The Simpsons Season 35 Premiere Date Revealed, Including 4 Disney+ Exclusive Episodes

With Springfield’s favorite family taking to the stage at D23, The Simpsons season 36 premiere date as well as season 35’s streaming release date have been revealed, alongside the announcement of four new episodes set to release exclusively on Disney+. The long-running animated sitcom’s 35th season previously aired on Fox from October 2023 to May 2024, concluding with its 18th episode, “Bart’s Brain” on May 19th. Season 35 featured a grim alternate ending to a classic episode in “Treehouse of Horror XXXIV”, two Doctor Who icons in a tender romantic tale for Groundskeeper Willie (Dan Castellanetta), a nerdy cruise mystery, and the death of a longstanding character.

As Screen Rant attended D23’s adult animation-focused The Animation Greats panel + Bob’s Burgers, Futurama, and The Simpsons Presented by Hulu Animayhem panel, it was confirmed that alongside The Simpsons season 36’s star-studded premiere episode’s September 29 airing date that season 35 would arrive on Disney+ shortly after on October 2. Alongside the recent season’s streaming premiere, four new full-length episodes will be released exclusively on the service, as well as a new Halloween-themed short. The new episodes include “The Past and the Furious”, the White Lotus-parodying “Yellow Planet”, and the two-part “O C’mon All Ye Faithful” seasonal special.

Is The Simpsons’ Streaming-Exclusive Episodes A Good Move?

Could familiar story structures and milestone episodes bring viewers to Disney+?

With new full-length episodes now releasing exclusively to Disney+, The Simpsons is heading into uncharted territory as a brand. While the show has had Disney+ exclusive stories in the past, this has been largely limited to non-canon shorts celebrating its parent company’s other recognizable properties. Furthermore, while the series has not seen a home media release since 2019 as greater emphasis was placed on digital storefronts, these new episodes will likely never reach this distribution method. As such, many longtime fans may have difficulty accepting this new change in release method.

Furthermore, with each episode’s title, The Simpsons‘ Disney+ exclusive outings seem set to take on classic episode formulae. While “Yellow Planet’s” parody subject has already been confirmed, “The Past and the Furious’s” title structure hints towards the return of the enjoyable, but often timeline-muddling flashback episode. What stands out most may be “O C’mon All Ye Faithful”, which was described in the panel as both a seasonal adventure and intentionally timed to celebrate the show’s anniversary, something that some fans may feel should warrant it having a traditional broadcast release, rather than just dropping onto a streaming platform.

Though it remains to be seen if The Simpsons‘ venture into Disney+ exclusive programming could be a hit, many will welcome the series’ D23 update. Alongside a star-studded season 36 premiere that could see the return of a beloved Danny Devito-voiced early-season character, new exclusive adventures are undoubtedly going to draw viewers to Disney+ for its recently released season’s streaming release. Though there is no word on what comes next for the show after season 36, it is clear Springfield’s residents remain a vital asset to Disney’s streaming programming.

The Simpsons

4.5

The Simpsons is a long-running animated TV series created by Matt Groening that satirically follows a working-class family in the misfit city of Springfield. Homer, a bit of a schmoe who works at a nuclear power plant, is the provider for his family, while his wife, Marge, tries to keep sanity and reason in the house to the best of her ability. Bart is a born troublemaker, and Lisa is his super-intelligent sister who finds herself surrounded by people who can’t understand her. Finally, Maggie is the mysterious baby who acts as a deus ex machina when the series calls for it. The show puts the family in several wild situations while constantly tackling socio-political and pop-culture topics set within their world, providing an often sharp critique of the subjects covered in each episode. This series first premiered in 1989 and has been a staple of Fox’s programming schedule ever since.

Cast

Tress MacNeille , Julie Kavner , Harry Shearer , Pamela Hayden , Nancy Cartwright , Hank Azaria , Dan Castellaneta , Yeardley Smith

Release Date

December 17, 1989

Seasons

35

Network

FOX

Franchise(s)

The Simpsons

Writers

Matt Groening , James L. Brooks , Sam Simon

Directors

David Silverman , Jim Reardon , Mark Kirkland

Showrunner

Al Jean

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