Futurama Creator Matt Groening "Not Too Worried" About Show's Future

Posted in: Hulu, TV | Tagged: futurama

Futurama Creator Matt Groening "Not Too Worried" About Show's Future

Futurama creator Matt Groening on why he's "not too worried" about the animated show's future, and the upcoming "XXXL-Sized" specials.

Published Mon, 28 Sep 2026 21:37:08 -0500
by Ray Flook
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Article Summary

• Matt Groening says he’s not too worried about Futurama’s future, even as Season 14 ends with “Final Ending.”
• The Futurama creator notes the series has survived multiple cancellations before and still has many more stories to tell.
• Hulu has already ordered three Futurama XXXL-Sized specials, with the first Christmas-themed episode set for 2027.
• Groening teased Futurama’s Robot Santa return, saying the holiday special will tap into the show’s long-running lore.

On Monday, Matt Groening and David X. Cohen's Futurama will wrap up Season 14 – and possibly, its run – with "Final Ending: The Last Conclusion." But is it really the end? Regarding additional seasons, it would seem that the current will also be its last – but Groening isn't worried. "They can put us in a coffin. They can nail the lid shut, but they can't bury us. We will rise again," Groening offered Variety. "I guess I'm not too worried." Considering the hit animated series has had more revivals than a Southern Baptist summer tent tour, Groening's words aren't surprising.

"The thing about 'Is Futurama coming to an end?' Well, we've come to an end many times before. We make a joke about it with the season finale. It's redundantly, fatalistically titled," Groening noted. "I think we have a whistling-past-the-graveyard attitude these days because we've been in this situation many times before. We have lots more stories to tell. The animators and the actors and the writers all would love to do more stories, and we'll see. You never know."

In the meantime, fans won't be completely Futurama-free next year, with Hulu announcing during San Diego Comic-Con that it had given the thumbs-up to three extended-length episodes (currently in production). The first "XXXL-Sized" special, a Christmas-themed special, is expected to launch in 2027. "The nature of these stories, in general for 'Futurama' and also 'The Simpsons,' is that each episode could be a movie," Groening said. "I mean, we pack enough melodrama and shenanigans in every episode to stretch it out. It's just fun to tell a bigger story, but also take the time to breathe a little bit. Because one of the things that animated shows are bedeviled by is a short running time."

Though looking to avoid getting into specifics on two of the specials, other than that they will play off the animated series's lore, Groening did reveal that Robot Santa will be a factor during the Christmas/"Xmas" special. "Our version of Christmas, of course, is with Robot Santa," he said. "Which back in the day was very controversial, because our robot Santa thought he was Santa – but he thought everyone was naughty, so he would go around trying to kill everyone. That was not considered in the Christmas spirit. At first, there was some talk about not running the shows. It was controversial. But now everybody has figured out, hey, it's all in good fun!"

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