The 27 Best Futurama Episodes, Ranked

"Futurama" was created by Matt Groening, the man behind "The Simpsons." Debuting in 1999, the show follows Fry who, after accidentally locking himself in a cryogenic chamber just before the new millennium, finds himself navigating life in the year 3000. Luckily, he finds his only living relative, Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth, who gives him a job with his interplanetary delivery service. Joining Fry on his adventures around the universe are the sleazy robot Bender, the cycloptic Leela, and more kooky characters.

Groening brought much of the social satire and sentiment from "The Simpsons" over to "Futurama" but emphasized the science fiction elements of the show, making it stand out among other sitcoms for its courage to go deep into heady and nerdy territory. Across 140 episodes and seven seasons, "Futurama" has a pretty high batting average in terms of quality, having far more great episodes than bad ones. However, there are still a handful of episodes that stand above the rest, so let's take a look at the 27 best episodes of "Futurama."

"Reincarnation" consists of three different segments that all revolve around the destruction of a comet made of diamondium. "Colorama" sees Fry eager to propose to Leela, so he blows up the comet hoping to use a piece of it in an engagement ring. "Future Challenge 3000" features Professor Farnsworth discovering the answers to the mysteries of the universe, only to become depressed that there's nothing else to discover. Finally, "Action Delivery Force" is about an alien race that declares war on Earth for the destruction of the diamondium comet.

One of the best aspects of this episode is that each segment is rendered in a different animation style, with "Colorama" featuring a classic 1930s black-and-white look, "Future Challenge 3000" going for a more 1980s video game aesthetic, and "Action Delivery Force" gives "Futurama" an anime makeover. However, it's not just the cosmetic changes that make "Reincarnation" such a standout. Every segment is so packed with pop culture references that even the most hardcore fans are liable to miss a few details.

Fry is a pizza delivery guy in the year 1999 who hates his job, but when he accidentally falls into a cryogenic chamber, he wakes up a thousand years later and must learn to adapt to a new futuristic way of life. Luckily, he befriends Leela and Bender, who hate their current jobs and are looking for something new in their lives, so they locate Fry's only living descendent, Professor Farnsworth, for help. The professor just happens to be hiring for his intergalactic delivery company and brings the three on board.

The first episode of "Futurama" is an incredibly strong start to the series. Its primary cast is very well defined, the show's signature style of humor was mostly in place, and it even features numerous Easter eggs that would pay off much later to the delight of die-hard fans. "Space Pilot 3000" has a few rough edges that would be polished in subsequent episodes, but it's still a great launching pad for the series.

After a successful invasion of Tarantulon VI that results in Earth coming into possession of many alien works of art, Richard Nixon, now the president of Earth, decides to give everyone a $300 tax rebate. With an extra $300 in their pockets, each member of the Planet Express crew spends it in ways you'd expect, ranging from the mundane to the outrageous. Fry decides to blow it on a hundred cups of coffee that he drinks nonstop throughout the episode, Leela uses her money for the opportunity to swim with a whale, and Bender spends it on burglary tools.

While the overall plot of "Three Hundred Big Boys" is fairly thin, the gags that result from each cast member's use of their money are more than enough to carry the episode. There's a suitably zany climax that takes place at an exhibition of the alien art that ties in with the characters' purchases. There's also some nice sentiment on display as we see Amy and Kif's relationship deepen.

"The Honking" sees Bender spending the night in his family's haunted castle (which he intends to inherit), only to be chased out by robot ghosts. As Bender dashes out of the castle, he's run over by a mysterious car that he believes is still following him even when he returns to New New York. However, it turns out that Bender's been turned into a "were-car," thanks to a curse that involves him turning into a sedan and running people over. This causes some friction in his friendship with Fry when he tries to run Leela over.

Leave it to "Futurama" to find a way to blend classic horror tropes with far-flung science fiction. As expected there are plenty of winks and nods to beloved horror movies, which should please pop culture fans. The idea of Bender turning into an evil car is taken to extremes, but most of the episode's jokes stick the landing. One of the funnier aspects of "The Honking" is Fry getting upset, not because Bender is turning into a supernatural entity but because he tried to kill his crush.

Professor Farnsworth develops a machine that allows him to switch consciousnesses with other bodies. His plans to swap his mind with Amy, as the two would benefit from the trade. The Professor wants to be in a younger body so that he can recapture the thrills of his youth, while Amy wants a slimmer body so she can relive her days of binge eating. However, they soon discover that the swap doesn't give them the satisfaction they wanted, and the situation is made direr when they learn that they can't undo the effects of the consciousness-switching machine.

Body-swap stories are always a delight, but in the hands of "Futurama"'s writers, they're made even better. Plenty of laugh-out-loud hijinks arise from having the Professor and Amy swap bodies, which only get more complicated. When Bender joins in the switch and his mind is stuffed into Amy's body, he decides that he's going to steal the crown from Emperor Nikolai of Robo-Hungary since he won't be identifiable to authorities.

"Star Trek" is a major religion in the 2200s, which leads to all of its fans being slaughtered and the franchise being exiled to the far-flung planet of Omega 3. When Fry discovers this disturbing piece of history, he kidnaps the head of Leonard Nimoy and enlists Leela and Bender to accompany him to Omega 3 to recover everything "Star Trek"-related. Upon landing on Omega 3, they discover not only many of the original show's sets but also the cast who haven't aged since they were sent to the planet. It turns out that a being made of energy named Melllvar is a hardcore Trekkie and forces them all to reenact a "Star Trek" script that he wrote.

