Ever since Disney acquired Fox in 2019, the massive media conglomerate has been producing The Simpsons material you can only find on its enormously popular streaming service, Disney+. While they have already put out a dozen or so Simpsons shorts on streaming, there is another kind of exclusive material that’s only on Disney+. In the same section where all the seasons pop up, you can scroll down to “Exclusive”—where three episodes will be waiting. Two of them are around 24 minutes (around the normal length for a typical episode), but the first entry they put out is over 40 minutes long. That double episode was released in 2024 for the 35th anniversary of The Simpsons‘ Christmas-themed series premiere. So this is actually a substantial amount of bonus material here, and they’re all quite recent in the grand scheme of things. Makes you wonder if they would do better to spend the time making these episodes on a second Simpsons movie, but whatever.

Will there be more Disney+ exclusive specials to come? Time will tell, but for now let’s focus on the ones we already have. Are they as good as The Simpsons‘ greatest episodes? Not even close. Okay, but are they as strong as The Simpsons‘ better seasons in general? They’re not that good, either. Well, are they worth taking a look at? That may depend on the fan, but an argument can be made that these eccentric novelties are fun enough to try out. Of course, they’re plagued by the issues that have hurt the series in recent years: some characters don’t sound the same (which can be a bit distracting), the characters don’t always act the way they used to, the direction isn’t as creative in general, the jokes aren’t as consistently funny, and the emotional beats aren’t as powerful. Yet these each have unusual structures, some of their jokes do land, and it’s always interesting to explore what’s in the weird section. Ranked by their emotional power, humor, and everything else, the Disney+ exclusives demonstrate that The Simpsons is still relatively watchable.

3

“Yellow Planet”

The aptly titled “Yellow Planet” starts off with a screen, and the arrow clicking on “NAT-GEE-D’OH.” Then a question pops up that makes the viewer crack a smile, “Are you sure?” After the arrow clicks on “Yes,” another screen pops up: “It’s all nature stuff, you know?” Then “Why Not Watch Something with Yodas in it?” Also, notice how the green button changes from affirming the endless amount of National Geographic material to affirming the ridiculous amount of Star Wars material. Every sign points to the fact that this streaming service doesn’t want you watching nature, perhaps because it thinks you’ll get bored. Now pro-nature stuff, the red button reads “It’s for My Dog While I’m Out.” This is a great explanation, which is then followed by a great introduction that explains that so much of nature has already been filmed by now that all that’s left “are the weirdos, the regrettable accidents, and the evolutionary dead ends.”

The first animals covered here are the beluga whale and the narwhal. The whale is Homer (Dan Castellaneta) and the narwhal is Marge (Julie Kavner). It’s funny when we hear what a whale song sounds like to a whale. Then we get a look at lizards getting eaten by snakes. It’s mildly amusing to watch Bart (Nancy Cartwright) push his brethren towards their demise, but it’s nothing special. It’s also disappointing to see Flanders (Harry Shearer) the baboon inhabit none of the outgoing positivity or playfulness that made the original Flanders such an iconic character in the series‘ Golden Era. Other amusing moments include birds going to “the Amazon,” squids in the shape of Kang and Kodos, and a praying mantis asking his unfaithful wife to take his corpse to work. The funniest part is when beluga whale-Homer tries to take a dramatic jump, or when we see what’s supposed to come next, but the episode is nevertheless pretty weak on the whole.

2

“O C’mon All Ye Faithful”

“O C’mon All Ye Faithful” is already special enough for being a Disney+ exclusive, but it’s also a double episode. Taking on the form of a documentary, interviewer and narrator Derren Brown (voiced by himself) tricks the mayor into pretending to know about an award. It’s funny, then sad, then funny again when we see Gil Gunderson (Dan Castellaneta) in a tree costume. Other tickling moments include Grampa (Dan Castellaneta) saying that hockey used to be played on sand, a bowling ball reference to one of Marge’s best episodes way back in Season 1, and hypnotized Homer only being able to focus on cupcakes. Then it turns pretty creepy, as Homer becomes totally convinced he’s Santa Claus and Derren can’t shake him out of his hypnosis. Milhouse’s father becomes a hilariously crazy Santa follower. It’s too bad that Flanders is once again the butt of extremely predictable jokes. These jokes do wind up creating a major storyline for him, but it feels contrived at first. That said, the character’s background at this point in the show helps explain his crisis, and his narrative in this entry feels well-executed enough to be worth watching for people interested.

The second half sees Flanders gradually getting his faith in God back. It’s amusing how the woman singing “Silent Night” replaces “Holy night” with “Regular night” now that he no longer believes. His voice may be lower pitched and less enthusiastic, and his dialogue just ain’t what it used to be, but at least “O C’mon All Ye Faithful” gives his character a complexity and emotional depth that sometimes can be compared to Flanders’ greatest stories. Meanwhile, now that he’s no longer hypnotized, Homer tries to regain his reputation as the real Santa Claus. It’s odd to see him paired with Ralph as his elf, and it doesn’t work as well as it wants to, but it still intertwines with Flanders’ story well enough to create a wholesome, Christmas-y narrative about faith. Along with “Sexy Sudokus” and some cinematic flair, “O C’mon All Ye Faithful” definitely isn’t the worst thing you could watch over the holiday season.

1

“The Past and the Furious”

Image via Disney+

Like “Yellow Planet,” “The Past and the Furious” begins on a screen that shows a streaming service. This time it’s “Wuhu,” a fun reference to one of Homer’s most famous catchphrases while sounding like Hulu. The categories of Simpsons work are funny as well, ranging from “Obscure Holidays” (with a photo from “Whacking Day”) to “Emmy Losers” (with an image from “Barthood”) to “Inaccurate Predictions” (referencing how the show is known for its predictions yet pointing out there are many more predictions they’ve gotten wrong). “Social Commentary 5 Years Too Late” is another good one. The attention to detail in these precious Simpsons Easter eggs feels like a promising start as the arrow clicks on “Alternate Realities.”

The Simpsons‘ intro is cut super short and strange as we’re presented with the Springfield Non-Botanical Hellscape. Who knew that a fork could sound so much different from a spoon, and that tiny moose didn’t know how to sing in tune? A family therapist sends Lisa (Yeardley Smith) to the alternate past, where she meets a young Monty Burns (Harry Shearer) playing jazz trumpet in a club. Apparently she can alter the past. One funny moment is when Professor Frink (Hank Azaria) dismisses Lisa’s idea as a man of science but also wants to hear more about a man of science fiction. It’s also hilarious when Lisa exclaims that she has to save the mini-moose, and the first thing she does when returning to the past is run over three with a car. The song that Lisa and Burns sing in support of the mini-moose is a good time, and it’s great how Lisa somehow accelerates their extinction at one point. Along with a wholesome ending, “The Past and the Furious” isn’t too shabby for something that came out so late in the series’ history.

The Simpsons

Release Date

December 17, 1989

Network

FOX

Directors

Steven Dean Moore, Mark Kirkland, Rob Oliver, Michael Polcino, Mike B. Anderson, Chris Clements, Wes Archer, Timothy Bailey, Lance Kramer, Nancy Kruse, Matthew Faughnan, Chuck Sheetz, Rich Moore, Jeffrey Lynch, Pete Michels, Susie Dietter, Raymond S. Persi, Carlos Baeza, Dominic Polcino, Lauren MacMullan, Michael Marcantel, Neil Affleck, Swinton O. Scott III, Jennifer Moeller

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  Homer Simpson / Abe Simpson / Barney Gumble / Krusty (voice)

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  Julie Kavner

  Marge Simpson / Patty Bouvier / Selma Bouvier (voice)