SciFiNow-August2018

The emotional journey

of the trio is key.

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Disenchantment

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time and tide Wait For no Woman

own, so each episode has its own story,

but some are more canonical than others.

For example, episodes nine and ten of the

first season are big, epic episodes where

what’s been brewing in the first eight

episodes comes to a head.”

Part of what makes Groening’s other

shows successful is the fact that they

don’t shy away from emotions. Take

The Simpsons, for example: there

aren’t many fans alive that didn’t shed

tears when Homer used Maggie’s photos

to cover letters in ‘DON’T FORGET, YOU’RE

HERE FOREVER’ to spell ‘DO IT FOR HER’

in ‘And Maggie Makes Three’, when the

show honoured Mrs Krabappel actor Marcia

Wallace in ‘Four Regrettings And A Funeral’,

or when Mr Bergstrom handed Lisa the note

reading ‘You are Lisa Simpson’ at the end

of ‘Lisa’s Substitute’. Similarly, if you’re a

Futurama enthusiast and weren’t at least

slightly moved by the episode ‘Jurassic Bark’,

there’s likely no helping you.

Keeping a balance between gags

and emotions was just as important for

Disenchantment. “That’s a huge thing to

us,” says Weinstein. “These shows aren’t

good – an episode isn’t good – unless the

emotions are real, and that’s what we always

try to do. With Simpsons, it was a rule with

Matt: no matter how crazy the situation is,

the characters always have to respond with

real emotions. Especially in the first season,

we’re dealing with deep emotions.

“For example, Bean’s mum died when

she was very young, when she was a little

kid, and she’s still dealing with that, as

well as having to deal with growing up in

a patriarchal kingdom, she’s never going to

get to rule, and what is she going to do with

her life? Elfo has given up his whole past

life to explore this new world, and Luci has

a number of secrets that he’s hiding. Even

though he’s a sarcastic demon, he has this

emotional side that he’s really hiding from

everyone. The more emotional the episode

is, the more hooked in the viewers will

be. The thing that we always found on our

episodes of The Simpsons is that when

people got hooked in emotionally they liked

the crazy jokes better too, because they’re

fully invested.”

Disenchantment launches on Netflix on

17 August.

John DiMaggio
Occupation: Actor
Shows: Futurama
DiMaggio has voiced a few
Futurama characters, but his
best known is Bender, the
alcoholic, gambling, robot.

ReiD haRRison

Occupation: Supervising

producer

Shows: The Simpsons

Harrison wrote two episodes of

The Simpsons: ‘The Springfield

Files’ and ‘Papa Don’t Leech’.

MauRice

LaMaRche

Occupation: Actor

Shows: The Simpsons, Futurama

The actor has provided wacky

additional voices for both The

Simpsons and Futurama.

PatRic M VeRRone

Occupation: Executive

producer

Shows: Futurama, The Simpsons

Verrone’s worked on Futurama

through its entire run and wrote

an episode of The Simpsons.

PauL D caLDeR

Occupation: Editor

Shows: Futurama

He edited 87 episodes and

Bender’s Big Score, The Beast With

A Billion Backs, Bender’s Game

and Into The Wild Green Yonder.