Summary

With more than three decades under its belt, The Simpsons really is the show that keeps on giving (maybe too much, according to some longtime fans). However, those who have stuck with the family through the ears know that getting more of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie is never really a bad thing. Luckily, Simpsons fans are getting a special treat in February.

A brand new episode of The Simpsons exclusive to Disney Plus subscribers will be premiering on February 12th . The episode, titled "The Past and the Furious," will follow in the footsteps of the season eight episode "The Old Man and the Lisa" by telling a story focused on the middle simpson child and Springfield's oldest resident, Mr. Burns. The episode will hopefully tide fans over until the show makes its official return to the airwaves in March. It may also soothe the hurt from The Simpsons Tapped Out! being shut down .

A developer who worked on The Simpsons: Tapped Out talks to fans of the recently discontinued game, answering some questions about its development.

In "The Past and the Furious," Lisa goes on a mission to the past, traveling to the year 1923 in order to stop the slaughter of the Springfield Mini Moose, a species that was key to Springfield's ecosystem, but was hunted to extinction by 1925. Lisa finds an unusual partner on her mission in a young Montgomery Burns. However, her actions in the past have grave consequences on the future. If "The Past and the Furious" is anything like "The Old Man and the Lisa," It's pretty easy to guess that Lisa helping Mr. Burns in any way is not going to go well. This time he may not be using plastic six-pack holders to turn ocean life into a multipurpose slurry, but the greed and immorality of C. Montgomery Burns knows no bounds.

Of course, this also won't be the first time that a member of the Simpson family has traveled back in time. In the "Treehouse of Horror V" segment "Time and Punishment," Homer inadvertently traveled through time after repairing the family's toaster. Homer's actions in the past also caused massive changes in the future (which included creating a totalitarian dystopia run by none other than Ned Flanders). The Treehouse of Horror episodes are famously not canon (although how much serious canon is there with The simpsons anyway?), so that begs the question of whether Lisa's time traveling adventure will stand separately from mainline episodes.

The Simpsons is still going strong, having begun its 36th season on Fox. On top of its 781 episodes (as of December 29, 2024), the animated family as well as their fellow Springfield residents have also appeared in a feature film and numerous Disney Plus shorts. One of those shorts, "The Longest Daycare," was even nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Fans can debate endlessly about the quality of new Simpsons episodes, but the truth is that these debates have been around for almost as long as people have had access to internet message boards. Some hardcore fans would even argue that the show started going downhill after season six. No matter what fans think, it doesn't seem like The Simpsons will be ending anytime soon .

"The Past and the Furious" will be available to watch on Disney Plus on February 12th, along with all other The Simpsons episodes.