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| Num Episodes: | 10 |
| Network: | Hulu |
The eighth season of Futurama consisted of ten episodes. It premiered on Hulu in the United States on July 24, 2023. Although the seventh season was intended to be the final season, having concluded in September 2013, Hulu greenlit the eighth season in February 2022. All of the main voice cast returned, including John DiMaggio after he spent a month in negotiations to sign a new deal with Disney.
This season has alternatively been titled the eighth season (production),[1] and the eleventh season (broadcast).[2] [3] This list follows the previous season box sets, which feature the episodes in the original, intended production season order, ignoring the order of broadcast.
See main article: List of ''Futurama'' characters.
See also: List of Futurama episodes.
In February 2022, Hulu revived the series with a 20-episode order expected to premiere in 2023. In August 2022, the titles of the first 10 episodes were announced by Hulu,[4] and by November 2022, the production team was aiming to complete the episodes by the end of the year.[5]
At the time of the announcement, the majority of the main voice cast was set to return, while John DiMaggio was still in negotiations.[6] DiMaggio stated that he had not accepted the role in mid-February 2022 as he believed the entire cast of Futurama should be paid more. He stated, "Bender is part of my soul and nothing about this is meant to be disrespectful to the fans or my Futurama family. It's about self-respect. And honestly, [it's about] being tired of an industry that's become far too corporate and takes advantage of artists' time and talent... I wish I could give you every detail so you would understand, but it's not my place."[7] In March, DiMaggio officially rejoined the series after working out a new deal, calling the prior events "Bendergate".[8] He later revealed that he did not get a raise, "but what I did get was a lot of respect". Had he not returned, Bender would have been voiced by a different guest star in each episode.[9]
Similar to other animation recastings after the murder of George Floyd, several non-white characters originally voiced by white actors have been recast. Amy Wong's father, Leo Wong, was originally voiced by West, and reporter Scoop Chang, who was originally voiced by Maurice LaMarche, are both now being voiced by Feodor Chin. Both Officer URL and Barbados Slim, two other characters that DiMaggio had voiced previously, are now voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.
Rapper Coolio, who provided his voice for Kwanzaa-Bot in three previous episodes, died on September 28, 2022. Two days after his death, it was confirmed that Coolio had recorded another episode as Kwanzaa-Bot before his death.[10] When the series was released, this episode was revealed as the sixth episode "I Know What You Did Next Xmas", which was dedicated in his memory.
In February 2023, a release window was set sometime around the mid-2023 season.[11] On May 18, 2023, Hulu announced that the season would premiere on July 24, 2023.[12] Hulu's sister streaming service, Disney+ announced, via a press release, that it would also stream the new season of Futurama internationally as a Star Original.[13] Disney+ later announced that the season would premiere new episodes around the world simultaneously with Hulu in the United States.[14]
Parrot Analytics, which looks at consumer engagement in consumer research, streaming, downloads, and on social media, reported that Futurama had the second most in-demand United States series premiere in the second quarter of 2023. It had 50.2 times the average demand of all other series in the U.S. during the week of June 24–30, 2023.[15] According to Whip Media's viewership tracking app TV Time, which tracks viewership data for the more than 25 million worldwide users, Futurama was the fifth-most streamed original series across all platforms in the U.S. for the weeks of July 30 and August 6, 2023.[16] [17] It moved up to fourth place during the week of August 13,[18] third during the week of August 20,[19] and returned to fourth place during the week of August 27 and September 3.[20] [21] Nielsen Media Research, which records streaming viewership on U.S. television screens, estimated that the series was the third most streamed original series,[22] with 506 million minutes of watch time during the week of July 24-30, 2023.[23] It was later watched for 349 million minutes from September 11 through September 17, 2023.[24]
[25] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave the season a score of 67 out of 100 based on 13 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[26]
Joel Keller of Decider praised Futurama for its seamless return, noting that the series retains its original charm and characters even as their relationships evolve. They found that the first episode humorously addresses the show's history of cancellations, while the second episode offers a more poignant narrative. Keller highlighted the essential role of Bender, played by John DiMaggio, in maintaining the show's distinctive humor. Though the reboot may not have been necessary, they concluded that it effectively continues the show's legacy with its familiar blend of satire and clever storytelling.[27] Tara Bennett of Paste rated Futurama a nine out of ten, commending its return on Hulu for maintaining the series' signature wit and satire. They highlighted the successful revival of beloved characters and the series' contemporary critiques, such as sharp takes on cryptocurrency and automated retail. Bennett particularly enjoyed the "Dune"-inspired parody episode, finding it both intellectually engaging and hilariously funny, which reaffirms the show's lasting charm and relevance after a decade off the air.[28]
Futurama was nominated for Animation at the 76th Writers Guild of America Awards.[29] [30]