New Futurama Returns with New Voice Cast?

So, the return of "Futurama" is becoming a bittersweet ordeal. Both Ainitcool.com and CHUD.com are reporting (from various sources, so by the time it hits here, you can bet it's an absolute and undeniable truth) that key voice cast members Billy West, John DiMaggio and Katey Sagal won't be returning when the show hits cable again on Comedy Central next year. Salary disputes are cited as the cause of their exit. But, those three voice actors are "Futurama" in my opinion. Sure, the writing is what makes the show, but those guys and lady say the lines, and my brain has imprinted to them like a baby chick does to a mother bird. In a perfect world, I would throw any amount of money they want at them to continue with the show. But, sadly, I guess we'll just have to make due with slightly off-sounding Leela, Bender, Fry and all the other characters Billy West plays (a lot of them).

Futurama: The Return

So, my prayers have been answered. And yes, sometimes I pray for the return of good television programming that was yanked before it's time. I am, of course, talking about "Futurama", a show so superior in quality in comparison to anything that was on TV at that time that FOX decided to cancel it in its infinite wisdom. After all of their previous seasons selling like hotcakes and releasing 4 rather successful straight to DVD movies, "Futurama" has found a new home at Comedy Central, which I hope will treat it the way it deserves to be. You can check out the story at the Variety website. 26 all new episodes will begin airing mid 2010, so make sure you clear your schedule or program your TiVo (or whatever brand of DVR you use).

New Season of Futurama? Possibly Could Happen Maybe

Billy West, voice actor extraordinaire, was at a convention recently. I don't know which one, but I'm pretty sure that the video above will tell you just which con he was at. But that's not the important part. The important part, to us "Futurama" fans, is that FOX, after seeing how well the re-runs are doing on the Cartoon Network and how well the straight to DVD movies have been selling, is thinking about bringing back the show for a possible new season. Kind of like what they did with "Family Guy", but instead, this show would be good as opposed to terrible. Enjoy the video. There's some pretty good stuff in there. I might even check out Billy West in a live action, non-animated role in the movie he mentioned "Demoted". But that's contingent on "Futurama" getting back on the air.

I am a little worried though. FOX knows how to fuck up a good thing. They just might bring it back to hammer in the final nail in the coffin. But, I'd like to think of myself as an optimist. So, maybe they actually want good television programming on their network. One can only hope.

"Futurama - Beast With a Billion Backs" Trailer

This is the trailer to the 2nd Futurama full-length, straight to DVD feature film. I'm not sure how many more of these will come out. "Bender's Big Score" was amusing, and I'm pretty much going to pick this up just based on my love of "Futurama" in general. Even if it ends up being uneven and only funny half of the time, that's still leaps and bounds better than "The Simpsons". Blegh, why is that still on TV?