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If Homer Simpson ruled the world, what would he do to make it better? And when is he going to put the Duff down and try a craft beer?
Those are just two questions that the animated character may possibly answer when addressing viewers live for the first time. During a three-minute segment at the end of the 8 p.m. episode on Sunday, May 15, he’ll respond to select questions that fans have tweeted to him using the hashtag #HomerLive. Producers are hoping for a range of questions about the “topics of the day.”
Here’s a look at some of the possibilities so far:
Tweets about “#HomerLive” lang:en
This is a first for animation, and after 27 seasons it’s a marketing move that demonstrates why The Simpsons remains the longest-running TV show in history, and exists today as a $13 billion franchise.
“A live show is very relevant in today’s market,” Peter Leeb, Fox’s VP of global brand management told Adweek. “We try to stay current.”
The Simpsons airs every minute of every day in any of 180 countries, Adweek reports.
With the emergence of streaming, the series became available on Hulu in 2014. There’s also a mobile video app called Simpsons World that features all past seasons and extras such as Simpsons news.
And there’s the merchandizing. From boxer shorts to a life-sized Simpsons house in Nevada, around 10,000 products are sold every year in 100,000 retail stores around the world.
Beyond that are the events and experiences: the Simpsons ride at Universal Studios; the Bart Simpson balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade; the Simpsons star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; the addition of “d’oh!” to the Oxford English Dictionary.
Marge, Maggie, Bart and especially Homer have been engrained into millions of minds across the globe.
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As director Morgan Spurlock wrote in his 2010 Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special, the show is a “comedic freight train and marketing juggernaut that’s gone off the rails and has completely altered the cultural landscape as we know it.”
Some may argue the series reached its prime in the mid-1990s.
“For the love of god, they’ve told every conceivable story these people could have gone through. It’s all been beaten to death,” said TV expert Ray Richmond, who co-authored The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family along with show creator Matt Groening. Yet he adds, “The Simpsons is still better than 90 percent of the shows on TV—27 years on.”
The show has risen to fame through witty, edgy content consisting of smart, satirical storylines that poke fun at political and celebrity figures, and provide social commentary on current events. The Simpsons has always remained relevant to the times, so It should be no surprise that its characters would embrace the rapidly evolving modern world by hosting a live event.
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How, exactly, will Fox pull it off?
The Wrap reports the network will use motion-capture technology, and Homer Simpson voice actor Dan Castellaneta to answer some of the questions sent in through Twitter in real time. He’s “a great improviser,” says Executive Producer Al Jean, and producers will find fun ways to “prove” the scene is being performed live.
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