Proving that The Simpsons' Apu controversy (writing the character out but not killing him off, promising to revisit him but never following through) proves the show can sometimes miss the mark when it comes to adapting to changing societal and cultural norms.
However, the first couch gag of The Simpsons season 34 proved that the show can make timely jokes work for the series. The visual gag is one that subtly addresses the number of viewers watching the series on streaming services, obliquely noting the changes that the television landscape has undergone in the decades that The Simpsons has been on the air. It is also, crucially, a clever and fun gag in its own right.
Recent episodes of The Simpsons feature an annoying trend where the show adds topical jokes into episodes days before they air in an attempt to make the series as timely as possible. However, with fewer revisions and rewrites than the rest of the script, these award gags tend to stick out and land poorly as a result. However, the couch gag of “Habeus Tortoise” (season 34, episode 1) is a less intensely timely, and more successful, sort of satire. The gag presents viewers with an Error 404 message before revealing that the image includes the Simpsons and then sending the characters running for their iconic couch, which works because of the fact it works on different levels in different viewing formats.
The Simpsons Season 34 Catches Up To Streaming
While the couch gag likely plays well on a conventional TV, the cute joke works best as a visual pun for viewers watching The Simpsons on streaming services. Much like The Simpsons used the Sideshow Bob character to satirize television’s problems as an industry, the season 34 premiere uses this couch gag to poke fun at the shortcomings of online media. For viewers watching The Simpsons season 34 premiere via streaming service, it momentarily seems like the connection has been lost for a second.
By the time viewers realize the joke, the Simpsons are already running for their couch and the episode is starting. However, brief as it might be, the joke proves that The Simpsons can not only keep up with modern innovations in entertainment technology but can also make light of their flaws. By making viewers assume their Internet connection is out, the couch gag briefly reminds them of an era when viewing The Simpsons didn’t require an internet connection. As The Simpsons season 34 begins, it is with a joke that both pokes fun at the present and makes viewers nostalgic for the past. For a show entering its thirty-fourth year, this might be the best approach for The Simpsons to take going forward.