The Making of Futurama was a Sh*t Show (Part 1)
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Published 2024-04-17
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In the entertainment world, there are millions of dollars on the line and troubled productions are bound to happen. Whether it's big egos, bigger budgets, or just plain bad luck, we are going behind-the-scenes on these disastrous, never ending, and sometimes dangerous productions. From the creators of WTF Happened To This Movie?, It Was A Sh*t Show is a video essay/documentary/podcast series looking at some of your favorite films and tv shows, and why they were such a nightmare to make.
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:36 - The Simpsons’ Changed the World
02:37 - Matt Groening Creates Futurama
03:49 - Enlisting the Help of David X. Cohen
05:27 - Fleshing Out a Science Fiction Comedy
06:50 - Battling the Risk Averse Fox Network
09:09 - Unexplained Recasting of Fry & Leela
10:41 - Developing an Animated Sitcom
11:53 - Making an Episode Just for Fox
12:53 - Futurama Debuts Then Moves Timeslot
13:46 - Groening Trashes Fox Over and Over
14:57 - Inconsistent Sunday Airings
15:52 - Fox Forgets Futurama Exists
16:28 - Canceling Futurama the First Time
17:11 - The Series Push into Serious Sci-Fi
18:01 - A Surprisingly Emotional Series
19:24 - Writing a Fitting Finale
Sources:
The Atlantic: bit.ly/3wV7ZYt
Calgary Sun: bit.ly/3vu37sH
Entertainment Weekly: bit.ly/3Vn8XXm
Entertainment Weekly: bit.ly/3Ph2w4z
The Face: bit.ly/43kjNiQ
IGN: bit.ly/49SMDJN
Mother Jones: bit.ly/43ni9wR
Mr. Showbiz: bit.ly/3x1JXep
Radio Times: bit.ly/3VM0Jsn
SCI FI Weekly: bit.ly/3IPmfEK
UGO: bit.ly/3TGzqOG
Variety: bit.ly/4d8bD1M
Variety: bit.ly/4coGzuc
Wired: bit.ly/3xkZRAD
Featured Footage:
Beavis and Butt-Head (1993-2011)
BoJack Horseman (2014-2020)
The Daily Show (1996 -)
Diagnosis Murder (1993-2001)
Doctor Who (1963-1989)
Family Guy (1999 -)
Futurama (1999 -)*
King of the Hill (1997-2010)
Lost in Space (1965-1968)
MADtv (1995-2016)
Malcolm in the Middle (2000-2006)
Married... with Children (1987-1997)
The Office (2001-2003)
The PJs (1999-2001)
The Simpsons (1989 -)
South Park (1997 -)
The X-Files (1993-2018)
*and special features
Convention Coverage: t.ly/WzuvQ
Science Museum: t.ly/0HKKG
Music:
Alf Clausen - The Simpsons OST
Christopher Tying - Futurama OST
Danny Elfman - The Simpsons Theme
Pierre Henry - Psyche Rock
Pizzicato Five - Baby Love Child
Ryan Hudson - Sh*t Show Theme
#itwasashtshow #futurama #mattgroening
All Comments (21)
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This may be the first video essay I’ve seen in which “Groening” is pronounced correctly.
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It's insane that Fox didn't understand how brilliant Futurama truly was
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"The parts the executives were most uncomfortable with were--" proceeds to list all the best parts.
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I literally cried when the dog sat there and waited for him to return, really pulled on my heart strings.😢
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You deserve a medal for all of the editing that this video required.
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8:24. I can't believe Groening and Cohen would commit the heinous act of setting episodes of a sci-fi show on other planets.
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I really appreciate your careful curation of background clips to go along with your script. Some other channels about TV/Movies just play the trailer on loop, but yours is like a new Easter Egg every 5 seconds!
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18:55 THAT!!! THAT EPISODE RIGHT THERE!!! First time I ever cried to any tv show. I was like 9 and laying in bed with my dog who was my best friend in a not so good house. We were the. Lack sheep in our house and got all of the rage and anger released on us. This episode came on as I was trying to go to sleep for school. It all hit me that scene seeing Seymour grow old still waiting for fry. I can still feel that strong being pulled thinking about it. RIP my doggo. She made it to 18 and in a happier life
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Imagine being given that second chance to capture lightning in a bottle and doing everything in your power to cripple it. Fascinating that even after all that, Futurama still soldiered on to craft a timeless legacy. What a show.
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The clips used were soooo impressively selected, basically every clip thematically matched what you were saying during the intro (I laughed when you said "for the time" and showed Grandpa talking about the onion on his belt, which was the style at the time).
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I think that what really built the Futurama following was its Adult Swim run. Like, the crazy timeslot and release order just stopped it in its tracks but it aired consistently on Adult Swim and people like me ate it up every time it was on.
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Although a fictional character, Philip J. Fry is one of my most inspirational influences. His tenacity for life and finding joy everywhere, while fighting for his one true love is truly admirable. Thank you for this show, even if it was a Sh*t Show.
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Futurama was better than the Simpsons.
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I watched futurama in english before i knew english, i rewatched it a thousand times, they helped me learn it, they always teach you something and i'm thankful for everything they done, there is no bad futurama episodes there is only less good ones.
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Just those few clips from luck of the fryish and jurassic bark triggered me. Those are some of the hardest hitting episodes in western animation for me.
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Me and my brother would watch the Simpsons and then our favorite show, Futurama, every sunday..god i miss him r.i.p bro
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One of my faves is when they make the time machine that breaks so the universe starts over again, just a couple feet lower. The time lapse was amazing to me.
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One other thing worth bringing up about Phil Hartman’s involvement with the series: Fry himself was actually named after Mr. Hartman as a tribute to him after his tragic passing.
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It's crazy that the Fry Yancy episode and ending to the devil's hands are idle playthings, still crack me up even with no build up. Honestly and easily my favourite TV show of all time
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Fry’s mom having the dream about him watching the Packers🧀 game with her makes me tear up every time. Or when Lela’s parent were the ones watching over her (or under😂) during her foster years.
