The thirty-second season of the American animated television series ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'' premiered on
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
on September 27, 2020,
and ended on May 23, 2021.
This season contained twenty-two episodes. On February 6, 2019, the season was ordered along with
the previous season. This season includes the series' 700th episode "
Manger Things
"Manger Things" is the 16th episode of the thirty-second season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the 700th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on March 21, 2021. The episode was directed by Stev ...
".
Episodes
Production
Animation
The season was produced during the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, which impacted many other television productions, but left animated production largely unaffected. Executive producer
James L. Brooks
James Lawrence Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is an American director, producer, screenwriter and co-founder of Gracie Films. His television and film work includes ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', ''Taxi'', ''The Simpsons'', '' Broadcast News'', ''As G ...
encouraged the staff to begin working from their homes in early March 2020, before California's
stay-at-home order
A stay-at-home order, safer-at-home order, movement control order (more common in Southeast Asia), or lockdown restrictions (in the United Kingdom) – also referred to by loose use of the terms (self-) quarantine, (self-) isolation, or lockdow ...
was declared. In an interview with ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' in late March 2020, showrunner
Al Jean
Alfred Ernest Jean III (born January 9, 1961) is an American screenwriter and producer. Jean is well known for his work on ''The Simpsons''. He was raised near Detroit, Michigan, and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his wri ...
stated, "Production hasn't skipped a day or lost a beat." At that point seven episodes for the season, including the ''
Treehouse of Horror
''Treehouse of Horror'' is an annual series of special Halloween-themed episodes of the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'', with 33 anthology episodes between 1990 and 2022. Also known as ''The Simpsons Halloween Specials'', each episode typical ...
'' episode, were already completed, and they had started reading the remainder of the twenty-two total. Jean also stated that "we're a little ahead of where we usually are."
The series had a panel at the 2020
San Diego Comic-Con
San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...
, which was marketed as "Comic-Con@Home", to promote the season, with Jean,
Matt Selman
Matt Selman (born }) is an American writer and producer.
Early life
Selman is a native of Watertown, Massachusetts. He graduated from Beaver Country Day School in 1989 and the University of Pennsylvania in 1993.
Career
After considering a car ...
,
David Silverman,
Carolyn Omine
Carolyn Omine is an American television writer.
She won four Emmy Awards for her writing work on ''The Simpsons''.
Writing credits ''The Simpsons'' episodes
Omine has written the following episodes:
*"Little Big Mom" (2000)
*"Treehouse of ...
, and
Mike B. Anderson on the panel, with series regular
Yeardley Smith
Martha Maria Yeardley Smith ( ; born July 3, 1964) is an American actress, artist and writer. She currently stars as the voice of Lisa Simpson on the long-running animated television series ''The Simpsons''.
Smith became an actress in 1982 afte ...
serving as moderator.
Casting
On June 26, 2020, it was stated that "Moving forward, ''The Simpsons'' will no longer have white actors voice non-white characters." This follows
Mike Henry stating that he will no longer voice the African-American character
Cleveland Brown
Cleveland Orenthal Brown Sr. is a fictional character from the animated television series ''Family Guy'', and its spin-off series ''The Cleveland Show''. He is a neighbor and friend of the Griffin family and is best known for his mild-mannered ...
on fellow Fox animated series ''
Family Guy
''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...
'', and
Jenny Slate
Jenny Sarah Slate (born March 25, 1982) is an American actress, comedian, and author. Born and raised in Milton, Massachusetts, Slate was educated at Milton Academy and studied literature at Columbia University, where she became involved in the ...
and
Kristen Bell
Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress. Beginning her acting career by starring in stage productions while attending the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, she made her Broadway stage debut as Becky That ...
's announcement that they will no longer voice mixed-race characters on ''
Big Mouth'' and ''
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West Side, Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the List of New York City parks, fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban par ...
