Did Futurama Prove a New Math Theorem?
How an animated show pushed mathematics forward in its own way
Futurama is an all-time classic in the genre of adult cartoons. This hilarious science-fiction show is set in the year 2999 and takes advantage of the various aliens and robotic characters for hilarious comedy. Despite being canceled multiple times, it has been revived repeatedly, and two new seasons are scheduled to air on Hulu over the next couple of years. I really love this show. It manages to combine comedy with smart commentaries, and it often parodies other well-known works.
Perhaps one of the reasons I love this show so much comes from the background of its creators. Many of them have bachelor’s degrees in math or physics. Ken Keeler, one of the writers of the episode we will talk about in this article, earned a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from Harvard in the 1990s. This knowledge of science in math shows up frequently in Futurama, often in hilarious ways. Many of the jokes appear subtly in the background of scenes and I always catch new references every time I watch it.
One episode in particular, The Prisoner of Benda, takes math references to a whole new level. An entire theorem was proven for this episode to be created. As a result, Ken Keeler won the Writers Guild of America Best Television Writing award for his…
