I know that people have issues with the later Futurama episodes - Dated pop culture references, trying to hard to stay relevant, some flanderizations of some characters and edgier humor than what was on FOX, but am I the only one who thinks the popularity of the MacFarlane shows contributed to Futurama's second death? In the late 2000s, Family Guy had exploded into pop culture and became a giant hit. It became the highest rated show on FOX, overtaking The Simpsons, people would recite lines from it everyday, clips on YouTube would be the highest rated, Stewie mania was everywhere, and everyone acted like it was a blessing to comedy because it was much edgier than The Simpsons and South Park. You couldn't turn a blind eye without someone talking about it. Seth MacFarlane was even the highest paid animator for a period. Futurama was never as popular as Family Guy post cancellation, but it did have a moderately high fanbase when it went into reruns on Adult Swim and even when the DVD movies were released. But I remember that when Family Guy became popular, people in the general public viewed the Matt Groening shows as lame and safe compared to Family Guy and American Dad. Very few people admitted to enjoying Simpsons or Futurama anymore. By the time Futurama had been revived, very few people cared anymore because it wasn't as edgy or as vulgar as the MacFarlane shows, which resulted in the ratings tanking and the show being cancelled again. Say what you want about American Dad, but it's been more positively received and successful than Futurama. Of course, the tables have turned because both Family Guy and American Dad are no longer popular thanks to Rick and Morty.