Four of the main cast members were in attendance and brought panels fans shouldn’t have missed for anything
Futurama is show with a interesting history. It was the brain child of Matt Groening the same guy who brought The Simpsons to life which is the longest running show on prime time television. But for some reason after only four seasons Futurama was cancelled and for many years it looked like it would never come back. But after a few years reruns started being aired on Comedy Central and the fan base grew and became eager for something new starring the whole crew of characters. A deal was made to make four direct to home DVDs that would be longer than the average episode and they were very good and were immensely popular.
These did so well that Comedy Central agreed to bring the show back again. This was wonderful news for fans young and old and breathed new life into this series. For four more seasons the crew went on new missions and saw new sights and witnessed new dangers but a few years ago it got cancelled again. The last new thing Futurama has seen was a crossover episode with The Simpsons called Simpsorama that was good but sadly has not done much to bring the show back. Last weekend four of the cast members came to Sacramento and helped make this convention one for the record books.
Members of the cast have come to Sacramento before, but never have this many of them been in one place on the same weekend. There was Billy West (Fry, Zapp Brannigan, Dr Zoidberg, and Hubert Farnsworth), Jon Dimaggio (Bender), Lauren Tom ( Amy Wong) and Maurice Le Marche ( Morbo, Don Bot and Clamps). There were three Q and A panels but Jon Dimaggio was only able to attend on Saturday. Each one was in some way different and gave fans everything they could ask for and more. I attended all three of them and enjoyed every minute of it.
It was very apparent how even years after the show being cancelled the cast still has that chemistry and energy that made this show amazing. I could also tell that they are still close and this was something they were more than glad to get to be a part of. There were plenty of instances of the actors bringing the voices to the fans in ways that were fun and hilarious. The best day was Saturday when Jon was able to attend, he added a new level of vulgarity and humor that made that panel stand out from the other two. The cast had no problem answering any questions they got asked and even told some really touching stories. It was a great inside view of the show and yet it was kind of depressing too. With the cast being so good I couldn’t help but wonder why the show is not back on TV. I could tell they would love to do more episodes but there is nothing on the horizon that shows this may ever happen again.
I had the chance to meet Maurice La Marce and Billy West again and it was the highlight of the convention for me. One thing I can say is true of all of these people is that they love their fans. They have always been glad to see them and are overjoyed to get to attend conventions like this. I have never seen one of them get upset to a fan and actually they are glad to go above and beyond to make us happy. It is a rare quality to see and is one I hope they never lose.
This was such a wonderful show and it is personally one of my all time favorites. Having a chance to meet so much of the cast is something I am sure I will treasure for years to come. I met all of the cast and none of them were rude to me and were surprisingly very kind. Here is hoping fans have not seen the last of the adventures of the Planet Express crew. I know there is so much more that can happen and so many things fans are dying to see. Until then it is best to watch the show all over again and whenever any of the cast comes to your town you should go and see them. Even if you are not a fan of the show you will want to meet them, trust me you will be glad you did.
Here is my favorite clip from this show:
video courtesy of Mingkki Lee