Summary
- Futurama has had multiple Xmas episodes throughout its 11-season run, featuring recurring characters like Robot Santa Claus and the Chanukah Zombie.
- The Xmas episodes have expanded on the lore and tropes of the holiday, with each season offering its own take on the Christmas theme.
- The newest Xmas special, "I Know What You Did Next Xmas," stands out in season 11 with its unique time-traveling storyline and balance of wacky sci-fi and holiday cheer.
Futurama has had several holiday-themed episodes throughout its 11-season run, and here are all of the show's Xmas episodes, ranked. Futurama has a massive pool of characters to pull from when making its holiday episodes, with recurring characters like Robot Santa Claus, Kwanzaabot, and the Chanukah Zombie being staples of Futurama's Xmas episodes. The topic of Xmas has been revisited multiple times throughout the show's run, expanding on the lore and common tropes of the holiday. With another holiday episode having just been released, it's the perfect time to look back on Futurama's various Xmas episodes and rank them from worst to best.
Futurama is finally back, with Hulu picking up the beloved sci-fi series by Matt Groening for an eleventh season after it went off the air over a decade ago. Despite this time gap, Futurama season 11 has already proven that it is firmly rooted in the story and characters of the original series, with multiple season 11 episodes serving as sequels to previous Futurama storylines. Episodes like "Children of a Lesser Bog" and "Parasites Regained" have directly continued storylines from over a decade ago, and season 11, episode 6, "I Know What You Did Next Xmas" is no exception. So, here is every Xmas episode from Futurama's 11 seasons, ranked.
4 "The Futurama Holiday Spectacular"
Futurama season 7, episode 13, "The Futurama Holiday Spectacular" was the last Xmas episode made before the show's untimely cancelation after season 10, with the Xmas stories going on a hiatus from seasons 8-10 before finally returning in season 11. Unlike other Futurama Xmas episodes, "The Futurama Holiday Spectacular" is actually a non-canonical anthology episode made up of three different sections. The Xmas section sees a Christmas tree take over the Earth, turning it into a massive rainforest. Next, the Robanukah section sees Bender describe a winter holiday for robots. Finally, the Kwanzaa section sees the gang attempt to find beeswax for the traditional Kwanzaa candles after Earth's supply diminishes.
Although all of the segments from "The Futurama Holiday Spectacular" are fun, none of them are quite as good as the show's other three Xmas storylines. The Xmas and Kwanzaa storylines work due to them being associated with actual holidays, but the Robanukah segment features an entirely made-up holiday, with it not feeling as festive as the other two stories. It seems clear that the Futurama team didn't want to do another Robot Santa Claus story after already focusing two Xmas specials on him, but this new approach just leads to the special feeling muddled, as expanding any of these ideas into a full episode would have worked much better.
3 "A Tale Of Two Santas"
Futurama season 3, episode 3, "A Tale of Two Santas" is the show's second Xmas special, and it really works, with it combining the worldbuilding of Futurama with the pre-established Xmas traditions laid out in the show. The episode sees the Planet Express crew attempt to stop Robot Santa for good, with Fry, Leela, and Bender heading to Robot Santa's Neptunian HQ in order to finally take him down. Once there, the gang manages to freeze Robot Santa, leaving the world without a Santa. Because of this, Bender takes up the Santa mantle, and although this is a noble deed, it doesn't work out nearly as well as he hoped.
"A Tale of Two Santas" accomplishes what it sets out to do, with it repeating the Robot Santa trick from the first Futurama Xmas special while not feeling as if the show is retreading old storylines. Switching the setting to Neptune makes "A Tale of Two Santas" stand out from the show's other Xmas specials, and the new setting allows for lots of new worldbuilding. Gags like Robot Santa's elves being underfed Neptunians are hilarious, with this idea sticking around for later Futurama holiday specials. This was also the last time Robot Santa served as an episode's antagonist until season 11, with it ending the storyline before it got stale.
2 "I Know What You Did Next Xmas"
Futurama season 11, episode 6, "I Know What You Did Next Xmas" is the show's newest Xmas special, with it being released alongside the other new episodes in Hulu's revival of the series. The episode once again goes over Futurama's Xmas traditions, with Robot Santa returning to New New York in order to slay those who are deemed naughty. However, Professor Farnsworth travels back in time to stop Robot Santa's rampage, and while this works for a while, Bender and Zoidberg eventually embark on their own Robot Santa-centric time-traveling journey. Although the episode is complicated, it is a standout in season 11.
"I Know What You Did Next Xmas" is one of Futurama's better Xmas specials, as it manages to do something truly new with the Robot Santa storyline. Adding time travel into the mix is a great way to alter the dynamic of the Xmas episode, and the episode's timeline is so meticulously woven that it makes perfect sense. Futurama is a show about sci-fi, and with "I Know What You Did Next Xmas," the show finally finds the perfect balance of wacky sci-fi stories and holiday cheer. On top of that, the Xmas special also serves as a sequel to the fan-favorite episode "The Late Philip J. Fry."
1 "Xmas Story"
Futurama season 2, episode 4, "Xmas Story" is the first Xmas special in the TV series, with it setting the stage for everything that was to follow. The episode sees Fry learn about the all-new winter holiday that is celebrated in the 3000s, with it being incredibly different from the Christmas he celebrated back home. The episode is full of gags regarding what has changed, such as palm trees being used for Xmas since pine trees went extinct. However, Fry soon hears about the threat of Robot Santa Claus, a dangerous machine that will kill anyone who is deemed naughty, which includes the Planet Express crew.
Although later Xmas specials have used "Xmas Story" as a jumping-off point, the first episode still stands out as the best Futurama Xmas special. So much creativity went into "Xmas Story," with the new holiday traditions and the idea of Robot Santa Claus being some of the most iconic parts of the show. Although John DiMaggio voices Robot Santa in later appearances, actor John Goodman voices the character in "Xmas Story," and he absolutely nails the role. "Xmas Story" may be simple, but it didn't need to be anything more, as the concept perfectly carries the first of Futurama's four Xmas specials.
New episodes of Futurama release Mondays on Hulu.