The Best Futurama TV Episodes Ranked

While working on The Simpsons, Matt Groening conceived of another animated sitcom, this time set in the far future. With the help of David X. Cohen, this idea became Futurama. Though initially canceled by Fox after five seasons, the show was revived by Comedy Central for two more seasons and again by Hulu for its eighth in 2023. Hulu has renewed the show for another two seasons, meaning that audiences will have plenty more misadventures with the Planet Express crew.

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Futurama found a large fanbase thanks to its brilliant writing and unforgettable characters, evident in its best episodes as voted for by fans on IMDb. When not delivering plenty of laughs, the show touched on timeless themes and explored engaging scenarios within its science-fiction setting.

Best Futurama Episodes

15. “Anthology of Interest I” (Season 2, Episode 16)

IMDb Score: 8.5/10

While showing off his newest invention, the Fing-longer, Professor Farnsworth turns on another invention, the What-If Machine. If asked a what-if question, the machine generates a hypothetical reality that they can view on its screen. The crew decides to ask three questions: What if Bender was 5000 feet tall? What if Leela was more impulsive? And what if Fry never went to the future?

“Anthology of Interest I” is Futurama‘s equivalent of The Simpsons‘ beloved “Treehouse of Horror” episodes, being a collection of non-canon stories that offer funny gags and creative situations. Bender’s story leads to a hilarious battle between him and a gigantic Zoidberg, while Leela’s story becomes a constantly escalating murder mystery. But Fry’s storyline stands out thanks to its cameos, including Al Gore, Nichelle Nichols, and Garry Gygax.

14. “Leela’s Homeworld” (Season 4, Episode 2)

IMDb Score: 8.6/10

After Leela wins Orphan of the Year from her old orphanarium, she breaks down and confides in Fry that she wishes she could have known her parents. Meanwhile, Bender starts a business dumping toxic waste into the sewer, which angers the sewer mutants to the point that they capture him, Fry, and Leela. They are saved by two hooded mutants, and Leela chases after them, hoping that they can tell her something about her past.

“Leela’s Homeworld” concludes Leela’s storyline of trying to find her origins in a way that’s sure to tug at the heartstrings. The most emotional moment in the otherwise funny episode comes at the very end when she finally meets her parents; the episode transitions into a montage of Leela’s life done to the song “Baby Love Child” by Pizzicato Five. It shows that, even if Leela’s parents couldn’t be directly in her life, they were never far away and did what they could to make sure their girl was loved.

13. “Space Pilot 3000” (Season 1, Episode 1)

IMDb Score: 8.6/10

On New Year’s Eve, 1999, Philip J. Fry’s day goes from bad to worse. Not only does his girlfriend leave him, but he has to work overtime and deliver a pizza to Applied Cryogenics, only to find that the order was a prank call. As the clock ticks to the new year, Fry falls into one of the cryo tubes and doesn’t awaken until the year 2999.

“Space Pilot 3000” is the episode that started it all, and while the comedy and characters are still finding their footing, it holds up very well. The episode is very well-paced, allowing the principal characters to be introduced to one another, establish their main characteristics, and come together organically. It also does a great job establishing the world and its rules, from the animated heads of famous people long dead to the eccentric habits of both organic and robotic citizens.

12. “Amazon Women in the Mood” (Season 3, Episode 1)

IMDb Score: 8.6/10

Leela and her co-worker, Amy Wong, agree to go on a double date with General Zapp Brannigan and his lieutenant, Kif Kroker. It goes about as well as can be expected and the four soon find themselves stranded on an alien planet. Fry and Bender try to rescue them, but the group is captured by the Amazons, a race of all-female gigantic humanoid aliens led by a machine called the Femputer.

“Amazon Women in the Mood” is a classic episode that juggles decent social commentary with hilarious jokes. It is jam-packed with some of the most quotable Futurama lines—such as the men’s sentence of “death by snu snu!”—and some decent satire of exaggerated male and female stereotypes. Beyond its constant laughs, the episode also progresses Kif and Amy’s stories, as the two of them officially become a couple.

