I've been enjoying Matt Groening's work for years...ever since he started the "Life In Hell" comic strip in the early '80s. I didn't have high hopes for "The Simpsons" when it first started, but within a few episodes, it proved to be an incredibly well-crafted show that works wonderfully on many different levels. Granted, sometimes it doesn't work, but the bulk of the program library now carries many, many great one-liners, sight gags, memorable characters, and a wealth of information about a famous town that exists only in the minds of gifted writers and canny animators. It is certainly one of the best programs of all time, proven by its longevity.
When "Futurama" first started, I had high hopes for it as well. It seemed to be an exciting concept, and the potential for such a program seemed wide open; they could go anywhere, do anything, and explore the thirty-first century to its furthest regions. So far, I have watched every episode at least twice, hoping for a glimmer of brilliance, and I honestly have to say that it seems to be lacking something. There is generally a lack of cohesiveness between the characters, the plot, and the events. Perhaps because "The Simpsons" is so seamless, "Futurama" just looks clunky and contrived in comparison. The characterizations aren't very memorable, the plots are silly, and the situations are so lacking in wit and humor that one has to wonder: with all of the resources at his disposal, why has Groening's latest work proved to be such a dud? The animation is certainly beautiful, but it is clearly the only strong point for this program, and everything else pales in comparison.
To prove some points about my ranting, I'd like to bring up tonight's episode, for example. The whole robot religion thing just didn't work. Why would a robot need religion? It just doesn't make any sense. If robots did have a religion, it wouldn't be a copy of a human Baptist religion, that's for sure. Is the point of the robot religion that they want to emulate human religions? Aside from that, I can't remember one memorable line from the show, the way I can from "The Simpsons". The whole song-and-dance routine was simply tiresome, with none of the clever lyrics or snappy tempo that one would expect. In fact, the lyrics were downright stupid, if I may be so blunt. Also, why would the "female" robots have breasts? Are they, again, trying to emulate humans? There seems to be an overwhelming amount of "fish-out-of-water" gags, which predictably make fun of Fry's twentieth-century sensibilities clashing with thirty-first century modernity. Will this show EVER retire that lame, repetitive joke or will it become a running gag? How could Bender get "high" on electricity, when too much electricity would simply burn out his circuits and processors? There isn't anything likeable about Bender, Fry, or any of the other characters because you just can't identify with them. Lela, especially, seems to just whine repeatedly about all of the other characters and she NEVER has anything even remotely funny or insightful or clever to say about ANYTHING.
Okay. I'll keep watching the show, hoping it will somehow come out of this awkward stage and become something meaningful, brilliant, and acclaimed the way "The Simpsons" has become. If not, I'll just stop watching it much like, I suspect, many others will.