LLL in Space, Nielsen Ratings & Mini-Review

This week Futurama came in third in its time slot, while the Fox network came in fourth for the night.

• JAG (CBS) 10.0 rating, 16 share
• The Hughleys (ABC) 7.8, 12
• Futurama (Fox) 7.4, 11
• NewsRadio (NBC) 6.7, 10
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (WB) 3.2, 5
• Family Rules (UPN) 2.3, 4

Mini-Review: For many reasons, I felt that this was the best episode yet. First of all, the Zapp Brannigan character is a brilliant parody of a certain Starfleet captain (certainly a funnier parody than the "William Shatner" impersonation on the most recent "Family Guy." The plot was both clever AND hilarious (this was the first time that I ever broke up laughing while simply recounting the plot of a television show to another person). And would it be chauvinistic to point out that I liked Amy Wong's nightclub outfit? It would? Oh well, who cares. True, the episode wasn't perfect, (Brannigan's alien sidekick was a bit tiresome), but all in all, this was the first episode (first of many, hopefully) to truly realize Futurama's terrific premise. Grade: A.

Glad you liked it, but I really think Futurama's potential was better realized in the previous week's episode, 1ACV03, "I, Roommate". That episode provided a better chemistry between Fry and Bender than in this week's, with Fry and Bender being reduced to only a few lines (but good ones, nevertheless). And who could forget All My Circuits and the hilarious Odd Couple parody?