By the time The Simpsons rolled into its 22nd season (airing from September 26, 2010, to May 22, 2011), the cultural conversation had long since shifted. The golden age (seasons 3–8) was a relic. The “teenage” seasons (9–12) had their defenders. The Scully and early Jean years had given way to a strange, prolonged middle age. Critics had written obituaries for the show multiple times over. And yet, here it was: Season 22, still alive, still producing 22 episodes, still capable of moments of genuine brilliance, and still, somehow, a ratings cornerstone for Fox.
The annual Halloween special was still a highlight. This installment featured a parody of The Twilight Zone ’s “The Little People” (with Homer as a giant god to tiny people on a floating asteroid), a Toy Story riff (“Tweenlight” with a love triangle between Milhouse, a doll, and a toy store clerk), and a Boardwalk Empire spoof (“War and Pieces” — a vignette about a Monopoly-like game that destroys Springfield). It’s not an all-timer, but it’s sharp, visually inventive, and proof that the show’s parody engine could still fire. the simpsons season 22 dthrip
Notably, Season 22 did not win any Emmys (it was nominated for Outstanding Animated Program for “Treehouse of Horror XXI” but lost to South Park ’s “It’s a Jersey Thing”). Still, it was nominated for multiple Annie Awards, and voice actor won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for his work in the season. By the time The Simpsons rolled into its
A surprisingly dark episode where Mr. Burns, abandoned by everyone after a health scare, fakes his own death and lives in the Simpsons’ attic. It’s a bleak character study — Burns losing everything, even Smithers’ loyalty — and ends with a failed redemption. Not laugh-out-loud funny, but it showed the writers could still handle melancholy and moral complexity. The Scully and early Jean years had given
A standout. Bart becomes a therapy bird handler for a former attack pigeon named Ray. When Ray goes missing, Bart descends into a The French Connection -style obsession. The episode is a loving homage to 1970s paranoid thrillers, with rain-soaked streets, a jazz score, and a surprisingly touching ending. This is the kind of episode that reminds you The Simpsons could still do genre pastiche better than almost anyone.
A solid B-minus season — unessential for new viewers, but rewarding for longtime fans willing to meet the show where it lives. Watch “How Munched Is That Birdie in the Window?” and “The Great Simpsina” for proof that the heart was still beating.