Movies - TV
Futurama Relied On The Fans To Keep Its Canon Straight
By WITNEY SEIBOLD
The modern notion of “canon” can be attributed to Trekkies and Whovians in the 1960s, as they were quick to point out inconsistencies within their respective fandoms. Since then writers and show creators have been paying close attention to things like characters' personal histories and how fictional technologies work to avoid making mistakes that might confuse or irritate the most die-hard fans.
Luckily, online fan-created encyclopedias called wikis have grown in numbers and provide details on various subjects. “Futurama” co-creator David X. Cohen admitted in an interview to using wikis, saying, “We often consult fan wiki pages, where they have compiled all the appearances of various characters, and make sure we have not done what we're going to do.”
Cohen pointed out the daunting task of keeping track of everything by describing the visual aids used by one of the show’s writers, Patric Verrone. He said Verrone would “keep a little page for each episode we had ever done with a picture and a list of guest stars and the air date,” posting them on the upper wall around the room — a process he will need again now that “Futurama” has been renewed by Hulu.