"Futurama" pays tribute to the original science fiction series in the best way possible, even going so far as to bring in many of its original living actors to portray themselves. On the surface, it sounds like a purely fan-service plot, but "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" manages to both make fun of and praise "Star Trek" in ways that are both amusing and touching.

Earth has been challenged by the Globetrotter planet in a game of basketball. Professor Farnsworth accepts the challenge, believing that he can win with a team of mutant beings of his creation. However, this mutant team is in a state of infancy, prompting the professor to send the crew of the Planet Express to collect chronitons that will accelerate their maturity. The chronitons are effective at boosting their growth, giving them a competitive edge over the Globetrotters in the basketball game. However, the chronitons that were used in their development seem to be rapidly accelerating the universe's death.

Only "Futurama" could make a plot that involves the Harlem Globetrotters, a group of atomic lab mutants, and the destruction of time and reality work. The show is at its best when it manages to find humorous connections between seemingly disparate concepts, and "Time Keeps on Slippin'" is no exception. This episode also has a bittersweet ending with a sting that is softened for fans who stick around for the culmination of Fry and Leela's relationship.

Democratic Order of Planets (D.O.O.P.) is about to open its new headquarters, which now orbits the Neutral Planet, and the crew of the Planet Express is charged with the task of delivering the giant scissors to cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony. However, the festivities are interrupted by Zapp Brannigan, who has come to the crazy conclusion that the Neutral Planet is up to something sinister and blows up the new D.O.O.P. headquarters. Zapp and Kif are removed from their positions, and end up working for Planet Express because Professor Farnsworth thinks it'll make the company look good.

Zapp Brannigan is one of the funniest supporting characters on "Futurama," as his arrogant antics always fuel the more ridiculous plotlines and gags. There's an uproarious nod to "Midnight Cowboy" as well as a clever twist on the holographic chess scene from "Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope."

The crew of the Planet Express has gotten tired of how cantankerous Professor Farnsworth has gotten, so they decide to treat him to some time at an age-reversing spa. However, the entire crew is accidentally exposed to the same de-aging treatment as the professor, which leads to him reverting to his mid-fifties and everyone else to minors. While the professor works on a way to reverse the effects of the de-aging treatment, Leela returns to her parents to get another shot at having a regular childhood, refusing to go back to her actual age.

Despite the simplicity of the episode's conceit, "Teenage Mutant Leela's Hurdles" actually gives us some in-depth looks at the characters by revealing how they were when they were younger, making it more than just a gimmick. The romance between teenage Fry and Leela is adorable, Amy's frustration at reliving her early days as a chubby youth is heartbreaking, and even Farnsworth's usual crankiness gets some additional shades.

Fry has been learning how to play the holophonor to impress Leela and is convinced by Bender to make a deal with the Robot Devil that results in them exchanging hands. With the Robot Devil's hands, Fry becomes an amazing holophonor player and is even commissioned to compose an opera, which he decides to base on Leela's life. However, the Robot Devil believes thatFry cheated him in the deal and is eager to get his hands back, putting Fry's courtship of Leela in trouble.

"The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings" was intended to be the finale of the original run of the series before it was later revived. While "Futurama" continued after this episode, it still made a fitting finale by (mostly) resolving the budding romance between Fry and Leela, while leaving the audience with a chance to speculate. The Robot Devil character is an absolute gas, with his over-the-top persona perfectly complementing the show's more sentimental aspects.

Zapp Brannigan and Kif go on a double date with Leela and Amy to a restaurant on a space liner. While Kif impresses Amy with his karaoke singing, Zapp interrupts the heartfelt performance to sing horribly to Leela. This provokes all of the passengers to abandon ship. Zapp then crash lands the space liner on Amazonia, which is inhabited by a race of large, muscular women. Soon, Fry and Bender arrive on Amazonia to rescue everyone, but they're captured too, and things only get worse when Leela and Amy side with the Amazonians.

Without a doubt, "Amazon Women in the Mood" is one of the funniest episodes of "Futurama" and also one of the raunchiest, with the gags around the punishment of "snu-snu" being the standout. The leader of the Amazonians, a giant computer called "Femputer," is voiced by the wonderful Bea Arthur, whose droll persona is a welcome addition to the episode.

While on a visit to the museum with Bender, Fry discovers the fossilized remains of his dog on display and pesters the museum into giving him back the body. Fry takes his dog's remains to the professor, who believes that, because of the unique way that his dog fossilized, he may be able to not only clone his dog but also restore his personality and memory. However, this possibility upsets Bender, who thinks that if Fry gets his dog back he'll no longer have any time to hang out with him.

This is one of the most tear-jerking episodes in "Futurama" canon and is especially heartfelt to anyone who owns a dog or has owned a dog. It's a surprisingly thoughtful look at friendship and loyalty and how they can drive us to do irrational things. There's plenty to laugh at, but watch out for that ending — it's a real doozy (and could've been far more depressing).

Immediately after Fry and Bender join the military for a discount on gum only offered to soldiers, Earth goes to war with Spheron I under the orders of Zapp Brannigan. Worried about her friends, Leela disguises herself as a man and enlists in the military, only to attract the attention of Zapp. When Bender is injured during a battle, he's treated as a war hero and given a promotion. However, it's revealed that he's simply a pawn to be used by Zapp and Nixon's head against the Spheron I leaders.

No genre is safe from the satiric eye of "Futurama" as war movies get their turn in the hot seat. "War is the H-Word" makes fun of pretty much everything war-related from "M*A*S*H" to "Starship Troopers" to "Star Wars" to the Vietnam War. Highlights from this episode include Earth going to war mere seconds after Fry and Bender make their impulsive decision, and Zapp's attraction to Leela's male soldier disguise causing him to question his sexuality.