'', respectively, in the wake of the
George Floyd protests
The George Floyd protests were a series of protests and civil unrest against police brutality and racism that began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, and largely took place during 2020. The civil unrest and protests began as part of internati ...
. It also follows series regular
Hank Azaria
Henry Albert Azaria ( ; born April 25, 1964) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is known for voicing many characters in the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' (1989–present), most notably Moe Szyslak, Chief Wiggum, Comic Book Guy, Sna ...
's January 2020 announcement that he will no longer voice the Indian character
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is a recurring character in the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He is an Indian immigrant proprietor who runs the Kwik-E-Mart, a popular convenience store in Springfield, and is known for his catchphra ...
on ''The Simpsons''. Series regular
Harry Shearer
Harry Julius Shearer (born December 23, 1943) is an American actor, comedian, writer, musician, radio host, director and producer. Born in Los Angeles, California, Shearer began his career as a child actor. From 1969 to 1976, Shearer was a member ...
was not fully in agreement with the decision, stating that "the job of the actor is to play someone who they're not". On September 24, 2020
due to the George Floyd protests, it was announced that
Alex Désert
Alex Désert (born July 18, 1968) is an American actor and musician, known for his roles in the TV series ''The Flash'', '' The Heights'' with Jamie Walters, ''Becker'' with Ted Danson, and Mr. Williams on ''Boy Meets World'', as well as the voice ...
would voice
Carl Carlson
The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even animals. The write ...
in
the first episode of the season, taking over from Azaria who voiced the character since
the first season
''The First Season'' is a Canadian drama film, released in 1989. The film stars Kate Trotter as Alex Cauldwell, a woman in British Columbia who, following the death of her fisherman husband Frank (Dwight Koss), tries to support herself and her dau ...
. He also became the new voice of
Lou.
On October 11, 2020, Jean announced that
Eric Lopez would begin voicing
Bumblebee Man
The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even animals. The writ ...
in the episode "
Now Museum, Now You Don't" instead of Azaria, who had provided the voice of the character since his introduction in
season four. On December 10, 2020, the official logline on FOXFLASH for the episode "
The Dad-Feelings Limited
"The Dad-Feelings Limited" is the 11th episode of the thirty-second season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the 695th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on January 3, 2021. The episode was directe ...
" revealed that
Kumiko
Kumiko (くみこ, クミコ) is a feminine Japanese given name.
Possible writings
Kumiko can be written using different kanji and can mean:
*久美子, "forever, beauty, child"
*空見子, "sky, see, child"
*公美子, "public, beauty, child"
* ...
would be voiced by
Jenny Yokobori
Jenny Yokobori (born February 11, 1997) is an American voice actress. She is best known for voicing Yoimiya in ''Genshin Impact'' and Kuromi in '' Hello Kitty and Friends Supercute Adventures''.
Career
In 2014, Yokobori made began her voice act ...
instead of
Tress MacNeille
Teressa Claire MacNeille (née Payne; born June 20, 1951) is an American voice actress, whose credits include voicing Dot Warner on the animated television series ''Animaniacs'', Babs Bunny on ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Chip and Gadget Hackwrench ...
, who had voiced the character since her introduction in the
season twenty-five episode "
Married to the Blob
"Married to the Blob" is the tenth episode of the twenty-fifth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' and the 540th episode of the series. It premiered on the Fox network in the United States on January 12, 2014. The e ...
."
In the episode "Uncut Femmes", the character of
Julio Julio is the Spanish equivalent of the month July and may refer to:
*Julio (given name)
*Julio (surname)
*Júlio de Castilhos, a municipality of the western part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
* ''Julio'' (album), a 1983 compilation albu ...
was recast to Tony Rodriguez. On February 22, 2021, it was announced that beginning with "Wad Goals", voice actor
Kevin Michael Richardson
Kevin Michael Richardson (born October 25, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, he has mostly voiced villainous characters in animation and video games. In film, Richardson voiced Goro in ''Mortal Kombat'' (1995) ...
