Although The Simpsons season 36 promises plenty of new surprises, one of the most exciting elements of the long-running show’s next outing is a throwback. The Simpsons season 36 is not resting on its laurels. Despite spending more than 35 years on the air, the anarchic animated sitcom will be doing all that it can to innovate in season 36. The Simpsons season 36 promises a two-part, online exclusive Christmas special, a Disney+ Halloween short, and not one, but two Treehouse of Horror Halloween specials. The Simpsons season 36’s storytelling tricks ensure the upcoming outing will remain exciting.
However, it is a return to some of the show’s oldest traditions that make this lineup sound truly inspired. Although season 36’s upcoming special marks the show’s first two-part holiday episode, the very first episode of The Simpsons was also a Christmas story. Similarly, while one of season 36’s Treehouse of Horror Halloween specials will follow a fresh new approach that started in season 34, its inspiration is shared by some of the show’s first Halloween specials ever. In the process, The Simpsons season 36 can keep the show feeling both relevant and nostalgic at the same time.
The Simpsons Season 36 Brings Back Treehouse of Horror Back To Its Roots
Season 36’s Treehouse of Horror Presents Is Based On Ray Bradbury’s Works
Much like season 34, episode 5, “Not It,” honored Stephen King’s famous killer clown novel, The Simpsons season 36’s Treehouse of Horror Presents episode will focus on the works of Ray Bradbury. The iconic sci-fi author’s oeuvre will be parodied in “Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes,” which takes its inspiration from various famous stories by the author. Bradbury is one of the most influential genre writers in literary history and his output provides perfect fodder for The Simpsons to affectionately parody. However, the author also boasts one accolade that makes him uniquely well-suited to The Simpsons season 36’s plans.
Bradbury penned a classic episode of
The Twilight Zone
.
As well as authoring seminal stories like Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, and Something Wicked This Way Comes, Bradbury also penned a classic episode of The Twilight Zone. Season 3, episode 35 of the original series, “I Sing the Body Electric,” was the show’s 100th episode. The story of a widower who purchases a robotic grandmother to care for his children, this outing was the lone episode of the original series written by Bradbury. As such, it makes perfect sense for The Simpsons season 36’s Treehouse of Horror Presents episode to focus on the author, thanks to the connections between the shows.
The Simpsons Season 36’s Treehouse of Horror Presents Inspiration Is Perfect
Ray Bradbury Wrote For The Original Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone inspired the earliest Treehouse of Horror Halloween specials, with the anthology show famously providing the plots for the segments like “Hungry Are the Damned,” “Clown Without Pity,” “Terror At 5 1/2 Feet,” and “Stop the World, I Want To Goof Off.” To improve on The Simpsons season 35’s worst missteps, season 36 needs some of the show’s early inspiration. In this regard, borrowing from the long history of the Treehouse of Horror series by dedicating an episode to one of its screenwriters is a perfect homage that sets The Simpsons up for success.
“Treehouse of Horror Presents: Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes” will air as part of
The Simpsons
season 36.
