Good news, everyone! Bender, Fry, Leela, and the rest of the Planet Express crew are returning for a new season of Futurama on Hulu! According to a report from Deadline, Hulu has finalized a deal for 20 new episodes of Futurama to appear on the streamer sometime next year. New episodes of the fan-favorite sci-fi comedy will come from Futurama‘s creator Matt Groening and his co-developer and executive producer on the original series, David X. Cohen. Most of the original voice cast will also be returning for the new episodes, including Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr, and David Herman.
Although nearly every original member from the Futurama voice cast is returning for the new season on Hulu, one person is noticeably missing, John DiMaggio. In the original Futurama series, DiMaggio was the voice of everyone’s favorite robot with a shiny metal behind Bender. Sadly, the role will reportedly be recast after negotiations between DiMaggio and 20th Television Animation came to a standstill. However, with every other major cast member of the original series on board, a deal may still come before the series premieres in 2023.
Futurama has a long history of being canceled and coming back again. The show first aired on Fox from 1999 to 2003. It was shockingly canceled midway through production on its 4th season. However, the cancellation would not last. In 2007, Futurama was brought back with four direct-to-DVD movies that ended up airing as individual episodes on Comedy Central. Then, in 2010, Futurama returned to TV for three years on Comedy Central before ultimately being canceled all over again. But, no matter how many times it gets canceled, Futurama always seems to find new life.
For more updates on the Futurama revival on Hulu and whether or not John DiMaggio will return as Bender, be sure to check back in with us at The Nerd Stash!