The first "Futurama" episode since 2013 addresses the abysmal working conditions that have become the norm for Hollywood writers in the streaming era. The WGA is currently on strike after negotiations to improve those conditions fell through with AMPTP.
Among the WGA's many demands is increased pay, including residuals, for streaming shows. While traditional television often kept writers employed for most of a year, streaming series tend to hire writers for shorter periods with less pay, making it harder to earn income and gain necessary on-set experience for career advancement. Additionally, the AMPTP refused to concede on issues of A.I., which writers fear could be used to further undermine or replace them. Disney CEO Bob Iger responded by calling striking writers "disruptive" and "unrealistic," a statement that received immediate pushback from WGA members. "Futurama" is notably owned by Disney thanks to its acquisition of 20th Century Fox.
"Futurama" isn't shy about its stance on the matter. As Bender replaces the writers, he is clearly a metaphor for using artificial intelligence. But the rushed production and decreased quality of writing leads Leela and Bender's show to become unwatchable, and Fry later remarks on the drop-off in quality. Meanwhile, the studio executives are a trio of robots who literally steamroll over anyone in their path. It's the least subtle metaphor possible, but perhaps the writers weren't paid enough to be subtle.
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. To learn more about why writers and actors are currently on strike, click here for an up-to-date explainer from our Looper team.
