If you're a fan of science fiction, comedy, and/or womanizing robots, then you're probably aware that the animated sci-fi comedy Futurama is back by popular demand and currently airing new episodes on Comedy Central. Today at Comic-Con, Comedy Central held a press conference for the show which is currently in its sixth season. Futurama creator Matt Groening (creator of The Simpsons) and executive producer David X. Cohen (former writer/producer for The Simpsons) as well as members of the cast including: Billy West, John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche, and Lauren Tom took questions from the press for about half an hour before being presented with plaques from Guinness World Records for being “The most critically acclaimed animated series currently on television.”

As to be expected, the press conference was casual, light-hearted, and filled with questions and answers about the show's return. For your reading pleasure, I've generated a bulleted list of highlights from the press conference after the jump.

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Image via Matt Groening

Matt Groening (creator):

  • Attributes the show's return to the constant/chronic devotion of the fans
  • Says the show has never received censorship notes since being on Comedy Central
  • Mentions an upcoming episode which features two characters kissing...Notes that the audience will have never seen the kiss coming
  • Is always impressed with the amount of Futurama tattoos present at Comic-Con
  • He isn't sure whether or not earlier seasons of The Simpsons and Futurama will be released on Blu-ray...Joked they will be available on Laser-Disc
  • Claims that the show still has plenty of yet-uncovered ideas from its original inception
  • An ultimate goal would be to release a full-length Futurama film that is released in theaters
  • Admits to having attended comic conventions since 1979 when he would bring Xerox copies of his comic Life in Hell and “be ignored by underground cartoonists”
  • Enjoys Comic-Con because it is “full of people participating in things that they love”

David X. Cohen (executive producer):

  • Says the new season has garnered solid ratings/reviews and, in his mind, the new episodes are as good as anything they've done thus far
  • They just recorded the last of the 26 episodes ordered by Comedy Central which will not finish airing until Summer 2011
  • Mentions that this season's finale will be the show's 100th episode and that it will follow Leela's leading of discriminated mutant people out of the sewers in a fight for equal rights
  • The finale will show the reincarnation of Futurama in three different animation styles
  • In regards to the science of the show, acknowledges that the writing staff features members of the science community who have Masters degrees and PhD's
  • Says that the writers like to sprinkle in threads of continuity on occasion as a reward to diehard fans

Billy West (voice of: Fry, Prof. Farnsworth, and Dr. Zoidberg among others):

  • Claims that he pursued a career in acting simply because he had no other earthly skills
  • Admits to having Dr. Zoidberg voice duels w/ DiMaggio and LaMarche while recording
  • Says his favorite ancillary character to voice is a “ball of light” character that appeared once and attempted to pick up dates at the bar
  • Feels like success hasn't taught him anything and that everything he has learned about the entertainment business has come via failure...Tells everyone to be the “best Snooki you can be”

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John DiMaggio (voice of: Bender, Flexo, and Robot Santa among others):

  • Refers to the new episodes of the show as “Zombie Futurama
  • Tells a story in which he was getting a tattoo in LA late at night and ran into a man getting a Bender tattoo on his neck...He ended up autographing the man's neck and the man had the tattoo artist match the signature with a tattoo
  • Calls voicing the Joker in Batman: Under the Red Hood a “trip” and said that he was very nervous to voice the iconic character
  • Says his favorite ancillary character to voice is Earl the Robot Cop

Maurice LaMarche (voice of: Kif, Morbo, and Calculon among others):

  • Says returning to the show came naturally like remembering to ride a bike...The show picked up exactly where it left off
  • In response to a question about pursuing a career in entertainment, he calls Hollywood “a place full of the people who didn't quit”
  • In regards to other voiceover work, claims that Futurama is his top priority

Lauren Tom (voice of: Amy & Inez Wong):

  • Says that the voice of Inez Wong is inspired by her grandmother who would consistently tell her she was going to “beat her to death”

New episodes of Futurama air on Comedy Central Thursdays at 10pm EST

For more Comic-Con coverage, click here.