Ken Keeler

The writer who crafted multiple season finales for Futurama.

Ken Keeler is the writer behind "Meanwhile", the twenty-sixth episode of the seventh season of Futurama, and the 140th episode of the series (though the count varies when including movies). He also wrote three other episodes that served as season finales: "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings" (season 4 finale), "Overclockwise" (season 6 finale), and co-wrote "Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder" with David X. Cohen. Keeler's work on "Meanwhile" was directed by Peter Avanzino and premiered on Comedy Central on September 4, 2013, alongside a special preshow and aftershow called Futurama Live.

Lore & Background

Ken Keeler wrote "Meanwhile" as a conclusion to the series' original run, centering on the romantic relationship between Philip J. Fry and Turanga Leela. The plot involves Professor Farnsworth's invention—a device that lets the user travel back in time by ten seconds—which Fry steals and abuses to propose to Leela. The episode was watched by 2.21 million people in its original broadcast. Following this episode, the characters also appeared in The Simpsons crossover "Simpsorama" on November 9, 2014, the 2017 mobile game "Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow", and other minor media appearances before the series returned on Hulu in 2023 with "The Impossible Stream", which picks up directly after "Meanwhile". Note: The August 17, 2014 episode "Stench and Stenchibility" aired after "Meanwhile" chronologically, so it is not listed as appearing before it.

Reader's Guide

Ken Keeler's episodes are known for their intricate time-travel plots and emotional conclusions. In "Meanwhile", the time button affects everything in the entire universe simultaneously, and anyone outside the Professor's shelter when the device is reused less than ten seconds later cannot be reformed. The episode features specific moments: Fry dies upon hitting the ground, Leela uses the button to undo his death, and Bender engineers an airbag rescue. The mysterious glimmer that bothers Fry and Leela for decades turns out to be the Professor, who repairs the broken button with a single modification. Critical reception was strong—Max Nicholson of IGN gave it a 9 out of 10, Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club graded it an A, and IndieWire listed it among the best TV series finales.

Did You Know?

Ken Keeler wrote three episodes that served as season finales for Futurama: "The Devil's Hands Are Idle Playthings" (season 4), "Overclockwise" (season 6), and "Meanwhile" (season 7).
The Professor repairs the broken time button with a single modification that returns the universe to a point before its conception, erasing everyone's memories.