Jeffrey is a freelance features writer at Collider. He is an MPA-accredited entertainment journalist and a Tomatometer-approved critic based in the LA area. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science in Radio, TV, & Film and a Bachelor of Arts in Theater.
Nothing in life is certain except death, taxes, and The Simpsons. The longest-running primetime animated sitcom in history is currently in its 37th season and recently reached its landmark 800th episode. During Season 36, FOX renewed the hit series for four more seasons, which will take The Simpsons into Season 40. Additionally, Disney+ raised the stakes, announcing that three extra all-new episodes of The Simpsons will stream exclusively on the platform later this summer. This announcement marks a new format change for the long-running series, effectively marking a bold new age for The Simpsons in its streaming television era.
What Are the New Disney+ Episodes of 'The Simpsons'?
Last month, Disney+ debuted the double episode, "Extreme Makeover: Homer Edition." Earlier this month, the full-length episode "Simpsley" premiered, and the final Disney+-exclusive episode for the summer will be "Yellow Mirror," debuting on August 26. Disney+ originally started streaming exclusive Simpsons-themed shorts on the platform in 2020 with "Playdate with Destiny." Several years later, full-length episodes began joining The Simpsons roster with "O C’Mon All Ye Faith" in 2024.
COLLIDER
Collider · Quiz
Collider Exclusive · Universe Personality QuizWhich Iconic Universe Do You Belong in the Most?Star Wars · Lord of the Rings · Harry Potter · Game of Thrones · Star Trek
Five legendary universes. Five completely different visions of what the world could be — or already was. One of them is the world your instincts, your values, and your particular way of existing were built for. Eight questions will tell you which one.
🚀Star Wars
💍Lord of the Rings
🧙Harry Potter
👑Game of Thrones
🖖Star Trek
QUESTION 1 / 8PURPOSE
01
What gives your life its deepest sense of meaning?Every universe is built around a different answer to this question.
QUESTION 2 / 8WORLD
02
Which kind of world do you most want to inhabit?The environment shapes who you become. Choose carefully.
QUESTION 3 / 8CONFLICT
03
How do you prefer your conflicts resolved?The shape of a world's conflicts tells you everything about its soul.
QUESTION 4 / 8COMPANIONS
04
Who do you want beside you when things get difficult?Your ideal companions reveal the world you were made for.
QUESTION 5 / 8POWER
05
What is your relationship with power?How you seek, wield, or resist power is the map of who you are.
QUESTION 6 / 8MORALITY
06
How does your universe treat good and evil?A world's moral architecture tells you more about it than any map.
QUESTION 7 / 8ROLE
07
What role would you naturally fall into?Every universe has archetypes. Which one fits you without trying?
QUESTION 8 / 8HOPE
08
What do you ultimately believe about the future?The answer to this is the clearest window into which universe already lives inside you.
Your Universe Has Been ChosenYou Belong In…
Your answers point to the iconic universe your values, your instincts, and your particular way of seeing the world were built for. This is where you would find your people — and your purpose.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
You believe in the cause — in the idea that freedom is worth fighting for even when the odds are impossible and the empire is vast.
You are drawn to the moral clarity of a universe where hope itself is a form of resistance.
You'd find your people in the Rebellion — a ragtag coalition of true believers held together by conviction more than resources.
Star Wars is fundamentally a story about ordinary people choosing to matter in an extraordinary conflict — and that is exactly your kind of story.
The Force may or may not be with you. But the will to use it for something larger than yourself certainly is.
Middle-earth
Lord of the Rings
You understand, in the deepest part of yourself, that the journey matters as much as the destination — and that the world's beauty is worth protecting even at great cost.
Middle-earth is a world of ancient wonder, deep friendship, and a darkness that only retreats when enough small acts of courage accumulate.
You would thrive here because you value the fellowship more than the glory — the road more than the arrival.
