The Animated Series Returns with New Adventures

On August 3, 2026, Futurama returns on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the United States, while the international audience will be able to follow the series on Disney+. The fourteenth season will feature situations with space pirates, lab-grown meats and the unexpected return of Dr. Zoidberg's lost great love. New episodes will be available every Monday.

The series maintains its historic cast with John DiMaggio, Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarche and David Herman. Matt Groening and David X. Cohen continue their role as executive producers alongside Ken Keeler and Claudia Katz, while the animation remains entrusted to Rough Draft Studios.

The Origins of a Future World

The genesis of Futurama dates back to the mid-nineties, when Fox asked Matt Groening to develop a new animated series after the success of The Simpsons. In 1996, Groening involved David X. Cohen, a screenwriter and producer who had already worked on numerous episodes of The Simpsons. The two creators immersed themselves in science fiction books, television shows and movies to build a credible future universe.

The launch of the series in April 1998 was not simple. Fox initially showed resistance, so much so that the pilot episode Space Pilot 3000 was self-produced by Groening before obtaining the network's approval. The suicide booths and the anti-social behaviors of Bender and Dr. Zoidberg worried the broadcaster. The episode I, Roommate was created precisely to address these concerns, but after negotiations Groening obtained creative independence for the series.

The title itself derives from the Futurama pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair, designed by Norman Bel Geddes to imagine the world of 1959.

The Creative Process and Animation

The creation of a single episode requires between six and nine months. Rough Draft Studios receives the complete screenplay and a storyboard with over 100 drawings, then creates an approximate animation called Animatic, composed of at least 1000 frames.

Meanwhile, the cast members continue to work on other projects. John DiMaggio voiced in Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake, while Katey Sagal appeared in The Conners and continued her work in Rebel. Billy West participated in numerous voice acting projects, keeping alive the tradition that made him one of the most recognizable voices in American animation. Maurice LaMarche worked on Pinky and the Brain and other Animaniacs projects, confirming his versatility in the contemporary animation landscape.