While The Simpsons season 36's Disney+ specials DWDWQ prove that it is still experimenting and taking creative risks even in its fourth decade.

That said, The Simpsons doesn't always need constant innovations to shine. Some of the show's most appealing moments come from leaning into its history, since The Simpsons has a legacy most TV series could only dream of achieving. As YouTube creator SuperEyepatchWolf observed in the superb “The Simpsons Is Good Again,” a lot of the best moments in recent seasons tangibly acknowledge this long history by riffing on earlier episodes, gags, storylines, and memorable moments from the show. Put simply, The Simpsons is at its best when it is aware of its history.

The Simpsons Season 36 Brings Back Act 1 Mini Episodes

Several Season 36 Episodes Have Self-Contained Seven-Minute Mini Stories

This is why I found the return of one series staple such a welcome surprise in season 36. Although I know the Golden Age of The Simpsons is deservedly the show's most critically acclaimed era, I’ve always had a soft spot for seasons 10-13. ittedly, the show’s peerless comedic writing was starting to show cracks at this stage, but this era also amplified the zany, anything-goes cartoonishness of earlier seasons to new heights. The Simpsons season 36 ending an episode with the entire world being obliterated, is, ittedly, not for everyone.

These mini-plots were almost always cartoonier than the rest of the episode, with a low-stakes storyline that vaguely connected to the outing’s main story.

However, before seasons 15 onwards took this goofiness too far, I still had some guilty love for the sillier, zanier plot tangents featured in seasons 10-13. The best encapsulation of this shifting sense of humor came in The Simpsons’ use of seven-minute, largely self-contained Act 1 mini-episodes. These mini-plots were almost always cartoonier than the rest of the episode, with a low-stakes storyline that vaguely connected to the outing’s main story. Think of season 12, episode 12, “Tennis the Menace,” which begins with a Retirement Castle talent show and moves on to coffin shopping.

The Simpsons Used Act 1 Mini Episodes Throughout Its Long History

This Tradition Peaked In Seasons 11-15

By the end of Act 1, the episode eventually becomes a story about the Simpson family building a tennis court, prompting Homer to note that no viewer could have predicted this absurd pivot. These seasons are filled with classic mini-episodes like season 13, episode 6, “She of Little Faith,” (the hamster rocket), season 12, episode 2, “A Tale of Two Springfields” (the Simpson garden’s badger invasion), or season 11, episode 9, “Grift of the Magi” (wherein an ozone hole traps Bart and Milhouse inside). All these plots eventually contribute to the episode’s main story, but only tangentially.

Alongside The Simpsons season 36’s character comebacks, the show brought back this tradition with a slew of Act 1 subplots that functioned as fun, goofy standalone stories. Bart’s career as a DJ in episode 12, “The Flandshees of Innersimpson,” his prank war on Lisa’s prank in episode 16, “Stew Lies,” and Homer taking care of a million dollar wine bottle in episode 11, “Bottle Episode,” were all fun short stories on their own . The fact that these storylines barely connected to the main plot was a feature rather than a bug.

The Simpsons Season 36’s Mini Stories Highlight The Show’s Creative Renaissance

The Simpsons Succeeded By Switching Up Its Routine In Season 36

By bringing back this welcome tradition, which feels indebted to classic Looney Tunes shorts, The Simpsons season 36 highlighted just how inspired and playful the show still feels in its old age. Even The Simpsons season 36's darkest storylines maintain a fun edge thanks to this approach, which allows The Simpsons to stage a goofy, low-stakes adventure before the episode’s main plot begins in earnest.

Source: "The Simpsons Is Good Again" (SuperEyepatchWolf via YouTube)

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