Depressing news for fans of Futurama with the news that the show has been cancelled – again! We’re pretty sure you all remember the crushing disappointment that occurred when the Matt Groening-drawn animated comedy was pulled from the Fox network back in 2003, and then also the sheer jubilation that took place when it was announced that Comedy Central was to resurrect the series with four standalone films first heralding the return of Fry, Bender, Farnsworth, Leela and the rest of the Planet Express crew.

Sadly though, the ratings haven’t lasted for the comeback, and so Comedy Central is giving the show the boot again. Cruel. Comedy Central had ordered 26 episodes for the sixth season and another 26 for season seven, of which 12 have so far aired. But with ratings not picking up, that’ll be the last of it for Futurama, bringing to a likely end something that was a cult favorite but never really reached audiences in the same way that Groening’s The Simpsons has.

Executive producer David X. Cohen admitted that the decision was no surprise to him. “I felt like we were already in the bonus round on these last couple of seasons, so I can’t say I was devastated by the news,” he told EW. “It was what I had expected two years earlier. At this point I keep a suitcase by my office door so I can be cancelled at a moment’s notice.”

Matt Groening
Groening's Futurama has already been cancelled once