Assuming one doesn't count "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," that's true. But these days it may take more than lovably nutty characters, clever plot lines and a subversive wit to command attention. Ten years ago Groening's "Simpsons" slashed and burned a clearing for animation on prime-time TV. Now "Futurama," which debuts on Fox this Sunday for a two-week stint before moving to Tuesdays, must do battle in what's increasingly become a jungle overgrown with cartoon iconoclasm. At least eight animated comedies will be on the schedule by May, including "Family Guy," an envelope-pushing family farce that will also air on Fox. "What I like about what's happening in animation now is that each show feels like it's the vision of its creators," Groening says. "But there may be too many. It was nice when 'The Simpsons' was the only one."

To succeed, "Futurama," which pokes fun at the brave new world of the 31st century, must first navigate the scared new world of network television. The more viewership declines, the twitchier TV execs get. "When you look under the table and you see the tassels on their loafers shaking, you know that there's fear at work here," says Groening. The cartoonist demands and gets complete autonomy. The problem is that hit-hungry suits tend to single out one or two new shows for a big push and at the moment it seems Fox is favoring "Family Guy," the brainchild of 25-year-old Seth MacFarlane, a former Hanna-Barbera animator it's signed to a $2.5 million deal. Next month that show will take over the choice Sunday-night slot that "Futurama" coveted, right after "The Simpsons." Meanwhile, Groening's baby will head to Tuesday nights, sandwiched between "King of the Hill" and "The PJs" as part of a two-hour block of animation. Groening is less than pleased. "Because the field is so crowded and Fox has buried 'Futurama' on Tuesday night, I don't know if my audience will find it," he says. "But if they do, it'll be a smash."

Fox "respectfully" declined to comment on the apparent dis to Groening, but we'll tell you this we're willing to give "Futurama" a chance. While judging a series by its pilot is like reviewing the first paragraph of a novel, the show's debut is both intriguing and reassuring. We're not in Springfield anymore, that's for sure but it's clear we are in the hands of a man who knows his audience. The first episode introduces us to Fry (Billy West), a long-suffering 25-year-old pizza-delivery boy dispatched to a cryogenics lab on New Year's Eve, 1999. Our hero stumbles into the machinery, freezes up for 1,000 years and emerges in a new New York that's equal parts George Jetson and George Orwell. The cross-town bus is no more; in its place is a pneumatic tube that whisks commuters to their destinations and slams them into walls when they get there. Just as lowly Fry realizes he's got a chance to reinvent himself, the government intervenes, assigning him his new, futuristic career: delivery boy. The premiere also introduces Leela (Katey Sagal), a sexy one-eyed alien who starts off as Fry's oppressor and ends up as his ally. In the coming-soon-to-a-T-shirt-near-you category, there's Bender (John DiMaggio), a corrupt robot who derides humans as "meatbags," but proves to be a loyal pal. Eventually, the three team up as a sort of spacefaring FedEx crew.

The first episode carries the burden of exposition, but still manages to wedge in some stellar gags. At one point Fry visits a museum where the disembodied heads of long-gone celebrities are kept alive in jars. Fry asks Leonard Nimoy's head how he and his kindred crania pass the time. "We share our wisdom with those who seek it," Nimoy intones gravely. "It is a life of quiet dignity." Seconds later we're watching Nimoy's head frantically gobble fish food an attendant has dumped into the jar. It's a moment that's pure Groening, an abrupt and savage deflation of pomposity. "I think this show's going to really amuse fans of science fiction," he says, "because what science-fiction fans put up with is just disgraceful."

As the series progresses, Groening and a team of writers led by the show's co-creator, "Simpsons" vet David X. Cohen, aim to expand the show's universe literally and turn it into the sort of richly populated milieu that has kept "The Simpsons" so entertaining for so long. Among the characters coming is archvillain Mom, the richest woman in the world. Corporate bad guys are a familiar target for Groening. "I guess if there's any underlying theme to my work, it's that your leaders don't always have your best interests at heart," he says. "When people are telling you what to do and how to think, maybe you should take a second look. I imagine 'The Simpsons' and 'Futurama' being broadcast in these little towns all across America, giving hope to some isolated weirdo that sits in the back of the class drawing cartoons." If that just means more competition for Groening in the future, so be it. He'll manage to stand out.