The Simpsons season 35 explained

Season Number:35
Bgcolor:
  1. 3BD2E5
Showrunner:
Num Episodes:18
Network:Fox
Episode List:List of The Simpsons episodes

The thirty-fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons aired on Fox from October 1, 2023 to May 19, 2024. This was the first of two seasons ordered by Fox. It was produced by Gracie Films and 20th Television Animation. The primary showrunner for the season was Matt Selman.

Work from episodes this season was nominated for two Emmy Awards, two Writers Guild of America Awards, and one Humanitas Prize.

Voice cast and characters

See main article: List of The Simpsons characters.

Main cast

Supporting cast

Episodes

See also: List of The Simpsons episodes.

Production

This season and the following season were ordered in January 2023.[1] Seven episodes were holdovers from the previous season.[2] Executive producer Matt Selman continued his role as primary showrunner, a role he had since the thirty-third season.[3] [4] Executive producer Al Jean was also showrunner for several episodes this season.[3] [5] Commenting on how the series stays relevant in its thirty-fifth season, Selman stated that the writers approach the show as if the series was new and not think about the show's past. Writer Cesar Mazariegos stated that the writers want to take the show in "zanier directions" that were previously reserved for Treehouse of Horror episodes.[6]

Production of the season was halted in May 2023 by the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. In June 2023, Selman and Jean organized a Simpsons themed picket outside the Fox Studios lot. Picketers joining them included creator Matt Groening and former writers David X. Cohen, Conan O'Brien, and Greg Daniels.[7] Once a contract agreement was reached, production resumed in October 2023.[8] As a result of the strike, only eighteen episodes aired this season instead of the normal twenty-two episodes.[6]

Promotion

To promote the thirty-fifth season, Fox released an extended trailer on September 11, 2023.[9]

Release

Due to the longer production lead time of animated shows, episodes produced before the strike were available to air as scheduled in October 2023 in the Sunday 8 PM timeslot.[10] [11] Leading out of NFL on Fox coverage, the season premiered on October 1, 2023 with an episode airing simultaneously in all time zones at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT.[12] Several episodes this season also premiered simultaneously in the 8:30 PM ET/5:30 PM PT timeslot on Sundays leading out of NFL on Fox coverage and special episodes of the television series Krapopolis.[13] [14] [15]

Reception

Viewing figures

For the 2023-2024 television season, the season earned a 0.58 rating in the 18-49 demographic, which was the 35th best performing show. It averaged 1.99 million viewers, which was the 106th best performing show.[16]

Critical response

John Schwarz of Bubbleblabber gave the season an 8 out of 10. He thought the earlier episodes of the season were of poor quality but thought the later episodes were better. He highlighted the Mario Kart parody in "Lisa Gets an F1" and the mention of strikes in "Night of the Living Wage".[17]

Awards and nominations

At the 76th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, the episode "Night of the Living Wage" was nominated for Outstanding Animated Program. Hank Azaria was nominated for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance for his performance as Moe Szyslak in "Cremains of the Day".[18]

At the 76th Writers Guild of America Awards, writers Carolyn Omine and Rob LaZebnik were nominated for the for episodes written this season.[19]

