It’s hard to say goodbye…again, but that’s exactly what me and others had to do on Wednesday night when Futurama aired its series finale on Comedy Central. It’s kind of crazy to think that this series has been on and off the air in regular run since 1999 when it first premiered on FOX.
The story of a simpleton named Fry (voiced by the amazing Billy West) who accidentally gets cryogenically frozen and wakes up 1,000 years in the future was co-created by Simpsons genius Matt Groening and David X. Cohen. The sci-fi animated series ran on FOX from 1999 to 2003, then was brought back thanks to Comedy Central in 2009 only to be cancelled once more this year.
I’ve always enjoyed Futurama and its zany sci-fi gags, inside jokes, and brilliant voice cast. The characters are hilarious – my faves being The Professor and Zapp Brannigan – and the series as a whole from its inception to its finale has been consistently entertaining. So, when David and I got the opportunity to interview the cast and creators the night of the series finale at YouTube Space L.A. we were both giddy with excitement! Well, I know I was.
I had heard of YouTube Space L.A. before but had never been. When I arrived, I was greeted by a giant YouTube logo on the side of the building. I was also greeted by a skeptical gentleman at the main parking lot who refused to believe I was press and told me to drive a quarter mile to the Overflow Parking lot and walk back. Not usually a problem but I was press, David was able to park in the actual lot, and it was 100 that day.
Anyway, I parked and walked over and entered the YouTube Space L.A. lobby where I had to check in at a Google-centric computer console what then spit out a name badge for me. I then met up with David and the PR ladies for the event and we were asked to make our requests for one-on-one interviews.
YouTube Space L.A. is huge. It’s an interconnected network of production studios and computer labs designed to educate and provide studio space from the top YouTubers. Behind the information desk is a huge panel of monitors that show a wide variety of YouTube-based programming. Opposite this is an area filled with couches, tables, and a few bean bag chairs.
Our first interview was with the amazing Maurice LaMarche who may be most popularly known as The Brain from Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain. On Futurama he voices a wide-range of characters including Kif Kroker, Morbo, Calculon, Lrrr, Horrible Gelatinous Blob and others. I really enjoyed chatting with him. Check out the interview below:
Next up was Phil LaMarr who voices Hermes and other characters on the series. If he looks familiar, it’s because he was also a regular cast member on MADTV and did a wide variety of impersonations. Like LaMarche, he was a pleasure to interview. Check his interview out below:
We then attended a brief group panel that included co-creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen, LaMarche, LeMarr, Billy West, Lauren Tom (Amy), Patric Verrone (Co-Executive Producer), and Peter Avanzino (Animation Director). Only a couple questions were asked in the brief time, check the vid out below:
Finally, we were able to interview Billy West who voices Fry, the Professor, Zapp Brannigan, and Dr. Zoidberg among others. West is a very energetic and gracious man, and it was a lot of fun talking to him one-on-one. Enjoy the interview below:
Alas, we arrived at the Futurama Nerdist panel pre-show segment of the evening, hosted by Chris Hardwicke who also hosts Talking Dead and Talking Bad on AMC for the shows The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad, respectively. The live pre-show ran until the East Coast feed of the series finale began, which was then followed by a post-show panel and raffle where audience members could win pieces of the Futurama Nerdist panel set.
With no more new Futurama episodes coming, it’s good to know that the series will live on in reruns and on DVD and Blu-ray. It’s a series that is always worth multiple viewings due to the layers and layers of jokes and gags contained within each episode. Futurama will be missed, but it’s characters and comedic spirit will live on forever.
What did you think of the Futurama series finale? What will you miss most about the series? Leave a comment and let us know!