After 32 seasons and 703 episodes, the creatives behind the fan’s favorite Springfield-based family animated sitcom, The Simpsons, decided to change things for their 33rd season.

The most dysfunctional American family will now be singing many new tunes in its first-ever all-musical episode. 

The Simpsons have indulged in numerous musical numbers over the years, including season 4’s ‘Marge vs. the Monorail,’ season 19’s ‘Homer of Seville,’ and season 22’s ‘Elementary School Musical.’

But season 33’s ‘The Star of the Backstage’ will be the first-ever full-fledged musical episode.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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The Musical Season 

During the Comic-Con panel at San Diego, series writer and executive producer Matt Selman teased what fans could expect from the Season 33 premiere.

He described it as the “most musical episode ever done” featuring “wall-to-wall music.” He also introduced a teaser art that showed a bathroom-set musical number between Marge (usually voiced by Julie Kavner) and Homer (Dan Castellaneta).

It’s like a Broadway musical of an episode, with all original songs, and we’ve got Kristen Bell playing the role of Marge’s singing voice. We all love Marge’s voice, but this is the singing voice that’s different, let’s just say.

Selman explained that the premise behind the episode.

According to him, Marge wants to stage one last show because of the unforgettable memories she has from being the stage manager of her high school musical, ‘Y2K: The Millennium Bug’ 20 years ago. 

But she realizes her high school memories aren’t what she thought they were when her former high school arch-enemy comes to town. 

The Decline of the Show

The series was recently renewed for seasons 33 and 34, bringing the animated comedy into at least 2023. However, the longest-running prime-time scripted show, which was a global sensation in the early days, has long faced accusations from fans that the quality has dipped.

During a recent interview with USA Today, creator Matt Groening reflected on the iconic cartoon's past, present and future. When asked about the series’ decline in viewership ratings from its earlier seasons’ peak, Groening said he did not concern himself with that stuff.

He even offered a piece of advice to viewers who stopped tuning in to the show. 

I give a piece of advice to people who grew up with The Simpsons and maybe think it’s not for them anymore. Check it out again: The satire and the quality of the animation is fantastic. I’m really proud of the group’s efforts.

One thing that fans dislike about the show is how the characters never age, but the series moves forward in tandem with our own. Fans also feel that the political plots and storylines no longer make sense for today’s audiences.

Despite the decline, The Simpsons still has its own cult following, and the new season will air on September 26.