Futurama fans?

[GAD]

I know you didn't like it at all, GAD, but wasn't aware of any "show that'll save Star Trek" feelings. As far as I'm concerned, everything from episode 4 through episode 10 was in the "crap" column. Just one man's opinion, of course, and as far as I'm concerned it's way too late to save Star Trek. I was just hoping for a good homage to what used to be my favorite show. I feel I kind of got it with season 1 and season 2 episodes 1 - 3.

I haven’t watch the show in question yet so don’t have an opinion. I did state that I haven’t liked any Star Trek since TOS though. I watched three episodes if the previous one (forget the name) and thought it was trash. A lot if people thought the same which is likely where the “SNW will save Star Trek” bit comes from.

 

[chazmo]

I haven’t watch the show in question yet so don’t have an opinion. I did state that I haven’t liked any Star Trek since TOS though. I watched three episodes if the previous one (forget the name) and thought it was trash. A lot if people thought the same which is likely where the “SNW will save Star Trek” bit comes from.

Oh, I misunderstood! OK, well, love to hear your opinion when you watch. See my earlier caveats about the background, etc.

The previous one was probably Discovery, and I have the same assessment.

 

[GGJaguar]

BTW, I've been watching the current season of Futurama and the episode where Kif's tadpoles come home cracked me up.

 

[Prince of Darkness]

Enterprise had its moments. I'll admit. Do you know the furor that was had by fans over the theme song? I couldn't understand that. I liked it! Whatever. I don't remember the Shran character, but maybe I'll re-watch.

I quite like the theme song as well, though it came as a bit of a surprise that Russell Watson sang it, as he was better known for singing operatic material

 

[GAD]

After watching the first six episodes of the new season of Futurama, my impression is that it's terrible. Well, maybe not terrible, but it's mediocre. I pretty much have the same impression that I had of the straight to DVD seasons which is that it looks like Futurama and it sounds like Futurama, but it's just a pale reflection of the real thing. Futurama always had lame jokes, but they were surrounded by absolutely brilliant stuff. These new episodes are filled with lame jokes but they are completely devoid of brilliance. Half of the gags are just callbacks to original episodes and the other half are trying to be timely social commentary. The Bitcoin episode might have been funny a few years back but unlike the original Futurama this one felt like it was written by someone who saw a Bitcoin story on the news instead of someone who actually knew how it worked.

I actually liked the Xmas episode, though, and the first episode was fun enough to peak my interest, but so far I'm playing my bitter old nerd card and saying, "No sir, I don't like it."

 

[chazmo]

Yeah, well, I'm not exactly over the top with this season, but sadly "mediocre" for Futurama is still better than just about everything else that's out there. I mean by a WIDE margin. Most of the new programs I've seen fall somewhere between utterly unwatchable and barely tolerable.

There have been some other mediocre years for Futurama, IMO, but in general I agree with you GAD. I have found myself laughing quite a bit though, so I'm still enjoying it.

 

[GGJaguar]

Yes, like all re-boots, it doesn't capture the original magic, but like Chazmo said, it's still better than a lot of stuff out there.

 

[chazmo]

They're not tackling difficult subjects (yet), and they're currently skirting the real fun that I hope they get into soon, perhaps next season. They've gotten a lot of mileage after being the third (or fourth) reboot of the show after cancellation, and it always gives me a gut laugh to see them make fun of that.

The really good thing about Futurama being a non-show since 2013 is that they didn't have to produce material when the world was getting -- shall I say -- weird? Anyway, I don't want to step into any political soup here on LTG, so let's just say I'm hoping that Futurama gets funny and satirical (again) soon.

 

[GGJaguar]

it always gives me a gut laugh to see them make fun of that.

The stuff that makes me belly laugh is usually the least expected. I remember a couple of episodes from the early seasons where they unexpectedly referenced Star Trek TOS. One was where (I think) Bender was being roasted and out of nowhere a cartoon version of Captain Pike from "The Menagerie" comes up the mic and the light on his wheelchair goes "beep". I completely lost it. Another had to do with Bender and Fry getting ready to battle to the death and they used the incidental music from the TOS episode where Spock and Kirk fight "to the death" on Vulcan. Once again, it caught me completely off guard and I laughed so hard it set off my asthma.

 

[chazmo]

GG, if you haven't already seen it, there's a TOS episode with most of the original cast, where they battle a gas creature called Melllvar. I can't remember the name of the episode, but it was super funny. And, yes, the Pike wheelchair made an appearance in that too.

So many great moments.

 

[GGJaguar]

Cool, I'm looking forward to seeing that one!

 

[chazmo]

Episode is called ""Where No Fan Has Gone Before""

 

[chazmo]

... aaaand, time to watch the episode which dropped yesterday!

 

[chazmo]

... aaaand, time to watch the episode which dropped yesterday!

Son of a gun... R.I.P., Coolio. Kwanzaa-bot will never be the same.

 

[GAD]

Bit of a spoiler, there

 

[chazmo]

Explovid!

Enjoyed this week's episode a bit more than the previous ones. Very satirical on our recent past, but not particularly hard-hitting. Many gut laughs, for me at least.

 

[GAD]

I really liked the Xmas one more than the others in this season. Will hopefully watch the new one tonight.

 

[GAD]

I feel like this entire season was written years ago and just released now (which so far as I can tell is not the case). The episodes almost feel to me like someone asked ChatGPT to write Futurama episodes about a given topic from the last five years. The Vaccine episode felt like an algorithm grabbed every pandemic gag that were already done on other TV shows and mashed them together with some Futurama callbacks to make it feel like Futurama. The one thing that made me laugh was Leela in the anger dome. That seemed like classic Futurama and I was reminded that it was actually a callback to S4 Ep1.

Here's Professor Farnsworth in the Angry Dome for an hour which is apparently where I need to go.

I just read that Billy West (Fry, Dr. Zoidberg, Professor Farnsworth, Zapp Brannigan, Nixon, etc.) is 71. Damn. Holy cow Katey Sagal will be 70 in January! Joe DiMaggio (Bender) is only 55.

 

[chazmo]

I had a similar thought about the episodes having been written a while back when watching the last episode, GAD. I just think I'm more easily amused than you are, GAD. All the sarcasm and mis-information about the angry virus brought back some funny memories of a couple of years ago. But, you know, maybe the writers were pocketing these scripts over the last 10 years. It is disorienting though.

If you really want to be confused, watch the last season of Black Mirror. Inexplicably, the episodes seem to have been written various times in the past. It was really weird and disorienting. I'm sure that's what the shows creators intended.

Oh, and it's hard to believe the Billy West is 71. And Katey is 70? Wow.

 

[GGJaguar]

It was really weird and disorienting.

The whole season was weird. Less technology oriented (except for the Netflix spoof) and more supernatural. I guess we've just about caught up with Black Mirror's outlook on what the "near future" looks like.