Tolkien's universe rewards patience, loyalty, and the willingness to carry something heavy across a very long distance.
Those are not burdens to you. They are simply how you move through the world.
The Wizarding World
Harry Potter
You believe that love, loyalty, and doing what's right are not naive sentiments — they are the most powerful forces in any world, magical or otherwise.
The Wizarding World is a place of wonder hidden in plain sight, where learning is transformative and the bonds you form at school follow you into every battle.
You would flourish here because you take both the magic and the friendships seriously — and you understand that one without the other is incomplete.
Harry Potter's universe ultimately rewards those who choose to stand for something even when standing is terrifying.
That choice — made quietly, without guarantee — is something you understand completely.
Westeros · The Known World
Game of Thrones
You see the world clearly — its power structures, its hypocrisies, its brutal arithmetic — and you are not paralysed by that clarity. You use it.
Westeros is a world that rewards intelligence, adaptability, and the willingness to understand that every alliance is also a negotiation.
You would survive here — possibly thrive here — because you don't confuse the world as it is with the world as you'd like it to be.
Game of Thrones is a story about what happens when the idealists and the realists collide. You are sharp enough to know which one lasts longer.
Winter always comes. You are already prepared.
The United Federation of Planets
Star Trek
You believe the future is worth building — that curiosity, cooperation, and the expansion of understanding are not just ideals but the most practical path forward for any civilisation.
Star Trek is a universe where the questions matter as much as the answers, and where encountering something utterly alien is cause for wonder rather than fear.
You would belong here because you are fundamentally optimistic about what intelligence and decency can achieve — while being honest about how hard that achievement is.
The Federation is the universe's most ambitious thought experiment: what if we actually got better?
You don't just hope that's possible. You think it's the only thing worth working toward.
These new Disney+-exclusive episodes differ from those that were part of Season 36 since they are premiering outside the standard television season, specifically slated for the summer months. Technically, the episodes still exist as part of the Season 37 episode order, but Disney+ scheduling them from June to August represents a brand-new release strategy they have not attempted previously with the earlier original Simpsons content.
The Simpsons Continues To Evolve in the New Television Ecosystem
Although The Simpsons originated nearly 40 years ago as shorts on The Tracy Ullman Show, the franchise manages to remain relevant and consistently evolve with the times. The Simpsons has seen the television landscape undergo many changes with the advent of cable and satellite, and now streaming. A major aspect of the streaming television era is that the old fall and spring television format has effectively become antiquated. Television viewers will tune into a show any time of the year, and streamers are attuned to that, not following a typical release schedule or format.
The Simpsons' new Disney+ episodes releasing this summer reinforce the show's evolution with the new, bold television landscape. Disney+ is releasing one episode per month over the summer, giving fans new stories to enjoy outside the typical season run, with the show still airing on FOX. This could present a way for Disney+ and 20th Century Television to test the waters of The Simpsons moving permanently to the platform. Yes, The Simpsons will continue airing on FOX for the next several years, but what about after Season 40? The time may come when Disney+ becomes the primary outlet to watch new episodes of The Simpsons.
Are Disney and 20th Century Television Gearing Up for the Long-Awaited 'Simpsons Movie' Sequel?
Another potentially important aspect of Disney+'s release strategy is the recently announced sequel to The Simpsons Movie. The highly anticipated, long-awaited sequel is finally hitting theaters in 2027, arriving 20 years after the first Simpsons movie was released on the big screen. Releasing new episodes over the summer is a good way to continue branding and marketing the show under the Disney banner, along with hyping up the next theatrical movie, which fans have been waiting to see for nearly two decades.
The exclusive episodes will prep fans for the new movie without the writers and producers overplaying their hands. They provide a steady drip of new content until the debut of Season 38, which will serve as the prelude to the next movie. It wouldn't be surprising if Disney+ sets up more exclusive episodes of the highly beloved show next summer on the way to September 3, when The Simpsons 2 finally hits theaters.