The year was 1988. Rain Man was at the top of the box office, Belinda Carlisle realized heaven is a place on Earth, and a less-young Joe Piscopo was still teaching us how to laugh in Dead Heat. It’s also the last year to not feature a new (full-length) episode of The Simpsons. The animated series premiered on Fox in 1989, and the rest was record-breaking history.
But now that 20th Television Animation, which produces The Simpsons, is owned by Disney, the show’s future on its long-time broadcast home looks murkier than ever.
It was announced during D23 that four new episodes of The Simpsons will debut exclusively on Disney Plus, including a double Christmas-themed episode timed to the 35th anniversary of the first (aired) episode, “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire.” The other two, “The Past and the Furious” and “Yellow Planet,” will air in the “months ahead,” according to Disney.
These will be the first-ever Simpsons episodes to not have their original broadcast on Fox, although multiple shorts, including “The Force Awakens from Its Nap,” “The Good, the Bart, and the Loki,” and the Billie Eilish-starring “When Billie Met Lisa,” premiered on Disney Plus.
Even if you haven’t watched since that fateful day at Springfield Speedway, The Simpsons not premiering new episodes on Fox matters. It hints at a future where it’s a streaming-only show; friendly rival Family Guy is dipping its toes — all 10 of them — in the water, too. Plus, as noted by TVLine, Fox isn’t lacking in Sunday night animated series, although none are as popular as The Simpsons.
The Simpsons has only (“only”) been renewed on Fox through season 36, which premieres in September, and it will likely continue for years to come. But where? This is one prediction that’s too soon to make.