Futurama's Hulu Reboot Came As No Surprise To Leela Actor Katey Sagal
"Futurama" has returned from the dead so many times that it might as well be a superhero. First aired on Fox from 1999 to 2003, the series got a second chance at Comedy Central from 2007 to 2013. Now, 10 years on from its second grand finale, the animated sci-fi comedy is getting a third moment in the sun courtesy of Hulu — the original creators and voice cast are returning too.
Getting the band back together wasn't totally free of road bumps. John DiMaggio, the voice of the vulgar robot Bender, initially held off on returning because he wasn't offered enough money. How Disney/Hulu thought it was a good idea to underpay the true star of the show is beyond me, but despite not getting his desired raise, DiMaggio decided he'd rather return than not: "[Do I] want to be in the house having a nice Thanksgiving dinner, or ... standing across the street in the freezing rain watching everybody eat stuffing."
Unlike DiMaggio, Katey Sagal (the voice of purple-haired cyclops Turanga Leela) eagerly returned. Leela is the series' tough-as-nails straight woman, but also the centerpiece of the show's most emotional storylines, from her search for her family to her romance with Philip J. Fry. A "Futurama" without Leela is as unimaginable as one without Bender. So, it's a good thing that Sagal was so eager to get back on the saddle.
'Thank you to anybody who watches Futurama'
Speaking to CinemaBlend, Sagal described her decision to return: "The best. The easiest. I love that job. I just did it yesterday. We recorded an episode and I just...it was so much fun. It's just great, great writing, great characters."
Sagal added she's "never surprised" when "Futurama" is revived, and she's not alone. Speaking to The Week in 2015, Billy West (voice of Fry, Professor Farnsworth, and Doctor Zoidberg) said he expected the show would make a comeback: "[This is the end] on Comedy Central, maybe. But my feeling is that the show's too good to not be on television." Though it took the better part of a decade, West was right. The show haughtily lampooned its reputation for resurrection in the film "Bender's Big Score," with the title card, "Futurama — It just won't stay dead!"
Sagal credits a devoted fanbase for making each return of "Futurama" an inevitability:
"['Futurama'] has such a great fan base. Thank you to anybody who watches Futurama. I mean it's really not a problem at all. And everybody just falls right in. We know what's happening, so it was great. It's been great. We've been — I think we're doing like 18 of them this year."
Phil LaMarr (voice of Hermes Conrad) said at Awesome Con 2023 that the series' environment was an enjoyable one: "Matt [Groening, series creator] makes you feel like you're all part of the same team and for the new season of 'Futurama,' we're all back!" This no doubt explains why the cast keeps returning for revival after revival, even if the pay wasn't always up to snuff. And it's a good thing they do — without West, Sagal, DiMaggio, LaMarr, and Lauren Tom (the voice of Amy Wong), it wouldn't be "Futurama," just a facsimile.
"Futurama" returns on July 24, streaming on Hulu.