“The Simpsons” is returning sooner than fans expected. The third Disney+ exclusive episode will premiere on Feb. 12, roughly a month-and-a-half before Season 36 is expected to return to Fox.
Titled “The Past and the Furious,” the episode will see Lisa traveling back to 1923. That’s when she discovers that the Springfield Mini Moose, which were once key to the town’s ecosystem, were driven to extinction in 1925. Lisa teams up with a far younger Monty Burns to save the moose, but her actions have unintended consequences. Prepare to learn how Lisa transformed Mr. Burns into the money-hungry tycoon he is today.
Previously, the second half of Season 36 was not expected to return until its March 30 premiere on Fox. The series aired 13 episodes in 2024 and is expected to return with “The Flandshees of Innersimpson.”
“The Past and the Furious” marks three of four Season 36 episodes that are exclusive to Disney+. The first was two-part Christmas special “O C’mon All Ye Faithful,” which premiered on Dec. 17, 2024. They will be followed by “Yellow Planet” at a later date.
This distribution strategy marks a major change for “The Simpsons,” whose home has been on Fox since 1989. In August of last year, the exclusive Disney+ episodes were announced during the D23 conventions. For both Seasons 35 and 36, 18 episodes were ordered by Fox, which is a drop from the show’s typical 22-episode count.
The remaining four episodes were ordered by Disney, which is how the company has the ability to air them exclusively on its streaming platform. It’s a strategy that’s similar to how Paramount has constructed its “South Park” proper episodes versus its Paramount+ specials.
“The Simpsons” is produced by the Disney-owned 20th Television Animation and still has a network home on Fox.
