Alcatraz

'Futurama' (1993-1999, FOX; 2009-present, Comedy Central)

Ah, the show that the fans just wouldn't let die.

"The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening and cohort David X. Cohen hatched this animated series about a pizza-delivery guy, Philip J. Fry (the voice of Billy West), who ... moreaccidentally falls into a cryogenic freezing chamber and wakes up in the pretty-distant future (1,000 or so years in the future). Fry and his new friends encounter mutants, alien invasions, evil corporations and psychotic, robotic Santas, while trying to make this "new" Earth a better place to live.

It got tagged early on as a "sci-fi Simpsons," a not-kind comparison to that other, long-running animation program. But after being canceled and then revived, eventually "Futurama" found its legs, and now it's at least as good as its big brother, if not even better. The endearing characters -- we're partial to hard-drinking robot Bender Bending Rodriguez and crustacean physician Dr. Zoidberg -- are a big draw.

(FOX)