Futurama’s new season starts by explaining non-fungible tokens (NFTs), a concept that hasn’t been widely discussed for over a year. The series, set in the far future, has a history of commenting on contemporary life, using sci-fi elements to make modern concepts humorous.
However, in its recent revival on Hulu, the balance between topical humor and sci-fi gags has been skewed, making the show feel less special. The 12th season, in particular, struggles to find a unique Futurama twist on modern issues like NFTs and AI, resulting in an uneven season that lacks the charm of the original series.
The debut episode, which heavily features NFTs, sets a poor tone for the season. Bender’s plot involving the sale of a CryptoPunks-style collection and a heist by the Planet Express crew feels overly convoluted and bogged down by unnecessary explanations of the NFT concept.
The episode fails to provide the quirky, sci-fi-infused take on NFTs that fans might expect from Futurama, instead presenting them in a way that’s too close to real life, with little humor or commentary to offer.
The strength of Futurama has always been its ability to translate modern problems into its retrofuturistic world, a point emphasized by executive producer David X. Cohen. He noted that setting the show 1,000 years in the future allows for commentary on contemporary issues while keeping a creative distance.
The NFT episode, however, misses this crucial “one step removed” aspect, resulting in humor that feels dated and uninspired.
While the first half of the season struggles, later episodes show some improvement. A Squid Game spoof exploring Fry’s childhood and a fast-fashion episode turning Cara Delevingne into Frankenstein’s monster offer better examples of Futurama’s potential.
These episodes, although not perfect, better understand the show’s original premise of using a bizarre future to satirize modern issues. However, they still lack the consistent humor and emotional grounding that once defined the series.
The most unoriginal episode involves an AI chatbot becoming Leela’s jealous friend, which recycles familiar AI tropes into a mundane storyline. Given Futurama’s long history with sentient robots, tackling AI as a novel concept feels out of place.
Despite some potential for more engaging storylines, as hinted by Hulu’s promise of exploring Fry and Leela’s romance, the season so far focuses too much on being topical. It neglects the oddball humor and character-driven stories that made the show beloved. Futurama’s attempt to address current trends like NFTs falls flat, indicating that some elements are better left in the past.