, who joined the show since
Season 21
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
as different minor characters, would replace
Harry Shearer
Harry Julius Shearer (born December 23, 1943) is an American actor, comedian, writer, musician, radio host, director and producer. Born in Los Angeles, California, Shearer began his career as a child actor. From 1969 to 1976, Shearer was a member ...
as
Dr. Hibbert
Dr. Julius Michael Hibbert, M.D. is a recurring character on the television animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He is Springfield's most prominent medical professional. Although he has a kind and warm persona, he is also often characterized as gree ...
and in the same episode voice actress
Kimberly Brooks
Kimberly D. Brooks (née Lawson) is an American voice actress who works in the voice-over, film, video games, and theatre industry. She has voiced in video games since the mid-1990s. She has played Ashley Williams in the ''Mass Effect'' serie ...
took on the role of
Lewis Clark.
David Harbour
David Kenneth Harbour (born April 10, 1975) is an American actor. He has played supporting roles in films such as ''Brokeback Mountain'' (2005), ''Quantum of Solace'' (2008), '' State of Play'' (2009), ''The Green Hornet'' (2011), ''End of W ...
,
Olivia Colman
Sarah Caroline Sinclair ( Colman; born 30 January 1974), known professionally as Olivia Colman, is an English actress. Known for her comedic and dramatic roles in film and television, she has received various accolades, including an Academy A ...
,
Ben Platt
Benjamin Schiff Platt (born September 24, 1993) is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He began his acting career in musical theater as a child and appeared in productions of ''The Sound of Music'' (2006) and ''The Book of Mormon'' (201 ...
,
Hannibal Buress
Hannibal Amir Buress ( , born February 4, 1983) is an American actor, comedian, producer, rapper and writer. He started performing comedy in 2002 while attending Southern Illinois University. He starred on Adult Swim's ''The Eric Andre Show'' f ...
, and
Michael Palin
Sir Michael Edward Palin (; born 5 May 1943) is an English actor, comedian, writer, television presenter, and public speaker. He was a member of the Monty Python comedy group. Since 1980, he has made a number of travel documentaries.
Palin w ...
have guest-starred during the season. Series regular
Yeardley Smith
Martha Maria Yeardley Smith ( ; born July 3, 1964) is an American actress, artist and writer. She currently stars as the voice of Lisa Simpson on the long-running animated television series ''The Simpsons''.
Smith became an actress in 1982 afte ...
also played herself.
Release
The season aired on Sundays during the
2020–21 television season as part of Fox's
Animation Domination
Animation Domination (also called AniDom, Fox AD, and AD) is an American animated programming block which has aired in two iterations on the Fox broadcast network, featuring a lineup solely made up of prime-time animation and adult animation carr ...
programming block, along with ''
Bless the Harts
''Bless the Harts'' is an American animated sitcom created by Emily Spivey for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Debuting on September 29, 2019, the series is executive produced by Spivey, Andy Bobrow, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Kristen Wiig, ...
'', ''
Bob's Burgers
''Bob's Burgers'' is an American adult animated sitcom created by Loren Bouchard that premiered on Fox on January 9, 2011. The show centers on the Belcher family—parents Bob and Linda and their three children, Tina, Gene, and Louise—who r ...
'', ''
The Great North
, creator = Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin & Wendy Molyneux & Minty Lewis
, voices = {{Plainlist,
* Nick Offerman
* Jenny Slate
* Will Forte
* Dulcé Sloan
* Paul Rust
* Aparna Nancherla
, composer = {{Plainli ...
'' and ''
Family Guy
''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...
''. One day after an episode aired on Fox, it was also made available on
Hulu
Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...
. It was made available for streaming in the US on
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
on September 29, 2021.
and in the
UK on November 3, 2021.
Reception
Ratings
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpsons (season 32)
Simpsons season 32
2020 American television seasons
2021 American television seasons