Channel Surfing: The Simpsons - "Simpsorama"

Welcome to a new column called Channel Surfing, in which I sporadically look at current TV shows and talk about them. These are not ones that I care to write weekly recaps for and are instead reflections either on the episode, the series, or particular moments. This will hopefully help to share personal opinions as well as discover entertainment on the outer pantheon that I feel is well worth checking out, or in some cases, shows that are weird enough to talk about, but should never be seen.
Imagine if you will the turn of the millennium. It was a time when the world was obsessed with Y2K and potential technological disasters. In a way, it marked an impressive turning point for humanity that has lead to unforeseen technological advancements in only 14 years. Still, among the amazing things to come out of the deal was the 1999 series Futurama, which satirized sci-fi tropes with some of the most indelible characters in existence. It was from a time where Matt Groening had the biggest show on the air: The Simpsons. For audiences, it was a nerd haven that paired these two together. Sadly, Groening's dominance has sort of faded in favor of Seth MacFarlane's endless production line of shows. In 14 years, that has happened.
But in those years, both The Simpsons and Futurama have remained reverential properties with fans spouting all of the famous lines. Even if there's debate on when each series turned bad in quality, both had the heart and quality hidden jokes that made their endurance a defining trait. Despite both somehow existing in each other's universe (there's plenty of evidence if you must know), this is the first true crossover. It may also serve as a backdoor pilot after Futurama's series finale last year. That's just odd. 
Still, for fans of the series, it is a marvel that energized both series. True, it does feel old hat when considering that The Simpsons has already crossed over with Family Guy ("The Simpsons Guy") and itself ("Treehouse of Horror XXV"). In fact, it almost seems foolish to see this show only get a half hour while its longtime MacFarlane rival gets a whole hour. Complaining aside, it was an interesting project made more curious by the fact that each show is separated by a thousand years. Yes, time traveling does exist in one, but there's the concern that an alcoholic robot and a bumbling yellow family would have trouble getting along.
While the idea itself may strike as unnecessary to purists, it does do a fantastic job of bringing both stories together by making the overall plot transcend both universes. After creating a time capsule in The Simpsons' Springfield world that is buried on top of radioactive waste (redundant considering last week was about fracking), it unleashes a mutant force in Futurama's New New York. From there, Bender (John DiMaggio) is transported back in time to kill Homer (Dan Castellanetta) before realizing the real cause of the incident. At times, it feels like an excuse to shoehorn in cameos by familiar faces and even has a baffling cameo by the dog Seymour (from Futurama's "Jurassic Barks") that will confuse more die-hards. Still, the attention to references should likely appeal to big fans of both.


It's not an essential episode, but considering how "The Simpsons Guy" was handled earlier this year, the results are amazingly solid. With both series not overpowering the other, they manage to respect each other. Yes, there's the familiar "This is different from that" jokes, but they aren't as dominant as in other ones. To say the least, the meta humor of The Simpsons has waned into a hit-and-miss ratio with things like this. The plus is that both shows never feel like they're trying to appeal to the other's sensibilities and thus work nicely. Yes, there's a strange level of dark humor sprinkled throughout, but the show is still in top form with probably the best crossover since "A Star is Burns" did it with The Critic.
Admittedly, The Simpsons has become a novelty of sorts and it seems to be the driving force as to why they are in the news a lot recently. This isn't a problem with me, as I am a fan who eagerly awaits the latest. However, there's been countless examples of The Simpsons receiving attention for mediocre concepts. There has been, only in 2014, a LEGO episode, a much hyped death, a Family Guy crossover, a crazy credits sequence from Don Hertzfeldt and this. Of all of them, this is probably the most tolerable because they both bleed from the same pen and mind. Yes, one is sci-fi and the other is more rooted in family sitcom, but at some point their humor meshed nicely.
This sounds like it is the last big thing that The Simpsons will be doing this year. Most of all, it is just nice to see Futurama characters back on Fox after over a decade away. It seems like a nice homage to the sibling show that it at least got to visit Springfield for at least a half hour. I wish that it was longer, but this somehow brought out the best in the writing and has given plenty to chew over. Is there more subversion than immediately conceived? I cannot wait to find out. However, there's nothing more heartwarming than seeing Homer leave Bender in his basement while sharing a beer. It felt like the perfect way for the episode to end and a nice way to look everything together. It won't change canon for either, but it's still a very inventive and fun ride.

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