Futurama Season 12 Finally Pays Off A 24-Year-Old Professor Farnsworth Story

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Futurama season 12, episode 1, "The One Amigo."

Summary Professor Farnsworth's iconic invention, the Fing-Longer, finally debuts in Futurama season 12 after 24 years.

The return of classic silliness in "The One Amigo" episode keeps fans laughing with nods to past episodes.

New Farnsworth inventions like reverse jetpacks and explosive USB drives add a fresh twist to the season ahead.

Futurama season 12 has come out the gate strong by revealing that Professor Farnsworth has achieved a goal he first mentioned almost a quarter of a century ago. Futurama season 11's ending may have been a high-concept affair, but Futurama season 12, episode 1, "The One Amigo," brings back the animated sitcom's famous silliness with a nod to an episode as far back as Futurama season 2.

Professor Farnsworth is one of many Futurama characters voiced by Billy West, and the senile genius is known for his almost-useless inventions and frequent declarations of "Good news, everyone!" His role in "The One Amigo" is just as central as ever, with his immense intellect once again sitting at odds with some of his underwhelming yet hilarious breakthroughs. Knowing that Farnsworth is still at his best is a promising sign for the season ahead, as is the show's willingness to look back at its earliest episodes.

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Futurama Season 12, Episode 1 Reveals Professor Farnsworth Finally Invented The Fing-Longer

The Fing-Longer has only ever shown up in a non-canon story

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Futurama season 2, episode 20, "Anthology of Interest I," revolves around the professor's What-If Machine. While the impressive device is capable of offering a look at the potential outcome of almost any scenario, it's a slightly more low-tech invention that gets the laughs. The Fing-Longer is nothing more than a left glove with a hugely extended index finger, which Farnsworth uses to activate the What-If Machine. Ultimately, it turns out the entire episode is one big glimpse of what would have happened if the professor had actually created the Fing-Longer. Finally, "The One Amigo" makes it happen.

"So, that's what things would be like if I'd invented the Fing-Longer. A man can dream, though. A man can dream." - Professor Farnsworth.

The real Fing-Longer is a little different from its conceptual counterpart. It matches the professor's skin tone rather than its previous yellow coloration, and he wears it on his right hand instead. He also uses it in a more humorous way. Rather than making use of the Fing-Longer's slightly-further-than-normal pointing capabilities, he uses it to point at elements of his museum model that would easily be within his reach without his invention to help him. In fact, his actual hand ends up further away from the model than it would have been if he wasn't wearing the Fing-Longer.

The Fing-Longer Isn't The Only Futurama Throwback Reference

"The One Amigo" also includes a Flexo reference

In the main story of "The One Amigo," Bender's visit to his ancestral home in Mexico brings with it another nod to Futurama's golden era. When Bender eats the food given to him by Abuelatron, he says, "Oh, man, that's good! I wouldn't mind having seconds." He then proceeds to take the food from his stomach and eat it again. This moment is remarkably similar to a Doctor Zoidberg scene in Futurama season 4, episode 1, "Roswell That Ends Well," where the Decapodian eats "The same deviled egg" when he reclaims it during his living autopsy.

Doblando, voiced by Danny Trejo, is almost identical to Bender.

There is also the matter of Bender's cousin to address. Doblando, voiced by Danny Trejo, is almost identical to Bender. One of the few things that separates the shared appearance of the two relatives is Doblando's robotic facial hair. In Futurama season 2, episode 11, "The Lesser of Two Evils," Bender's Twin, Flexo, would also be difficult to separate from Bender if not for the metallic whiskers. However, Doblando does have a slightly different coloration than Bender, so the confusion present in the Flexo episode isn't the same.

Futurama Season 12 Also Adds New Farnsworth Inventions

The professor doesn't stop at the Fing-Longer

Even though "The One Amigo" is the first canonical appearance of the Fing-Longer, it's still not an original concept due to the fact it has shown up on the screen of the professor's What-If Machine. Thankfully, the Futurama season 12 opener also introduces previously unseen inventions from the professor. For instance, the reverse jetpacks used by the Planet Express crew to infiltrate the museum have Farnsworth's handiwork written all over them. They only slow the user's descent at the last minute, like a really over-engineered parachute.

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The professor also reveals his USB drive, which disguises itself neatly as one of his teeth. It's probably a good security measure to add a booby trap to such a sensitive piece of hardware, but making it so explosive for a device he stores in his mouth is clearly a mistake - not even mentioning the fact he somehow managed to set off his own booby trap. With any luck, the slew of inventions from Professor Farnsworth will continue into Futurama's future, as will the return of some of the classics.

Hulu's Futurama Season 12 Release Schedule Episode Number Title Release Date (2024) 1 The One Amigo July 29 2 Quids Game August 5 3 The Temp August 12 4 Beauty and the Bug August 19 5 One is Silicon and the Other Gold August 26 6 Attack of the Clothes September 2 7 Planet Espresso September 9 8 Cuteness Overlord September 16 9 The Futurama Mystery Liberry September 23 10 Otherwise September 30