The Strange Detail You Never Noticed About Planet Express In Futurama

Futurama, set as far into the future as it may be, is still very much a New York City show. Yes, much like The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles before them, the animated employees of Planet Express reside in The Big Apple. While they may venture to the Bugaloo Canyons of Mars and sojourn to Omicron Persei 8, home base is still the Planet Express Headquarters in 31st century New New York.

But what part of New New York does Planet Express operate out of? Chelsea? Union Square? One of the outer boroughs? Staten Island? There are a lot of considerations when you pick an office location: train access, foot traffic, and the general food truck situation nearby — just to name a few. Unfortunately, much like the location of Springfield on The Simpsons, Planet Express seems to be everywhere and nowhere.

Let's look at each of the potential Planet Express office locations and imagine what it might be like if they were actually there.

One way we can discern the potential location of Planet Express is by trusting the show's creators. On the commentary track accompanying the episode "Bender's Game," co-show creator David X. Cohen says the Planet Express building is located somewhere on West 57th Street, placing them around the Diamond District and Hell's Kitchen — just like Daredevil!

West 57th street is an interesting neighborhood for Planet Express. Despite the fact that Futurama was a Fox show originally, being on 57th street would put Farnsworth and company close to the CBS Broadcast Center where, as of this writing, shows like 60 Minutes, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and CBS News film. West 57th is historically a hub for artists in New York City. Fun fact: The Osborne Apartments were built near Carnegie Hall. By the 1960s, the building was occupied by artistic residents and became known as the residential Carnegie Hall (via The New York Times).

On the downside, as tends to happen in New York City neighborhoods, a lot of property in Hell's Kitchen was converted into luxury high-rises, which are so expensive that part of the neighborhood has been dubbed "Billionaires' Row" (via 6sqft.com). Of course, we know from Futurama's speed through history that much of New York was destroyed and then rebuilt. We doubt there are any billionaires now living within spitting distance of such an infamous delivery company.

If Planet Express is on West 57th, that means the gang can walk south for a Broadway show, they've got easy access to the restaurants on 9th Avenue, and they're right near scenic Central Park! All that, plus easy access to the N, R, Q, and W trains making it easy to commute from the outer boroughs. For all we know, Bender and Fry's apartment is in Astoria, Queens — get some good Greek food, boys!

In the Futurama episode "Viva Mars Vegas," it's claimed that Planet Express is located somewhere on 72nd Street.

If Planet Express is on the Upper West Side, then they've got easy access to a Trader Joe's — not to mention Central Park. We've already talked about Central Park, but it's worth noting that 72nd Street is home to a very famous location right near the park: The Dakota. A lot of very famous people lived there over the years, including Judy Garland, Lauren Bacall, and Leonard Bernstein (via Apartment Therapy). It's where John Lennon and Yoko Ono lived, and it is where Lennon was assassinated. In fact, if you walk to the park just across the street from The Dakota you'll find Strawberry Fields, an area of Central Park dedicated to Lennon. For all we know, Bender and Fry's apartment complex is located where the Dakota once stood!

As for the chance that Planet Express is located on the Upper East Side, we're calling it unlikely. The neighborhood was home to Rockefellers, Roosevelts, and even Kennedys! Does that sound like Farnsworth territory to you? We also struggle with the idea of Bender and Fry chilling at the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Guggenheim. New York probably changed a lot in a millennia, but let's face it — it probably didn't change that much. Next!

In the episode "The Inhuman Torch," Planet Express is revealed to be located in Battery Park City. Since the building is often shown being near a lot water, it has always seemed likely that Planet Express is located near the southern tip of Manhattan.

There's another reason why Battery Park makes such a natural home for the Planet Express game — it's far less densely populated than the alternatives. Around 13,000 people live in Battery Park City. Compare that with the Upper West and Upper East sides, both which have populations numbering over one hundred thousand each. The smaller population plus the location south of the financial district makes for a less bustling atmosphere. Battery Park City is also a little more modern. For example, The Solaire, the first ever "green" residential building is located in Battery Park City.

Sure that means fewer cheap restaurants, opportunities to see live music, and famous residences, but it also means less fallout if Planet Express's spaceship Bessie happens to smash into something on the way home.

Is Planet Express located in Battery Park City? Is it located in any of the places we've mentioned? What do you think?

Futurama is available to stream on Hulu.