The first season of
Futurama started midway through the television season, so it only contains nine episodes.
Simpsons creator
Matt Groening is responsible for the show as creator, developer, executive producer, and writer of the first episode, "Space Pilot 3000." The series starts off with a 25-year-old pizza delivery guy named Fry (voice of
Billy West) who gets cryogenically frozen and emerges in the year 3000. He ends up working at an intergalactic delivery company for his only living relative, Professor Farnsworth (voice of
Billy West). His best friend is the drunken buffoon robot Bender (voice of John DiMaggio), who encourages his baser instincts. Meanwhile, Fry longs to win the heart of spaceship captain Leela (voice of
Katey Sagal), the only known living cyclops. The rest of the Planet Express crew consists of Amy Wong (voice of
Lauren Tom), Hermes Conrad (voice of Phil LaMarr), and Dr. Zoidberg (voice of
Billy West). The side characters of Captain Zapp Brannigan (voice of
Billy West), Nibbler (voice of
Frank Welker), and Mom (voice of Tress MacNeille) are also introduced during this season. Basically, the crew gets into all kinds of space adventures while making deliveries to other planets. The fast-paced action and humor is wickedly satirical, offering up biting commentary to contemporary existence. Racism, corporate greed, environmental policies, and religion are just a few of the issues tackled in season one. The manic energy is fueled by nonstop pop culture references, with an emphasis on computer- or technology-based in-jokes. Overall, the show is hilarious for fans of
The Simpsons and Groening's work in general. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide