The future is a funny place in "Futurama"By Helen Lee, posted March 25, 1999 Renegade robots, a sexy Cyclops, aliens that exist in liquid form and all the presidents' heads preserved in jars. This is what's in store for our future -- at least, as envisioned by "The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening in his new animated comedy, "Futurama" (debuts March 28 at 8:30 p.m. ET on Fox). But there's more to this series than just fun space fantasy. Really. Groening says, "There's a sort of what-if fantasy at the core of 'Futurama.' Is it possible to reinvent yourself if life isn't going the way you want, or is there something intrinsic about one's character so that you continue to repeat the mistakes you would have made? And that struggle is at the heart of the show for our main character, Fry." Fry is a slacker pizza delivery boy who accidentally freezes himself on Dec. 31, 1999. When he wakes up 1,000 years later, he gets a chance to make a fresh start. He goes to work with the Planet Express Corporation, a futuristic delivery service that transports packages to all five (five?) quadrants of the universe. Groening continues, "There's another theme going on in the show, and that is in the future, computers are able to determine with astonishing accuracy what you would be best at doing in your life, but we pose the question of, what if the the thing that you're best at doing is not what you want to do? Should you pursue your folly? And I think we come down on the side of folly." Traveling with Fry on his adventures are Bender (voiced by John DiMaggio), a bad-boy robot who'd rather be out drinking, smoking, stealing or watching his favorite soap, "All My Circuits," and ship's captain Leela, a one-eyed Cyclops inspired by "The Avengers"' Emma Peel. Groening thinks she could be the next pin-up girl – watch out, Pamela Anderson (who, by the way, shows up in a cameo. But don't get excited — it's from the neck up). The adventures of Fry and the gang will include finding out the sinister origins of the soft drink called Slurm. Oh, and there's the one in which they land on a planet where the denizens exist for part of the time in liquid form. Fry gets in trouble when he accidentally drinks the emperor. Oops. "This is a story you're not going to see on 'Caroline in the City,' Groening quips. Fans of science fiction will especially relish Groening's vision of the future. Part "Jetsons," part "Blade Runner," this world is a parody—big-time. Fry's favorite show is "The Mass Hypnosis Hour" and people travel across Earth in transparent plastic tubes (a concept based on Groening's mistaken childhood impression of London's public transportation system.) "It's fun to satirize some of the things that are going on right now and extend them metaphorically and symbolically into the future, and also comment on some of the absurdities of science fiction," Groening says. Like what? "Most science fiction episodes posit a universe in which people walk around in their pajamas, basically with no pockets. We've brought back pockets to the future." Groening is a science fiction fan from way back – he loved both television shows ("The Twilight Zone" and "The Outer Limits") and literature. "I devoured a lot of it," he admits. "There's a lot of it that doesn't stand the test of time, but I am a big fan of Phillip K. Dick, Robert Sheckley and some of Robert Heinlein's work as well as…other science fiction greats. I was obsessed and frightened by the idea of robots as a young child. I had many toy robots, but I was afraid of them." Well that explains Bender. True to his contrarian nature, Groening has completely subverted Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of the Robotics. For the uninitiated, they are: 1. A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2. A robot must obey the orders given it by humans except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. "The Three Laws of Robotics in our world are completely backwards," Groening laughs. "You many not bring harm to a robot and so on and so forth. Asimov's laws of robotics did not survive in our universe." As in "The Simpsons," astute fans will be rewarded for their vigilance. For example, Groening himself makes an appearance in the pilot episode as a head in a jar. And there's an upcoming episode in which the characters must stop the descent of a ball of garbage launched into space 1,000 years ago. Look closely: the ball is made up of old "Simpsons" merchandise. "I have learned one thing," Groening says. "It really pays off to reward people for paying attention. In most television, it doesn't matter. You can watch it with one eye closed and play solitaire and eat peanut brittle and you wouldn't miss anything. On 'The Simpsons' we have to try and cram as many jokes in as we can, and we've done the same thing on 'Futurama.' "It's a way of appeasing the fanatics out there that we know exist. And if you don't pay attention, it doesn't matter, you'll get a few chuckles out of the show. But if you do pay attention there are some really provocative ideas and wild gags hidden in the background," he says. Futurama debuts March 28 at 8:30 p.m. ET on Fox, then airs in that timeslot April 4. On April 6, the show moves to its regular timeslot at 8:30 p.m. ET on Tuesdays. Is Groening disappointed that Fox executives scheduled "Family Guy," instead of "Futurama" for the plum slot following "The Simpsons?" "I wouldn't program the network the way they did," says Groening. "But I think 'Futurama' is so good that it almost doesn't matter where they put it – our fans will find it." And, he notes, "If there's an underlying message to my work, completely an overriding message, it's that the authorities don't always have your best interests in mind and the best way of dealing with that idea is to laugh at the authorities. I guess that's why I find the Fox Network executives so amusing." What about a "Simpsons" crossover? "I don't think so," Groening replies. "The Simpsons have yellow skin. The Simpsons are fictional and they're on the air in 'Futurama' (1010 years strong). 'Futurama' characters are real, so they can't really react with a cartoon." Top of page |