Futurama season 11 is finally out, and here are 10 unpopular and controversial opinions about Hulu’s reboot of the beloved show. Like many other reboots, fan reception to the idea of more Futurama was a bit mixed, as many viewers were worried that the new episodes wouldn’t be able to live up to the original series over a decade after it went off the air. Luckily, reviews for Futurama season 11 have been mostly positive, with it holding up to the show’s later seasons. Despite this, the internet is filled with hot takes regarding Hulu’s Futurama revival, and here are 10 of the most controversial ones.
Futurama is back, with the Planet Express crew returning for another batch of wacky sci-fi adventures over 10 years after the series concluded with season 10. The cast and crew of Futurama season 11 have surprisingly managed to remain consistent with that of the original series, meaning that much of the charm, humor, and character that classic Futurama episodes are known for is maintained in the revival. There are definitely some complaints to be had about Futurama season 11, but the opinions seen here are pretty unpopular.
10 Futurama Shouldn’t Joke About Its Own Cancelation
One of the oddest complaints regarding Futurama season 11 is that the series shouldn’t joke about its own cancelation. Futurama season 11, episode 1 is essentially a massive parody of the show’s early demise and its return on Hulu, with the episode making fun of the new world of streaming television. Some viewers found this storyline to be too meta, with it taking them out of the show. With how many times Futurama has been canceled, though, it would feel weird if the show didn’t address it. After all, Futurama is a pretty meta show otherwise, with it even featuring Futurama creator Matt Groening in the series.
9 Futurama Should Stay Away From Current Events & Topical Storylines
Futurama season 11 has heavily leaned into tackling current events and topical subjects, with the revival having storylines focused on streaming services, Amazon, cryptocurrency, and the COVID-19 pandemic. While these stories could cause their respective episodes to age poorly, this is an odd complaint, as Futurama has referenced real-world news and pop culture events since the very beginning. Even real-world politicians like Al Gore have had voice cameos in the show, which is why these topical storylines don’t seem out of character for the series.
8 Fry Isn’t The Focus Of Enough Futurama Season 11 Stories
Futurama season 11 has definitely given some of the other Planet Express crew members a greater focus this time around, with side characters like Amy and Hermes getting stories of their own. This has upset some fans who believe that Fry isn’t getting enough focus, and while he started out as the main character of Futurama, the show is now an ensemble more than anything. There are 10 seasons of Fry stories to enjoy, which is why it might be hard to come up with more Fry-centric stories for season 11. Fry is still around in every Futurama season 11 episode, though, so it’s not like he’s missing from the show.
7 The Planet Express Crew Sounds Different In Futurama Season 11
Some viewers have hurled complaints at Futurama season 11 regarding the show’s vocal performances, but this criticism is kind of ridiculous. Most of the characters sound almost indistinguishable from their original series counterparts, with Bender, Zoidberg, and Professor Farnsworth’s voices being practically identical. Although some differences can be noticed with Fry and Leela, it’s been 10 years since these voice actors have played these characters regularly. Aging is just a part of life, and anyone’s voice would change over 10 years. It’s odd to criticize something that can’t be controlled, and that’s the case with the voices in Futurama season 11.
6 Futurama’s Revival Doesn’t Have Enough Original Characters
The original Futurama series is filled with one-off side characters, with many zany inhabitants of the 31st century popping up for jokes, never to be seen again. Futurama season 11 has pulled back on its introduction of original characters, upsetting some fans. However, it has been over 10 years since Futurama‘s main characters have had regular appearances, and introducing new characters would take away from Fry, Leela, and the rest of the gang. On top of that, Futurama season 11 has brought back several of these one-off original characters, such as the whale biologist and the Borax Kid.
5 Futurama Season 11 Is Too Reliant On Movie Parodies
Movie parodies have always been part of Futurama‘s DNA, but some viewers are claiming that season 11 is too reliant on them for some reason. So far, there have only been two parodies in season 11, with episode 3 parodying How the West Was Won and episode 4 parodying Dune. Pretty much every Futurama season has movie parodies in it, meaning that the belief that season 11 is exclusively overusing them can most likely be chalked up to recency bias.
4 Robot Santa Claus Is Overused
Futurama season 11 brought back Robot Santa Claus for its holiday episode, causing some viewers to believe that the villain is overused. This is a really weird claim, as Robot Santa has only been the main villain of two other Futurama episodes, with the last one being in season 3. While Robot Santa does appear in all of Futurama‘s Xmas episodes, it has just been cameos in recent seasons, with the time gap making it well worth bringing him back.
3 Futurama Season 11 Shouldn’t Continue Old Storylines
Futurama season 11 has continued several storylines, with episodes like “Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch,” “Parasites Lost,” and “The Late Philip J. Fry” getting sequels. This has caused some viewers to worry about season 11’s lack of originality, saying that season 11 shouldn’t continue old Futurama storylines. However, the majority of season 11 episodes tell original narratives, and the ones that are sequels take the stories in an entirely different direction than the episodes they’re following up on.
2 Hulu’s Futurama Is Better Than The First Revival
Although Futurama was canceled after only a few seasons, the series was brought back after several direct-to-DVD films revived interest in the show. Although the latter seasons were never as beloved as the early seasons of Futurama, the newer episodes were still popular among fans. Some have already begun to claim that Hulu’s Futurama season 11 is better than the first revival, and while season 11 is good, it doesn’t quite hold up to the episodes seen in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
1 Fry & Leela Shouldn’t Be Together In Futurama’s Revival
Futurama season 11 has finally fully cemented Fry and Leela’s relationship, with them even moving in together in episode 5. Much of Fry and Leela’s dynamic in the early seasons centers around the will-they-won’t-they dynamic, with some fans hoping that season 11 would bring this back. However, this is a horrible idea. Fry’s pursuit of Leela as a romantic partner would be really stale by this point, and having the two of them break up would also ruin Futurama‘s original series finale. Keeping Fry and Leela in a relationship in Futurama season 11 is undoubtedly the best choice.
