HANNIBAL and FUTURAMA: Q&A Panel Recap on the Last Day of New York Comic Con 2024 [NBC, Hulu, NYCC 2024]

Hannibal and Futurama Q&A Recap

New York Comic Con, Day 4, Hannibal and Futurama Panel Recap.

It was a bittersweet moment for Hannibal fans when Mads Mikkelsen and Hugh Dancy graced the Empire Stage on Sunday afternoon. It was the last panel of 2024 New York Comic Con. The two onscreen adversaries were a reminder of what we haven’t had in nearly 10 years. A new Hannibal episode.

It’s a testament to the strength of the show that as many fans turned out for their two-person panel on Sunday afternoon as they did. “Fannibals,” as they like to be referred to, watched along and jeered as the two actors fielded questions for an hour. Unfortunately, the moderator (whose name isn’t in the program) seemed to ask the same questions 27 different times for the entirety of the panel. At different points in the hour-long Q&A, Hugh Dancy became visibly annoyed with the continuous series of questions.

No, they aren’t making any new Hannibal episodes. Yes, they miss working together and had a wonderful time on set. Both actors handled themselves well, but large swathes of the crowd began to move toward the nearest exit about halfway through. I think it would have been better served to push this panel up in the program.

On several occasions, the moderator danced around asking direct questions about the recently problematic showrunner of Hannibal, Brian Fuller, but Mikkelsen and Dancy had nothing but kind and inspiring words to say about their former boss. Perhaps a more pointed question would have woken the actors up a bit. Mikkelsen made several jokes at the audience’s expense as they cheered on his cannibalistic character and the grain of hope that one day he would return to the role. With that signature smirk, he said, “You’re really all a bunch of sick (expletives),” which got a raucous laugh from the crowd.

Again, nothing new on the Hannibal front, but it was still awesome to see these two get back together. Even if they had to answer repetitive questions for 60 minutes.

Futurama is back!

Hulu fully revived the show in 2022 and then subsequently ordered two more seasons in 2023. But on Sunday, New York Comic Con  was graced with a panel of five from the show, including actors Billy West and John DiMaggio, executive producer Claudia Katz, supervising director Pete Avanzino, producer/moderator Lee Supercinski, and series creator Matt Groening.

And what a fun panel it was!

Before the animated titans took the main stage at the Javits Center, audience members watched a short ad from the Hypnotoad. Once introduced and on stage, a draw-off between Groening and Avanzino ensued. Three rounds, thirty seconds each, who could draw the best Futurama character. While the two artists scribbled on their canvas, West (Fry) and DiMaggio (Bender) leapt into character to make fun of anything that moved both on stage and off. Who won? Well, that’s tough to say because Groening cheated and had pre-drawn sketches under the ones he scribbled on. It didn’t matter; they’d all be gifted to audience members later. You definitely got the feeling that these guys don’t take themselves too seriously.

Once the ultra-serious drawoff was settled, the rest of the panel was left open to audience questions. Two lines quickly formed, with a third forming in the dark off to the side. They didn’t even have a microphone. It’s not surprising; the Futurama fanbase is one of the most loyal out there, especially after the show took such a long hiatus and is now back in full force.

The audience questions were pretty good, with a highlight being when an aspiring actor asked about advice for young voice actors trying to break into the business. After the usual answers of hard work and toughness, Billy West  ended it with a heartwarming, “We’re saving a seat for you up here.”

Every question that gained the approval of the panel was gifted a drawing from Groening himself. Both the pre-drawn sketches and the ones he scribbled on stage. It was a colorful, nerdy, and exciting experience in the theater. I’d expect nothing less from the Futurama panel.

The coolest part of the Q&A came after the questions when they screened about 5 minutes of an unfinished episode from the upcoming season. It was a bit of inside baseball with just black and white storyboards and unmixed audio, but the energy was palpable. Fans of the show can relax; they are in good hands.

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