Although the 33rd season of The Simpsons was not so bad, one unscrupulous advertisement for Avatar 2 proved that the satirical sharpness of the series was irrevocably blunted by the acquisition of the Disney series. To the credit of the series, the 33rd season of The Simpsons tried to break the monotony of the series’ recent releases. The animated sitcom didn’t manage to completely beat the critics, but episodes like the surprisingly sharp finale of season 33 proved that the Simpsons still has a little creative gas in the tank.
Even the decision of the 33rd season of Treehouse of Horror to split the annual Halloween special into five segments instead of three was at least a chance for the Simpsons to try something new. However, the show’s attempts to regain some of its comic invention were hindered by its family humor and harsh forced cross-advertising. In particular, Disney’s influence on The Simpsons was painfully obvious at several points in season 33.
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One joke about Marvel dominating DC made the Simpsons feel like sycophantic puppets for the show’s parent company, while a later cringe-worthy joke about Avatar 2 proved that Disney had no problem using the series to advertise its products. In the 20th episode of the 33rd season of The Simpsons, one scene consisted of Homer telling Marge that he still harbors hope for the continuation of James Cameron’s popular hit “Avatar”, and this scene was broadcast the night before the release of the first full-length trailer for “Avatar 2”. Although the Bridgerton parody in the 33rd season of The Simpsons aired too late to capitalize on the height of the once huge hype around the show, this joke appeared just in time to remind viewers of the Avatar franchise and help advertise the continuation of the blockbuster.
The Simpsons scene was a cross-promotion poorly disguised as a character comedy. The idea that Homer really wanted to see the sequel to the most successful movie ever made wasn’t fanciful enough to detract from the feeling that the series, which was once capable of mocking Disney and all its franchises, is now forever in debt to the brand. . The Simpsons selling Avatar 2 through a forced conversation in which Homer admires the wonders of the franchise was a low point for season 33, as well as the most egregious case of Disney using the series to sell another product.
While both “The Simpsons” and “South Park” are struggling to stay relevant as the shows get older, “The Simpsons” certainly isn’t helped by their willingness to advertise a global entertainment giant. Disney doesn’t need to use The Simpsons as a platform to advertise its products, and the incredibly expensive Avatar 2 hardly needs to take up screen time in a family sitcom to remind viewers that the movie exists. However, there’s nothing stopping Disney from using The Simpsons to promote new movies, which means that future episodes can have any number of bizarre, uncomfortable scenes in which characters lyrically talk about the joys of Marvel movies or about subscribing to Disney+. This neutralizes any attempts by The Simpsons to ridicule corporate scope, monopolization or greed, and the remaining moments of political commentary in the series look offensively glib.