11. “The Why of Fry” (Season 4, Episode 10)

IMDb Score: 8.7/10

While Leela goes on a date, Fry takes her pet, Nibbler, for a walk, where he reveals his sentience to Fry and tells him that intelligent brains called the Brain Spawn are planning to destroy the universe. Since Fry lacks Delta Brainwaves, he can infiltrate their headquarters, the Infosphere, and detonate a bomb to send them to another dimension. However, the Brain Spawn reveals to Fry that Nibbler is the one responsible for sending him to the future.

“The Why of Fry” might not be as funny as other episodes of Futurama, but it’s well-liked because of its continuity and emotional moments. The episode pays off the mystery of the shadow seen when Fry first falls into the cryo tube, and Fry and Nibbler have some interesting discussions regarding the life of the universe versus an individual life. That said, there are still a fair few laughs, such as Fry’s ineffective means of transportation, the Scooty Puff Jr., and the answer to what really killed the dinosaurs.

10. “Godfellas” (Season 3, Episode 20)

IMDb Score: 8.8/10

During a battle with space pirates, Bender is fired into space. While Fry tries to find a way to rescue him, Bender is struck by a meteor containing a miniature civilization. They worship Bender as a god, but his attempts to help them cause more harm than good.

This must-see Futurama episode has an interesting take on the nature of the divine. It shows the dangers of too much or too little physical involvement while advocating instead for a lighter, more subtle approach. Bender’s relationship with the little civilization is also touching, as he truly comes to care for them more than objects of worship, which shows a rare emotional side of our favorite kleptomaniac robot.

9. “Parasite Lost” (Season 3, Episode 2)

IMDb Score: 8.9/10

Fry becomes infested with parasitic worms after eating a truck stop bathroom sandwich. As Leela distracts Fry with a date, the rest of Planet Express use mini-robot versions of themselves to travel through his body. When it’s revealed the worms are improving Fry’s body and mind, Leela questions if they should be removed.

This episode is an homage and parody of The Fantastic Voyage, and the animators and writers have a blast making jokes about the human body. Yet like all the best Futurama episodes, the drama makes it stand out. Fry ultimately chooses to expel the worms from his body, as he’d rather have Leela love the real him than an idealized version.

8. “The Farnsworth Parabox” (Season 4, Episode 15)

IMDb Score: 8.9/10

When his latest experiment almost kills him, the Professor places it inside a box and schedules it to be tossed into the sun. Leela is tasked with guarding it, but after flipping a coin, she takes a peek. She ends up falling into a parallel universe where coin tosses end up opposite, and the rest of Planet Express, minus Hermes, get roped in as well.

This episode takes full advantage of its premise: the first half is about the Planet Express crew getting to know their alternate selves. Fry and Leela have the biggest revelation, as their alternate selves are dating, which helps to encourage Leela to give Fry a chance. The second half turns into a universe-hopping adventure that puts Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to shame in under four minutes.

7. “Roswell That Ends Well” (Season 3, Episode 19)

IMDb Score: 9.1/10

When Fry cooks some microwave popcorn during a supernova, he accidentally sends the Planet Express ship back in time to 1947. They crash-land near Roswell, New Mexico, where Bender’s damaged body and Dr. Zoidberg are captured. Meanwhile, Fry takes the opportunity to meet his grandfather, Enos.

This episode makes for a fun time travel story that allows the rest of the Planet Express characters to feel like fish out of water. The jokes range from sci-fi references to Zoidberg being interrogated by President Harry Truman. Fry’s story also goes through some fun and unexpected twists that have long-reaching consequences for the series.

6. “The Sting” (Season 4, Episode 12)

IMDb Score: 9.1/10

Determined to prove their superiority to the Professor’s previous crew, Leela forces Fry and Bender to help her extract honey from deadly space bees. Leela also snags a baby queen, who attacks them and impales Fry, killing him. Overcome with grief, Leela starts seeing Fry in her dreams and begins to question what is and isn’t reality.

