Futurama Season 12 Should Copy the Wisest Revival Manoeuvre of Season 11
With the start of Futurama season 12, the science fiction sitcom must maintain the positive momentum from its season 11 comeback. Futurama season 12 marks the fifth rerun of the program. The show ran from 1999 to 2003 before returning for four direct-to-DVD films in 2007 and 2009. Due to the initial revival's success, which lasted for two seasons from 2010 and 2013, there was another one. Season 11 of the show finally returned for a second revival in 2023.
Season 12 has revived the program, notwithstanding many problems with season 11. In the first episode, "The One Amigo," in which Bender turned into an NFT and then lost his image to an art gallery, Futurama's Planet Express crew made a reappearance. Bender, feeling aimless and disoriented, went back to his native Mexico and reunited with his long-lost relatives. Eventually, this absurd journey became related to the NFT plot. Futurama has to revive one particular tendency from season 11 in order to fulfill its promise of more bizarre tales in season 12.
August Saw the Airing of a Christmas Episode of Futurama Season 11.
"I Know What You Did Next Christmas," the sixth episode of Futurama season 11, marked the first occasion the show published a Christmas special in the middle of the year. Since the season ran from July to September, it came in August. This meant that the show would have to either disregard its release dates or holidays like Halloween and Christmas. Because its Christmas episodes are among its best, Futurama made a smart decision by going with the latter strategy.
Even if the holiday episodes of Futurama won't air until after the real holidays, it makes sense for the show to include them in its upcoming seasons. Reruns frequently broadcast Christmas episodes in the summer and Halloween specials in the spring, whereas regular sitcoms release their holiday episodes at the right time. Schedule conflicts can also cause shows to skip important days. For instance, even though it was a Halloween episode, The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror Halloween special from season 35 debuted in November 2023. As a result, even if they aren't shown at the proper times, the new seasons of Futurama should include holiday episodes.
Season 12 of Futurama Should Keep Using This Method
If Futurama releases its new seasons in July and September, as it did for seasons 11 and 12, then the program will never include Christmas or Halloween episodes unless it deviates from its original release schedule. It would be unfortunate if Futurama were to lose the ability to produce Halloween and Christmas episodes, as the show's Christmas episode from season 11 was a terrific outing that successfully combined the show's signature satire with endearing character humor. Many of the ways that streaming services have changed TV viewing habits, such as spoiler culture and binge-watching, aren't totally good.
Traditional TV viewing is reminiscent of Futurama's approach to holiday specials. Seeing a show disregard the schedule and approach its plots as though they were network TV is refreshing. Futurama's approach to holiday specials feels more like television from the early 2000s than it does like the modern TV events produced by huge streaming services, which is ironic considering the show's futuristic setting. Since Futurama's meta-comedy has frequently made fun of the show's conflicts with censors, network executives, and the industry at large, the series ought to defy the new standard.
More Television Programs Should Take Futurama's Lead
Not only is Futurama's artistic decision reasonable, but other comedy streaming shows ought to adopt the same philosophy about holiday specials. If streaming shows ignored their release dates and dropped holiday episodes whenever it felt right for the plot, they would feel more like classic network sitcoms. The How I Met Your Mother spinoff series never had a Christmas or Halloween episode in its two seasons, despite the fact that How I Met Your Father did make a passing reference to the enigmatic events of "Halloween 2018" in one recurring joke.
This is especially regrettable because some of the best episodes of the original program, including "The Slutty Pumpkin" and "Symphony of Illumination," took place during the holidays. A lot of streaming shows currently only release new episodes for a few weeks out of the year, thus it is unfortunate to see something as arbitrary as release schedules dictating the substance of shows. More comedies ought to follow Futurama's season 11 resuscitation strategy, and the science fiction cartoon's season 12 ought to set the bar high.
The Prospects for Futurama
Fans of the show were pleasantly surprised by Futurama's comeback in season 11, and season 12 looks to build on that success. Futurama can continue to be nostalgic and contemporary, drawing in both new and returning fans, by sticking to its most brilliant season 11 trick: releasing holiday episodes at any time of year. Additionally, by adopting a more conventional and looser approach to holiday specials, this strategy encourages other streaming shows to follow suit. Futurama is still a unique force in the streaming comedy market thanks to its clever meta-comedy and satirical humor, and its upcoming seasons could further change how streaming shows deal with holidays and customs.
