The COVID-19 pandemic is a period that the masses will surely wish to forget, but it’s impossible not to be reminded of it on an almost daily basis. Now, even the Futurama writers have turned their attention towards offering commentary.
Millions found themselves spending more time at home than ever before upon the induction of nationwide lockdowns, enforced in response to the spread of the virus. Streaming services like Hulu and Disney+ became better friends to us than ever, and many Futurama fans found themselves taking a hugely enjoyable trip down memory lane, revisiting all old episodes in a marathon that spanned weeks or months.
Of course, you’ve all heard the news that more episodes are soon to grace those streaming platforms, destined to be added to future binges. Season 8 is scheduled to begin premiering on Monday, July 24th 2023, and it turns out that one of the installments will turn a lens toward COVID-19.
“We have a vaccine episode,” executive producer Claudia Katz recently told SFX Magazine during an interview. “We’ve finally conquered COVID-19 in 3023, so that’s a very fun exploration of the science, vaccines and just a commentary on that whole situation.”
She also addressed that “There’s a fun Bitcoin episode. And we have an NFT episode which, of course, no one understands, which is sort of the joke,” as well as an episode that tackles cancel culture.
Season 8 episode 7—titled Rage Against The Vaccine—will be the COVID-themed installment, and it will be undoubtedly intriguing to see how the writers skewer and comment on the discourse surrounding the pandemic, particularly when it’s so fresh in the minds of audiences.
The trailer has already teased some moments that are sure to be from the installment, with references to the virus (Explovid-23), which is said to stem from the sewer mutants that inhabit Old New York. We see that the Professor has devised a nose swab test that’s ridiculously long but demands to be fully inserted. With “Back to Normal Fest 3023” banners also spotted, there’s going to be plenty more commentary and tongue-in-cheek references to the pandemic period where those came from. Rage Against The Vaccine is scheduled to premiere on Monday, September 4th 2023.
Casting our minds back, we also remember when the announcement of the Omicron variant led some audiences to argue that Matt Groening predicted it, as there is a planet called Omicron Persei 8 in the sci-fi series. Over the years, there has been a number of claims that The Simpsons predicted the future, so it was only a matter of time until Futurama got a piece of the action. Of course, the claim was totally unfounded, and frankly, didn’t make a whole lot of sense.
The Omicron variant was named after the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet—it wouldn’t be a total surprise if the Omicron conspiracy theory (of sorts) was addressed and poked fun of in the upcoming episode.
We’ll have to wait and see, but either way, it’s sure to be a season 8 highlight.
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