Movies - TV
Futurama Gave Itself A Clever Excuse For Ignoring Any Continuity Errors
By WITNEY SEIBOLD
"Futurama," created by brilliant sci-fi nerds, blends comedy and the occasional mathematical reference while maintaining a solid grasp on its continuity over its numerous revivals. David X. Cohen, the showrunner, said that he relies on fans to keep track of continuity, but he also has a useful intellectual "backdoor" regarding such issues.
When questioned about an episode that contradicted Bender's earlier origin, Cohen stated, "This is the worst fear of the Futurama writer: being hit with the continuity question." But given that the show had previously dealt with time travel that might have muddled the timeline, Cohen remarked, "Who really knows what universe we were in the last time you saw Bender’s birth or whatever."
Cohen also mentioned "The Late Philip J. Fry" episode, in which Fry, Bender, and the Professor go into the future and see the universe's death and subsequent rebirth twice as evidence for the cyclical nature of time. With this revelation and the characters’ return, the show is placed two complete time cycles away from the original episodes, with Cohen stating it’s "always a good excuse" for continuity errors.