As Futurama season 12’s release date approaches, the cartoon comedy promises to avoid an issue that hurt 2023’s season 11 revival. Futurama has been through more iterations than most TV shows ever manage since the series debuted in 1999. Futurama’s Planet Express crew was first introduced in seasons 1-4, which aired between 1999 and 2003. Futurama was then canceled and later revived for a quartet of direct-to-DVD movies which subsequently spawned a fifth season in 2008. In 2010 and 2011, further seasons were produced before Futurama was canceled again and, in 2023, renewed once more.

Now, July 2024 will see the arrival of Futurama season 12. This latest season promises more adventures for Fry, Leela, Bender, Hermes, Amy, and Professor Farnsworth, as well as the return of many supporting stars. Already, Futurama season 12’s trailer has offered viewers glimpses of Zapp Brannigan, Kif, and the returning villain Mom. However, the trailer notably lacks something that the season 11 revival’s promotional materials pushed to the forefront. Fortunately, this is a welcome absence. This element that Futurama season 11 was heavily focused on was one that the show has historically struggled to pull off successfully.

Futurama Season 12 Relies Less On Topical Satire

Futurama’s Season 11 Revival Included Episodes About NFTs And COVID-19

Many of Futurama season 11’s best episodes, including episode 2, “Children of a Lesser Bog,” and episode 4, “Parasites Regained,” were sequels to earlier outings from the show’s classic seasons. These nostalgic call-backs could have felt like pandering, but instead, they were surprisingly fresh, funny updates to plots viewers already loved. In contrast, many of Futurama season 11’s weakest outings were self-consciously topical satirical episodes. Episode 7, “Rage Against the Vaccine,” and episode 3, “How the West Was 1010001,” both centered their entire plots on timely topics that had been largely forgotten before the outings even arrived.

“Rage Against the Vaccine” spoofed the COVID-19 pandemic in 2023, over three years after it began. Meanwhile, “How the West Was 1010001” focused on NFTs over a year after South Park devoted a feature-length special to the short-lived fad. Futurama‘s season 11 episodes were not disastrous, but these lesser outings were reminiscent of season 6, episode 3, “Attack of the Killer App.” That episode centered on a parody of the viral Britain’s Got Talent contestant Susan Boyle. Like many of season 11’s topical episodes, the outing aged poorly since its subject didn’t have much cultural staying power.

Why Futurama’s Timely Satire Can Age Particularly Poorly

Futurama’s Setting Makes Topical Jokes Harder To Pull Off

Since Futurama is ostensibly set in the future, it is always cringe-worthy when the show brings up topics that are already old news by the time they air, The Simpsons, Family Guy, and South Park also parody current events, and only South Park’s production process is fast enough for the show to mock these issues as they unfold. However, while The Simpsons and Futurama have a lot in common, it is harder to excuse the latter show’s dated references as it takes place a thousand years into the future. Thus, Futurama season 12’s lack of topical gags is good news.