The Simpsons Season 36’s New Special Continues A Divisive Trend That Ends A 36-Year Run, And It's Unfair On Loyal Fans

While the scheduling of The Simpsons has remained pretty stable for the past four decades, the show’s next release proves that this is starting to change, and not necessarily for the better. The Simpsons has been on the air for a very long time. Not only is The Simpsons now the longest-running scripted primetime American TV show ever, but the series has released over 780 episodes as of February 2025. Even without The Simpsons season 37’s renewal, these are record-breaking figures that prove the series has unprecedented longevity.

This could lead viewers to reasonably assume that The Simpsons will never end, or at least that the show won’t end anytime soon. However, although the ratings for The Simpsons season 36’s Treehouse of Horror episodes are uniquely strong, the show’s average weekly viewership has been steadily declining for years. Milhouse’s voice actor Pamela Hayden retired from the role in November 2024 so, after over 35 years on the air, it is fair for viewers to wonder about the show’s future. In this regard, a major change to season 36’s release schedule is significant.

The Simpsons Season 36’s The Past and the Furious Is A Disney+ Exclusive

Season 36’s Earlier Christmas Special Was Also Released On The Streaming Service

The show will release a new episode this week, but this will not bring The Simpsons season 36’s long mid-season hiatus to an end quite yet. “The Past and the Furious” is a Disney+ exclusive even though the episode is officially part of season 36, meaning official releases of The Simpsons are now split between the Disney streaming service and its traditional Fox schedule. Until season 36, every episode of The Simpsons aired on Fox. Although most of the show's episodes were also available to stream on Disney+, their original airdates were all on the show’s home network.

The Simpsons season 36 marks the first time that full episodes were aired for the first time anywhere other than Fox.

However, in season 36, the creators announced that The Simpsons would release 22 episodes, 4 of which would air on Disney+ and 18 of which would air on Fox. This marks the first time that full episodes were aired for the first time anywhere other than Fox. Disney+ has produced plenty of standalone shorts featuring characters from The Simpsons, but never full-blown episodes. Although some ofThe Simpsons season 36’s best jokes were featured in the episodes that aired on Fox, viewers who don’t subscribe to Disney+ still missed some of the season’s strongest outings.

How Disney+ Releases Complicate The Simpsons Seasons

4 of Season 36’s Episodes Will Not Air On Fox

Disney+’s feature-length Christmas special “O C’mon All Ye Faithful” was the best festive episode The Simpsons has produced in over a decade, but the outing didn’t air on Fox for longtime viewers of the series. Similarly, “The Past and the Furious” promises to be a fun time-traveling adventure that sends Lisa back to 1923 Springfield to work with a young Monty Burns in an attempt to save Springfield’s Mini Moose population. Many fans risk missing out on this special if they aren’t also Disney+ users.

While The Simpsons isn’t necessarily switching to Disney+ as the majority of the show’s new episodes still air on Fox first, this change is still concerning. The show’s ratings aren’t increasing, so it would not be shocking if The Simpsons transitioned to the streaming service in years to come due to waning viewership.