Good news, everyone: the Planet Express crew is back August 3 — and Hulu has just ordered three extended specials to keep them flying.

The most resilient cartoon in television history is back again. ‘Futurama’ returns for Season 14 on Hulu on Monday, August 3, 2026, launching with two episodes before settling into a weekly Monday cadence. The season runs 10 new episodes, continuing the improbable second life of a show that has now been canceled and revived more times than most series ever air.

A word on those ‘holiday specials’

There has been some understandable confusion about holiday specials, so it is worth untangling. At San Diego Comic-Con in 2026, Hulu greenlit three separate extended-length — ‘XXXL-sized’ — specials. The first is Christmas-themed and arrives in 2027; it is not part of the August 2026 Season 14 batch. In other words, Season 14 is 10 regular episodes now, and the super-sized specials are a distinct, future treat, with the second and third still under wraps. So while it is fair to say more ‘Futurama’ is on the horizon than ever, the holiday installments belong to next year.

The show that refuses to die

The renewal history is, at this point, a running joke the series has earned. ‘Futurama’ debuted on Fox in 1999, was effectively canceled, resurrected through direct-to-DVD films, revived by Comedy Central, canceled again, and then brought back once more by Hulu in 2023. Hulu kept the numbering continuous, which is why a show that began in the 20th century is airing a ‘Season 14’ in 2026. Each resurrection has seemed unlikely; each has happened anyway, buoyed by a fan base that never let the Planet Express crew stay grounded.

The voices behind the crew

Crucially, the revivals have kept the original cast intact — the single biggest reason the reboots feel like continuations rather than imitations. Billy West returns as Fry, Professor Farnsworth and a rotating gallery of others; John DiMaggio is back as the beloved, larcenous robot Bender; Katey Sagal voices Leela; and the deep bench of Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr, David Herman and Tress MacNeille rounds out one of the most versatile voice ensembles ever assembled. Their continuity is what lets ‘Futurama’ pick up decades later without missing a beat.

Still ahead of its time

Part of what has kept ‘Futurama’ alive is that its central conceit — a slacker from the year 1999 thawed out into a gleaming, absurd future — gives it endless room to satirize whatever the present is anxious about. The revived seasons have taken aim at streaming culture, cryptocurrency, pandemics and, inevitably, artificial intelligence, proving the show’s blend of lowbrow gags and genuinely poignant science-fiction storytelling still lands. Beneath the robot jokes, ‘Futurama’ has always had a surprising capacity to break your heart, and its best revival episodes have not lost that touch.

For longtime fans, Season 14 is both a reunion and a reassurance: the crew is intact, the satire is sharp and, with three extended specials queued up for 2027, the future of the future looks secure for a while yet. It all starts back up on August 3.

Sources

•  Variety — three new super-sized ‘Futurama’ specials: variety.com/2026/tv/news/futurama-three-new-supersized-specials-hulu-comic-con-1236821009

•  Deadline — Season 14 extended episodes and trailer: deadline.com/2026/07/futurama-new-extended-episodes-season-14-trailer-1237003526 •  AWN — Season 14 trailer and specials order: awn.com/news/hulu-debuts-futurama-season-14-trailer-orders-3-extended-length-specials