“FUTURAMA: THE BEAST WITH A BILLION BACKS”

Like a venereal disease, prime-time cartoons always seem to return with a vengeance. And like this proverbial case of herpes, “Futurama” is no different. This second post-TV installment of the lauded sci-fi/comedy cartoon from the creator of “The Simpsons” again lands in straight-to-DVD format. This time around, 20th Century relic Philip J. Fry & crew embark on another signature off-the-wall adventure in the year 3000.

The story begins exactly where we left off in the last DVD — with a huge rip in the universe. Leave it to a pity-partying Fry to inadvertently expose our side of the rip to a monstrous, tentacle-clad beast, who buries an arm in each person in the universe. The beast’s intentions aren’t as insidious as you might think — it eventually leads to an inter-dimensional love affair. Meanwhile, perennial intern Amy Wong marries her bug of a boyfriend, the Professor joins forces with his longtime rival Wernstrom and slackerbot Bender feels slighted by Fry’s new paramour.

While the animation seems to get better with every new installment, this adventure fell a little flat. The silly characters, however, are a good antidote to a tedious and overly layered plot with less humor than I’ve come to expect from the show. But, as with “The Simpsons,” fresh material can’t be pulled out of thin air. Cameos from Brittany Murphy and David Cross help, though.

Overly geeked fans will no doubt follow and appreciate this installment, even if it’s not the series’ strongest. But for new fans of the show, I suggest boning up on the series via Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim.

Mike McMillan, Independent-Mail