In the regular age of television, most shows were lucky to get to season five. It meant they survived cancellation (many times by the skin of their teeth) enough to have produced the landmarking number of 100 episodes. With all due respect, The Simpsons are about to blow that idea out of the water.
The Simpsons has been airing on Fox since 1989. In the several years since its inception, The Simpsons has taken the titles for longest-running American sitcom, longest-running animated program, and even the longest-running American scripted primetime television series (which had previously been held by Gunsmoke for quite a while). With all those honors in place, the show needed something big to captivate their audiences for the new milestone.
Deadline reports that the 600th episode will be joined by a partnership between Fox Broadcasting and Google Spotlight Stories. By doing this, audiences are able to have a completely Simpson-centric virtual reality experience. There is an infamous couch gag within The Simpsons, and this new partnership is giving us the opportunity to experience the show in an entirely different way. The episode “Planet of the Couches” will unlock the corresponding episode “Treehouse of Horror XXVII,” which will be available for VR via Google Spotlight Stories and the Google Cardboard app.
“Planet of the Couches” is a fully fleshed-out VR experience, giving the viewer a chance to view their beloved animated universe in 360 degrees, with each viewer possibly experiencing different outcomes than another VR viewer.
One of The Simpson‘s executive producers, James L. Brooks, spoke highly of the temporary merge:
“It’s a thrill to be associated with Google — and not only because they have perfected the quality of their cafeteria food, especially those little sausages,” Brooks said.
Brooks helped organize the VR strategy for the show, along with fellow executive producers Matt Groening, Matt Selman, and Al Jean, David Silverman, and Google Spotlight Stories, naturally.
Season 28 (28!!) of The Simpsons is already going strong since its premiere on September 25 and airs every Sunday. “Planet of the Couches” will be ready for VR enthusiasts everywhere by October 16.