Halloween, virtual reality and a milestone: On Sunday, Oct. 16, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX, “The Simpsons” will give audiences a special viewing experience. Television’s longest-running comedy series and longest-running scripted show in history will air the all-new “Treehouse of Horror XXVII,” its annual Halloween episode, which will double as the show’s 600th episode. The opening couch gag, “Planet of the Couches,” will be available as a VR experience.
“The Simpsons,” now in its 28th season, partnered with Google Spotlight Stories to create the VR experience for the couch gag, which will be available on Oct. 16 through the Google Spotlight Stories app on Android and iOS. It will be viewable with any Google Cardboard viewer. This marks the first “Simpsons” episode to feature a VR experience.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with ‘The Simpsons’ and Google Spotlight Stories on this milestone virtual reality experience, said Angela Courtin, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at FOX Broadcasting. “This is another example of how FOX is able to leverage innovation to deepen fan engagement and strive to bring interesting opportunities to our production partners.”
The “Planet of the Couches” in VR was developed by Google Spotlight Stories in conjunction with executive producers James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Al Jean, Matt Selman and director David Silverman.
“The Simpsons” has won 32 Emmy Awards, 34 Annie Awards and a 2016 People’s Choice Award. The show was also the first animated series to win a Peabody Award and earned an Academy Award nomination in 2012 for the theatrical short “The Longest Daycare.”
Here’s a video of 21CF Executive Chairman Rupert Murdoch’s personal reflections on how the show changed television and put FOX Broadcasting on the map:
