The Simpsons‘ upcoming season 34 will break from tradition with not one ‘Treehouse of Horror’ Halloween special, but two. Originally a spinoff from The Tracey Ulman show, The Simpsons premiered on Fox in 1989 and have since gone on to become one of the most famous and profitable television properties in the world. It will premiere season 34 this September, and the series shows no signs of slowing down.
One popular tradition for the series is their annual Halloween episode titled ‘Treehouse of Horror’. These episodes are normally three segments set outside of the main Simpsons continuity and feature more violence, death, and often riff on popular films and television series. The first installment premiered in 1990 during season 2 and since then each season has had its own ‘Treehouse of Horror’ episode that has become an annual Halloween event for many.
For The Simpsons season 34 though, the series will feature two ‘Treehouse of Horror’ installments. Revealed at San Diego Comic-Con 2022 Simpsons panel which Screen Rant was in attendance, details regarding the Treehouse of Horrors specials include an entire episode parodying Stephen King’s novel and film It with Krusty the Clown, the first time an entire Treehouse of Horror is dedicated to one story instead of three segments. The other episode will feature a segment inspired by the popular manga and anime Death Note and the studio has partnered with a Korean animation studio to give it an anime style.
While this is the first time The Simpsons has aired two ‘Treehouse of Horror’ installments in the same season, it is not the first time two Halloween episodes have aired. In 2015 for season 27 the series aired its first non-‘Treehouse of Horror’ Halloween episode titled ‘Halloween of Horror’ which aired the week prior to the annual ‘Treehouse of Horror’ installment. In 2019, as part of season 31, one month after their annual ‘Treehouse of Horror’ the series aired ‘Thanksgiving of Horror’ which used the format of ‘Treehouse of Horror’ but for the holiday of Thanksgiving.
Since’ Treehouse of Horror’ began in season 2, each installment has been one episode behind the current season but with the addition of two in the same season, it will be the first time The Simpsons ‘Treehouse of Horror’ will match the corresponding season. While The Simpsons have now been on for three decades, and it might not be as popular or beloved as it once was, the recent acquisition by Disney and the series addition on Disney+ has made it more accessible to watch than ever before. Even after all these years The Simpsons is still finding an audience and making them laugh, and sometimes at Halloween scaring them.
Source: The Simpsons