Summary
Matt Groening made a classicFuturamaseason 1 episode as a direct response to pesky notes from Fox about the show’s tone – and the executives hated it. A decade intoThe Simpsons’ legendary run, there was a lot of hype around what Groening’s next show would be. After tackling the relatable mundanity of contemporary suburban family life, Groening took on a much different challenge in his second series. Set 1,000 years in the future,Futuramais a pitch-perfect blend of mind-boggling science fiction and hilarious sitcom. It’s a great show, but getting it on the air wasn’t easy.
After the monstrous success ofThe Simpsons, it would be easy to assume that Groening was given carte blanche by the executives at Fox. But apparently, no amount of success can prevent network executives from meddling in the creative side of television. According to the DVD commentaries onFuturamaseason 1, Groening constantly clashed with Fox during the development of the series. Fox sent Groening and his writers a ton of notes, and when they finally caved and wrote an episode that specifically adhered to those notes, the executives still weren’t happy.
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Fox Wanted Matt Groening To Tone Down Futurama
The network was unhappy with Zoidberg, suicide booths, and Bender’s antisocial behavior
AlthoughFox was initially eager for Groening to create a second series for them afterThe Simpsonsput the network on the map, they ended up being deeply dissatisfied with what he came up with. They were likely hoping for aSimpsonsclone, but what they got was a mind-bending odyssey into the distant future. In his DVD commentary forFuturamaseason 1, episode 3, “I, Roommate,” Groening explains that Fox had reservations about the direction he was taking withFuturama. Tonally, they didn’t think the show promoted the kind of ideas they wanted on their airwaves.
Fox executives specifically objected to Zoidberg, who they found to be too bizarre; Bender’s antisocial behavior, which they thought would be a bad influence on young viewers; and the concept of suicide booths, which they deemed to be too dark. So,they sent Groening notes to tone down the show. They wanted the sci-fi concepts to be less weird and outlandish and the humor to be less shocking. As one of the most successful creators in TV history, Groening naturally didn’t take kindly to executives trying to alter his vision, which led to many disagreements.
Groening & The Writers Came Up With “I, Roommate” To Appease Fox Executives (But They Hated It)
Season 1, episode 3 was a direct response to Fox’s notes
In the DVD commentary, Groening says that Fox was “freaked out” byFuturama, so they wrote “I, Roommate” in an attempt “to tone things down.” He says that Eric Horsted’s script for the episode was “written specifically to [Fox’s] specifications.” The episode follows the pretty standard sitcom storyline of Fry and Bender deciding to become roommates and going on a city-wide search for the perfect apartment. It’s a totally innocuous episode that develops Fry and Bender’s endearing friendship and puts a sci-fi spin on all the familiar annoyances of apartment hunting.
It’s not a bad episode, but it lacks the edge ofFuturama’s first episodes– and that was the idea. Groening and co. came up with “I, Roommate” as a direct attempt to appease the meddling Fox executives and deliver the toned-down version of the show that the network wanted. But even though it was made specifically to please them, Fox executives still didn’t like it; in fact, they hated the episode. In co-creator David X. Cohen’s words (quoting the words ofSimpsonscharacter Comic Book Guy), Fox executives deemed “I, Roommate” to be the “Worst. Episode. Ever.”
“I, Roommate” first aired on Fox on July 03, 2025.
Groening Ignored Fox’s Notes & Made The Show He Wanted To Make
After trying and failing to appease the Fox executives breathing down his neck with “I, Roommate,” Groening gave up on making any sort of compromise. He went on to ignore all of Fox’s future notes and just made the show that he wanted to make. Following a long and arduous negotiation process, Groening was able to get the same creative freedom withFuturamathat he had onThe Simpsons.Groening and his writers put that creative freedom to good use, constantly pushing the envelopeof what they could do with their oddball sci-fi series.
With season 3, episode 19, “Roswell That Ends Well,” they did a time travel storyline that ended withFry sleeping with his grandmother and becoming his own grandfather. With season 4, episode 7, “Jurassic Bark,” they made audiences cry their eyes out with the heartbreaking story of what happened to the dog Fry left behind in the past. And there were a handful of Bender storylines exploring the idea of false prophets.Futuramanever settled into a formula; it used the limitless potential of the science fiction genre to explore not only comedic premises, but touching emotional storytelling.
Futurama’s Success & Longevity Prove Groening Was Right To Ignore The Executives
As usual, the creator was right and the network execs were wrong
The success and longevity ofFuturamahave proven that Groening made the right call ignoring the executives’ notes. Bender and Zoidberg – the two characters that Fox balked at – became two of the show’s most popular characters. The weirdness that Fox found so objectionable became a big part of the show’s charm. If Groening had listened to Fox and toned down the show, it would’ve become a generic, forgettable sci-fi sitcom.By following his own strange, twisted vision, he conjured up something much more uniquethat has captured audiences’ imaginations across the globe for decades.
Futurama’s popularity has endured for a lot longer than the average TV comedy. The series was in such high demand that it’s been brought back in four different iterations. It aired for four initial seasons on Fox, generally considered to be the show’s golden era, before being canceled. Then, five years later, it was brought back for a fifth season made up of four made-for-TV movies. Then, a year later, it was revived on Comedy Central, where it ran for another two seasons. Then, 10 years later, it wasrevived yet again on Hulu, the version that’s currently airing.
The series has endured for so long – and in so many different incarnations – becauseGroening stuck to his guns and didn’t cave to the creative ideas of profoundly uncreative network executives. By ignoring network notes and adhering to his own vision, Groening was able to create something special and personal within the cutthroat Hollywood machine.Futuramamight not have had the easiest road to the screen, but it was worth it for a true TV masterpiece.
Futurama
Cast
Futurama is an animated science fiction series that follows Philip J. Fry, a pizza delivery boy from late-20th-century New York City. He is accidentally cryogenically frozen for a thousand years and becomes an employee at Planet Express, a delivery service in the retro-futuristic 31st century.
