With the use of floating heads in glass jars, the creators of Futurama came up with a clever way to make 2000-era celebrities relevant in the year 3000. Futurama opened the door for the cast of Star Trek, a Lucy Liu android and even a megalomaniacal Richard Nixon to entertain the masses.
Plenty of other familiar people got the honor of voicing their own characters and left us with some memorable performances. That’s why we went and ranked the best guest stars to voice themselves on Futurama. [So, sadly, no Robot Santa, who’s the best guest character ever.]
Snoop Dogg
Do you remember when Snoop Dogg had everyone thinking it was cool to throw random a random “izzle” into every other word? His appearance in Futurama came in the middle of that moment when he played the head — no pun intended — of the galactic Supreme Court. And while that, in and of itself, merits consideration for this list, the merging of worlds real and fictional that occurred when Leela let out a “may it plizzle the cozzizzle” puts it over the top. Yes, that’s what passes for a historic moment.
Pamela Anderson
Futurama got so many things right about the future that it’s actually kind of scary. One of their bold-at-the-time predictions was that there would one day be a Baywatch movie. Sadly, the real thing won’t star Pamela Anderson in an Oscar-worthy performance that is done completely in slow-motion.
Matt Groening and David X. Cohen
Futurama‘s co-developers, Matt Groening and David X. Cohen, entered the on-screen world of the show when they sat in on a panel at a comic book convention and basically pitched a Futurama knockoff that got canceled in three seconds. But while it was made perfectly clear to not ask Matt about that other really popular show he created that featured a family in a town called Springfield, Bender did it anyway. Groening and Cohen get all the points for going meta years before such a device began straining the bounds of acceptability.
The Cast of Star Trek
“Where No Fan Has Gone Before” saw a reunion of many of the original Star Trek crew, including William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. The episode was full of inside jokes and references to the show as the characters played fictional and comical versions of themselves (we assume). This wasn’t the first time on Futurama for Leonard Nimoy, though. He also appeared in the Futurama pilot.
Beastie Boys
Ad-Roc, MCA, and Mike D notably helped bring fans from other genres into the hip-hop fold in the 1980s thanks, in part, to their dynamic stage (and video) presence. So, when the trio appeared on Futurama for a concert and got pushed out on a cart with only their heads intact, it was natural to assume they wouldn’t have that same flare. Then they got picked up by three guys in black body suits and they still managed to rock the house.
Oh, and let’s not forget that they’re a recorded part of the Robot Hell soundtrack. Sadly, however, that isn’t good enough to rank as the best musical act to appear on the show…
Beck
The creators of Futurama apparently liked Beck enough to let him costar in an entire episode alongside Bender, thus granting him the honor of top music guest on this list. In the episode, Bender gets into an accident with an oversized can opener and loses the ability to move. Now disabled, he goes on tour with Beck, who doesn’t have a body at all, and becomes a symbol for disabled and obsolete robots everywhere. So you see, there’s heart here, as well.
Al Gore
The notion that Al Gore created the internet and his campaign to inform people about the dangers of global warming will outlive the memory of his political career, specifically because the former Vice President had no issue lampooning his image on shows like 30 Rock and Futurama; which had an in with the almost-President because his daughter, Kristin Gore, wrote for the show.
You would think that Gore would rank higher, but while he won the popular vote among us, he couldn’t quite clear the Uproxx Electoral College.
Too soon? Too lame?
Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking possesses one of the world’s greatest minds, but while he usually uses that asset for good, on Futurama, he’s kind of a jerk. Which is why his cameo appearances (of which there were four) add up to the silver medal on this list. Dude has range.
Lucy Liu
In the third season, Futurama‘s writers combined illegal downloads, celebrities, and robots to give Fry the ability to date a Lucy Liu android. Naturally, he got a little too deep with his increasingly unhealthy relationship, prompting the real Lucy Liu to convince him to let his relationship with a glorified blow up doll go. Emotion! It wins out every time. Also, Lucy Liu was in Kill Bill AND Ally McBeal, so by virtue of that coolness, she tops this list. The world is fair, everyone is happy, go home.
