New quotes revealed that the new 2023 season of Futurama will tackle some controversial fare when it returns to Hulu.
Futurama, which is no stranger to being revived from the dead (having been brought back from cancellation once before), is finally getting a Season 11 after a few false starts and more than a decade away from the spotlight.
The Simpsons creator Matt Groening's beloved animated series will return for 20 streaming episodes in two 10-week chunks.
The first batch of episodes is mere days from release as the cast and crew return to the 31st century.
Futurama Gets Controversial in Season 11
According to one of the producers behind the Futurama revival, the hit animated series will feature some controversial episodes in its new 11th season.
Speaking to SFX Magazine, Futurama producer Claudia Katz remarked that the new 2023 season will continue to satirize the current day. She said the series will "finally [conquer] COVID-19 in 3023," as well as some other controversial subject matter:
“We have a vaccine episode. We’ve finally conquered COVID-19 in 3023, so that’s a very fun exploration of the science, vaccines and just a commentary on that whole situation."
Katz furthered this point by mentioning a "Bitcoin episode" and "an NFT episode" as well:
“There’s a fun Bitcoin episode. And we have an NFT episode which, of course, no one understands, which is sort of the joke. And one of my favourite episodes of the season involves one of our cast members being cancelled for their behaviour, so that’s pretty fantastic.”
On the series' more-than-decade-long absence, the producer remarked she was "always hopeful that someday we would return," calling working on Season 11 "pure joy for [the team]."
What To Expect in Futurama Season 11
After years of commenting on current-day issues, and framing them in a hilariously-futuristic world, it seems as though Futurama Season 11 will be continuing with what made the original series so successful.
The animated comedy has always been a satire of the world and it has never been afraid to get into the world of the controversial, to carrying degrees of success.
While sometimes it hits, like with much of its commentary on consumerism, government, and the military-industrial complex, other times it has not (ie the controversial transgender Olympics episode from 2003).
The last time fans saw the series (in 2013), it was busy poking fun at the world of genetically-modified food, something that was a major topic of conversation in the early 2010s.
So surely, the Futurama team will have some fun with things like NFTs, Bitcoin/the Block Chain, and COVID-19. And with 20 episodes on the way it could be cool to see what other hot-button issues the series could tackle as well.
If the Season 11 trailer is any indication the new batch of episodes could feature tongue-in-cheek stories centered on streaming entertainment, recent movie releases (like Warner Bros.'s Dune), and smart devices in the home.
Episode 1 of Futurama Season 11 premieres on Hulu on Monday, July 24.
