The series finale of “Futurama” airs Wednesday — and no, you’re not having déjà vu. There have been four “series finales” for the cartoon that refuses to die.
“It feels like it’s really the end to me this time. I think we’re done,” executive producer David X. Cohen tells The Post. “However, people don’t seem to believe me when I say that, because I did say the same thing two or three times before.”
The series began in 1999 on Fox. And after winning an Emmy in 2001 for Outstanding Animated Program, it was canceled in 2003.
It was brought back to life in 2007 when there were four direct-to-video films made. Comedy Central ran those in half-hour increments as a 16-episode fifth season. And, finally, Comedy Central went ahead and ordered a sixth and then a seventh season.
In April, the network announced they wouldn’t be renewing the sci-fi cartoon.
“It’s taken us 13 years to get seven seasons of shows out there,” Cohen points out. “But that’s the difference to me. We have a greater body of work behind us now. Before it was like, ‘If we only had one or two more seasons.’ ”
Central character Fry, the New York City pizza delivery man who was cryogenically frozen for one thousand years, and his motley crew of robots and humans were conceived by Cohen and Matt Groening, the famed creator of “The Simpsons.” The two have talked a lot about the possibility of reviving Fry & Co. one more time.
“An Internet series seems more likely than [a theatrical film] because we’ve talked about a film a few times and haven’t been able to drum up enough interest from Fox,” Cohen says.
But no formal discussions have happened and Cohen has taken a vow to take some time off, get some R&R and regroup later this fall.
Wednesday night, Cohen and Groening will host a live chat with fans on Comedy Central’s Web site.
“I’m excited for fans to see this episode,” Cohen says. “It’s my favorite of the series finales.”