Futurama is one of the most well-written and hilarious television series of this century. Premiering in 1999, it tells the adventures of Phillip J. Fry, a professional slacker who was cryogenically preserved for 1000 years and was awoken in the 31st century. The comedy sci-fi show was originally developed by Matt Groening, who is known for his Life in Hell comic strip, The Simpsons, and Disenchantment. David X. Cohen was brought on by Groening and has also worked on The Simpsons and Disenchantment, as well as Beavis and Butt-Head.

The show has had a bit of a volatile history. It originally ran for four years on Fox but was canceled in 2004. It was revived in 2007 as four direct-to-video films, the last of which was released in 2009. Comedy Central entered into an agreement to syndicate these films as 16 half-hour episodes. After the success of this, Comedy Central picked up the show for an additional 26 episodes. On February 9, 2022, Hulu revived the series with a 20-episode order that premiered on July 24, 2023.

Update August 3, 2023: Good news everyone! In honor of Futurama returning on Hulu, this article has been updated with even more great Futurama episodes.

Futurama has received many accolades and critical acclaim. It has been nominated for 17 Annie Awards, winning seven of those. The series has also been nominated for 12 Emmy Awards, winning six. It also won the Writers Guild of America Award twice with the episodes “Godfellas” and “Prisoner of Benda.” The series deserves all its respective praise and is rightfully considered one of the best-animated shows of the 2000s (though, really, anyone can enjoy it). Its ensemble of original characters and the unique circumstances that they find themselves in lead to smiles, tear-laden cheeks, and non-stop laughter. In this collection, we will be ranking the very best Futurama episodes.

10 The Prisoner of Benda

Billy West and Lauren Tom in Futurama's The Prisoner of Benda (2010)
20th Television

An episode that would lead to the creation of an entire mathematical theorem, "The Prisoner of Benda" is easily one of the better outings from Futurama's later seasons. Taking Freaky Friday to a logical extreme, the episode sees Professor Farnsworth and Amy developing a mind-switching machine, only to realize that its effects cannot be directly reversed. Sooner or later, just about everyone in the Planet Express crew aren't in the right body, and it'll take the help of the Globetrotters to set things back to normal.

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Aside from contributing to the world of mathematics, "The Prisoner of Benda" is also incredibly funny. Scruffy gets a rare spotlight, Bender embraces a life of luxury, and every oddball plot coalesces in a conclusion that's as satisfying as it is natural.

9 The Sting

Billy West, John DiMaggio, and Katey Sagal in Futurama's The Sting (2003)
20th Television

The ninth episode of Futurama's fifth season, "The Sting," is one of its more surreal episodes. After a particularly dangerous mission sees Fry, Bender, and Leela taking on a giant hive of monstrous space bees, a fatal accident forces Fry to sacrifice his life to save Leela's. Or, did he? Trapped in a circle of grief, Leela drowns her sorrows in a jar of space honey while waking up in an infinite loop of strange dreams.

"The Sting" is a paramount episode in showcasing the relationship between Fry and Leela. Along with touching on some emotional highs, it also features some visually-interesting dream sequences, a particularly funny first act, and a heartwarming conclusion. We all know how it's going to end, but "The Sting" will always get the waterworks going.

8 Hell is Other Robots

John DiMaggio and Dan Castellaneta in Futurama's Hell is Other Robots (1999)
20th Television

While Futurama would mostly spend its first season finding its footing, the season finale was a sign of the quality to come. "Hell is Other Robots" sees Bender develop an addiction to electricity after a bombastic Beastie Boys concert, prompting him to seek out the Temple of Robotology. But when he's visited by the Robot Devil for his sins, it's up to Fry and Leela to save the day.

One of Matt Groening's favorite episodes, "Hell is Other Robots" is an absolute blast. Aside from a brilliant musical sequence in its third act, the episode also features some incredible jokes and an interesting focus on religion. "Hell is Other Robots" also features the first story devoted solely to Bender. For that alone, it's an essential piece of Futurama history.

7 The Luck of the Fryish

Billy West and Tom Kenny in Futurama's The Luck of the Fryish (2001)
20th Television

Oftentimes, the best episodes of Futurama focus less on futuristic shenanigans and more on the life that Fry left behind. Case in point "Luck of the Fryish," debuting as the tenth episode of the third season. After a string of bad luck, Fry and the gang set out on a journey to find a lucky seven-leaf clover, only to make some harrowing discoveries that paint a bittersweet picture of the 21st century.

"Luck of the Fryish" would win Futurama an Annie Award in 2001, easily cementing itself as one of the best episodes of the show's original run. Along with the powerful emotional core, "Luck of the Fryish" thankfully doesn't skimp on the laughs either. A funny romp through Old New York, plenty of jabs at the 1980s, and a fantastic joke about quantum physics preface an ending that still hits hard more than 20 years later.

