Recap: The Simpsons Comic-Con@Home Panel

 

 

The Simpsons cast and crew are no strangers to Comic-Con. After three decades of being around the block, they are veterans of talking about their show. Even the last couple of years of virtual Cons have not slowed these fantastic people down. 

The Simpsons panel for 2021’s Comic-Con@Home may have been the most entertaining yet full of surprises and fun.

The panel itself was loaded with most of the usual suspects. Yeardley Smith (Lisa Simpson) always makes the best moderator for Simpsons events, thanks to her pure excitement. Joining her were writers/producers Al Jean, Matt Selman, and Carolyn Omine. 

And rounding things out was a trio of super animators Mike Anderson, David Silverman, and Debbie Mahan. For something extra special, there was also a last-minute appearance from The Simpsons creator himself, Matt Groening.

Attempting to do things a little differently, the panel was driven by fan questions previously collected for the event. Some great topics and reveals came up.  

First, there was Yeardley’s dream of an episode featuring her and Dwayne Johnson. Surprisingly, the writers claimed there was already a script prepared and were awaiting The Rock to come calling.

The Disney+ shorts came up as a topic. Unfortunately, there was no reveal of any future shorts planned. However, it does not seem like it is off the table.

The big question regarded the eventual series finale and if Al Jean and the writers were prepared for a final episode. While most of the panellists believed Disney would never allow the show to end, Al Jean did reveal that the last pages were written, at minimum.

Of course, most fans tune in to these events for sneak peeks at what is to come for our favourite show. 

The panel does not disappoint; at least three new episodes were teed up. One involving The Simpson’s own streaming service, “Simpflix”. A musical extravaganza is planned for the season opener. And as a special treat, an entire segment of this year’s “Treehouse of Horror” was released.

A few guest stars were announced for season 33 as well. Kristen Bell is set to star in the season premiere as Marge’s singing voice. Maurice LaMarche was featured in the “Treehouse” segment. And Matt Selman revealed a few more names to look out for, including Timothy Olyphant, Brian Cox, and Cristin Milioti.

The back half of the hour-long panel was full of fun and games. The writers and artists teamed up for a couple of rounds of Simpsons Pictionary. 

It is entertaining to watch these talented artists scribble recognizable characters and scenes in seconds.

The good news from this panel is that everything seems to be business as usual for The Simpsons bullpen. Despite transitions to working from home and running for three decades, these creators are having as much fun as they always do. It is safe to say that there doesn’t seem to be any threat of this iconic series ending any time soon.

The Simpsons panel can be watched in full on the official Comic-Con@Home website.