Although fans of the series have been waiting for The Simpsons Movie 2 for almost two decades now, the second theatrical spinoff is set to arrive shockingly soon. The Simpsons is one of the few TV shows that can be called a formative piece of American pop culture history without a whiff of irony. As of April 2026, The Simpsons is officially the longest-running US scripted prime-time TV series of all time, the longest-running US sitcom ever, and the longest-running US animated series ever. That’s quite a string of achievements, and it doesn’t come close to encapsulating the scope of the show’s influence.
Without The Simpsons, there would likely be no Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers, American Dad, South Park, or Rick and Morty. Thus, the news that The Simpsons Movie 2 is finally coming, 20 years after The Simpsons Movie’s release, seems like it would be a huge deal. However, this was quietly announced in mid 2025, complete with a September 3, 2027, release date, and the attendant hype that fans of the series might reasonably expect has not yet materialized. It is hard to tell why this is the case, but it may not be good news for The Simpsons.
The Simpsons Movie 2 Comes Out In September 2027
TV’s favorite cartoon family first graced the big screen back in 2007 with The Simpsons Movie. After 17 years in production, expectations were ludicrously high for this blockbuster release, especially since The Simpsons was struggling with critics and longtime fans alike around this time. The Simpsons Movie arrived squarely in the middle of what was later dubbed the “Zombie Simpsons” era, a point in the show’s history when the critically acclaimed Golden Age of seasons 3-11 was long over. When The Simpsons Movie arrived between seasons 18 and 19, the show hadn’t received predominantly great reviews in almost a decade.
As such, it was a welcome shock when The Simpsons Movie proved a massive critical and commercial hit. With an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, there is no denying the fact that the spinoff was a critical success, while its worldwide gross of over $536 million on a budget of only $75 million speaks for itself. As such, one might reasonably have expected that The Simpsons Movie 2’s impending release would be a massive cultural moment, but the announcement seemed to come and go without much fanfare.
The Simpsons Movie 2’s 20-Year Wait Highlights The Show’s Biggest Draw (And Problem)
This highlights the biggest issue that The Simpsons faces in 2026, and it is one that no earlier show has ever needed to navigate. Viewers waited 17 years for the first film, and another two decades have passed before the second. The show now has over 800 episodes to its name, so, while The Simpsons has still got a fan base and massive cultural cache as a result, it’s also arguably outlived itself. The Simpsons Movie 2 could prove that The Simpsons has been around for too long to feel relevant or essential in 2027, or, ideally, the sequel could spark another creative renaissance for the long-running show as its predecessor did in 2007.