6 Three Hundred Big Boys

Futurama Bender 1200 x 630
20th Television

This episode takes place in the fourth season and follows Earth's victory over the Spiderians of Turantulon 6. The fruits of their conquest inspire the preserved floating head of the American President Richard Nixon, the leader of Earth, to give every citizen a $300 tax rebate in the form of a “Tricky-Dick Fun Bill.”

Fry decides to use his money to buy $300 worth of coffee. Bender can't afford an expensive cigar, so instead purchases burglary equipment to steal it. Leela buys a swim with Mushu, a whale at a theme park. This breezy, fun episode continues to show how each of the crew members spends their money and is an interesting insight into each character's desires.

5 Space Pilot 3000

Futurama Bender Suicide Booth 1200 x 630
20th Century Fox Television

This is the very first episode in the series. Comedy series are notorious for having a not-so-hot pilot episode. They are usually filled with lots of exposition and character introductions, so they don't have time for the actual comedy. Futurama, however, finds a way to make things funny. The exposition is incredibly clever, and they absolutely nailed the character introductions.

We are first introduced to Bender (played by John DiMaggio) as Fry enters what he thinks is a telephone booth. Bender steps into the booth with a quarter attached to string and proposes that they try to get a “twofer.” Fry realizes what Bender already knew and that the booth is a suicide machine. This is a perfect introduction to Bender: we find out he is cheap, depressed, and doesn't take life very seriously, and the show creates similarly perfect intros for many other characters. The Futurama pilot is a rare gem in the world of comedy pilots.

4 Amazon Women in the Mood

Futurama cast in identical ripped shorts
20th Television

This was the first episode of season three and follows part of the crew as well as Zapp Brannigan and Kif after they crash-land their ship on the planet Amazonia. The planet is inhabited by tall muscular cavewomen. The cavewomen capture the men and take them to their leader, the femputer, which is a man-hating supercomputer. The men are sentenced to death which forces Leela and Amy to rescue them. Their rescue attempt fails and instead their freedom is precipitated by Bender making out with the femputer and the femputer allowing them to leave peacefully in this delightfully wacky send-up of old B-movies.

3 Roswell that Ends Well

Bender holding his shiny metal butt with the moon behind him
20th Television

This was the 19th episode of season three of Futurama, and won an Emmy in 2002 for “Outstanding Animated Program.” The episode depicts the crew accidentally time-traveling back to 1947, where they crash-land their spaceship in Roswell, New Mexico. Dr. Zoidberg gets captured by the U.S. Military, and while finding out how to rescue him, Fry meets his grandfather.

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Fry becomes preoccupied with protecting his grandfather after hearing that if he dies, Fry will no longer exist. Fry ends up killing his grandfather by trying to protect him. Confused as to why he is not dead, he finds himself consoling his grandmother, who was engaged to his grandfather at the time. No longer thinking his grandfather or mother ere his biological relatives, Fry has sex with his grandmother. He later finds out that through this act he has become his own grandfather.

2 Jurassic Bark

Futurama Fry Watches Tape
Fox

This is the seventh episode of season four and is a very special one. Futurama commonly finds itself portraying difficult issues through the medium of comedy. This episode is no different. The friendship between Bender and Fry starts to break down when Fry finds the mummified body of his old dog, Seymour. Bender becomes jealous of Fry’s affection for his mummified pet, and when Professor Farnsworth reveals that he can clone Seymour, Bender throws the corpse into a pit of lava. Regretting his action, Bender retrieves Seymour from the lava pit.

Fry finds out that Seymour died at the age of 15 and must have lived a fulfilling life after he was frozen; he then decides not to have him cloned. The entire episode is cut together with flashbacks of Seymour. The final saddening scene depicts a montage of years when Seymour is waiting for Fry to return, concluding with a final shot that depicts the dog closing his eyes and resting for the final time. It's an emotionally devastating moment in a show which is surprisingly consistent with powerful emotions.

1 The Devil’s Hands are Idle Playthings

Futurama cast is nicely dressed and applauds at the opera
20th Television

Number one on our list is the very last episode of the original Fox run. The premise is that, in an attempt to learn the futuristic instrument, the Holophonor, Fry enlists the help of the recurring Robot Devil character. Through spinning a wheel of chance, Fry ends up with Robot Devil’s hands. He is now able to play the Holophonor at the Hovercar-Negie Hall. The devil, jealous of his own hands, interrupts the performance, and a dramatic opera is played out between the two.

We really get it all with this episode. The Fry and Leela romantic arc, the Robot Devil, and some well done but still hilarious musical numbers. It’s a high-production-value episode and is very much deserving of the number-one spot.