• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, October 24, 2022

Marge becomes murderous, Lisa stars in a dark anime adventure and all of the Simpsons star as re-programmable, biomechanical robots in a spoof of HBO’s “Westworld.”

It is all just in time for Halloween as Fox presents the “Simpsons” 33rd annual “Treehouse of Horror” anthology special this coming Sunday (October 30).

The show has produced 33 of these hugely creative specials representing all of the show's seasons except one. Season 34 started last month.

For the TV Blog, this is the time of year when “The Simpsons” is usually covered twice -- once when a new season starts in September and the second time when the annual Halloween show rolls around.

They are both worth writing about for the simple reason that “The Simpsons” is in a class by itself. Both have been around so long that they demand attention, if not respect.

The TV Blog wrote on the “Simpsons” season premiere on September 22. The episode was another stellar example of how “The Simpsons” manages year after year to stay current with social trends and reveal their flaws and foibles with razor-sharp accuracy.

This season’s premiere took aim at social media and cancel culture -- the latter having hit “The Simpsons” directly when various so-and-so’s came out of the woodwork to complain about the show’s depiction of the beloved storekeeper Apu, a successful Indian immigrant.

This year's Halloween special -- formally titled “Treehouse of Horror XXXIII” -- is not so much a direct commentary on social trends as it is a spoof of aspects of our popular culture.

In the first story in this three-part anthology, Marge (pictured above) is possessed by a homicidal demon who springs from the pages of a scary, children’s pop-up book that she is reading to baby Maggie.

The show's second story is done completely in the style of Japanese anime. It is a stellar achievement, and if anyone has time to watch just one of these stories, this is the one.

In the story, a wide-eyed, anime-rendered Lisa also encounters a demon, one who convinces her to go on a murder spree.

She agrees, but only if her murderous acts will be committed for the benefit of the planet. An anime Bart also makes an appearance.

In the third story, a futuristic amusement park called SimpsonsWorld has the family taking up residence in a Springfield theme park in which they are the star robots.

In “Westworld,” the robots run amok. Does the same thing happen in SimpsonsWorld? Yes … and no. No spoilers here!

“The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XXXIII” airs Sunday (October 30) at 8 p.m. Eastern on Fox.