'The Simpsons' Are Moving to Wednesdays Because Nothing Matters Anymore

I visited my parents last week, and when it became time to turn on the TV I had to go through several remotes. My folks still have a cable box, which they pay an absurd amount of money for, so they can access hundreds of channels but only watch three of them. So I had to turn on the TV, but also the cable box and a third remote was used to power something on. I’m not entirely sure what. It was annoying and antiquated and I tried to talk them out of the cable box for the umpteenth time to no avail.

Cable TV is not long for this world, at least not in the traditional sense. People can watch things that they like whenever they want (for the most part). They don’t have to submit to a schedule if they don’t want to. If something airs at 10 PM on a Tuesday, people can stream it the next day. There are live events like sports and debates that often require scheduled viewing to stay in the loop, but even those can be seen in snippets on social media if one wants. Appointment television isn’t really a thing anymore, so why am I freaking out that The Simpsons are moving to Wednesdays?!

Yes, the famed yellow family will be shifting timeslots after 30-plus years on Sunday nights. Fox will continue showing other animated shows on Sundays, but The Simpsons will no longer be included in that block. I’ve seen a plethora of shows premiere after The Simpsons over the years only to find new timeslots and then cancellation. Seeing the move happen to Springfield’s favorite family is jarring, to say the least. It also signals something I know is coming but that I haven’t prepared myself for: The end of the show.

We’ve seen performers from the series pass away, be replaced, and retire. That will happen when something spans decades. Still, something about the show has felt ageless, even as the characters’ voices slowly but surely change due to… age. There’s no way the show will last forever, even if Disney replaces all the voice actors at some point down the line. But this change feels like a big mark on the tombstone, as it signals the possibility that the show isn’t bringing in viewers like it used to.

It could be that more people are doing what I suggested and watching The Simpsons at their convenience. Still, a move like this feels monumental, especially since it seems as though Disney didn’t think people would care. This change was quietly announced in a Winter Preview video back in December. We are on the precipice of several eras ending, and it all feels inevitable and sad.