From the creators of the Simpsons, adult animated series Futurama has long been a cult classic.
The show follows main character Fry, in the 2000s, as he's accidentally transported one thousand years into the future, to the year 3000. The cast included mutants and robots, and took audiences on wild adventures when it was airing from 1999-2003.
Futurama was initially rebooted in 2007, with four scrapped direct-to-DVD movies airing as episodes on Comedy Central. The interest sparked from that run led to another revival in 2010.
Nearly twenty years later, producers Matt Groening and David X. Cohen are returning for twenty new episodes through Hulu. Premiering in 2023, *most* of the original cast has returned, including Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr and David Herman.
The one missing piece? Fan favorite John DiMaggio, voice of the snarky robot, Bender. DiMaggio reportedly did not reach a deal when negotiating his return. While he's yet to release a full public statement, he's been vocal on Twitter via a series of retweets, all from other fans or actors lamenting his absence.
Hulu announced news to recast Bender before the upcoming table read, but it's rumored that DiMaggio is re-negotiating his return, as both his co-stars and fans want him back. After an outpouring of support, he finally tweeted,
"Thanks for the concern and the props, everyone. I really appreciate it. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted, but until then… CHEESE IT! #bendergate"
Until we wait for updates, we can always re-watch all the Futurama episodes on Hulu. The new episodes will premiere on the streaming service in 2023.
