Homer is demoted to supervising interns and encourages an idolizing protégé to start up a new business, only for them to run into trouble with the local mafia.
This year's trio of terror includes a Stranger Things parody where Milhouse goes missing, Homer dying and his spirit trying out new bodies, and Selma finally finding her perfect mate: an alien living in The Springfield Power Plant.
After Lisa gets her brother to help her release a killer whale into the wild, Bart takes a liking to it and starts trying to liberate more dangerous animals. Meanwhile, Homer is conned into purchasing a boat and tries to spread the costs of boat ownership around by convincing others to become part-owners of the watercraft too.
After Lisa's play portrays Marge as a boring mother, she takes an interest in chopping trees to prove her wrong. Homer is worried he will lose Marge to her friend Paula when he sees signs that they possibly could be in a relationship.
Guest stars: Asia Kate Dillon as Paula, Natasha Lyonne as Sophie and Jill Sobule performing "Lumberjill"
Marge becomes obsessed with getting the perfect vacation photo when the Simpson family are finally invited on the Van Houten's annual trip to Costa Rica, while Lisa becomes worried they can't afford it and Homer befriends Patty's new girlfriend, Evelyn.
A Thanksgiving take on Treehouse of Horror looking at the past, present and future of the holiday. Turkeys are slaughtered by pilgrims during the first Thanksgiving, Homer purchases an A.I. based on Marge that resents the real one, and an already dangerous space mission escaping a doomed earth becomes worse when Bart's attempts to replicate cranberry sauce turn it into a sentient monster.
Guest star: Charlie Brooker as Social Media App voice
Ned Flanders shows Todd some old home movies when he learns his son can't remember his mother's face anymore. Reliving fond memories of her make Todd doubt God's existence for not saving her so Ned sends him to live with the Simpsons to try and scare him back to believing.
Bart becomes suspicious when he discovers that Sideshow Bob has been hired to play Santa at a local Christmas-themed amusement park at the same time that parcels are being stolen from the front porches of Springfield's citizens.
Artie Ziff invites Homer and Marge to his wedding, only to find that the bride is a robot clone of Marge. Meanwhile, Lisa gets half of a new set of braces, causing her to constantly smile—and finally win popularity among her classmates.
Marge convinces the townspeople to use treasure that Captain McCallister discovered to build a STEM school in Springfield. But it isn't long before both Lisa and Homer have issues with the new school and the computer algorithm that runs it.
Lisa decides to do an essay on Professor Frink just as the scientist invents a new cryptocurrency. When this makes him the richest man in Springfield, Mr. Burns sees red and he starts plotting against Frink in order to restore his former status, while Frink learns who his real friends are.
Bart accidentally sees a new superhero movie one month before its intended release, and uses his knowledge to terrorize the other fans. Two executive producers of the film attempt to prevent Bart from leaking any more news to the public.
A prank with a dud grenade results in a threat to expel Bart from Springfield Elementary, so Ned Flanders offers to mentor him as a compromise. When Ned's positive influence on Bart becomes the talk of the town, a jealous Homer retaliates by mentoring Nelson Muntz.
When Drederick Tatum convinces Marge to work at his new upscale weed dispensary, Homer learns that there's also demand for a more downmarket experience too, so he opens a competing store out of the back of Moe's Tavern.
Mr. Burns tasks Homer with swindling Cletus Spuckler out of his newfound helium fortune. Meanwhile, Maggie is reunited with Hudson from Playdate with Destiny again, only for Marge to tear them apart after his mother annoys her.
Part 1:Helen Lovejoy's request for a youth pastor is answered by Bode Wright, a charismatic young preacher from Michigan. When Bode quickly has the Springfield congregation enamored by his easy-going and liberal approach to religion, an outcast and suspicious Reverend Lovejoy decides to look into the newcomer's past.
Part 2: While Bode has won over most of Springfield, he finds one churchgoer he can't sway in Ned Flanders. Meanwhile, in Michigan, Reverend Lovejoy finds the ammunition he needs to get rid of his replacement.
After severing her sibling ties with Bart, Lisa attends a sleepover at her new friend Addy's house, only to discover that Addy's clique are a group of cruel snobby rich girls that taunt her. Meanwhile, Homer takes Marge on a sunset cruise for the evening and finds himself at odds with the boat's cover band.
Santa's Little Helper nips at Marge, causing the family to reflect on the difficult life that the dog led prior to being adopted by the family. They end up taking him to a dog psychologist to avoid having to euthanize him.
