“Good news,” has come in as Comedy Central has finally given us Futurama fans a bit if a carrot to follow going into this summer. As most fans are aware of, the Matt Groening created half hour animated show about the future didn’t do so well on Fox a few years back. It was canceled after only four seasons but brought back to life thanks to big DVD sales. A few years back it seemed as though they were on track for a return with the production of three new hour-long episodes, but then controversy hit. Futurama fans held their breath as the news came down that the show had in fact been picked up for a return to TV by Comedy Central – but without the original cast.

Mixed emotions flooded online forums but as of last week, Comedy Central has put it all to rest. It is now official, with the entire original cast set to return, brand new episodes of Futurama will begin airing on Comedy Central this June. So, why not waste this weekend by reintroducing yourself to Fry, Leela, Dr. Zoidberg, Hermes, Professor Farnsworth, Amy and Bender? Waste your weekend with the top three episodes (so far) of Futurama.

Season One, Episode Two – The Series Has Landed

I would consider the second ever episode of Futurama to be a better introduction to the show than the actual pilot for the simple reason that we are introduced to the entire staff of Planet Express. In The Series Has Landed, Fry, Leela and Bender meet Hermes, Dr. Zoidberg and Amy bringing together all of the main characters and essentially completing the introductions. But Futurama isn’t just about characters as The Series Has Landed sees the gang head to the Moon. Fry learns that half of the moon has turned into an amusement park and decides to find the site of the lost lunar landing instead of hanging around and playing the claw game with the rest. This is one of my top three episodes because it not only pokes fun at technology and pop-culture, it adds an element of realism with Fry’s life long dream to see the Moon.

Season Three, Episode Ten – Luck of The Fryrish

In a throwback episode that shows scenes from Fry’s youth in Old New York we’re introduced to Fry’s older brother Yancy and Fry’s obsession with luck and superstition. After learning that Yancy had stolen Fry’s lucky seven-leaf clover, Fry begins to blame Yancy for all of the bad luck he’s had since. Fry immediately jumps to the conclusion that Yancy stole his ideas about space travel as well as his name and became a national hero. But after deciding to rob his brother’s grave in order to retrieve the seven-leaf clover, we then learn that Yancy named his son after Fry who then went on to become famous. Luck Of The Fryrish wasn’t just a memorable episode for showing what Fry’s life was like before he was frozen, it was a great way to see into how much history Fry had actually missed.

Season Four, Episode Nine – Futurestock

My absolute favorite Futurama episode of all time is Futurestock where Fry meets a fellow defrosted person from the eighties. Taking the theme of movies like Wall Street, Futurestock tells the story of how Fry rises to the top of the business world and comes crumbling down because of his new friend. Futurestock was great for the classic one-liners like “Awesome. Awesome to the max,” and “Let’s practice execu-speak,” by the character simply known as “That Guy.” Eventually That Guy dies of a rare disease known as Boneitis, but Futurestock shows how some things in this world will never change.