Writer Cesar Mazariegos was nominated for a Humanitas Prize in Comedy Teleplay for his script for "Night of the Living Wage".[20]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: BreAnna. Bell. January 26, 2023. 'The Simpsons,' 'Bob's Burgers,' and 'Family Guy' Renewed for Two More Seasons Each at Fox. Variety. July 14, 2024. August 15, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240815040044/https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/the-simpsons-bobs-burgers-family-guy-renewed-fox-1235503506/. live.
  2. Web site: Nellie. Andreeva. March 3, 2021. 'The Simpsons' Renewed For Seasons 33 & 34 By Fox. Deadline Hollywood. July 4, 2024. August 14, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210814015140/https://deadline.com/2021/03/the-simpsons-renewed-season-33-34-fox-1234705714/. live.
  3. Web site: Jesse David. Fox. June 5, 2023. 'The Simpsons' Is Good Again. Vulture. June 16, 2024. June 10, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230610163536/https://www.vulture.com/article/the-simpsons-is-good-again.html. live.
  4. Web site: Michael. Schneider. October 23, 2023. Kylie Jenner and 'The Simpsons' Rule the Cryptoverse in New 'Treehouse of Horror' Clip (EXCLUSIVE). Variety. July 14, 2024. November 7, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231107175843/https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/kylie-jenner-the-simpsons-treehouse-of-horror-clip-1235770152/. live.
  5. Web site: Lukas. Shayo. May 11, 2024. The Simpsons' Future Beyond Season 35 Gets Confident Response From Co-Showrunner. Screen Rant. July 14, 2024. May 20, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240520111401/https://screenrant.com/the-simpsons-season-36-future-showrunner-al-jean-response/. live.
  6. Web site: Scottie. Andrew. May 20, 2024. Now almost 770 episodes in, 'The Simpsons' is embracing chaos. CNN. July 14, 2024. July 13, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240713193139/https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/19/entertainment/the-simpsons-american-sitcom-cec/index.html. live.
  7. Web site: Cynthia. Littleton. June 10, 2023. 'The Simpsons' Reunion WGA Picket Highlights the Strike Stakes for Writers: 'We Were So Lucky,' Says Conan O'Brien. Variety. July 14, 2024. July 14, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240714220343/https://variety.com/2023/biz/news/the-simpsons-conan-obrien-wga-writers-strike-1235639644/. live.
  8. Web site: TC. Phillips. September 30, 2023. Criminal Minds: Evolution Season 2 & 22 Other TV Writers Rooms Set Returns After WGA Strike Finally Ends. Screen Rant. July 14, 2024. September 30, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230930062719/https://screenrant.com/tv-shows-writers-rooms-returning-wga-strike-end-update/. live.
  9. Web site: France . Lisa Respers . 2023-09-11 . 'The Simpsons' celebrates historic 35th season with extended trailer . 2023-09-12 . CNN.
  10. Web site: Rick. Porter. September 13, 2023. Fox Execs on Strike-Impacted, Unscripted-Heavy Fall Launch: "We're Bullish". The Hollywood Reporter. July 14, 2024. August 15, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240815040042/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/fox-fall-2023-lineup-unscripted-strikes-1235588562/. live.
  11. Web site: Rick. Porter. July 11, 2023. Fox Rolls Out Unscripted-Reliant Fall Schedule. The Hollywood Reporter. July 14, 2024. July 14, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240714220342/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/fox-fall-2023-tv-schedule-1235533352/. live.
  12. Web site: (SI-3418) "Homer's Crossing". The Futon Critic. November 20, 2023.
  13. Web site: (SI-3422) "Iron Marge". The Futon Critic. December 22, 2023.
  14. Web site: (SI-3502) "AE Bonny Romance" . The Futon Critic. December 23, 2023.
  15. Web site: (SI-3504) "Murder, She Boat" . The Futon Critic. December 24, 2023.
  16. Web site: Rick. Porter. June 11, 2024. TV Ratings 2023-24: Final Numbers for (Almost) Every Network Series. The Hollywood Reporter. July 14, 2024. June 17, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240617153533/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/tv-ratings-2023-24-primetime-network-show-rankings-1235919819/. live.
  17. Web site: John. Schwarz. May 27, 2024. Season Review: The Simpsons Season 35. Bubbleblabber. July 14, 2024. July 14, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240714220344/https://www.bubbleblabber.com/2024/05/season-review-the-simpsons-season-35/. live.
  18. Web site: Lynette. Rice. Patrick. Hipes. July 17, 2024. Emmy Nominations 2024: The Complete List. Deadline Hollywood. July 17, 2024. July 19, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240719070515/https://deadline.com/2024/07/emmy-nominations-2024-1236012073/. live.
  19. Web site: Michael. Ausiello. Michael Ausiello. February 21, 2024. Writers Guild Awards: Picard, Shrinking, The Diplomat and The Last of Us Among First-Time Nominees. TVLine. February 23, 2024. February 23, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240223215832/https://tvline.com/awards/writers-guild-awards-nominations-2024-list-1235171705/. live.
  20. Web site: Michael. Schneider. July 11, 2024. 'Hacks,' 'The Sympathizer,' 'The Crown' Among Humanitas Prize 2024 Nominees (EXCLUSIVE). Variety. July 12, 2024. July 12, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240712011221/https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/humanitas-prize-2024-nominees-hacks-crown-sympathizer-1236067416/. live.