It was only a matter of time before the Simpsons and Futurama had a crossover, but I am surprised that it took this long. I love Futurama, and I was worried that the crew of the Planet Express Ship would merely have a cameo. Instead this episode started like a Simpsons episode, but then became a Futurama episode, and since Futurama ended at the top of its game while the Simpsons are clearly not at the top of theirs, it was for the best.
The plot was simply that Bender had to go back in time to stop the Simpsons from unleashing a horrible mutant plague on New New York. Of course since he is Bender he screws up, and it will take the Simpsons working with the rest of the Futurama gang to fix everything.
It was cool to see both of Matt Groening’s beloved franchises on air together, but this episode would have almost been better without the Simpsons in it. While the Bender and his pals were making me laugh the Simpsons continued to feel stale. I hope this is the Simpsons last season. It is hard to see them limp along like this, and it makes me feel better about Futurama going off the air after nine pretty good to excellent seasons.
After this episode, the Family Guy crossover, the Lego Episode, and all the other “event” shows the Simpsons have lined up, it is clear the Simpsons writers are out of ideas. It is amazing that the Simpsons have lasted this long, but it is time to let them ride off in to syndication. Where they can live on for generations to come.