Futurama

About

Futurama is a television show based around the main protagonist Philip J. Fry, a pizza delivery boy from the 20th century who was cryogenically frozen for 1000 years, and his adventures in the future. The show was created by Matt Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Besides Fry, the main cast includes Turanga Leela, Bender Bending Rodríguez, Professor Hubert Farnsworth, Hermes Conrad, Doctor John A. Zoidberg and Amy Wong, with a secondary cast of Zapp Brannigan, Kif Kroker, Nibbler and Scruffy.

History

Futurama first aired in 1999, and stayed on Fox until 2003, when it was expunged from television until 2007 when four direct-to-DVD films were released and aired on Comedy Central as the sixth season. Comedy Central also aired season seven in 2010 and season eight in 2011. Seasons nine and ten have also been scheduled, and will premiere on Comedy Central in 2012. The series takes place on Earth in the 31st century. The show has spawned several memes (which will be listed below), most of which are based around the main character of Futurama, Philip J. Fry.

Reception

Despite its 7 PM Sunday timeslot on Fox (pre-empted by sports, causing an erratic schedule), Futurama became quite popular from its beginnings. Futurama received a lot of praise from critics and viewers alike. Futurama has won 7 Annie Awards and 3 Emmy Awards, and was given the title of “Current Most Critically Acclaimed Animated Series” in the 2010 Guinness Book of World Records.^[1]

Impact

Not Sure If X

“Not sure if X” is an Advice-Animal style image macro featuring Fry with squinting eyes, which originated from an, “I See What You Did There” derivative. The top line reads “Not sure if X”, with “or just Y” as the bottom line, and is used to represent an internal monologue. The most popular example of the meme is probably “Not sure if trolling, or just stupid”.

Hypnotoad

“The Hypnotoad” is a toad-like alien character from the show, notable for its mind-control. Its manipulation usually involves mentioning the Hypnotoad somewhere in a sentence, by abruptly saying “ALL GLORY TO THE HYPNOTOAD”. This is a popular doing on threads, comments and forums, by saying it whenever the Hypnotoad is mentioned. Hypnotoad is voiced by a turbine engine played backwards, which explains it’s weird sounds. Hypnotoad first appeared in the episode “The Day the Earth Stood Stupid”.

I Don’t Want To Live On This Planet Anymore

“I Don’t Want To Live On This Planet Anymore” is a catchphrase used originally by the character Professor Farnsworth in A Clockwork Origin. It is used to show disgust or disappointment with other people or things. The particular image is commonly used in a 2-panel comic, showing news stories and popular culture media subjects at the top, to be followed by Professor Farnsworth saying the line at the bottom.

Shut Up And Take My Money

“Shut Up And Take My Money” is a line originally said by Fry in Attack of the Killer App. It is commonly used on threads and image boards as a reply to certain ideas, implying that the poster likes the idea so much, he’s willing to purchase it right at the moment.

X Is Bad And You Should Feel Bad

“X Is Bad And You Should Feel Bad” is a snowclone used in combination with an image of Dr. Zoidberg. It is used to describe the posters disagreement to the subject it’s directed to. Although its possibilities are wide, it is most commonly directed towards a thread or a person’s particular tastes. The picture from the meme, is from the episode “The Devil’s Hands Are Idle Playthings”, when Fry gets his hands switch back from the Robot Devil’s, to his own. When he starts playing again, Zoidberg makes that hilarious remark.

Why Not Zoidberg?

“Why Not Zoidberg?” is a catchphrase from the character Dr. Zoidberg, who actually has said it in many episodes. It is used as a reply to questions and problems, suggesting Zoidberg as the answer. The catchphrase is most commonly used as an Advice-Animal style image macro, showing the question or problem at the top, usually followed by “Why Not Zoidberg?” at the bottom.

X Does Not Work That Way

“X Does Not Work That Way” is a snowclone used originally by the newscaster character Morbo. It was originated from the episode “Crimes of the Hot” when Morbo says the comedic line ’WINDMILLS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY!" to his co-anchor, Linda, when she implies that a bunch of turtles will cool off because they are near a bunch of windmills. It is commonly used as a reply to statements, expressing anger or exasperation with it. Also used as an Advice-Animal style image macro, placing the subject revolving around the statement at the top, usually followed by “Do Not/Does not Work That Way”.

Fandom

Futurama’s main fanbase consists of self-described nerds, most likely due to the many math, physics and computer science jokes. In fact, many of the people who work on the show have PhDs in these fields. Futurama also includes a lot of Star Trek and Twilight Zone jokes and references.^[2]

Search Interest

Google Insights show a large spike in searches for Futurama during July 2010, just after Comedy Central aired the first episode of Futurama’s seventh season, Rebirth.

External References

^[1] Wikipedia – Futurama

^[2] The Infosphere, the Futurama Wiki – Futurama