| "That's Lobstertainment!" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Futurama episode | |||
| Episodeno. | Season 3 Episode 8 | ||
| Directed by | Bret Haaland | ||
| Written by | Patric M. Verrone | ||
| Production code | 3ACV08 | ||
| Original air date | February 25, 2001 (2001-02-25) | ||
| Guest appearance | |||
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| Episode features | |||
| Opening caption | Deciphered FromCrop Circles | ||
| Opening cartoon | "Box Car Blues" fromLooney Tunes byHarman-Ising Productions (1930) | ||
| Episode chronology | |||
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| Futuramaseason 3 | |||
| List of episodes | |||
"That's Lobstertainment!" is the eighth episode in thethirdseason of the American animated television seriesFuturama, and the 40th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on theFox Network in the United States on February 25, 2001. In this episode,Dr. Zoidberg reveals that he is a close relative of the "silent hologram" era actor, Harold Zoid. After finding Harold in a restaurant, Zoidberg decides to help him finance a film to revitalize his career.
The show's producers have said that "That's Lobstertainment!" is considered one of the series' least popular episodes. “That’s Lobstertainment!” was written byPatric M. Verrone and directed byBret Haaland, and has received mixed critical reception.
After a disastrous attempt at stand-up comedy,Dr. Zoidberg informs the crew that his uncle, Harold Zoid, was a star in thesilent hologram era. Zoidberg writes to his uncle, asking for help with his comedy act. The washed-up Harold Zoid sees this as an opportunity to restart his career. The crew sets off forHollywood. While taking a bus tour of movie stars' homes,Bender leaves the tour, and scams his way into employment asCalculon's water heater. Shortly afterward, Zoidberg meets his uncle in a restaurant. Harold Zoid tells him to give up comedy, because he would be perfect for drama, and he needs Zoidberg to finance a drama to the tune of a million dollars. As Zoidberg is practically broke, Bender tells Calculon that he can star in the movie if he provides the production money. Calculon initially refuses on account of disliking the font, but after learning Harold Zoid wrote the script, and getting a guarantee from Bender that he will win anOscar, he accepts.
The film,The Magnificent Three, is a story about a son (the Vice-President of Earth) not wanting to follow in his father's (the President of Earth) footsteps. Due to Harold Zoid's inexperience with drama and outdated directorial style, the movie is terrible, and at the premiere, the entire audience walks out. Furious, Calculon threatens to kill Bender, Zoidberg, and Harold Zoid if they do not get him an Oscar. They all agree to rig the awards. Meanwhile,Leela andFry crash their ship in theLa Brea Tar Pits on the way to the premiere. When the awards reach the Best Actor award, Dr. Zoidberg tosses presenterBilly Crystal off the stage and takes his place. In place of the fifth nominee, he substitutes Calculon. But when he sees his uncle's depression at being a has-been, Zoidberg announces him as the winner.
In his acceptance speech, Harold Zoid says his nephew's gesture has made him realize that the award itself is secondary to the knowledge that someone, even if only one person, still respects him as a filmmaker. Calculon, somewhat chastened by this speech, decides not to kill him or the others. Fry and Leela finally escape from the tar pits and are allowed to enter the after party when the skeleton they are dragging is recognized as that ofSylvester Stallone.
In theDVD commentary, the producers note that the episode is generally considered by fans to be one of the worst episodes of the series.[1]
"That's Lobstertainment!" originally aired February 25, 2001, onFox. In its original American broadcast, "That's Lobstertainment!" was watched by an estimated 8.06 million viewers and ranked 70th for the week of February 19 – 25, 2001.[2]
Zach Handlen ofThe A.V. Club gave "That's Lobstertainment!" a positive review, saying "while [it] isn’t the sharpest written episode of the series, it has a place in my heart".[3]
In 2023,Collider listed the "10 Funniest 'Futurama' Episodes", placing this episode in the #10 spot. The author gave praise towards the episode for its "[poking] fun at the entertainment industry".[4]
This one is roundly considered by the newsgroup mavens as the worst episode ever
