The steady decline in quality that The Simpsons has managed to sustain for the past ten years is impressive in and of itself. Just went you think it can’t get any worse, Marge finds herself attracted to a manatee conservationist. Or Lisa learns calligraphy to send weird messages to her family. Or Homer reveals his secret past as a member of pioneering grunge band Sadgasm.
Well, fans of internet raging will have to find themselves a new pair of pants next year. Why? Because the stars of Family Guy will be guest starring in a crossover special between the two shows, in which Peter and co. will up sticks and leave Quahog, Rhode Island to visit The Simpsons of Springfield, Earth.
TV Line reveals the hilarity that will ensue as the families reconcile their many differences – obese father, perennially disappointed but ultimately loving wife, errant son, boring daughter, and other – to finally realise that maybe we can all just get along. That this possibly signals the end of the line for The Simpsons is something that cannot be ignored – a Family Guy crossover will do nothing to satiate the rage of fans of the Swartzwelder years, and Family Guy acolytes – already used to their humour in perfect little YouTube clip-sized nuggets – will suffer from the inevitable bluntening of that show’s crude humour that will no doubt occur with being in The Simpsons‘ timeslot.
Of course, it could be the greatest episode of both shows that we’re ever likely to see. It could be the animation equivalent of a peace treaty between Israel and Palestine, and finally bring peace to the Middle East in general. This episode of The Simpsons could bring the world together, man, as long as they don’t make Homer fight that damn chicken.
