Why The Simpsons Season 36 Is Releasing A Halloween Episode In Late November

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Although The Simpsons season 36 releasing a Halloween special in late November might seem bizarre, there is a justification for this strange choice. The Simpsons’ season 37 renewal has not yet been announced, but this doesn’t mean that the long-running series is playing things safe for the time being. On the contrary, The Simpsons season 36 has been unexpectedly experimental in its first few outings. Season 36, episode 1, “Bart’s Birthday,” was an ambitiously meta in-universe “Series finale” that finally explained why the Simpsons never age. The next episodes were similarly daring in their construction.

A young Agnes Skinner sits at a desk in an office in The Simpsons season 36 episode 4

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Not only did The Simpsons season 36 episode 2 kill off a returning character, but the very next outing barely even included 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 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 did succeed, one The Simpsons season 36 change is a bit too strange to easily justify.

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

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

Inexplicably, both of The Simpsons season 36’s two Halloween episodes will arrive after the holiday, with the second reportedly airing as late as November 24, 2024. Although The Simpsons did habitually air its Treehouse of Horror Halloween specials in November from seasons 12-20, these episodes usually arrived only a few days after Halloween itself. Similarly, seasons 35 and 32’s Treehouse of Horror Halloween specials both came after the holiday, but this seemingly only occurred because Halloween arrived midweek those years. Airing season 36’s second Treehouse of Horror episode on November 24 is harder to understand.

The Simpsons season 36 needed a gap between its Halloween offerings, justifying the later release of the Ray Bradbury riff “Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes."

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

The Simpsons Has Released Previous Halloween Episodes At Various Points In October & November

“Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes” Won’t Arrive Until November 24

While “Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes” won’t arrive until almost a month after Halloween itself is over, it is worth noting that The Simpsons has released some Treehouse of Horror episodes 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 also isn’t 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 scheduling makes more sense the more viewers look at the release schedule of the Treehouse of Horror series 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 earlier Treehouse of Horror in season 36, it makes sense for the show to put a gap between its two spooky outings.

The Simpsons' New Halloween Special Releasing So Late Still Feels Strange

Season 34 and 35’s Halloween Specials Were Among Their Biggest Outings

That said, it is hard to deny that The Simpsons season 36 releasing two Treehouse of Horror Halloween specials in November feels weird. Prioritizing The Simpsons season 36’s Martin Scorsese spoof, which could have aired at any point in the year, was an odd decision when the show could have shown “Treehouse of Horror XXXV” in its place. 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.” This would admittedly have meant airing two Halloween specials in a row.

Viewers are naturally more likely to be in the mood for Halloween stories before the holiday rather than afterward.

However, this didn’t hurt the critical reception of season 34’s two Halloween specials. “Not It” might have arrived only a week before “Treehouse of Horror XXXIII” but, crucially, both episodes aired before Halloween. Viewers are naturally more likely to be in the mood for Halloween stories before the holiday rather than afterward, so it is tough to see the logic of the season’s scheduling. Hopefully, the delayed arrival of The Simpsons season 36’s Treehouse of Horror offerings won’t negatively impact their reception among viewers.

New episodes of The Simpsons air at 8pm on Sundays on Fox.