There are really only two ways that God could prove His existence to me. He could either appear to me in some deeply moving religious dream (not likely considering that my dreams usually consist of bottomless tubs of ice cream, me being BFFs with Ice Cube, and other things of a very non-religious nature) or he could return Futurama to the air with brand-spankin’ new episodes. Children, let us pray, for Futurama has returned.

Comedy Central announced in June that they had signed a deal with the creators of Futurama to air all-new episodes of the show in 2010. The show had previously aired on FOX from 1999 until 2003 when it was effectively canceled. During its fourth season at FOX, Futurama was consistently preempted by sporting events that made the show’s schedule erratic. This, coupled with the FOX network’s general dislike of the show, caused it to be canceled in 2003. In 2007, the rights to the first four seasons were bought out by Comedy Central. Due to an increased interest in the show, four straight-to-DVD Futurama movies were produced and subsequently aired on Comedy Central in an episodic format.

The final stage of Futurama’s revival was Comedy Central’s announcement that the show would return for 26 new episodes to be aired beginning mid-2010. However jubilant the select group of rabid Futurama nerds were, there were still issues for the revived show.

Soon after the announcement was made, rumors began to spread that the original cast would not return for the new episodes. Nerds everywhere fainted in horror upon this announcement, waking up hours later in their respective mothers’ basements, needing a change of pants. Pants changed, however, and hope was soon restored to the nerds with the official announcement that the issues with the original cast had been resolved and all was good with the world.

Futurama, although it garnered far lower ratings than The Simpsons during its time on FOX, remains, in my opinion, an example of near-perfect animated television. Considering the relatively short tenure of Futurama as an active show, it isn’t fair to compare it to a longer running series. But it is fair to assess Futurama’s greatness based on what we have seen.

The four seasons of Futurama never once showed a loss of drive or ingenuity. The characters are all extremely well-developed and each contains intrinsic elements of humor that make even the most basic and typical actions hilarious to watch. Each character shares a portion of the show’s time and episodes, making a balance that keeps all characters likable and fresh.

The show accrued a rather cult-like fan base, which after the cancellation of the series became more selective and thin. Although recent interest has spiked, Futurama appeals to an odd sense of humor, which is why it was less broadly appreciated than The Simpsons, and probably why Matt Groening kept it as a side project. However, it’s Futurama’s quirky sense of humor that keeps it delightful, interesting, and provides a different facet to Matt Groening’s personality as well as animated television.

Futurama, despite being all-too short lived, is one of the finer elements of television, and its return should be eagerly anticipated by old fans as well as relative neophytes looking to give the show a deserved second chance.