Dawnn Lewis as Investigator Lenora Carter ("The Fat Blue Line"), Carlotta Carlson ("Gorillas on the Mast"), Female Hotshot Lawyer ("Screenless") and Upset Influencer ("Highway to Well")
This season and the next season were ordered in February 2019.[2] Seven episodes were holdovers from the previous season.[26] Executive producer Al Jean continued his role as primary showrunner, a role he had since the thirteenth season.[27] Executive producer Matt Selman was also the showrunner for several episodes, a role he performed since the twenty-third season.[28]
Development
This season featured the first scripts credited to writers Max Cohn and Elisabeth Kiernan Averick.[29][30] It also featured the final episode written by Bill Odenkirk before leaving for the revival of the television series Spitting Image.[31] Comedian and writer Pete Holmes also both wrote and guest-starred in the two-part "Warrin' Priests" episodes.[32] While in "Warrin' Priests" Holmes plays the character of Bode, he had previously guest-starred in season 30 premiere "Bart's Not Dead" as a different character.[32][33] The episode "The Incredible Lightness of Being a Baby" was delayed from the previous season, with the original intent to air it instead of "I'm Just a Girl Who Can't Say D'oh" on April 7, 2019.[34][35] The episode was put on hold after the show's producers decided to make a short film related to the episode involving Maggie and another baby named Hudson titled Playdate with Destiny. The short film premiered on February 29, 2020, attached to advanced screenings of the Disney/Pixar release Onward with "The Incredible Lightness of Being a Baby" serving as a sequel to it.[36]
In April 2020, the show joined the rest of Fox's Animation Domination lineup in a partnership with Caffeine for the AniDom Beyond Show, a recap show hosted by Andy Richter. The hour-long program featured interviews with guests and live interactivity with fans online, with recaps for the episodes that aired through April and May.[37]The Simpsons episode aired on April 26 featuring Al Jean, cast member Yeardley Smith and writer and guest star Pete Holmes.[38] On May 18, Matt Selman joined the show with other writers from the Fox Animation Domination lineup.[39]
Casting
Recurring co-star Russi Taylor died on July 26, 2019, and had been with the show since the first season voicing characters such as Martin Prince, Sherri and Terri and Üter Zörker.[40][41] When asked about retirement of the characters as with previous actors who have died, executive producer Al Jean stated that he believed Taylor would want the characters to continue.[42] The last episode to feature Taylor was "Thanksgiving of Horror".[43] Voice actress Grey DeLisle was announced as the replacement voice for Martin Prince, Sherri and Terri starting with the episode "Marge the Lumberjill".[44]
It was during the run of this season that longtime voice actor Hank Azaria announced that he was officially stepping down from voicing Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, a character he had played since the episode "The Telltale Head" from the first season. The character and Azaria's portrayal of him had come under scrutiny since the release of Hari Kondabolu's 2017 documentary The Problem with Apu. Apu's portrayal came under scrutiny again when the Simpsons staff referenced the criticism as being too politically correct in the season 29 episode "No Good Read Goes Unpunished" which resulted in backlash from some people concerned about the issue who felt that the response was immature. Azaria said that it was a mutual decision made between himself and the senior staff, stating, "all we know there is I won't be doing the voice anymore unless there's some way to transition it or something."[45]
Animation
Parts of this season were produced and aired during the COVID-19 pandemic, which delayed or canceled the production of many television productions, but as an animated production, this took less of a toll on the show than most live-action ones. Executive producer James L. Brooks encouraged the staff to begin working from their homes in early March 2020, before California's stay-at-home order was declared. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in late March 2020, Al Jean stated, "Production hasn't skipped a day or lost a beat. We intend to do the 22 shows we were contracted to do... There's been no change in how we do things."[46]
Music
Also in "The Hateful Eight-Year-Olds", members of the band Weezer voiced the members of cover band Sailor's Delight, performed the main theme song at the end of the episode as themselves and also debuted their song "Blue Dream" within the episode.[47] Musician Jill Sobule wrote and performed an original song for the episode "Marge the Lumberjill" and John Legend also performed an original song for "The Miseducation of Lisa Simpson" while guest-starring with his wife Chrissy Teigen.[48][49]
Reception
Ratings
For the 2019-2020 television season, the season earned a 0.94 rating in the 18-49 demographic, which was the 33rd best performing show. It averaged 2.58 million viewers, which was the 111th best performing show.[50]
Viewership and ratings per episode of The Simpsons season 31
Jesse Bereta of Bubbleblabber gave the season an 8 out of 10. He thought the season demonstrated the new freedom of creativity under Disney, with an episode about cannabis, parodies of the Treehouse of Horror series and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and a continuation from an animated short shown in front of a Disney/Pixar feature. However, he also thought there was a recycled plot with Lisa needing braces again and a two-part episode with an average story.[73]