(#2) A Leela of Her Own
- Apr 07 2002
Opening Caption: "Scratch Here To Reveal Prize"
In "A Leela of Her Own," Leela, Fry, and Bender head to the local pizza place to meet their business neighbors. The owners, being from Cygnoid, know little to nothing about what Earthlings eat or do, so the gang offers to play blernsball with them as a sort of primer on Earth customs. When Leela steps on the mound to pitch, she immediately beans every player at-bat.
Noticing this, Abner Doubleday, the owner of the New New York Mets, puts her on the roster as a novelty act, but Leela takes it seriously. Unfortunately, all she can do is bean a player on the head, and the fans love it. In a desperate attempt to become "not the worst blernsball player in history," she enlists the aid of Hank Aaron XXIV to help her improve so that she doesn't replace him as the worst blernsball player of all time.
She almost manages to do it, but in the end, she pitches a ball hit by a female player who takes the game seriously, and the opposing team wins the game.
Why it falls short: The episode wasn't entirely bad, but it wasn't entirely great either. It did show fans a little more of blernsball, which had been introduced in "Fear of a Bot Planet." Other than that, the interactions with the rarely seen Cygnoids and other characters were unforgettable, and Leela's status as a major league ballplayer is never mentioned again despite the fact that she's the worst player in history.
(#12) Where the Buggalo Roam
- Mar 03 2002
Opening Caption: "Krafted with luv (by monsters)"
"Where the Buggalo Roam" is the first episode in the series to dig into Amy's life by taking the group to Mars, which is a planet owned by her parents. They attend the Wong family's Mars Day barbecue, which celebrates the day the Wong family traded a single gem to the Native Martians for the planet. Kif is nervous about the event, as it's the first time he will properly meet his girlfriend's parents.
Shortly after arriving, the Wong's buggalo are rustled in a whirlwind by the Native Martians. They aren't happy with the Wong family, whom they believe cheated their ancestors out of their land with a crummy gem. Kif offers to find the buggalo, but Amy is captured, and everyone ends up meeting the Martians who decree Kif will be put to death by being crushed by the same gem traded so long ago.
It turns out that the gem is actually a gigantic diamond, so the Native Martians decide the Wongs can keep their lousy planet, and they fly off with the diamond. Kif is labeled a hero for returning Amy and the buggalo, and Kif notes in his diary that he "just made love for the second time" after receiving a kiss from Amy.
Why it falls short: The episode may have offended people based on the comparisons between the Native Martians and Native Americans. Both cultures were largely destroyed by an invading force, though Futurama handled this much more humorously than the real history of Native Americans in the so-called "New World." Other than that, there wasn't anything particularly wrong with the episode, but some people may have been offended by the content, so it's rated far lower than others in the same season.
(#8) A Taste of Freedom
- Dec 22 2002
Opening Caption: "Or Is It?"
"A Taste of Freedom" explores Freedom Day, a holiday celebrated on Earth, where anyone can do whatever they want without consequences. When Dr. Zoidberg becomes impassioned over the declarations of freedom, he embraces the concept by eating the Freedom Day flag, "Old Freebie," as President Nixon reveals it to the world.
That was the one act that nobody could tolerate, and the world immediately becomes enraged with Zoidberg, who runs to the Decapodian embassy for sanctuary. When he refuses to apologize, and the Earthlings make a move to storm the embassy, the Decapodian fleet quickly conquers and subjugates the people of Earth.
Eventually, things resolve when Zoidberg makes a speech about what freedom means, and the world forgives him, even going so far as to allow him to take a bite out to the new flag.
Why it falls short: That answer is best summarized by The A.V. Club's Zack Handlen, who wrote the following about this episode:
"...The episode takes the most predictable stance on its premise—eating the flag is not something you should be arrested for—and then doesn’t offer much variation outside of a series of escalating incidents. That makes for a diverting half hour that occasionally stabs at legitimate criticism, but one that’s ultimately more forgettable than its various absurdities would suggest."
