Perhaps no other show has captured the public’s attention to the same extent as The Simpsons. The comedy, which has been running since the ’80s, is one of the most enduring and recognizable franchises in television history. It’s no wonder then that creator, Matt Groening, has also had success with a number of other shows, in particular, Futurama. Unlike their yellow-skinned counterparts, the crew at Planet Express have enjoyed less enduring success with the show originally being canceled after just four seasons, before being resurrected, and has struggled to regain its popularity since.

However, some fans would argue that while The Simpsons may have been groundbreaking in its prime, the show has potentially run out of steam and that the show’s creative cousin, Futurama, was able to take what worked for The Simpsons and improve on it. As two very similar shows it’s easy to draw comparisons. So, here is a breakdown of five things Futurama potentially does better than The Simpsons, and for the sake of fairness, five things The Simpsons has over Futurama.

FUTURAMA - WACKY RANDOMNESS

Futurama is a science fiction masterpiece, which takes place 3000 years in the future and this setting allows for the writers of the show to unleash their full creative abilities. The possibilities in this fictional future are endless, from innumerable alien races, autonomous automatons, and crazy time vortexes, Futurama can explore greater distances from reality. While, The Simpsons have begun to find themselves in increasingly ridiculous scenarios, seeming incongruous with the original tone of the show; Futurama, on the other hand, was free of ‘real world’ expectations and therefore able to embrace a more out-there sense of humor.

THE SIMPSONS - GROUNDED STORYTELLING

Conversely, The Simpsons was able to tell real stories, exploring family dynamics in an incredibly human way. This grounded sensibility made the show even more resonant with viewers. Arguably at its best in the first ten seasons, The Simpsons existed in the real world and could poke fun at society in a satirical manner. Whereas, Futurama takes a little more liberty with the concept of reality which can sometimes alienate the viewer and make stories seem less accessible.

FUTURAMA - CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

While The Simpsons haven’t changed much in their 30 years on the air, with the characters returning to their status quo at the beginning of each episode, Futurama had more of a linear sense of storytelling. Even characters as ridiculous as Zoiberg grew and developed over the course of the show.

This is perhaps most notable in the case of Fry and Leila, the will-they-won’t-they nature of their relationship was an ongoing story which saw the characters go from frenemies to lovers. Knowing that actions have consequences can make for a more satisfying viewing experience.

THE SIMPSONS - RELATABILITY

Not many people have traveled through time, or experienced a run-in with space pirates. And while it’s fun to watch these fantastical adventures it can be difficult to relate. The Simpsons gave us a family unit and a town full of familiar stereotypes we might recognize from the real world. It’s easy to understand Lisa’s heartbreak when her substitute teacher leaves or Bart’s rebellion from his parents. It’s less easy to understand how Professor Farnsworth came to know a gargoyle named Pazuzu.

FUTURAMA - EXPANSIVE WORLD BUILDING

The world of Futurama is expansive. The size of the known universe, in fact, and that’s not counting time travel and alternate dimensions. The grandeur of the universe in Futurama is a major selling point. One of the joys of the show is watching the Planet Express crew journey to new worlds and experience bizarre alien cultures. Even on Earth, there are so many layers to New New York, literally (mole people?) and figuratively. This world-building extends to characters as the world is now populated by aliens races, droids, mutants and more. Add the time travel elements to this and there’s a lot of ground to cover. The world of Futurama is also detailed and rich, so much thought has gone into every aspect of the universe, there are even a number of different alien languages which can be translated for extra points.

THE SIMPSONS - SOCIAL COMMENTARY

The Simpsons in its hey-day was satirical storytelling at its best. The town of Springfield and the characters within are representative of archetypes from the real world. The archetypes are then faced with real-world problems and the result is a clever, sometimes biting, commentary on modern culture.

The family themselves present an exaggerated idea of the nuclear family, which can lead viewers to question the world around them. While Futurama is able to comment on society from the lense of the future, The Simpsons presents a very realistic send up of the world from within contemporary society.

FUTURAMA - INTELLIGENT HUMOR

Without taking away from the incredibly intelligent humor of The Simpsons, Futurama’s scientific approach to storytelling and humor has taken the level of intelligence to new levels. From complicated arithmetic to literal astro-physics the writers of Futurama have successfully been able to integrate real-world science into their humor. This depth of knowledge shines through when the show is tackling time travel in particular and cements the show as respectable science fiction as well as animated comedy.

THE SIMPSONS - BREAKING NEW GROUND

It can’t go unmentioned that without The Simpsons the world likely wouldn’t have shows such as Futurama, Family Guy, or South Park. When Homer and his family first hit screens the combination of animation, adult humor, and social commentary was seen as groundbreaking. This show proved to audiences and critics that a cartoon could have greater depths, while also capturing the attention of a large audience. Whatever one may think of the quality level of more recent entries in The Simpsons canon, no one can take away that, for all intents and purposes, The Simpsons was the first of its kind and paved the way for a plethora of shows to follow.

FUTURAMA - DIVERSITY

The Simpsons was called out recently for its representation of Indian character Apu. While their representation of characters from different backgrounds or minority groups has improved over the years, The Simpsons still shows signs of being a product of its time. On the other hand, Futurama has an extremely diverse cast of characters.

Although it’s not exactly the same as a literal representation for underrepresented groups in our culture, at least Futurama’s cast is varied. Along with a colorful cast of droids, aliens, and creatures, the cast includes a wide spectrum of gender, race, and sexuality.

THE SIMPSONS - LONGEVITY

Finally, the one thing The Simpsons will always hold over Futurama and, to be fair, most other TV shows, longevity. Premiering in 1989, the show is in its thirtieth year and while the quality of the show may have dropped there’s no denying that something about Homer, Marge, Mart, Lisa, and Maggie has captivated audiences since their debut and will continue to do so into the future-rama.