It’s a sad day for those of you who appreciate Matt Groening’s sense of humor. Personally, I don’t think his body of work is nearly as funny or creative as, say, Seth MacFarlane’s, but if you’re a Futurama kind of person, I truly feel for you as it has been announced that the show’s 7th season will be its last.
Hardcore Futurama fans remember with great sorrow the year 2003, when Fox suddenly decided to stop funding the show after four successful seasons. Some cried, others pouted, but there was nothing anyone could do to face cancellation. Five years later, Comedy Central came to the rescue and revived the show by ordering a 22-episode season, which was released on DVD as four movies (each containing four episodes).
Futurama fans were pleased with the new season, as was Comedy Central, therefore two more seasons were produced. However, everything must come to an end. When asked about his thoughts on the cancellation of his brainchild, Matt Groening said:
I’m very proud of the upcoming season. If this is indeed the end of Futurama, it’s a fantastic finish to a good, long run.
At this point in his life, the creator/executive producer is quite familiar with the ins and outs of television, and he’s probably aware that there’s no way for Futurama to come back from this one. It’s not necessarily customary for a show to be revived after it has stopped receving funding, but there have been several shows in history which have been revived in the same fashion Futurama was. Nevertheless, a second revival is extremely unlikely. Well, Groening, at least you’ve still got The Simpsons, which still fares quite well with audiences, despite going into its 25th season.
The last episode of Futurama will air on September 4, 2013, after a total of 140 episodes produced by Fox and Comedy Central.