(#13) Mother's Day
- MAY 14 2000
Opening Caption: "Larva-Tested, Pupa-Approved"
"Mother's Day" delves into the backstories of both the Professor and Mom, the owner of Mom's Friendly Robot Company. It turns out that Mom and the Professor had a thing some seven decades earlier, but they had a bad falling out. Ever since that day, Mom has hated Mother's Day. In the 31st century, Mother's Day isn't about all moms, it's about Mom, as she's recognized by all of her robots who love her very much.
Even Bender gets in on the celebration by buying (not stealing) presents for Mom. It turns out that Mom intends to use the day for evil by compelling all of her robots to "Conquer Earth, you bastards!"
The robots rebel immediately, but mostly, all they do is make everyone's life difficult and annoying. The Professor is enlisted by Mom's sons to get her to stop the revolution, which he only manages to do by sleeping with her. In the end, the couple don't fully reconnect as Mom dumps the Professor after learning his romantic gestures were initially a ruse to get the remote that controlled the robots.
Why it falls short: The episode certainly had its funny moments, and it covered more about Mom and the Professor, but like some of the other episodes on this list, it didn't center as much of Fry, Bender, and Leela. Taking that central theme to other characters never does well for Futurama, which is why most of the fans' favorite episodes center around those three characters.
(#1) The Futurama Holiday Spectacular
- Nov 21 2010
Opening Caption: "Time Travelers: Only 331 Shopping Days 'til last Xmas"
"The Futurama Holiday Spectacular" was a mid-season special dropped in November of 2010. The episode contained three segments sponsored by Gunderson's Unshelled Nuts, one of many fake products from the Futurama universe.
The first segment was about bringing back the long-extinct pine tree so Fry could celebrate Xmas the same way he did in the 20th century. (FYI in the 31st century they use palm trees in place of pine.) Things don't go well when radiation gets involved.
The second segment revolves around the celebration of Robanukah, a holiday Bender made up to get out of doing work, and the third segment finds the crew searching for beeswax to create traditional beeswax candles for Kwanzaa.
Why it falls short: The episode has the lowest rating of all Futurama episodes, but it's not entirely clear as to why. It may have been due to being released mid-season, which made it feel like a break from the normal flow of the series, and some fans may have felt alienated due to the environmental and religious themes in an otherwise secular program.
(#4) Yo Leela Leela
- Jul 21 2011
Opening Caption: "Penetrates even the thickest foil hat"
In "Yo Leela Leela," Leela attempts to entertain the children at the Orphanarium by making up a story. Unfortunately, it becomes horribly clear that Leela lacks imagination, and can't come up with an original story idea to save her life. After some time away, she returns with a fanciful tale filled with animated silly creatures she calls the "Rumbledy-Humps."
Her tale is immediately picked up for syndication, and the gang all join in to play characters on the show, making production as cheap as possible. Leela enjoys a great deal fo success, but when Bender learns that she stole everything from a group of aliens on a picturesque planet she found, her duplicity comes to light.
The episode ends with the actual characters finding employment in a reality show for kids, which is pretty much what they had unknowingly been starring in all along.
Why it falls short: The episode, like many from Season six, took a safe approach to the writing, which was funny and entertaining, but not necessarily risky or trendsetting. Most fans recall the episode with some interest, but there are far better ones people binge-watch over and over again.
New Random Displays Display All By Ranking
About This Tool
Futurama is one of the iconic animated TV series ever. Although the quality of comedy declined slightly when it returned a few years after Fox canceled the series, it still produced some high-rated episodes, full of hilarious characters and Humorous and creative stories. Just like any other TV show, Futurama has its golden age and low point.
When it comes to the most popular episodes of the Futurama series, many loyal fans can quickly give their answers, and for the most dissatisfied series, people's comments and choices are varied. The random tool lists 15 of the worst Futurama episodes most people agree.
Our data comes from Ranker, If you want to participate in the ranking of items displayed on this page, please click here.