Futurama is one of those shows that only gets better with age. Although the show had a large fanbase during its original run on Fox, it was always doomed to live in The Simpson's shadow. No matter how finely crafted the show's humor was, it could never surmount the cultural impact and emotional attachment that viewers had developed with The Simpsons. As a result, Futurama was deemed "the lesser show" until it found a second life on Adult Swim in the mid-2000s. Once the series could exist in its own environment, people started to truly appreciate Futurama for the genius it always possessed.
The truth is that Futurama was actually brilliant from the first episode. The pilot is loaded to the brim with great gags and a massive easter egg that explains the series' universe for eagle-eyed fans. You can check out a rough version of Futurama's hilarious first episode in the video linked above.
