Futurama: Xmas Story

Futurama: Xmas Story (1999) — why this festive episode or special deserves a place in a Christmas television marathon.

Futurama turns Christmas into 'Xmas' and Santa into a terrifying robot who judges almost everyone naughty.

Year

1999

Best for

animated sci-fi Christmas

Why watch it at Christmas?

The best seasonal television does more than hang tinsel on an ordinary episode. It uses Christmas pressure—family, expectation, loneliness, food, gifts or forced togetherness—to make the characters more themselves than usual.

Christmas-night verdict

This one earns a place in the annual rotation. Pair it with one or two other short specials rather than letting an algorithm choose the entire evening.

Filed under: Christmas TV · animated sci-fi Christmas · 1999