The Simpsons (Season 32) (Johnsonverse)

The thirty-second season of The Simpsons premiered on September 27, 2020 with the episode "The Decline Stops Here".

The first season with Tim and Chloe Johnson as the showrunners, this season retcons almost everything that happened between the eleventh and thirty-first seasons (1999-2020), with only episodes well-received by fans staying in the show's canon. Alf Clausen, the composer from 1990 to 2017, returned to compose the season, also retroactively rescoring Seasons 29 to 31 in their entirety; his score for these seasons is now used on reruns, streaming, and future home video releases.

Before the season aired, there were rumors that all non-Caucasian characters voiced by Caucasian actors would be recast in the wake of the George Floyd protests and riots throughout the summer of 2020; the twins vehemently denied them in a 2020 interview, even comparing the idea to the segregation minorities suffered prior to and during the civil rights movement, with Chloe in particular stating, "Picture the first half of the Saints Row mission "All the King's Men" in which you drive Benjamin King's truck extra fast and recklessly while he and Johnny Gat are terrorizing poor Stefan into giving up the codes to Tanya's penthouse by dangling him out of the truck. Replace your character with a PC police driver, King and Gat with a PC police chief and deputy, and Stefan with the voice actor, and change their motive to scaring said actor off their role, and it's exactly what's happening now. Plus, it's pretty obvious by now that at least some of them are desperate for attention during a time of rioting and social unrest".

The iconic opening sequence was also redone; it is now inspired by the 1990-2009 version, with more complex character movements reminiscent of the 1989 and 1990 opening sequences, fewer attempts at humor, and even more characters, environments, and references to older seasons. The title card gags were abolished, though the billboard gags were retained.

Finally, the animation style of Seasons 1 to the first half of 20 was brought back, with the animation now being done in-house by Johnson Television Animation, even reverting to cel animation for the first time since the 13th season ended in 2002, also making it the first cel-animated series in the US mainland since Ed, Edd n Eddy switched to digital ink and paint in 2004, and the first cel-animated series in the world since the long-running Sazae-san anime in the Japanese states switched to digital ink and paint in 2016.

Episodes

 * 1) The Decline Stops Here (written by Tim and Chloe Johnson) - The new bosses, Tim and Chloe Johnson, arrive in Springfield, and the townspeople, including the Simpsons, begin to notice many differences in their normal life. The people notice that Tim and Chloe have been changing Springfield for the better. Chalkboard gag: "I will salute our new corporate overlords". Couch gag: A remake of the 1992-2002 "circus line" couch gag. Air date: September 27, 2020.
 * 2) Homer Improvement (written by Tim and Chloe Johnson) - Homer must prove to Tim and Chloe that he can act like his old self again and not be "Jerkass Homer". Chalkboard gag: "There's no such thing as ghosts". Couch gag: Tim and Chloe sit on the couch silently judging the Simpsons. Air date: October 4, 2020.
 * 3) Maude from the Ashes (written by Tim and Chloe Johnson) - Ned is shocked to learn that his deceased wife Maude Flanders has been resurrected after a time-traveling accident at Professor Frink's lab. Chalkboard gag: "I will not scam people with counterfeit money". Couch gag: The Simpsons are dragged and dropped into the scene, in a parody of Vyond, and Homer's hair is deleted, causing him to yell his catchphrase, "D'oh!". Air date: October 11, 2020.
 * 4) Bart's Powers (written by Robby Victors) - Bart tricks the people of Springfield into thinking he has psychological powers. Air date: October 18, 2020.
 * 5) Game of Grills (written by Dan Castellaneta and Deb Lacusta) - After a nearby family mocks Homer's grill, which has stopped working after 30 years of use, Homer buys an even better grill than the family, leading to a hectic feud between them as to who can afford the best grill.
 * 6) Treehouse of Horror XXXI
 * 7) Mmm... Burgers (written by Harry Shearer) -
 * 8) Captain Homer (written by David X. Cohen) -
 * 9) Moe and Bart
 * 10) Marge's Time to Shine
 * 11) Lenny Charms

Reception
The first episode, "The Decline Stops Here", was universally acclaimed, and is generally seen as a return to form for the series; many fans have dubbed this season "the start of a Simpsons renaissance".