If there was ever a Prime Time animated series created that should have been able to give “The Simpsons” a run for its money, it was “Futurama.” Of course, it would have been odd for the two to be in any kind of competition considering they were both the brainchildren of uber-genius Matt Groening. The problem was that while “The Simpsons” has enjoyed a highly successful and supported run on Fox, “Futurama” languished in the ratings due to the network’s habit of pre-empting it for everything from stupid football games to anything that paid them just a little more money. In spite of this horrible mistreatment from Fox, “Futurama” gained a loyal following, just not a big enough one to keep the series from finally ending its run after five years. I count myself amongst those that shake our heads in sadness at its passing. “Futurama” was everything “The Simpsons” is in the way of quick satirical humor. And though Homer and Company are still funny after all these years, I often found “Futurama” to be even funnier. So much for the power of marketing.

Two things have happened however, to make me a little happier as far as the fate of “Futurama” is concerned. One is the fact that Cartoon Network, in its infinite wisdom picked up re-runs of the show and was playing it as part of its Adult Swim series. It’s currently off the roster again, but will return later in the year, and there is even talk of creating new episodes. (Let’s all keep our collective fingers and claws crossed, shall we?)

The other thing that got me so psyched was that Fox Home Entertainment made the wise decision to go ahead and start releasing “Futurama” on DVD. Now, they’re not releasing them by season, but rather by volume, which is fine by me as long as they release them. The end of the road is finally here however now that they are readying the release of Volume 4. This is it. These are the final 18 episodes. And some of these are the very best.

One of the instant ‘classics’, and one that I’m certain was the buzz at every “Star Trek” Convention in the world, was “Where No Fan Has Gone Before.” Here we see one of the most anticipated team-up in the annals of TV history as the crew of the The Planet Express meets the crew of the Starship Enterprise. Together they must find a way to defeat an energy creature out to determine which crew is more worthy of his fanatical devotion. Throughout the season we learn where Leela comes from, the fact that Kif can get pregnant, and that little Nibbler is much, much more than he seems.

The only episode that I wasn’t a big fan of was “Jurassic Bark.” The main premise was fine in that Fry discovers the fossilized remains of a dog he found and befriended shortly before being cryogenically frozen. His big decision is whether or not to clone him so he can have his old friend back. There are a lot of flashback scenes, and though the episode is funny, there is one scene that really bothered me. Fry talks of how the dog must have found a new family after he disappeared, but the scene cuts back to the dog waiting patiently for him, seemingly for years. Call me a girly-man, but that was one of the saddest things I think I have ever seen. It was very depressing. (I know… I know…I know… It’s just a cartoon. BUT it makes me think of how many dogs have really been left all alone after their masters have been cryogenically frozen, and that AIN’T funny, buddy.)

So in order to get myself back into a cheerier mood, I opted to focus on the fact that Fox didn’t skimp in the least as far as extra features. The most entertaining of which has to be the multitude of commentaries. There’s one for every single stinkin’ episode in the set. And I don’t know what’s more amazing, the fact that there are commentaries on every single stinkin’ episode, or the fact that everyone still has so much to say after so many commentaries. If you don’t laugh hard enough at the episodes themselves, you gotta listen to these tracks. About 1/10 of the time there’s some serious information about the show, the rest of the time it’s pretty much a mixed bag of hilarious comments and ragging on each other.

Those who are into the animation side of the coin will get a kick out of some of the animatics that are available on the discs, while fans of the series in general will enjoy some of the many deleted scenes. Add to this some international clips, a tutorial on how to draw Bender and the Professor and pencil tests and you’ve got an all around satisfying DVD experience.

I still think it’s a shame that there won’t be any more new episodes, but I’m really glad to see that “Futurama” will live on, at least on DVD. It is every bit funny as the “The Simpsons” and deserves a place amongst the best animated TV series ever.

Episodes:
Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch
Leela’s Homeworld
Love and Rocket
Less Than Hero
A Taste of Freedom
Bender Should Not Be Allowed on TV
Jurassic Park
Crimes of the Hot
Teenage Mutant Leela’s Hurdles
The Why of Fry
Where No Fan Has Gone Before
The Sting
Bend Her
Obsoletely Fabulous
The Farnsworth Parabox
Three Hundred Big Boys
Spanish Fry
The Devil’s Hands are Idle Playthings

Starring (the voices of): Billy West, Katey Sagal, John DiMaggio, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr
Extras: Commentaries on All 18 Episodes, Storyboards, Deleted Scenes, International Clips, Animatics, 3-D Models, How to Draw Characters - Bender and Professor, Still Gallery, Character Pencil Test Segments
Specifications: Full Screen, Dolby Surround
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: 8/24/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Futurama: Volume 4 an A.