Futurama Season 11 Episode 1 Review: The Impossible Stream

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.

Futurama Season 11 Episode 1, “The Impossible Stream,” is a return to form for the animated comedy, which had been off the air for ten years.

This first episode is heavy with meta-commentary that is far from subtle. However, it works thanks to the talented voice cast, quirky characters, and clever writing. Futurama is excellent at following threads throughout the series while also having contained episodic stories; this episode is no exception. 

“The Impossible Stream” was written by Patric M. Verrone, Matt Groening, and David X. Cohen. Also directed by Peter Avanzino, the episode focuses on Fry’s (Billy West) attempt to binge-watch every episode of “All My Circuits” — which could result in permanent brain damage.

Fortunately, all of Futurama‘s principal voice cast could return — including John DiMaggio’s Bender, who almost didn’t return due to salary negotiations.

This new season doesn’t work without Bender, the hard-partying, carefree robot who is given the best lines, including his notable “We’re back, baby,” catchphrases. Other returning favorites include Dr. Zoidberg and Professor Farnworth, Amy Wong (Lauren Tom), Hermes Conrad (Phil LaMarr), and Leela (Katey Sagal).

“The Impossible Stream” may not give everyone enough to do, but that seems to work fine for the series because so many beloved characters show up (sometimes just for a split second).

Even more fan-favorite characters make appearances, like Calculon and Morbo (Maurice LaMarche), Scruffy and Slurms McKenzie (David Herman), and the Robot Devil (Dan Castellaneta).

Kicking things off with an array of returning players helps get us excited for Futurama‘s return.

The writers don’t hold anything back when commenting on the show’s multiple cancelations, renewals, and reboots as we hear characters say things like “rebooted” and “viral hashtag.”

This episode is even more meta than Futurama Season 7 Episode 1, “Rebirth,” which also poked fun at the show’s cancelation. 

“The Impossible Stream” also goes so far as to have Fry use a streaming service called “Fulu,” which is an obvious pun for Hulu (i.e., where new episodes of Futurama will be released). Fulu is called the “4th most popular streaming service,” featuring such shows as “Scary Mirror” (Black Mirror) and “Stranger Fonts” (a pun for Netflix’s Stranger Things). 

There’s also a lot of 2020s technology, culture, and colloquialisms inserted into this episode, such as e-readers, FaceTime, and NFTs; there’s even a bit of a robot comedian making a joke about “non-binary robots” that is immediately booed.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen pop culture heavily featured in the animated series, as Season 7 episode featured Leela singing with a boil on her thigh named Susan (aka Susan Boyle).

The main story of “The Impossible Stream” is about as meta as it can get, as Leela and Bender try to get “All My Circuits” renewed.

They mention fan campaigns (among other things), referencing the fan-based campaign to reboot/renew Futurama. Also, this episode takes binge-watching shows to another level, saying that Fry’s losing touch with reality.

All in all, “The Impossible Stream” is a solid return to form for Futurama. 

While some of the long-standing show’s best episodes have been emotional and, at times, heavy, the Season 11 opener is more focused on comedy and meta-commentary.

Rather than congratulating itself on its return, the show pokes fun at fan-favorite TV shows that have been continually rebooted. Perhaps there’s more meta-commentary than actual character development or growth, but it’s hard to complain when we see these characters again.

Stray Observations: 

• There’s a mid-credits scene featuring Fry testifying to Richard Nixon’s head about his experience binging “All My Circuits,” and this has to be the most entertaining part of the episode.
• Bender’s line, “Any idiot can be a TV writer,” and the mention of the Writer’s Guild is weird foreshadowing, given where we ended up with the strike,
• The line, “How does a show get canceled this many times by this many networks?” is one of the most meta lines of the episode.

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New episodes of Futurama stream Mondays on Hulu.

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