Warning: This article contains minor spoilers for The Simpsons season 36, episode 4, “Shoddy Heat," and Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder ClubWhile killed off a Simpsons guest star.

As such, it was something of a surprise when season 36, episode 4, “Shoddy Heat,” proved to be another parody of another murder mystery sub-genre. This episode spoofed the neo-noir revival of the ‘80s with a story where Grampa searches through ‘80s Springfield for his missing partner. This episode revealed that Grampa was a private investigator during the decade, and he became embroiled in a twisty plot involving Agnes Skinner and Mr. Burns. As if this weren’t complicated enough, the entire story was set in motion with a plot point that referenced a movie that hasn’t even been released yet.

The Simpsons Season 36 Episode 4 Borrows From Netflix’s Thursday Murder Club

The Episode’s Plot Setup Is Similar To Richard Osman’s Novel

“Shoddy Heat” owes one major plot point to the story of author Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club, which director Chris Columbus is currently adapting to the screen for Netflix. Columbus’s adaptation is set to rival Knives Out as the streaming service’s starriest murder mystery franchise, with stars like Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren among the cast. However, although The Simpsons spoofs many movies, the fact that the adaptation doesn’t even have a release date yet makes the reference from “Shoddy Heat” surprising. Mild novel spoilers follow, as they prove that the nod is too specific to be a coincidence.

In both stories, an unexpected body in an unearthed coffin leads an inhabitant of a local home for the elderly to revisit a cold case from decades earlier.

In The Thursday Murder Club, the redevelopment of a cemetery results in a coffin with a mysterious extra body being unearthed. This, in turn, leads an inhabitant of a local home for the elderly to revisit a cold case from decades earlier, convinced that the extra body has some connection to this forgotten unsolved disappearance. ittedly, the storylines of The Thursday Murder Club and “Shoddy Heat” do diverge from this point onward, as Grampa’s plot flashes back to the ‘80s and the disappearance of his former partner takes on the contours of a noir story like Chinatown, Night Moves, or Body Heat.

The Simpsons Season 36 Doesn’t Spoil The Thursday Murder Club

The Simpsons Episode Changes The Hit Mystery Novel’s Plot Significantly

However, the specific details of the mystery’s setup are still strikingly similar. Fortunately, like The Simpsons season 36’s After Hours parody, this plot makes enough original changes to the source material to feel fresh and surprising. By borrowing from classic film noir movies, as well as dropping any actual murder from the story, “Shoddy Heat” comes up with a storyline that feels nothing like The Thursday Murder Club by the time its ending rolls around. That said, it is still clear where The Simpsons season 36 found the inspiration for the inciting incident of the episode’s storyline.

New episodes of The Simpsons air at 8pm on Sundays on Fox.