Here comes a little riddle - what do Futurama have in common? Alright, the answer isn't that difficult to guess. Both shows are animated comedies, and they were both created by Matt Groening. However, that's where the obvious similarities end. In many ways, Futurama and The Simpsons are completely different.
For one, they take place in greatly different settings. Futurama is set in the year 3000 (and subsequent years) while The Simpsons capture the current times, starting with the late 1980s/early 1990s. Both of the shows are immensely popular but only one of them is still running - The Simpsons. The important question that remains then is: which show is funnier?
The Simpsons: Current Life
The Simpsons have been around for a while, and they managed to reflect a lot of what was (and still is) happening in the world. The topics the show dealt with over the years are something most of the audience will be familiar with, either personally or at least they will know it from the media.
But unlike the media, The Simpsons actually present all of the often inevitable parts of life and society (obsessions with celebrities, the superhero craze, bullying, eating disorders, etc.) in a funny way.
Futurama: The World Of Tomorrow
On the other hand, if one likes to look into the future and past and present doesn't interest them that much, then Futurama did a great job of introducing a possible future.
It took many aspects of the current society, moved them into the future, and slightly changed or replaced with something similar. For example, one of the funniest characters is the robot Bender, and his presence in The Simpsons wouldn't make sense since today's technology simply isn't as advanced.
The Simpsons: Family Issues
There are many reasons why The Simpsons are so popular, but one of the most prominent ones are the Simpsons themselves - the Simpson family. They love each other but they're far from perfect and often argue because each of them has a different personality.
Their clashing characters make for a lot of hilarious Lisa which is something many fans will know from their lives as well (albeit, hopefully, in a smaller degree).
Futurama: Friendship Issues
Whereas The Simpsons are primarily a show about a slightly dysfunctional family, Futurama is a show about a slightly dysfunctional group of friends and co-workers. That makes it more relatable to adults who have their own work experiences and know very well how annoying it can be to work someone who drives you crazy.
As for the friendship part, the best duo definitely is Bender and Fry, and their bouts and adventures together are hard to forget. For example, who could forget the episode in which Bender dies and decides to scare poor Fry to death?
The Simpsons: Homer And Marge
A lot of the episodes of The Simpsons center on Marge and Homer and their marriage issues. After all, these two are one of the most prominent fictional couples of all time. And, to be honest, living with Homer is no easy task for anyone, even someone as patient as Marge is.
Despite all the problems the couple has encountered, their love story remains as funny and sometimes touching today as it was thirty years ago.
Futurama: Fry And Leela
Of course, Futurama has its own star couple - well, when we say a couple... Unlike Homer and Marge, Fry and Leela are together less often than they aren't.
This is mostly on Leela since Fry loves her, but, unfortunately for him, he's not so good at getting the woman of his dreams. That leads to a lot of embarrassing situations that make the audience laugh but also feel for poor Fry who just wants to show to Leela how great he would be for her.
The Simpsons: A Larger Audience Group
The Simpsons have a clear advantage over Futurama when it comes to their ideal audience group. They have main heroes of various ages, there are Homer and Marge for the adult audience, and Bart, Lisa, and Maggie for the kids to relate to.
The adults will laugh at the adult jokes and the kids will enjoy Bart's mischievous pranks and Lisa's nerdiness, so there's something for everyone.
Futurama: Smarter Jokes
Speaking of the ideal audience, all of the main characters of Futurama are adults which also sets the tone of the show and makes it even more suitable for adults than The Simpsons. That means that sometimes the jokes also tend to be smarter, for example, when they have a scientific background or a concept behind them.
Such as the episode in which the Planet Express crew travels back in time and Fry ends up becoming his own grandfather (talk about a time paradox).
The Simpsons: Longevity
One doesn't have to be a genius to realize that when a show is running for a long time, it also has the possibility to introduce more jokes and funny situations and characters than a show that was already canceled. That's the difference between The Simpsons and Futurama. The second show is over and it doesn't look like it's coming back anytime soon.
The Simpsons, on the other hand, are still airing, which gives the audience a lot more material to laugh at - despite the fact that many believe the quality of the show isn't as good as it used to be, there are still a lot of good jokes present.
Winner: The Simpsons
It was a surprisingly tight match but in the end, the victory goes to The Simpsons. Each show is a lot different so it makes sense that it can also attract a different audience.
However, what's even more true is the fact that both of them are funny and it's easy to enjoy them. So it was mostly their longevity that helped The Simpsons to win but that doesn't mean Futurama is any less funny - it just didn't get as many opportunities to prove it as The Simpsons did.