There are plenty of hilarious Futurama moments to choose from across the show’s nearly 30-year-run, but only one stands above all others for longtime cast member Billy West (Philip J. Fry, Professor Farnsworth, Dr. Zoidberg and Zapp Brannigan).
Before you say anything, it’s not an emotional moment from heart-wrenching episodes like “Jurassic Bark” or “The Luck of the Fryrish.”
It’s actually a humorous interaction between Fry and Dwight Conrad (Phil LaMarr) in season three’s “The Route of All Evil,” which, interestingly, relegates the usual main character triumvirate—Fry, Leela (Katey Sagal) and Bender (John DiMaggio)—to supporting roles.
The main plot centers on Dwight and Cubert Farnsworth (Kath Soucie) as they launch their own paper delivery business, while the B story finds the aforementioned trio brewing their own beer inside Bender. Upon hearing that Planet Express’s robot in residence has become a distillery, he says, “I hear alcoholic makes you stupid.” To which Fry replies, “No I’m…doesn’t!”
Why “No I’m Doesn’t!” Is Billy West’s Favorite Fry Line in Futurama
“It’s kind of obscure, but it always cracked me up because I misinterpreted it,” West exclusively told SYFY Wire over a recent Zoom call. “I didn’t get it and looked at [series co-developer and showrunner] David [X. Cohen]. I said, ‘No, I’m…doesn’t’? He said, ‘Please read it as written.’ Okay, alright, whatever you want. And then, when I saw it on TV, I was [shocked]. It was the most honest acting I ever did in my life because Fry doesn’t know what he’s saying, and I didn’t know what I was saying. It rang so true.”
Twenty-four years after that episode originally aired, the Matt Groening-created series is still going strong, with Hulu as its current home following stints at Fox, Adult Swim and Comedy Central. While it hasn’t enjoyed a steady run like The Simpsons, the fact that the show keeps being revived is a testament to the popularity of the 31st century characters.
West knew Futurama had entered the pop culture lexicon when he started seeing the memes: “Why not zoidberg?,” “Shut up and take my money!,” “I don’t want to live on this planet anymore, and “Your [blank] is bad and you should feel bad!”
“Thanks to the writers, the memes were, here, there, and everywhere,” said West. “People that just joined the party late think memes started with Futurama and, of course, that’s not true. There were so many quotable things that people picked up on and tossed at each other in real life. I felt it was just an incredible dynamic.”
New episodes of Futurama (now in its 14th season) debut on Hulu every Monday.
