The Simpsons season 35 lands on Disney Plus in October but the animated sitcom should have been axed years ago

The Simpsons family sits on a couch
(Image credit: Disney)

The Simpsons is set to return to Disney Plus with a new season on October 2. It will mark the 35th season of the iconic animated comedy series, but despite being a lifelong fan, I really wish they'd call it a day.

New episodes of The Simpsons were revealed at Disney's huge D23 announcement, where it al confirmed that nine huge Star Wars, Marvel and Pixar shows are coming to the platform soon. The Fox show debuted in 1989 with a Christmas special (bold) and went on to win an Emmy award (it was nominated for four additional ones), and while it doesn't look like it's stopping any time soon, some fans like me are starting to get Springfield fatigue, which is a real shame.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), one of the best streaming services wrote: "Let's rock. season 35 of The Simpsons arrives October 2 and new exclusive episodes [of one of the best Disney Plus shows] are coming soon to Disney Plus."

Exclusive episodes should be enticing and convince me to stick around but honestly, news of another modern-day Simpsons installment doesn't make me feel anything at all. The golden era (seasons 1 to 12, in my personal opinion) is long gone and frankly, this family deserves a good rest. They've had a nice run, can we put them to bed, please?

The Simpsons need to pack their bags

The Simpsons on vacation with suitcases

(Image credit: FOX)

In my opinion, good shows know when they're done. Some of my favourite sitcoms like The Office and Parks and Recreation are long over, they've told their stories, and yet I love revisiting them. Classic episodes never get old, whether it's Threat Level Midnight (bless you Michael Scarn) or Li'l Sebastian, they'll be permanently etched in my mind.

Truth be told, The Simpsons used to do that. There's an abundance of quotes I love using day to day like calling currency "dollarydoos" after Bart vs. Australia, or laughing whenever I see the words "Max Power" thanks to Homer's eccentric alter ego in Homer to the Max, both of which fall under my precious golden era of Simpsons episodes.

It pains me to say I can't think of a single modern-day episode I quote like that. None of them fall into our list of best Simpsons episodes. They're mostly forgettable, and if I'm watching Live TV and see that a channel is airing a new episode instead of a classic one, I feel disappointed. The Simpsons was in its peak in the 90s, and it really doesn't fare well in the present day.

Season 35 of The Simpsons proves it is possible to have too much of a good thing and eventually, that good thing gets watered down until it's barely recognisable. If it was cancelled tomorrow, I wouldn't be sad, I have plenty of old episodes to revisit.

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Lucy Buglass
Senior Entertainment Writer

Lucy is a long-time movie and television lover who is an approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes. She has written several reviews in her time, starting with a small self-ran blog called Lucy Goes to Hollywood before moving onto bigger websites such as What's on TV and What to Watch, with TechRadar being her most recent venture. Her interests primarily lie within horror and thriller, loving nothing more than a chilling story that keeps her thinking moments after the credits have rolled. Many of these creepy tales can be found on the streaming services she covers regularly.

When she’s not scaring herself half to death with the various shows and movies she watches, she likes to unwind by playing video games on Easy Mode and has no shame in admitting she’s terrible at them. She also quotes The Simpsons religiously and has a Blinky the Fish tattoo, solidifying her position as a complete nerd. 

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