Character design by Matt Groening. © 20th Century Fox.
Maybe this is the point when I lose some of you—when my odd nineties-geared proclivities prove just a little too much. Nevertheless, I have to be honest with myself and the truth is that this character had me from episode one: “Space. It seems to go on and on forever. But then you get to the end and the gorilla starts throwing barrels at you!” With his response to finding out he is “the most important person in the universe,” Philip J. Fry responds, “Oh, snap,” which somehow perfectly exemplifies my unrepentant fascination with him. Oozing with characteristic Matt Groening humor, Futurama is loud, endlessly thought-provoking and offers some of the most boorish, idiotic, endearing protagonists on television, with the cryogenically frozen delivery boy from New York being my all-time favorite.
