Everyone knows it's been a long time since The Simpsons was good. The golden age of this incredibly long-running series is a distant memory at this point, and enough has been said about the show's lack of quality in the modern age that I'll just leave it at that. What's interesting is that every now and then we get signs of life from the body of this animated series, which otherwise seemed to be flat for a long time. In 2023, for example, this very site announced it The Simpsons is still good after seasons 33 and 34 suggested the quality was improving somewhat. Now, we have The Simpsons: O C'mon All Ye Faithful, a Christmas special that celebrates the show's 35th anniversary and is good enough that it's done well with fans and, according to the Disney+ charts, streaming audiences in general . .

The latest Simpsons Christmas special isn't just a throwback to the classic Ned Flanders episodebut it also goes back to the early years of The Simpsons, ie. where the writing was second-rate, the stories grounded and honest, and the animation charmingly goofy in its own way. Okay, maybe that last one hasn't changed. But the new special, now streaming on Disney+, manages to tell a somewhat charming story in which mentalist Derren Brown visits Springfield and accidentally hypnotizes Homer into believing he's Santa Claus himself. As the special continues, spanning 43 minutes over two episodes, the story turns into a much more emotional tale of Flanders losing his faith and reflecting on the loss of his two wives, Maude and Edna.

If that sounds a little cheesy and uncelebratory, it certainly hasn't stopped the special from seeing success, as evidenced by its reviews and topping the Disney+ charts.

Although it may not reach the impossible heights of the show's early years and features a joke straight out of Family Guy, The Simpsons: O C'Mon All Ye Faithful is a big hit for the long-running series. According to FlixPatrolsite that tracks and aggregates streaming viewership data across platforms, most notably number two on the overall Disney+ charts. That means it's not only the second-most-watched TV episode on the service, but also the second-most-watched piece of media overall — pretty impressive, and another reminder that The Simpsons still has some appeal, even if no one you know is talking. for that.

Seeing him FlixPatrol breakdown for the special, things look similarly positive. At the time of writing, "The Simpsons: Let's All Be Faithful" is on the charts in 42 countries overall and has reached number one in 16 of them, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, several European countries and even Singapore. . It is currently number two in the United States and Colombia and appears to be headed for number one in several other countries worldwide.

Sticking with the US, the special debuted at number two on December 19, 2024 and remained there the following day. Can he reach the top spot by the end of the week? Well, considering the overall number one position is currently held by the flawless holiday classic Home Alone, that's going to be a tall order. For now, we'll have to wait and see if the modern-day Simpsons really has what it takes to take down Kevin McAllister.

If Disney+'s rendition of The Simpsons: Come All Ye Faithful intrigued you, you might be pleased to know that all the reviews have been pretty positive, too. Former Simpsons fans may even find that this is the episode that draws them back into the fold just as well "The Simpsons" spoof series finale inspired by a common fan question. Those who miss the days when The best episodes of The Simpsons. balanced humor with a big helping of heart will be satisfied as Ned Flanders gets his most emotional story in years, which seems only fitting for a special marking the show's 35th anniversary.

All reviewers echo some version of that sentiment. While the special doesn't yet have a Rotten Tomatoes score, reviews that are out there praise the show's writers for using the relatively ludicrous story of Homer becoming the "real" Santa Claus to set up an emotionally affecting story about Flanders in the second half. . There's even a callback to the first "Simpsons" episode, "The Simpsons Grilling Over an Open Fire," at the end of the special that will either play as a heartening reminder of the show's origins or a cynical attempt to exploit our collective. nostalgia as a way to distract from the series' otherwise uneven quality. But hey, if you don't join the Disney+ crowd and watch, you'll never know, so why not try?