The Simpsons Season 34: A Remarkable Renaissance That'll Leave You Astounded!

Summary

The Simpsons season 34 experimented with its formula, offering viewers strange and intriguing episodes that broke the show's usual rules.

The series incorporated celebrity guest stars in a more organic and genuine way, involving them in significant roles within the story rather than merely for promotional purposes.

In season 34, the show's sense of humor took a peculiar and surreal turn, enabling the exploration of eccentric and ambitious narratives. Additionally, the series expanded its scope by delving into the lives of supporting characters beyond the main family. Taking lessons from previous errors, the show adjusted its formula accordingly.

The Simpsons season 34 was viewed as a resurgence for the show, although it may never achieve the critical success it had during its Golden Age. The show has a rich history, having been on the air for 34 seasons since its debut in 1989. It even spawned a theatrical spinoff, 2007’s The Simpsons Movie. Initially, The Simpsons garnered both commercial success and critical acclaim. However, there was a decline starting around season 13, leading to mixed to negative reception in subsequent seasons. Despite this, season 34 of The Simpsons received praise in late 2022 and early 2023. Many online commentators highlighted it as the show's strongest season in years, and there are multiple reasons why this season deserved such acclaim.

5 The Simpsons Season 34 Experimented With Formula

The Simpsons season 34 ventured into uncharted territory, delivering some of the most peculiar and captivating episodes in years. Breaking away from the usual formula, standout episodes like "Lisa The Boy Scout" and "Not IT" defied longstanding conventions and brought fresh innovation to the series. Whether drawing inspiration from real-life events, satirizing popular culture, or reimagining famous tales, viewers could anticipate either two interconnected stories centered around the titular family or three distinct and equally compelling standalone stories in anthology episodes.

"Lisa The Boy Scout" completely discarded this formula, plunging into a surreal adventure that initially appeared normal but quickly veered into the realm of the bizarre. In an unexpected twist, in-universe "hackers" hijacked the show's broadcast, unveiling unused plotlines and discarded scenes that failed to meet the show's standards. The result was a mind-bending and self-referential episode that playfully mocked The Simpsons' own writing. On the other hand, "Not IT" made history as the first episode of Treehouse of Horror to occupy the entire runtime, presenting a twenty-minute adaptation of Stephen King's monumental novel, IT. Both episodes defied expectations, showcasing the series' willingness to innovate after three decades on the air.

4 The Simpsons Season 34 Stopped Relying On Celebrities

Although The Simpsons season 34 featured celebrity guest stars, the utilization of these performers felt more organic and authentic compared to recent episodes. Rather than being mere publicity stunts, the majority of the guest stars, including Lizzo, Melissa McCarthy, and Aubrey Plaza, portrayed original characters who played significant roles in the episode's storyline. In a departure from past seasons, where guest stars were often used solely for promotional purposes, The Simpsons season 34 integrated these high-profile actors seamlessly into the overarching plots, creating a more impactful and engaging viewing experience.

3 The Simpsons Season 34 Got Weirder

The humor in The Simpsons season 34 has taken a more ambitious and surreal turn, allowing the series to delve into weirder and wackier stories. This shift was evident in episode 12, titled "My Life as a Vlog," which marked The Simpsons' first venture into screenlife storytelling. While the show has always been at the forefront of daring narratives, it had not recently experimented much with its format. As a result, the screenlife episode and a subsequent episode where Homer and Marge share a dream felt refreshing and original.

2 The Simpsons Season 34 Broadened The Show’s Focus

Starting in The Simpsons season 34, the show began to explore the lives of Springfielders who are not part of the titular family, taking advantage of its large cast. This was not a new approach for the show, as they had already delved into Carl's family backstory in previous seasons. However, by giving the main family a smaller role, The Simpsons season 34 was able to give more focus to characters like Carl, Nelson, and other supporting characters.

In earlier episodes featuring Nelson and Carl, characters like Lisa and Homer were used to connect the plot to the Simpson family, but this limited the scope of the series. However, in The Simpsons season 34, there was a significant decrease in the involvement of the Simpson family, allowing for a more immersive and intriguing world. This shift also gave the show more time to develop and enhance the stories of Carl and Nelson, making them more captivating.

1 The Simpsons Season 34 Learned From Its Mistakes

Not all episodes of The Simpsons season 34 were successful, but the show did adjust its formula based on the response. One major criticism of recent seasons of The Simpsons is that every episode feels the same, but season 34 showcased episodes that learned from past mistakes. For instance, there were some episodes that attempted topical humor like season 34, episode 16, "Hostile Kirk Place," which didn't resonate. However, stronger episodes followed that handled current subjects more effectively, such as season 34, episode 20, "The Very Hungry Caterpillars."

The fact that The Simpsons season 34 tackled the COVID-19 pandemic three years after it started without feeling outdated was an impressive accomplishment. This was largely due to the show's more focused satire compared to the earlier, uneven "Hostile Kirk Place." The show's ability to evolve and adapt improved the outlook for a series that many reviewers had given up on years ago. While The Simpsons is still far from its second Golden Age, it is beginning to show signs of life thanks to season 34.