‘Family Guy,’ ‘Loki’ & More of the Best ‘Simpsons’ Crossovers
With the release of The Good, The Bad, and The Loki on Disney+, The Simpsons took a step into the world of superheroes. But TV’s longest-running animated sitcom is no stranger to crossovers with other worlds, from comedies to iconic TV shows.
Over its 30+ year history, the residents of Springfield have been introduced to vastly different characters in special episodes where worlds collided, and there could be more to come now that Disney+ and all of its properties are in the mix.
Below we’ve gathered the best crossover episodes of The Simpsons, from Futurama to Star Wars and everything in between.
"Simpsorama" (Season 26, Episode 6)
One of the few animated shows as beloved as The Simpsons is also from the mind of the same creator. Matt Groening’s Futurama aired for seven seasons and included multiple movies featuring the Planet Express crew going on adventures across the universe. Shockingly, it took over a year after the show ended for the residents to visit Springfield for a mission. “Simpsorama” is a great mixture of the two styles that feels like the long-deserved payoff fans had been waiting for. Seeing Homer (Dan Castellaneta) and Bender (John DiMaggio) become best friends is something we’ll always treasure.
"24 Minutes" (Season 18, Episode 21)
Back in the 2000s you couldn’t go anywhere without seeing Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) and the iconic digital clock of FOX’s hit show, 24. This episode takes all of those memorable elements and spoofs them exceptionally as Principal Skinner (Harry Shearer) creates a taskforce of students to prevent a stink bomb from exploding in the school. It’s got everything from a looming deadline, action, and even a cameo from Sutherland to make it a perfect crossover/parody of the show, as well as one of the best examples of how flexible The Simpsons’ formula can be.
The Force Awakens From Its Nap (Disney+ Short)
The first crossover after The Simpsons came to Disney+ takes us to a galaxy far, far away in this short based on the Star Wars universe. It follows Maggie as she is enrolled into a daycare filled with aliens, lightsabers and droids. As expected, the short is packed with plenty of fan service from a Lando cameo to a room full of BB-8s. That’s not to say it doesn’t also have plenty of jokes at Disney’s expense in the classic Simpsons fashion. The Force Awakens From Its Nap shows that Disney owning The Simpsons doesn’t mean it’s going to change — but that it can do even more than before.
"The Simpsons Guy" (Family Guy Season 13, Episode 1)
The only entry on this list that isn’t technically a Simpsons episode, “The Simpsons Guy” brought the far more crass humor of Family Guy to Springfield when the Griffin family’s car is stolen and the Simpson family lets them move in for a few days. It’s crazy seeing the two families interact, but make no mistake, the humor definitely leans towards Family Guy’s style with some brutal and sometimes vulgar jokes that mock the whole concept of a crossover. This is definitely one Simpsons crossover that uses the premise to its full potential.
The Good, The Bad, and The Loki (Disney+ Short)
The other Disney+ short thus far is a crossover with the hit Marvel show Loki that dove headfirst into the world of its superhero. The setup? Loki (voiced by Tom Hiddleston) is banished from Asgard to one of the worst places possible: Springfield. While the plot more directly involves Marvel characters, the real draw is getting to see all our favorite Simpsons characters as their superhero counterparts. From Lisa (Yeardley Smith) as Thor to Ralph (Nancy Cartwright) as the Hulk, it’s incredibly cool and incredibly strange to see these worlds collide. Special mention goes out to the joke about Disney buying Marvel and Fox.
"A Star Is Burns" (Season 6, Episode 18)
Perhaps one of the most controversial episodes and certainly the most controversial crossover, “A Star Is Burns” sees Jay Sherman (Jon Lovitz) from a cult animated show, The Critic, journeying to Springfield for its first ever film festival. This episode is packed with film parodies and references that definitely feel different from the standard Simpsons fare. Groening was so incensed by what he felt was a cheap promo for another FOX show that he had his name removed from the credits. Whether or not he made the right decision is still up in the air, but this is a pretty cool crossover nevertheless.
"The Springfield Files" (Season 8, Episode 10)
The cream of the crop when it comes to ‘90s crossover, The Simpsons and The X-Files is a match made in crossover heaven. When Homer sees an alien only to have no-one believe him, the FBI comes to town as agents Mulder and Scully (voiced by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson) want to believe Homer’s story and find the truth. This episode has aliens, UFOs, spooky vibes, and plenty of unique gags that makes it one of The Simpsons’ strongest crossovers.
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