'Futurama' Returns to Production With an Initial Order of 26 New Episodes to Premiere...

'Futurama' Returns to Production With an Initial Order of 26 New Episodes to
Premiere Mid 2010

Emmy Award-Winning Animated Comedy Series Confirmed To Run On COMEDY CENTRAL;
Broadcast Network Run Also Possible

NEW YORK, June 10 /PRNewswire/ -- 20th Century Fox Television, the animation
powerhouse that brought "Family Guy" back from the dead five years ago, has
done it again: Matt Groening and David X. Cohen's brilliantly subversive
animated sci-fi comedy "Futurama" will return to production on 26 new
half-hour episodes more than six years after the series aired its last
original episode. The move comes on the heels of the series' blockbuster
performance on DVD and on COMEDY CENTRAL; the announcement was made today by
Twentieth Century Fox Television Chairmen Gary Newman and Dana Walden, and
David Bernath, senior vice president, programming for COMEDY CENTRAL.

"Futurama" was a staple of Fox's Sunday night animation block from 1999 to
2003 before ceasing production on original episodes. In June 2006, COMEDY
CENTRAL acquired the rights to the existing 72 episodes of the series, which
the channel began airing in January 2008, and four recently-produced extended
length "Futurama" adventures: "Bender's Big Score," "The Beast with a Billion
Backs," "Bender's Game" and "Into the Wild Green Yonder," which enjoyed
enormous success both on COMEDY CENTRAL and in DVD release. This new deal
marks the show's return to episodic series production on original episodes.
"Futurama" becomes only the second series in the history of the medium to go
back into production based on the strength of its DVD sales and repeat airings
on cable.

The new episodes will be available in mid 2010 to be shown on COMEDY CENTRAL.
Twentieth Century Fox Television retains the option to license the original
runs of the new episodes to a broadcast network.

"We are excited to continue our relationship with Matt, David and 20th Century
Fox TV and to be able to offer COMEDY CENTRAL viewers the first opportunity to
see new episodes of 'Futurama,'" said Bernath. "As evidenced by the strong
performance of the extended length epics, there remains a deep and passionate
fan base for this intelligent and very funny show that matches perfectly with
our audience. It's fantastic that we can add brand-new installments of Leela,
Fry and Bender's adventures to our existing library."

Quipped Matt Groening, "We're thrilled 'Futurama' is coming back. We now have
only 25,766 episodes to make before we catch up with Bender and Fry in the
year 3000." Added David X. Cohen, "We're excited and amazed that the show is
coming back, perhaps due to some sort of mysterious time loop. We look
forward to working with COMEDY CENTRAL and 20th Television to make this the
best iteration of the loop yet!"

"When we brought back 'Family Guy' several years ago, everyone said that it
was a once-in-a-lifetime thing -- that canceled series stay canceled and
cannot be revived," commented 20th Century Fox TV Chairmen Gary Newman and
Dana Walden. "But 'Futurama' was another series that fans simply demanded we
bring back, and we couldn't have been happier when Matt and David agreed that
there were many more stories yet to tell."

"Futurama" focuses on the life of Philip Fry (Billy West), a 25-year-old pizza
delivery boy who accidentally freezes himself on December 31, 1999 and wakes
up 1,000 years later with a fresh start at life and a "diverse" new group of
friends including Leela (Katey Sagal), a tough but lovely one-eyed alien and
Bender (John DiMaggio), a robot who possesses human characteristics and flaws.
The series aired for five seasons on Fox (1999 to 2003) earning Emmy(R)
nominations each season while winning three times, including "Outstanding
Animated Program" in 2002. It featured guest stars such as Sarah Silverman,
Hank Azaria, Bob Odenkirk, Pamela Anderson, Beatrice Arthur, Lucy Liu, Beck
and Coolio.

"Futurama," created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X.
Cohen, is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television, with Rough Draft
Studios, Inc. contributing the animation.

20th Century Fox Television, a division of News Corp, is a leading supplier of
entertainment content domestically and around the world.

COMEDY CENTRAL, the only all-comedy network, currently is seen in more than 95
million homes nationwide. COMEDY CENTRAL is owned by, and is a registered
trademark of, Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned division of Viacom Inc.'s (NYSE:
VIA and VIA.B) MTV Networks. COMEDY CENTRAL's Internet address is
www.comedycentral.com. For up-to-the-minute and archival press information
and photographs visit Press Central, COMEDY CENTRAL's press Web site, at
www.comedycentral.com/press.

SOURCE COMEDY CENTRAL Corporate Communications

Steve Albani, COMEDY CENTRAL, +1-212-767-8695, steve.albani@comedycentral.com;
or Chris Alexander, 20th Century Fox Television, +1-310-369-2733,
Chris.Alexander@fox.com