Futurama Season 12’s New Simpsons Cameo Makes Matt Groening’s 10-Year-Old Crossover Episode Even Better

The following contains spoilers for Futurama season 12 episode 8, “Cuteness Overload,” now streaming on Hulu

Futuramas last reference to The Simpsons Works even better in light of the formal crossover between the shows from ten years ago. The co-creation of Matt Groening and David X. Cohen, Futurama has never had the consistent success of The Simpsons. While the latter became the longest-running prime-time show in television history, FuturamaThe enduring fanbase has suffered through multiple cancellations and apparent endings for the sci-fi comedy. Their shared creative DNA has always been a fun element of the two shows, with similar dark but silly senses of humor and an optimistic but bittersweet outlook on love and life.

Now in its twelfth broadcast season, Futurama has also slipped in several references to its sister show over the years, ranging from Easter eggs to more overt allusions. The latter is in the US Futurama Season 12 episode “Cuteness Overload,” which openly references The Simpsons‘Art style and sneaks in a smart dig Futuramas similar art style. The reference is fun on its own, but takes on additional meaning when you also consider the way it actually connects to the plot of the crossover between the shows from a decade ago. Here’s how FuturamaThe new season is fun The Simpsons.

Bart Simpson’s Futurama Season 12 Cameo, Explained

Bart is a picture of horror in Futurama

A hologram of Bart Simpson appears in the Futurama Season 12 episode “Cuteness Overload,” And it works better in light of the show’s other notable crossovers. “Cuteness Overload” is largely about a race of aliens disguised as stuffed animals. Thanks to their cute appearance, humanity is unable to stop itself from embracing these creatures. While explaining the process to the rest of the Planet Express crew, Professor Farnsworth highlights how it comes down to the precious look of a creature’s eyes, which reflects human evolution, and how large eyes like a baby’s trigger a protective nature in People.

The statement ends with Farnsworth showing the group a picture of Bart Simpson, which he claims is the opposite of cute. He specifically points to the little disciples as an example of someone humanity does not find precious. The rest of the cast react with horror at the image, with the typically disgusted Zoidberg begging Farnsworth to take the image down. It is a fun game The Simpsonswhich shares a similar animation style with Futurama. It’s also a good reminder of how the two shows, both of which Matt Groening was involved in creating, actually exist in each other’s universe.

How the Simpsons and Futurama are connected in the universe

Both shows exist in each other’s universe as a TV series

in The Simpsons, Futurama is confirmed to be an in-universe TV show. The same is true for FuturamaWhich has seen several characters mention The Simpsons And Bart Simpson in particular. Season 1 “A Big Pile of Garbage” almost finished Futuramas Earth, and that junk asteroid included a massive pile of Bart Simpson toys. Other similar dolls of letters appear elsewhere. Season 4’s “Leela’s Homeworld” introduced a hot air balloon made from discarded Macy’s Day Parade floats, including Bart. Season 7 “Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences” even had Matt Groening guest star And immediately mention the long-awaited sequel to The Simpsons Movie.

on the contrary, Futurama is repeatedly referred to in The Simpsons Like an universe show created by Matt Groening that was canceled early. Bender has commode in several episodesWith John DiMaggio even reprising the role in season 16’s “Future-Drama.” The Simpsons Has even directly referenced attempts to get Futurama Brought back to TV after cancellation, highlighting the close connection between the two shows and shared creatives on both. This makes the Planet Express crew’s horror at Bart all the more funny, especially in light of the actual crossover that happened between the shows in 2014 during season 26 of The Simpsons.

Bart’s recent Futurama cameo works better after the Simpsons/Futurama crossover

“Simpsorama” turns Bart into a nightmare for the 31st century

“Simpsorama” was a formal crossover between The Simpsons And Futurama which appeared after the conclusion of Futuramas 10th season on Comedy Central. The episode suggested that the two shows shared a universe, with Bart’s actions in the present accidentally setting up chaos in the 31st century. A prank in a time capsule left by Bart eventually mutated into a host of rude and dangerous aliens that wreaked havoc on the future. Initially, Bender is sent back in time to kill Homer and prevent his DNA from dooming the 31st century, only for the robot to become fast friends with Homer.

Serves as a tribute to its sister series Futurama“Simpsorama” makes Bart a horrifying figure in “Cuteness Overload” even funnier. It can be seen as a reference to the damage Bart’s spawn has in the crossover, making his general appearance one that elicits horror in those who see it. However, “Simpsorama” also cannot be considered canon by FuturamaAs two of the notable minor character deaths in this episode (Scruffy the Janitor and news reporter Linda) are ignored in Futuramas most recent revival. Still, the crossover adds a great comedic layer to the crew’s horror of Bart.

Should Matt Groening’s shows all be set in the same universe?

Fun easter eggs should not create a fully connected timeline

The latest crossover between The Simpsons And Futurama Raises an interesting question about the co-existence of multiple Matt Groening projects. On top of creating The Simpsons and co-creation Futurama With David X. Cohen, Groening also created Netflix’s Disenchantment and the long-running comic strip series, Life is hell. The three shows reference one another over the yearsAnd the idea that they could all share a single universe is a fun concept in theory. However, the specific rules and universal constants of each setting work better in their own world. This way, the strengths of each do not actively contradict one another.

The flexible timeline of The Simpsons And the relatively grounded nature of the series would be lost if it fully shared the fantastical elements of Futurama And Disenchantment. In contrast, these series both have strong universal arcs and mythos that contradict each other and are ideally positioned in contrast instead of concert. All three shows are fantastic in their own right and work better on their own rather than as continuations of one another. While seeing Bart referred to in Futurama It’s fun, it’s good that the show seems to be keeping this as the measure of their potential full crossover.