The long-awaited third coming of Futurama is finally arriving this summer, with US streamer Hulu set to broadcast 10 new episodes - it will be available on Disney Plus in the UK.
The animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons, originally aired from 1999 to 2003, before being cancelled by Fox due to low ratings. Despite its cancellation, Futurama gained a significant cult following and continued to thrive through DVD sales. As a result, it was later revived for additional seasons between 2010 and 2013.
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The show follows the adventures of a 20th-century pizza delivery boy named Fry, who is cryogenically frozen and wakes up in the year 3000.
He becomes a delivery boy for an interplanetary delivery company called Planet Express and explores the futuristic world alongside his eccentric coworkers, including one-eyed mutant Leela, robot Bender, crustacean-like alien Dr Zoidberg, and mad scientist Professor Farnsworth.
What happens in the new episodes?
Despite being set 1,000 years in the future in the 30th century, Futurama is a show that has always been praised for its intelligent and satirical humour, and its ability to wryly tackle social and cultural issues of today through a sci-fi lens.
That trend doesn't look like stopping anytime soon, with the new episodes set to take on everything from the future of vaccines, cryptocurrency, cancel culture, and streaming TV. Oh, and a brand-new pandemic has arrived in town. What could possibly have inspired that storyline?!
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The 10 brand-new episodes, according to the streamer, will have something for everyone, with new viewers able to pick it up from here, while devoted viewers can recognise resolutions to mysteries that have persisted for decades.
When can I watch it?
Despite a successful four-season revival of the show between 2010 and 2013, Futurama went dark after its seventh series. After a 10 year hiatus, 20 brand new episodes were ordered by Hulu.
This summer's run of 10 new episodes marks only the first part of a two-parter eighth season (or 11th, if you include the four feature-length specials that were broken up into episodes), with 10 more set to arrive further down the line.
Those initial 10 episodes will be available to stream through Hulu - Disney Plus in the UK - from Monday 24 July. Just one episode will be made available initially, with further instalments released on a weekly basis every Monday until 25 September.