Futurama Set to Return With New Episodes on Hulu

Fry, Leela, Bender, and the Planet Express gang were overdue for another comeback, and now it’s official. Hulu and 20th Television announced today that Futurama is returning for another revival, with new episodes due to stream on Hulu. Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment President Craig Erwich and 20th Television Animation Head Marci Proietto made the announcement earlier today.

The latest Futurama revival will see a new 20-episode order for the streaming platform, with production slated to start this month for a 2023 premiere. Creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen are onboard for the show’s return, along with returning voice cast members Billy West (Fry, Zap Brannigan), Katey Segal (Leela), Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche (Kif), Lauren Tom (Amy), Phil LaMarr (Hermes), and David Herman.

Notably, today’s announcement and press release do not mention Bender voice actor John DiMaggio. However, don’t go calling for humans to bite some “shiny metal ass” just yet. THR reports that DiMaggio is still in talks to finalize a deal to return as the voice of the iconic, wise-cracking antihero robot, but the deal has not yet been completed.

Speaking on the news, David X. Cohen stated, “I’m thrilled to have another chance to think about the future… or really anything other than the present.” Matt Groening added, “It’s a true honor to announce the triumphant return of Futurama one more time before we get canceled abruptly again.”

Craig Erwich stated via the official press release: “When presented with the opportunity to bring fans and viewers new episodes of Futurama, we couldn’t wait to dive in. This iconic series helped blaze the trail for the success of adult animation since its initial launch and we look forward to Matt & David continuing to pave the way and further establishing Hulu as the premiere destination for fans of the genre.”

Marci Proietto also stated: “What I love about animation is that it’s possible for a successful show to take a pause and then resume years later, even on a different platform, and pick up right where it left off. Futurama is one of those shows. The excitement from Hulu about returning Matt and David’s genius creation for all-new episodes has been off the charts. I’m thrilled that this incredible team will get to tell more stories, and that our Planet Express crew will have more adventures together. It’s a win for the fans who have loved the show since the beginning, and for the ones who will now discover it for the very first time.”

The original series first aired on FOX from 1998-2003. The series later returned for four direct-to-DVD movies that later aired as 30-minute episodes on Comedy Central. That was later followed by a new episode order for the show to return on Comedy Central in June 2010. The previous revival made Futurama only the second series in history to return to production based on its strong DVD sales and repeat airings on cable TV.

Over the course of its past two runs, Futurama garnered six Emmy Awards, including two for Outstanding Animated Program, seven Annie Awards, two Environmental Media Awards and two Writer’s Guild of America Awards. For the show’s seven seasons, it featured 140 original episodes.

Futurama will return on Hulu about 10 years after the previous then-final episode aired on September 4, 2013. Groening and Cohen are developing the revival for 20th Television Animation, with Rough Draft Studios, Inc. contributing the animation.