'Futurama' Characters and Best Episodes to Binge-Watch

Futurama voice cast

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Since Futurama debuted in 1999, giving us characters that are unique and hilarious. Some are human, some are alien, and some are in between. Learn more about Fry, Leela, Bender, and the other characters who live in New New York.

Philip J. Fry

A delivery boy with no future, Fry was accidentally frozen on December 31st, 1999 when a pizza delivery went horribly awry. He awoke a thousand years later to find himself in New New York City, a wonderland of robots, aliens, stars, moons, and clovers. Fry soon went to work at the Planet Express delivery company, run by his great-great-great-great-great-nephew, Hubert Farnsworth. With his best friend Bender and off-again, off-again girlfriend Leela, he travels the universe, boldly going where no pizza boy has gone before. ​Billy West (Ren & Stimpy) lends his voice to this lead character.

Best episode: "The Luck of the Fryish," when we meet Fry's older brother Yancy, and wind up pretending we have dust in our eyes.

Turanga Leela

Beautiful Leela was given to the Orphinarium by her parents with a note that led everyone to believe she was an alien, not a mutant. Later, she met Fry while working as a Fate Assignment Officer. As she attempted to implant a job chip in Fry's head, he convinced her that her job wasn't what she wanted to do with her life. Now she is captain of the Planet Express delivery ship, owned by Fry's elderly nephew. Played by Katey Sagal (Sons of Anarchy, Married with Children).

Best episode: "Leela's Homeworld," in the fourth season, when she finds out that she's not an alien, but a mutant from the underworld.

Bender

Built to bend girders, Bender was fed up with his career and began a new life as part of the Planet Express delivery crew, along with his best friend, Fry. In his free time, he enjoys gambling, cooking, stealing, folk singing, bending, computer dating, and dating computers. IGN.com chose Bender as the Best Supporting Character of 1999. Bender is Fry's robotic friend, played by John DiMaggio (Adventure Time).

Best episode: "Godfellas," when Bender winds up floating in space with an entire species living on his mid-section.

Professor Hubert Farnsworth

Professor Farnsworth is Fry's great-nephew and his only living relative. Professor Farnsworth owns Planet Express where most of the characters work. His catchphrase is, "Great news, everyone!" which he follows up with bad news. He has invented many things that don't necessarily work, such as a Doomsday Device and a What-If Machine. The Professor is also played by Billy West.

Best episode: "A Big Piece of Garbage," when we witness the bitter rivalry between the Professor and Dr. Ogden Wernstrom, who compete to eliminate a giant ball of garbage headed toward Earth.

Amy Wong

Amy is the intern at Planet Express and a student at Mars University. Her mega-rich parents are Leo and Inez Wong, of the Mars Wongs. She is shallow and cute. She develops a love for Kif, Zapp Brannigan's alien lieutenant. Voiced by Lauren Tom (King of the Hill, Friends).

Best episode: "Viva Mars Vegas," when Amy uses her cunning and smarts to break into a casino vault in order to get it back for her parents, who are broke.

Dr. Zoidberg

Dr. Zoidberg is a crustacean who serves as the staff doctor for Planet Express. He loves to eat everything, including garbage. He couldn't find a mate on his home planet during mating season. Good thing, because once someone from his species mates, they die. Also voiced by Billy West.

Best episode: "Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love?," when Zoidberg nabs the spotlight. He sprouts a head fin, indicating it's time for him to mate. But when the crew takes him to his home planet, he winds up in a Star Trek-inspired claw-fighting duel with Fry after Zoidberg's paramour is caught with the delivery boy.

Zapp Brannigan

Zapp Brannigan is Leela's romantic nemesis. He is the highly decorated Captain of the Nimbus, a Democratic Order of Planets starship, but a coward and egomaniac. He enjoys humiliating Kif, and can usually be seen dressed in only the jacket of his uniform, sans pants of any kind. Zapp is also voiced by Billy West.

Best episode: "In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela," when Zapp takes advantage of his and Leela's crash in the jungle. He pretends he can't unpin her from a tree and helpfully suggests that she remove her space suit when she says she's hot, thus keeping her exactly where he wants her.

Lt. Kif Kroker

Kif, a member of the Moistoid species, is Zapp's reluctant assistant. He develops a love for Amy and eventually carries their offspring. Kif is played by Maurice LaMarche (Tripping the RiftKung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness).

Best episode: "Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch," in which Kif gets, well, knocked up. It's a mystery who the mother is until the Professor uses an invention to discover Leela is the mother (through touch). But Kif says that Amy's love inspired the conception, which makes her the real mother.

Hermes Conrad

Hermes is the office administrator at Planet Express. He revels in paperwork and endless protocols. His wife is quite attractive and known to be fickle. Hermes speaks with a Jamaican accent, which is voiced by Phil LaMarr (Mad TV).

Best episode: "Bender's Big Score," which isn't an episode, but a straight-to-DVD movie. Hermes gets decapitated, so his wife leaves him for his rival, the "mahogany god" Barbados Slim. Eventually, Hermes hardwires his brain into a ship to win back his wife.