Dystopian futures always have one tiny link that, when fractured, are easily prevented. One president. A magazine. Machines. A vote. Yet never has the link to our death, as it is in Hulu’s Future Man, been a cure. 

After religiously playing the first-person battle game Biotic Wars, Josh Futterman (Josh Hutcherson) tries a random bound-to-fail choice in the game, ultimately winning. Unknown to him however, Biotic Wars is a Last Starfighter scenario. Creating the game to find the ultimate warrior who will save the future from the biotics, Tiger and Wolf arrive immediately upon his success, only to discover their warrior is a lowly janitor for the man they need to kill. Doctor Elias Kronish (Keith David) has been developing a cure for herpes since the ‘60s, but when he finally has success in the future, it will not only be a cure for herpes, but absolutely every other illness fated to man. It has also turned humanity into bloodthirsty warriors bent on destroying all who have not been infected.

Taking multiple trips through time, Tiger and Wolf attempt to remove Dr. Kronish from the world at every point in history prior to zero hour. All the while Josh has his own plans to keep Kronish alive while preventing the same future. The only problem is the all-feared butterfly effect. Can the future actually be prevented without destroying the present in return?

Future Man is one of the first stupid comedies I’ve enjoyed in a long time, appreciating the personal development of the characters in jokes that many stoner/dirty comedies of the like don’t often take time to discover. References from the show’s open continue to be seen at the end of the season, a good reason for rewatching upon completion rather than waiting until season 2. If you are looking for a new mind-pondering half-hour comedy that uses pop culture without fail, Future Man is worth a watch.