Here’s how The Simpsons Season 36 changed its own canon

The Simpsons Season 36 is gaining attention for introducing several significant changes to its established canon and blending humour with bold narrative choices. After 35 years of being 10 years old, Bart is shown growing up and becoming 11 in season 36 when they celebrate her birthday. This milestone was part of a meta twist where the episode initially presented itself as a series finale, only to reveal that it was an AI-generated illusion. Despite the reset, Bart's new age marks a significant shift in the show's timeline.

The episode centres around Homer Simpson's obsession with a celebrity chef, Thad Parkour, and his quest to uncover a secret recipe known as the "Stew of Violence." Therefore, this suggests that the show is gradually shifting towards a more gritty and dark narrative style while also keeping up the element of humour.

Read on to learn how The Simpsons is changing its own canon.

Here is how The Simpsons is transforming its own canon with these narrative choices

Bart is depicted as imitating everything Lisa says straight for six months, which annoys Lisa, but she later turns the tables. She advocates for her activism with Bart speaking for her causes. This deepens their bond, and the next episode features how their rivalry has evolved into mutual growth and understanding.

Now in season 36, Lisa is working with scientists in a control room. But when Bart again initiates the older prank by mimicking her is portrayed as a dysfunctional sibling amidst a critical moment for humanity. The alien species, while considering their bickering violent and decides to annihilate planet Earth.

It satirises how petty human conflict, even among the smartest and most accomplished, can undermine progress. However, the "elastic canon" softens the emotional impact of dark or shocking events, like the apocalyptic ending of Season 36. This is because elastic canon offers the creative liberty to introduce a grim conflict and then ignore or undo it in the next.

Over the years, The Simpsons has shown many different versions of the family’s future, like Lisa becoming President, or Bart becoming a Supreme Court justice, but this only suggests that The Simpsons' future and past are flexible and not fixed.

Some more changes in the storyline of season 36, explored

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In the episode titled 'Convenience Airways,' Maggie Simpson utters her first coherent word: "Sequel?" While this has been a rare occurrence in past episodes, this suggests a potential change in Maggie's role within the series, indicating she might become more vocal in future episodes.

Abe Simpson is emerging as a single father raising Homer in the 1980s, contradicting previous depictions of him as a World War II veteran. This interpretation allows the show's narrative to be creative in terms of history and provides flexibility. Season 36 introduces a storyline where Grampa Simpson reveals he was a detective in the 1980s, which adds another layer of complexity to the show.

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