The Simpsons broke a lot of ground when the series first premiered back in Thanks to its incredible success, series creator Matt Groening was able to get another project of his off the ground a decade later. That project was Futurama, one of the best-written and most beloved science fiction series ever made. Sadly, Futurama was cancelled Even with cancellations, however, the series was brought back and given a proper send-off with a series finale.
Over the course of its seven seasons consisting of episodes, Futurama managed to delve into sci-fi and animated comedy in ways The Simpsons could never dream of. While The Simpsons has a lot going for it, there are some aspects of Futurama that make the series a bit better than its progenitor. This isn't to say The Simpsons isn't fantastic The show can also science-fictionalize anything, such as creating superhero versions of the Harlem Globetrotters. Futurama's distant setting from the present-day allows it to examine current issues with reckless abandon and scathing pointedness.
The show often uses its futuristic setting to extrapolate how timely issues will play out and affect the far-off future. Standard topics like religion or politics are spoofed in ways that wouldn't work in a show chained to the present.
The Simpsons certainly couldn't feature the disembodied head of deceased President Richard Nixon running for President of Earth. The political satire knows no bounds both in time or space and is part of what makes Futurama's comedy so spectacular. Unlike the ongoing success of The Simpsons, Futurama has had a bumpier life, struggling with ratings and maintaining an audience.
The show was on Fox for four years before being canceled. Its underground cult following - built in DVD and streaming viewership - and the insistence of its fans eventually revived the show on Comedy Central where it ran for another three seasons.
Futurama is a show that lives for and by its fans and knowing while watching that there is a cap in episodes makes each of them that much sweeter. The Simpsons has no end in sight, while Futurama never wore out its welcome.
The inept "doctor" of the Planet Express crew, John A. Zoidberg is one of the strangest cartoon characters on television. As a disgusting, homeless, self-proclaimed "human expert," Zoidberg provides much of the show's hilarity. Despite constant proof of his inadequacy as a doctor, his innocent and kind nature makes him bizarrely endearing. Few characters manage to be both repulsive and beloved, but Zoidberg balances the two and it's hard to point out any character on The Simpsons that compares.
Only on an esoteric show like Futurama could a character like Zoidberg be a fan favorite. Photo: Fox. Even on Earth, there are so many layers to New New York, literally mole people? This world-building extends to characters as the world is now populated by aliens races, droids, mutants and more. Add the time travel elements to this and there's a lot of ground to cover. The world of Futurama is also detailed and rich, so much thought has gone into every aspect of the universe, there are even a number of different alien languages which can be translated for extra points.
The Simpsons in its hey-day was satirical storytelling at its best. The town of Springfield and the characters within are representative of archetypes from the real world. The archetypes are then faced with real-world problems and the result is a clever, sometimes biting, commentary on modern culture. The family themselves present an exaggerated idea of the nuclear family, which can lead viewers to question the world around them.
While Futurama is able to comment on society from the lense of the future, The Simpsons presents a very realistic send up of the world from within contemporary society. Without taking away from the incredibly intelligent humor of The Simpsons , Futurama's scientific approach to storytelling and humor has taken the level of intelligence to new levels. From complicated arithmetic to literal astro-physics the writers of Futurama have successfully been able to integrate real-world science into their humor.
This depth of knowledge shines through when the show is tackling time travel in particular and cements the show as respectable science fiction as well as animated comedy.
When Homer and his family first hit screens the combination of animation, adult humor, and social commentary was seen as groundbreaking. This show proved to audiences and critics that a cartoon could have greater depths, while also capturing the attention of a large audience. Whatever one may think of the quality level of more recent entries in The Simpsons canon, no one can take away that, for all intents and purposes, The Simpsons was the first of its kind and paved the way for a plethora of shows to follow.
The Simpsons was called out recently for its representation of Indian character Apu. While their representation of characters from different backgrounds or minority groups has improved over the years, The Simpsons still shows signs of being a product of its time.
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