“The Sting” has some of Katey Sagal’s best acting as Leela. The fear and anguish she exuberates as Leela’s reality comes crashing down around her is palpable and makes you question things as much as she does. The ending is a pretty clever twist and recontextualizes a lot of earlier scenes and dialogue choices, making it perfect for a re-watch.

5. “The Devil’s Hands Are Idle Playthings” (Season 4, Episode 18)

IMDb Score: 9.1/10

Hoping that learning to play the holophonor will impress Leela, Fry goes with Bender to Robot Hell to make a deal with the Robot Devil. The villainous robot character, also known as the Beelzebot, agrees to swap Fry’s hands with a random robot, which just so happens to be himself. Fry becomes a master musician and prepares an opera for Leela, but the Robot Devil is determined to get his hands back.

This is yet another episode that juggles character drama and comedy. Fry’s opera for Leela is one of his most romantic gestures and results in an unforgettable musical spectacle. Meanwhile, many of the jokes in this episode have become internet memes, most notably Zoidberg’s statement, “Your music is bad, and you should feel bad.”

4. “The Late Philip J. Fry” (Season 6, Episode 7)

IMDb Score: 9.3/10

When Fry is late for work and Leela’s birthday lunch date, he promises to make it up to her by taking her to a fancy restaurant instead of going to a party. But first, the Professor forces him and Bender to help him test out a time machine that can only go forward. They accidentally jump forward to the year 10,000 AD and are forced to keep going forward until they can find a backward time machine.

This episode is one of the best at balancing drama with thought-provoking science-fiction concepts. It explores Fry and Leela’s relationship and how much they mean to one another while treating audiences to an exploration of time and the fate of both Earth and the universe. It even has a hilarious parody of the song “In the Year 2525.”

3. “Meanwhile” (Season 7, Episode 26)

IMDb Score: 9.4/10

After Leela is almost killed on the moon, Fry decides it’s time to propose to her, cementing the duo as one of the best sitcom couples ever. Meanwhile, the Professor has invented a device that can set the universe back ten seconds. Fry steals it and uses it to make his proposal, but due to a misunderstanding, he ends up in a loop threatening the entire universe.

“Meanwhile” was the show’s finale before its revival on Hulu, and it was a terrific one. When the device is broken, it freezes everyone except for Fry and Leela, allowing them to grow old and travel the world together. It’s a beautiful conclusion to their romance, and the episode’s ending left things open for future stories.

2. “The Luck of the Fryrish” (Season 3, Episode 4)

IMDb Score: 9.4/10

After a string of bad luck, Fry decides to look for his lucky seven-leafed clover. When it’s not where he left it, Fry believes his brother, Yancy, took the clover. This is reinforced when Fry finds a statue of his brother engraved with his name, leading Fry to think that his brother stole his identity and dream of becoming an astronaut.

This episode has a powerful message about family and legacy. It is interspaced with flashbacks showing Yancy’s jealousy towards Fry and establishing aspects about their family not previously discussed. When the final flashback happens at the end, it recontextualizes everything, resulting in one of Futurama‘s most emotional moments.

1. “Jurassic Bark” (Season 4, Episode 7)

IMDb Score: 9.5/10

At a museum, Fry is shocked to discover the fossilized remains of his pet dog, Seymour Asses. After some protesting and dancing to “The Hustle,” he is given custody of the fossil, and the Professor says he can clone it and keep Seymour’s memories. As Fry prepares to get his pet back, Bender begins to feel jealous.

“Jurassic Bark” is a funny and touching episode, but its tragic climax is what elevates it so high on many people’s lists. When Fry learns that Seymour died at fifteen, he stops the procedure since he lived a full life without Fry. The audience then sees that this isn’t the case: Seymour never stopped waiting for Fry to come home.

These episodes of Futurama showcase the best of what the show has to offer: humor, heart, and a touch of science fiction wonder. Whether you’re revisiting old favorites or discovering them for the first time, these episodes are a testament to why Futurama remains a beloved series.

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