Futurama

⭐⭐⭐ ½ based on 1 review.

tl;dr: Good news, everyone! It can be a bit hit and miss, but when it's good it's sheer brilliance, and even when it isn't the show still manages to be consistently inventive and entertaining.

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Animated Sitcoms

Season One

Spoilers Ahead: My reviews are not spoiler-free. You have been warned.

Honestly, just a little bit weaker than I remember the opening season being. Don't get me wrong, I still loved it and was frequently in fits of laughter, but there are definitely moments which made me understand why it was such an on/off cancellation story behind-the-scenes.

Also, the pilot episode was fascinating to watch for two main reasons: there's a surprising amount of foreshadowing for Nibbler's character, which is incredibly impressive (I always assumed the reveal was just re-cut later, unless the DVD release has also been edited), and the plot setup feels a little odd. The whole premise is that the world Fry wakes up to has preset employment which everyone adheres to. Sure, it's still a funny set of circumstances, and sure they do enough to explain away how they're allowed to remain with Planet Express, but honestly that aspect of the world just doesn't fit. In later episodes, Hermes is fired, multiple side-characters are shown switching jobs and, in general, it just feels like the whole "job chip" thing is barely a requirement. I get that it's a pilot, but it just struck me that the first episode definitely has a different tone.

Oh, and there's a weird number of Simpsons references for the first few episodes which just feel a little tasteless in hindsight. I get fan service, but there's just one or two too many and it feels more like pandering.

Still, I love the show and I love that we're rewatching it again!