Futurama Had A Hidden Crossover With Claymation Comedy The PJs

Within the “Futurama” episode “I Second That Emotion” (November 21, 1999), the crass alcoholic robotic Bender (John DiMaggio), having turn into fed up with Leela’s pet whatsit Nibbler (Frank Welker), flushes him down the bathroom. Leela (Katey Sagal) is distraught, however Bender is fecklessly unapologetic. The Professor (Billy West) finds that Bender could also be incapable of empathy, and solves the problem by hammering a high-tech feelings chip into his head. The chip psychically hyperlinks to Leela, and Bender begins feeling horrible. To resolve their mutual unhappiness, Bender and Leela resolve to enter the sewers to rescue Nibbler.

Within the lore of “Futurama,” the ruins of Previous New York are deep underground and town of New New York was constructed on its ruins. 

Earlier than going into the sewers, although, Leela finds a close-by manhole cowl and removes it with a manhole hook. The manhole cowl bears the face of a bored-looking man, resting above bubble letters that learn “The PJs.” It is a reference to the opening titles of the 1999 stop-motion animated sequence “The PJs,” which ran on Fox concurrently with “Futurama.” Though “The PJs” starred Eddie Murphy, received three Emmys, and lasted 44 episodes over its three seasons, few appear to confer with it in 2024.

On the DVD commentary for the episode “The Luck of the Fryrish,” “Futurama” co-creator David X. Cohen talks in regards to the two occasions his sequence paid homage to “The PJs.” Certainly, after Cohen made his “PJs” reference in “Emotion,” “The PJs” made a intelligent and refined “Futurama” reference the next 12 months. To not be outdone, Cohen included the identical “PJs” manhole cowl in “Fryrish,” nodding once more to their animated neighbors on Fox.

“The PJs,” to remind any viewers who would possibly recollect it, passed off within the run-down Hilton-Jacobs housing venture (a PJ) in an unspecified American metropolis. It centered on the plight of Thurgood Stubbs (Murphy), the constructing’s crass, hard-drinking superintendent, and his eccentric family and friends. The present explored themes of poverty and racial politics, however in a light-weight, sitcom mild. It was produced by Will Vinton Studios and took a very long time to make; stop-motion animation is a time-consuming course of. The sequence additionally starred Loretta Devine, Phil Morris, and Kevin Michael Richardson. Its theme was written by George Clinton and Quincy Jones III.

After “Futurama” winked at “The PJs” in “I Second That Emotion,” “The PJs” paid the reference again in form within the episode “Cliffhangin’ With Mr. Tremendous” (August 15, 2000). In that episode, Thurgood is having a meal along with his household and idly reaches for a carton of milk. One can see clearly that Fry from “Futurama” is listed on the carton, a lacking little one that must be positioned. For a few years, real-life lacking kids have been printed on milk cartons to lift consciousness of their instances. As “Futurama” followers know, Fry was cryogenically frozen in 1999 and woke up in 2999. He would have been lacking.

On the “Fryrish” commentary observe, Cohen famous the above reference change between his present and “The PJs”:

“We confirmed that manhole to simply have fun ‘The PJs’ –  which was a superb claymation present for individuals who did not see it — they usually reciprocated by having just a little milk carton on ‘The PJs’ with a misplaced little one factor on the aspect for Fry. ‘Have you ever seen this lacking little one?’ One thing like that.

Very type of them each.

As talked about above, the identical “PJs” manhole cowl appeared briefly in “The Luck of the Fryrish” when Fry, Bender, and Leela trekked into the sewers to find a lacking seven-leaf clover, which had been hidden in Fry’s outdated home a millennium in the past. At that time, “The PJs” was nonetheless on the air, though it was to be canceled in 2001. The primary two seasons of “The PJs” aired on Fox, whereas the third season aired on The WB. Murphy left the present in its third 12 months, at which level the function of Thurgood was taken over by Phil Morris. 

All three seasons of “The PJs” have been launched on DVD again in 2011, so one can nonetheless discover copies on the second-hand market if one have been to look onerous sufficient. One may watch “The PJs” on Hulu, Tubi, and Fubo. It was additionally in syndication for a few years, and one may need snagged a rerun on MTV sooner or later.

It could be thought of considerably obscure 23 years after its cancelation, nevertheless it awaits any curious media vacationers. It is also fairly attainable {that a} mass viewers is passingly conversant in “The PJs,” given its ubiquity in reruns. The sequence is fairly humorous, though crass and broad (by design, after all), and Murphy sells his function with enthusiasm.

“The PJs,” after all, is just one of many, many Fox animated exhibits that the community tried to tie onto “The Simpsons” and “King of the Hill” through the years. The size of Fox’s animation blocks was even joked about in “Futurama” just a few occasions, as when a TV announcer declared that Fox was to cancel a success new present in favor of eight animated exhibits in a row. “The PJs” was misplaced within the shuffle. Search it out.