Futurama Dropped More Apple References Than You Probably Remember
A major selling point of Matt Groening's "Futurama" is its creative vision of what the world could look like in the 31st century. Efficient space travel, communication with extraterrestrial life, and the like are fun elements to include in an animated series, especially one that makes it clear that it calls the comedy genre home. At the same time, "Futurama" doesn't pluck all of its gags out of thin air. Rather, it often takes a page out of the playbook of its predecessor, "The Simpsons," by looking to the real world as a source of comedic fuel.
Whether it's the politicians of yesteryear or hot-button social issues, "Futurama" never held back when it came to satirizing the often absurd reality we all live in. At the time of this writing, the series wrapped up nearly a decade ago, yet it's due for a Hulu revival sometime in the future. One can only hope that its biting commentary on the modern world will endure when new episodes start to roll out. After all, it's not like the past 10 years haven't provided plenty of new material of all kinds for the show to put hilarious spins on.
As it turns out, one of the most prolific targets of "Futurama" and its penchant for poking fun at real-life entities is the tech giant Apple, which found itself in the series' crosshairs on several occasions throughout its time on the air.
Futurama took aim at Apple nearly 20 times
Given how hard "Futurama" leans into exploring the technologically-evolved world of the 31st century, it makes sense for Apple to come up in the odd episode. It's one of the largest tech companies in the world today and has made more than a few game-changing innovations in the realms of communication, home entertainment, and more. At the same time, it's just another large corporation that many folks have some level of knowledge and, in many cases, strong feelings about. Thus, it became a prime candidate for "Futurama" to use to its comedic advantage.
As compiled by Engadget, so far, "Futurama" has referenced Apple a staggering 19 times. The first mention came in the second episode of the debut season, titled "The Series Has Landed," and the most recent featured in Season 7's "Forty Percent Leadbelly." Overall, 19 mentions may not seem like a lot considering "Futurama" amassed 140 episodes in its day, but to come up with that many unique jokes based on one company and its products is certainly admirable. Granted, some landed better than others, but that ultimately comes down to personal taste.
As the wait rolls on for the "Futurama" comeback season, it's safe to assume that the show likely won't pass up more opportunities to pick on Apple in its next batch of episodes.