: Graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard University in 1992. His senior thesis was on "The Structure of Group Algebras." He received his master's degree in mathematics from UC Berkeley in 1993.

    David X. Cohen: Graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in physics from Harvard University in 1988. He received his master's degree in computer science from UC Berkeley in 1992. He published the following article with Manuel Blum: On the Problem of Sorting Burnt Pancakes. Discrete Appl. Math. 61 (1995), no. 2, 105--120.

    Ken Keeler: Graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor's degree in applied mathematics from Harvard University in 1983. In 1990, he received his Ph.D. in applied math from Harvard University. The title of his doctoral thesis was Map Representations and Optimal Encoding for Image Segmentation. He also published the following article with Jeff Westbrook: Short Encodings of Planar Graphs and Maps. Discrete Appl. Math. 58 (1995), no. 3, 239--252.

    Bill Odenkirk: Has a PhD in inorganic chemistry from the University of Chicago in 1995.

    Jeff Westbrook: Majored in physics and the history of science at Harvard University and he received his Ph.D. in computer science from Princeton University in 1989. The title of his doctoral thesis was Algorithms and Data Structures for Dynamic Graph Algorithms. He was an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Yale University and also worked at AT&T Labs before writing for Futurama. He published the following article with Ken Keeler: Short Encodings of Planar Graphs and Maps. Discrete Appl. Math. 58 (1995), no. 3, 239--252.

    And with that the show also has some great voice actors (Billy West, John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche, Dave Herman...), a great 3D department (praised for its ability to blend 3D scenes almost seamlessly into 2D backgrounds), and the show even uses a full orchestra to record its music (composed by Christopher Tyng). And with the huge scope of ideas possible in the SF universe the show is set in, I imagine it'll take a long time yet for this show to burn out.

    --
    "I'd hate to die twice. It's so boring."
    - Feynman's last words.
    1. Re:You're watching Futurama... by pilkul · · Score: 4, Insightful
      That explains why it isn't nearly as funny as shows written by actual writers

      What's an "actual writer" supposed to be? You think writers have a degree in writology?

    2. Re:You're watching Futurama... by qbwiz · · Score: 5, Funny

      Exactly. Just like how actual scientists have degrees in scientology.

      --
      Ewige Blumenkraft.
    3. Re:You're watching Futurama... by simcop2387 · · Score: 3, Funny

      They should have had at least one with a fungineering degree

  15. Capitalism at its finest.... by Berserker76 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Regardless of the quality of the product, if they think they can make money, they will try.

    I for one believe the quality of this product is top notch and am glad to see it coming back. I welcome back our sardine craving, can get no loving, lobster overlord.

  16. Re:Lampoon topics by jb.hl.com · · Score: 4, Funny

    I never thought it possible to suck all the joy out of there being more Futurama, but you just did it. Nice going.

    --
    By summer it was all gone...now shesmovedon. --
  17. Re:Two Down, One to Go... by SquadBoy · · Score: 3, Informative

    Much as I wish this were true. They got broadcast rights for the current show in .uk. Just like they've had in .us for a long time now. But oh how I wish you were right.

    http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds30578.html

    --

    Cypherpunks: Civil Liberty Through Complex Mathematics. Those who live by the sword die by the arrow.
  18. Never underestimate the power of the Hypnotoad!!! by Beebos · · Score: 4, Funny

    All Hail the Hypnotoad!!!!

  19. Re:Old news: this dates to July 2005 (see within) by loserMcloser · · Score: 4, Informative

    What you have linked to appears to be about a Futurama movie, not more Futurama episodes...

  20. Re:I don't own a television by Wrathernaut · · Score: 4, Insightful

    As Bender (Staying on topic) would say: Wrong. How many scandals have erupted based on "biased" reporting on Fox? Now count how many happened during the elections by "Mainstream media" as you put it? Dan Rather anyone? That said, I am writing this from Iraq. I work intel at the multi-national corps level. The only station that comes close to reporting what's going on over here accurately is Fox. It's still pathetic liberal bias in the media does to the news.

  21. Re:Two Down, One to Go... by powerlord · · Score: 3, Informative

    Well ... on the plus side they seem to have gotten better about their handling of material since the Sliders fiasco (for the fans at least :) ).

    They aquired Stargate when it was looking like it was going to wrap up in its 5th season (or was it 6th?), and its now going into its 10th? (and done rather decently including letter the characters grow and evolve).

    They spun off Stargate Atlantis, and its now into its 2nd Season and looking forward to a 3rd.

    Battlestar Gallactica is looking forward to a 3rd season as well, and getting rave reviews from critics, and some interesting re-imagining that I think most fans are appreciating, except for a few die-hards (Heck, my wife who isn't a big SciFi junky like I am has really gotten into the character driven stories of both SG:Atlantis and Battlestar Galactica! amazes the heck out of me).

    Andromeda had already jumped the shark before Sci-Fi got hold of it (some would argue the same for Sliders), so I find it hard to blame them for the shows last season. Rather, I find it encouraging that they at least gave it a home for a last season, and an opportunity to finish telling their story (to admitedly medocre success).

    I am also looking forward to their new show "Eureka" that looks very intreaging, and I hope shines as well as "The Invisible Man" and "The Chronicle" did. Granted they didn't last as long as they should have (both being fun and entertaining shows in my opinion), but they were both allowed something rare in the Network world, the chance for a satisfying conclusion and the wrapping of most major plot threads.

    They've made mistakes (Farscape not getting a 5th Season for instance, which I think most fans are still sore about, even after the mini-series), but they have certainly made more positive moves as far as dramatic content goes ... although with their emphesis on Mini-Series, I would expect to see that as an outlet for a new 'Firefly' story, sooner than a 22 episode full season. (don't get me wrong, I'd LOVE to see a new season or three of Firefly)

    I won't get into their original half-hour shows which are usually more schlocky (and not so much my taste) considering "Ghost Hunters", "Scare Tactics", and "Tripping the Rift" (the last of which is at least somewhat amusing, while completely offensive ... as opposed to Futurama which is always somewhat offensive, while completely amusing :) )

    I'm sure, since this is Slashdot, someone will correct my facts if they think they are blatantly out of line with reality :)

    --
    This space for rent. All reasonable inquiries will be entertained at proprietors discretion.
  22. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 5, Informative

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  23. May seem obvious, but... by SilentChris · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I think this is an excellent example of how powerful the masses have become in affecting entertainment, and to a greater degree corporations in general.

    Medieval times: jester makes everyone laugh but the king. King has jester beheaded.

    Modern times: show makes everyone laugh but company has show cancelled. Show does astromical DVD figures and comes back.

    It's a testament to the power of the masses' will. The almighty buck is powerful, but the almighty buck plus thousands of people writing Fox to call them idiots is even more powerful.

    P.s. Don't stop calling Fox idiots.

  24. Re:I don't own a television by bckrispi · · Score: 3, Informative
    The only station that comes close to reporting what's going on over here accurately is Fox.

    Yeah. Geraldo's reporting was so accurate that it got him booted out of his unit. Broadcasting troop positions aside, how is Fox any more accurate than the other outlets?

    --
    Xenon, where's my money? -Borno