It seems that Matt Groening has seen sense, and decided to resurrect the much loved Futurama cartoon for an all new series of DVD movies starting later this year.  The series was recently signed up by Comedy Central to screen all the classic episodes, and as part of the deal, they managed to get Groening and his team to commit to producing 16 more episodes that will be released on DVD as movies later this year.

Futurama was billed as a follow up to the Simpsons, but despite its often hilarious scripts, and excellent characters such as the legendary Bender and Leela, it never reached the heights of popularity that the Simpsons managed.  Fans of the series found that the show was often the victim of schedule changes, and was often put up against highly popular established shows, that meant it was always in competition for viewers.

Futurama won numerous awards including an Emmy, and drew a great deal of critical praise for its innovative animation techniques that seamlessly blended traditional methods with 3D modeling using computers.  It was also praised as one of the funniest shows on TV, with many in jokes that recurred throughout the series, and meant that it attracted particularly committed fans.

Falling viewing figures coupled with the vast expense of making the show led to the cancellation of Futurama, but the series has remained popular with fans, and even gained new converts every time it has been shown.  The sales of the shows on DVD have proved so popular that they have finally encouraged the makers to revisit what fans consider their finest hour, and start producing new episodes for the first time in several years.

When the new series is released on DVD later this year, it is likely to become one of the fastest selling titles in history, and many fans expect it to be the biggest event of the year when it comes to entertainment.