What can we expect from the Simpsons sequel?

It is now more than three decades since President Bush the First declared that American families should be “more like the Waltons, and less like the Simpsons.” In this, as in so many other things, Bush was to be disappointed. Thirty-three years after he made his remarks, the Waltons are now barely discussed in popular culture, if at all, while the exploits of America’s most famous yellow-skinned family have now moved into their 37th season with a further three, at least, planned. This is a degree of longevity that is unparalleled in any live-action sitcom equivalent, and the show’s creator Matt Groening could be forgiven for doing a victory lap.

At the time of writing, it is unclear as to whether the newly announced Simpsons movie sequel, due for release in 2027, represents such a lap. It is coming two decades after the first film spin-off, which grossed $536 million worldwide and attracted critical acclaim, and in this new era of long-belated sequels, its arrival is relatively swift. The continued success of its televisual counterpart means that an enthusiastic fanbase continues to enjoy the exploits of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa et al, and their paymasters at Fox will be hoping for a similarly rapturous response in a couple of years.

All the same, the reception that The Simpsons Movie 2, as it is presently and unimaginatively named, is likely to receive remains largely uncertain. The joy of the Simpsons, despite Bush’s dismissive comments, has always been that its blessedly dysfunctional family feels a good deal more American than the sickly saccharine Waltons ever did. For any show to remain relevant and funny after the time that it has been on the air is a remarkable achievement, and while many would grumble that it peaked decades ago and now is treading water, the show still manages to get laughs in a way that, say, the revamped King of the Hill is unable to.

Nonetheless, perhaps another big-screen outing might be a harder sell, given the considerably greater challenges that films now face at theaters. In 2007, the competition that the first Simpsons movie faced were the likes of Pirates of the Caribbean and Harry Potter, which were good-natured family pictures that made a lot of money without being particularly demanding, or indeed accomplished. Now, however, the rise of streaming and the subsequent difficulties that anything that feels remotely rote face mean that, bluntly put, the Simpsons sequel is going to have to be really, really good if it wants to stake its continued place in the cultural firmament.

What should it do to differentiate itself from the series? Of course, it could go nakedly political, but this might feel like a step too far for a show that has never turned its satirical barbs into straightforward sloganeering (and is all the better for it). Yet somehow, the adventures of Spider-Pig, which were so charming the first time around, would now seem almost laughably tame and undynamic given how much higher the bar for family entertainment has been raised. The Wild Robot, for instance, showed how peerless animated films could be, and while nobody is expecting the Simpsons 2 to be similarly heart-rending, audiences may well expect a more naked display of emotion than has been shown hitherto.

Groening and his co-creators have embraced a considerable challenge. Admittedly, they have pulled it off once before, but if they fail, it runs the risk of tarnishing a much-loved brand. There are any number of avenues and possibilities for this most allusive of shows (a musical? A film-noir pastiche?) that might be pursued, but if they stumble, then the results will be regrettable. Let us hope, in that case, that the creative fire is within them, and that the result does not turn into a sad pastiche of the kind that Krusty the Clown might have dreamt up.