The 36th season of The Simpsons just parodied a movie that hasn't even been released yet

Warning: This article contains minor spoilers for The Simpsons Season 36, Episode 4, “Shoddy Heat,” and Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder ClubWhile The Simpsons often parodies TV shows and movies, one season 36 episode managed the considerable achievement of spoofing a movie that hasn't even been released yet. The Simpsons He always liked to parody famous films. Already in its first presentations, the program falsified everything, from Raiders of the Lost Ark to The Twilight Zone to Good companions. The Simpsons Martin Scorsese's Season 36 parody proved that streak continues unabated in the show's latest release, as did the parody of the previous episode of HBO's acclaimed murder mystery series The White Lotus. This ride killed one Simpsons guest star.

As such, it came as a surprise when Season 36 Episode 4, “Shoddy Heat,” proved to be another parody of another murder mystery subgenre. This episode spoofed the '80s neo-noir revival with a story where Grandpa searches '80s Springfield for his missing partner. This episode revealed that Grandpa was a private investigator during the decade and was involved in a twisty plot involving Agnes Skinner and Mr. As if that wasn't complicated enough, the entire story was kicked off with a plot point that referenced a film that hasn't even been released yet.

The Simpsons Season 36 Episode 4 Borrows From Netflix's Upcoming Thursday Murder Club

The episode's plot setup is similar to Richard Osman's novel

“Shoddy Heat” owes a major plot point to author Richard Osman’s story The Thursday Murder Clubwhich director Chris Columbus is currently adapting for the screen on Netflix. Columbus' adaptation should rival Knives out as the streaming service's most star-studded murder mystery franchise, with stars like Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren among the cast. However, although The SimpsonsAlthough a parody of many films, the fact that the adaptation doesn't even have a release date yet makes the “Shoddy Heat” reference surprising. Mild spoilers for the novel follow, as they prove the nod is too specific to be a coincidence.

In The Thursday Murder Clubthe reconstruction of a cemetery results in the discovery of a coffin with a mysterious extra body. This, in turn, leads an inhabitant of a local nursing home to revisit a cold case from decades past, convinced that the extra body has some connection to this forgotten and unsolved disappearance. It is true that the stories of The Thursday Murder Club and “Shoddy Heat” diverge from this point on, as Grandpa's plot goes back to the 80s and the disappearance of his ex-partner takes on the contours of a noir story like Chinatown, Nocturnal movementsor Body Heat.

Simpsons Season 36 Doesn't Spoil Thursday Murder Club

The Simpsons episode significantly changes the plot of the hit mystery novel

However, the specific details of the mystery's setup are still surprisingly similar. Fortunately, as The Simpsons season 36 After hours parody, this storyline makes enough original changes to the source material to feel fresh and surprising. Borrowing classic films from film noir, as well as removing any actual murders from the story, “Shoddy Heat” comes up with a plot that feels nothing like The Thursday Murder Club the moment its ending arrives. That said, it is still clear where The Simpsons season 36 found the inspiration for the episode's plot inciting incident.