Boo-urns!: Simpsons World reviewed

Everything’s coming up Milhouse. The Simpsons World immersive experience launched Oct. 21 on SimpsonsWorld.com and the FXNOW mobile app. Highlights of Simpsons World include:

– Every Simpsons episode from Seasons 1-25, plus new Season 26 episodes available the day after they air on FOX. Sorry, episodes have commercials.
– Episode and clips playlists created around a central theme (“Eat My Shorts” Shorts, Simpsons Predict the Future)
– A section with the most popular episodes and clips, sorted by today, this month or this year
Rareties, including behind-the-scenes featurettes, cast and producer interviews, and more
– Links to Simpsons stuff in the mainstream and social media

So I went to Simpsons World today and kept hitting refresh on the browser like a crazy person until something appeared. And then it was like entering the Land of Chocolate.

But, of course, there is a big But to all of this. To get anything of any real substance out of Simpsons World, you’re going to need a subscription to a pay-TV provider, and that pay-TV provider needs to have a carriage agreement for FXNOW. This will angry up the blood for many of you.

OldMan

There are a bunch of cable and telco providers that offer access, but DISH Network and DirecTV do not. DirecTV and DISH customers will get the dreaded “enter your e-mail to be notified” business. Sorry.Directv

But if you’re among the fortunate, you can click on the donut at the top left of the browser to go to the main menu and sign in through your pay-TV provider credentials:
SimpsonsLogin

A Simpsons video clip automatically starts, and beneath it you’ll see the “The Simpsons Heartbeat,” which shows graphs of the popularity of every episode by the number of times it’s been viewed.
EveryEpisodePopular
(I didn’t want to stake a claim on being the first to have viewed “Homer and Lisa Share Cross Words.”)

Below that are highlights of various content categories. You may wish to choo-choo-choose this Featured Playlist of 15 Classic Ralph Moments:
RalphPlaylist

Or perhaps the “Nacho, Nacho Man” clip from “Homer Loves Flanders.”
FeaturedClip
(I think I hate Ted Koppel. No, wait, I find him informative and witty.)

I think I most liked the Something Random section, in which Mr. Teeny dials up a surprise song, gag, moment or scene from the archive:
SomethingRandom

Exploring it a little more, I did find some stuff kind of meh. The options for social sharing  are not impressive. Here are your choices:
ShareEpisode
You basically get to post a link to the episode, and there’s no guarantee that the person you’re sending it to will have authenticated access to FXNOW and be able to view it. If there’s a way to embed or share a custom clip, I haven’t found it. Might have to create an FX account (like I need more accounts) to see what kind of personalization is available.

I got more than an expected amount of this:
Simpsons404

And the iPhone app gave me this when I looked to see what was popular. I couldn’t remember an episode titled “Lorem Ipsum,” nor could I understand why people really liked it.
LoremIpsum
Then I extricated my head from my arse.

Obviously, a few bugs need to be worked out, and I’ve got to spend more time playing with it (and the FXNOW app on Apple TV) to get the full experience. But overall, I am pleased. Dear Lord, the gods have been good to me. Every Simpsons Ever is now everywhere I am. Now I can take all my Simpsons DVDs (only made it up to Season 13) and donate them to the homeless.

So, in conclusion, on the Simpson scale of one to 10, 10 being the highest, one being the lowest, and five being average, I give Simpsons World … a seven. Any questions?

Nope? Then I’ll just sit down.

About Ryan Berenz 2166 Articles
Member of the Television Critics Association. Charter member of the Ancient and Mystic Society of No Homers. Squire of the Ancient & Benevolent Order of the Lynx, Lodge 49, Long Beach, Calif. Costco Wholesale Gold Star Member since 2011.