As Homer Simpson would say, "D'oh!" Fox recently announced that the remaining episodes of The Simpsons season 36 will come at a much later date than anticipated. In other words, the hiatus will continue since the network has been broadcasting encores. It's not the most excellent news in the world, but at least The Simpsons are not canceled.
On a brighter note, the thirty-sixth season delivered some top-notch episodes. I was entranced by the paradise elements of the "Yellow Lotus," and my inner child loved the Disney Robinhood reference in "Bottle Episode." The latter was the last chapter before Fox put the series on pause. There was no official announcement that the network made the move.
It's pretty rotten to not to notify the audience and the fandom about the decision, as it's the fans who drive the show, and others into success. We might not all like the material, and that's fine, because we are righted in our opinions, but Disney and Fox should've gave us a warning that The Simpsons will not be airing new episodes for an x number of weeks. Fans deserve better and one approach of improving a consumer's trust is communication and transparency.
Moving on, here's when The Simpsons will come back.
The Simpsons season 36 will be returning in March
Yes, you read that right. The Simpsons will resume with new episodes beginning Sunday, March 30th, at its original time at 8 PM EST/7 PM CST. That's a little more than two months until we see our beloved Springfield family back in their ways.
Family Guy will briefly take The Simpsons' time slot when they premiere season 23 on February 16th at 8 PM EST/7 PM CST. On March 30th, Peter and his family will be pushed to their new time, 8:30 PM EST/7 PM CST. Fox tends to keep their two most popular shows back-to-back, so it's unsurprising that the network initiated this schedule change.
Fox additionally released the synopsis for The Simpsons' return episode, and it's a Homer-Flanders dedication that we all secretly need at the moment. Because everything's better with Ned Flanders!
"Season 36 of The Simpsons -- the longest-running primetime scripted show in television history – [returns] with Bart dipping his toe into the world of celebrity DJ-ing, and Homer finally pushes Flanders too far in “The Flandshees of Innersimpson,” episode of The Simpsons. Jane Kaczmarek and Rachel Bloom make guest voice appearances."