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7 Festive Christmas Episodes To Stream On Hulu This Holiday Season

Futurama ended its latest episode with a heartfelt tribute to late rapper Coolio, who recorded his reprisal of his character Kwanzaa-Bot in the Hulu revival weeks prior to his sudden death.

Season 11 of Matt Groening and David X. Cohen’s popular animation series picks up right where the original series ended in 2012 and features appearances from many beloved guest characters, including the Holiday Trinity, comprised of Robot Santa Claus (John DiMaggio), Kwanzaa-Bot, and Chanukah Zombie (Mark Hamill).

The Aug. 28 episode – titled “I Know What You Did Next Xmas” – follows Bender (DiMaggio) and Dr. Zoidberg (Billy West) as they travel back in time to attack evil Santa. Coolio and Hamill’s characters appear as narrators of a televised holiday special that’s being watched by the Planet Express crew. The two figures tell a group of children the origin of Robot Santa Claus, which turns into a gory disaster as the robot begins his reign on the town.

At the end of the episode, Kwanzaa-Bot appears once again to perform an original rap song that details his “Futurama Xmas list for 3023.”

The episode concludes with a tribute to the “Gangsta Paradise” rapper, which reads “in memory of Coolio,” and shows Kwanzaa-Bot riding in a sleigh away from the earth, towards the sun.

Fans were touched by the tribute and many shared their reactions on social media. One wrote, “Damn what a nice send off to Coolio” and another said, “The Coolio tribute in the new Futurama episode was really cool. May he rest in peace.”

Coolio made his first appearance as Kwanzaa-Bot in the third episode of the third season – “A Tale of Two Santas” – which aired in 2001. He reprised his role in “The Futurama Holiday Spectacular” and the movie Bender’s Big Score.

After the rapper’s death, Cohen told TMZ, “Coolio was one of my favorite guests. He was always totally upbeat and genuinely enjoyed coming in to record as his character Kwanzaa-bot.”

Coolio has two more upcoming works that are expected to be released posthumously, Air Force Z and Mayday Z.

Futurama Season 11 airs Mondays on Hulu until September 25, 2023.