LOS ANGELES (March 25) -- It's the year 3000, where "talking head"is a literal term, the national slogan is the repressive "You gotta do whatyou gotta do" and suicide booths are a street corner staple. You're not laughing now, but you will be: This is the world of"Futurama," a wickedly funny animated series from Matt Groening, creator of "TheSimpsons." It debuts 8:30 p.m. EST Sunday on Fox, and moves to a regular Tuesday 8:30 p.m. slot on April 6.

There it becomes part of an all-animated lineup that includes "King ofthe Hill" and "The PJs," underscoring the rise of cartoons innetwork prime time. Like "The Simpsons," the new series (co-produced by David X. Cohenof longtime "Simpsons" service) pokes fun at the foibles of people and society. But it also feasts, lovingly, on the cliches of science fiction.

Let others drool in anticipation of the forthcoming "Star Wars"prequel. Force, schmorce; we'll happily settle for the adventures of Fry and his buddies: Leela, the one-eyed intergalactic babe and Bender, a robot with an attitude and a drinking problem.

A decade after "The Simpsons" began, we finally have anothervehicle for the Groening blend of visual and verbal wit and juvenile slapstick thatguarantees entertainment for the entire 20th century (and beyond) family. "Futurama" opens in present-day New York City, where we meet Fry, aslacker with a crummy pizza-delivery job and an unfaithful girlfriend. "I hatemy life, I hate my life, I hate my life," he mutters.

He quickly gets to shed it after stumbling into the Applied Cryogenicsoffice (company motto: "No power failures since 1997"). A thousand yearswhiz by in a clever sequence, and our hero emerges as a fish out of water. Yes, New Yorkers are still rude. Bosses haven't gotten any better than Mr. Burns. But a millennium does make a difference.

Pneumatic tubes are the high-tech subway system. For just 25 cents you can check out at any one of the convenient "Stop and Drop" locations,"America's favorite suicide booth since 2008." Spacecraft are home-kit stuff.

But the world still has Richard Nixon to kick around: The heads of movers, shakers and celebrities of the past are preserved in museums to share their wisdom. (Look for a quick glimpse of Groening's mug, perched next to Barbra Streisand's.)This clever device allows "Futurama" to use "The Simpsons" trick of scattering celebrities throughout its stories. The tete-a-tete guest voices on thefirst episode are Leonard Nimoy and Dick Clark.

At first, Fry is delighted with the change in scenery. But he soon rebels at the rigidity of this brave new world: Tests have shown his greatest potential is as a delivery boy, so he must be implanted with a chip that is a permanent job sentence.

That sets up the conflict that will carry Fry, Leela and Bender into adventures on Earth and distant planets, and it promises to be a wild ride. The talented voices behind the cartoon figures are Billy West (Fry and other characters); Katey Sagal (Leela) and John DiMaggio (Bender and others). West has done extensive animation voice work, including both TV's Ren and Stimpy and Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd in the film "Space Jam."

Sagal (Peg Bundy on "Married ... With Children") proves a naturalas a voice- over artist, as does DiMaggio, a comic whose acting credits include a recurring role on "Chicago Hope" as resident Sean Underhill. Groening, a longtime sci-fi buff, calls the future a natural subject for animation, one ignored since 1962-63's "The Jetsons." That seriesfailed to take satiric advantage of the turf; the pedigree of "Futurama," andits timing, ensures against that.

"With 'Star Wars' and 'Star Trek' and all the other science fictionthat's out there, it's fun to be able to comment on it in a witty way," Groening said in an interview.

Which is not to suggest a viewer must be steeped in the wisdom of Obi-Wan or Mr. Spock to enjoy "Futurama"; many of the sci-fi references are familiar enough to be obvious.

Besides, one of the joys of Groening's work is that viewers can search out the sly comedic references or just enjoy the ones that smack you in the face. "My goal is to reward people for paying attention. If you just watch theway most people watch TV, the show will go by and it will be fine," saidGroening. "But if you want, there's more to it."

Speaking of sly, Groening notes that he has been criticized for providing questionable role models in "The Simpsons." Underachieving Bart, beer-swilling Homer and other characters have come under attack since the show's debut. This time, most of the unseemly behavior seems to be the province of Bender the robot -- who, Groening reasons, can't really be deemed a role model. Sounds like wishful, 30th-century thinking.