Why The Simpsons Season 36 Will Release A Halloween Episode At The End Of November

Although The Simpsons Season 36 launching a Halloween special at the end of November may seem bizarre, there is a justification for this strange choice. The SimpsonsA 37th season renewal has yet to be announced, but that doesn’t mean the long-running series is playing it safe just yet. On the contrary, The Simpsons Season 36 was unexpectedly experimental in its first few outings. Season 36, Episode 1, “Bart’s Birthday,” was an ambitious meta-universe “Series finale” This finally explained why The Simpsons never ages. The following episodes were equally bold in their construction.

Not only did The Simpsons Season 36 Episode 2 kills off a returning character, but the follow-up release barely includes most of the show’s title characters. The Simpsons Season 36’s Lisa-centric episode was a big risk, but Season 36 Episode 3, “Desperately Seeking Lisa,” proved to be a triumph. Ignoring the rest of the eponymous family offered the show a chance to highlight Lisa’s ingenuity as she escaped a group of money-hungry artists in Capital City. However, although these experiments were successful, The Simpsons The Season 36 change is a little too strange to be easily justified.

The Simpsons Season 36’s Multiple Halloween Releases Mean the Gap Makes Sense

The Simpsons Season 36 Has Delayed Its Second Treehouse of Horror Episode Until November 24

Inexplicably, both The Simpsons season 36’s two Halloween episodes will arrive after the holidaywith the second reportedly airing by November 24, 2024. Although The Simpsons typically aired its Treehouse of Horror Halloween specials in November, from seasons 12 through 20, these episodes usually arrived just a few days after Halloween itself. Likewise, the Treehouse of Horror Halloween specials from seasons 35 and 32 came after the holiday, but this apparently only occurred because Halloween came mid-week in those years. The airing of Treehouse of Horror’s second episode of season 36 on November 24 is harder to understand.

That said, this approach makes some sense. The Simpsons season 36 needed a break between its Halloween offerings, so this justifies the decision to release the Ray Bradbury riff “Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes” much later. Since “Treehouse of Horror XXXV” missed Halloween and will arrive in early November, the Treehouse of Horror Presents special had to be released even later. Strangely, though, the first Treehouse of Horror Presents special, season 34, episode 5, “Not It,” was released just a week before “Treehouse of Horror XXXIII.” These two outings were met with critical acclaim.

The Simpsons released previous Halloween episodes at various points in October and November

“Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes” won’t arrive until November 24th

Although “Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes” doesn’t arrive until nearly a month after Halloween ends, it’s important to note that The Simpsons released a few episodes of Treehouse of Horror almost a month before Halloween. While “Treehouse of Horror XXXV” arriving a week late is understandable, the three-week gap before the Treehouse of Horror Presents special is also not unprecedented. Season 25, Episode 2, “Treehouse of Horror XXIV,” originally aired on October 6, 2013, while Season 24, Episode 2, “Treehouse of Horror XXIII,” arrived on October 7, 2012.

While many Simpsons mysteries are never explained, this strange timeline makes more sense the more viewers look at the Treehouse of Horror series’ release schedule so far. Season 16, Episode 1, “Treehouse of Horror XV,” and Season 22, Episode 4, “Treehouse of XXI,” both aired on November 7, a full week after Halloween. Since “Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes” arrives after another Treehouse of Horror prequel in season 36, it makes sense for the show to put a gap between its two spooky outings.

The Simpsons’ New Halloween Special Release So Late Still Feels Weird

Seasons 34 and 35’s Halloween specials were among its biggest releases

That said, it’s hard to deny that The Simpsons Season 36 Releasing Two Treehouse of Horror Halloween Specials in November Seems Weird. Prioritizing The Simpsons the Martin Scorsese parody of Season 36, which could have aired at any time of the year, was an odd decision when the show could have shown “Treehouse of Horror XXXV” instead. If Season 36’s standard Treehouse of Horror anthology episode arrived in mid-October, Season 36 Episode 4, “Shoddy Heat,” could have been replaced with “Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes.” Admittedly, this would mean airing two Halloween specials back to back.

However, this did not hurt the critical reception of Season 34’s two Halloween specials. “Not It” may have arrived just a week before “Treehouse of Horror XXXIII,” but more importantly, both episodes aired before Halloween. Viewers are naturally more likely to watch Halloween stories before the holiday than after, so it’s difficult to understand the logic of the season’s schedule. Let us hope that the late arrival of The Simpsons Season 36’s Treehouse of Horror offerings won’t negatively affect its reception among viewers.