‘The Simpsons’ Season 38 Episode 2 Release Date, Time, and Where to Watch the Next New Episode
Springfield’s first family is officially back on the air, and fans who devoured the season premiere are already asking when the next installment of ‘The Simpsons‘ lands. After more than three decades on the air, the animated sitcom continues to anchor Fox’s Sunday night lineup, and Season 38 is shaping up to be another eventful run for Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie.
With the show now the longest running scripted series in American television history, every new episode carries a bit of extra weight for longtime viewers. Here is what fans should know about the release schedule, what might be coming up next, and how to catch every new episode as it airs.
‘The Simpsons’ Season 38 Episode 2 Release Date and Time
‘The Simpsons’ Season 38 kicked off on Sunday, September 27, with the premiere episode airing at 8 PM Eastern and Pacific time, which translates to 7 PM Central. The premiere, “The Children’s Book Job,” centers on a British author whose visit to Springfield Elementary goes awry after Homer is tasked with picking her up from the airport.
The season carries a shorter broadcast run of 15 episodes on Fox, continuing the show’s recent trend of reduced network orders, and it will remain in its longtime Sunday night slot. Following that same weekly pattern, fans can expect the next new episode to arrive the following Sunday at the same 8 PM Eastern and Pacific time slot on Fox, since the network has kept ‘The Simpsons’ as the launching point for its entire animated block all season long.
That Sunday lineup places ‘The Simpsons’ at 8 PM, followed by ‘Animal Control’ at 8 30 PM, ‘Universal Basic Guys’ at 9 PM, and ‘Grimsburg’ rounding out the night at 9 30 PM. Fox confirmed this rollout as part of its broader fall 2026 premiere week announcement, which also included returning favorites like ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ and ‘The Floor.’
As of this writing, Fox has not yet issued an official title or synopsis for the second episode of the season, though the network has confirmed that showrunner Matt Selman intends to air the full 15 episode order sequentially through the fall and winter months rather than pausing for breaks early on.
‘The Simpsons’ Season 38 Preview
While episode two specifics remain under wraps, plenty of details have already surfaced about what else is coming in Season 38. Chief among them is the return of a beloved Halloween tradition that fans circle on their calendars every year.
‘Treehouse of Horror XXXVII’ is confirmed for this season, and producers wanted to make the segment genuinely scary this time around. The special will include a stop motion sequence created by Stoopid Buddy Stoodios that serves as a parody of ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas,’ along with a mashup segment that blends ‘Freaky Friday’ with Stephen King’s ‘Pet Sematary.’
Beyond the Halloween outing, another storyline teased for the season involves Bart and Lisa adopting a baby chimpanzee, with Homer growing increasingly paranoid about what the animal might do once it gets older. That kind of absurd, family centered premise has long been a signature of the show’s ability to mine comedy from Homer’s anxieties.
Fans hoping for crossover nostalgia also got a small tease, since Matt Groening hinted that the old video game ‘Hit and Run’ could see new life in some form, though Selman quickly downplayed the idea, leaving the door only slightly open for now.
Where to Watch ‘The Simpsons’ Season 38?
Catching new episodes of ‘The Simpsons’ remains straightforward for viewers with access to traditional broadcast television. The Simpsons Season 38 premieres and continues airing live on Fox at 8 PM Eastern and Pacific time, with new episodes also arriving the next day on Hulu.
That next day streaming turnaround on Hulu has become standard practice for the show in recent seasons, giving fans who miss the Sunday broadcast a reliable way to watch each episode shortly after it airs. Disney+ subscribers with a Hulu bundle can also access the platform’s growing library of Simpsons content through that same integration.
It is worth noting that Disney+ has also hosted a handful of exclusive specials outside the main Fox broadcast season, giving fans additional Simpsons content to enjoy between traditional episode drops. Those specials operate on a separate release schedule from the numbered Fox season, so viewers should not confuse them with the mainline episode count.
‘The Simpsons’ Season 38 Cast and Guest Stars
The heart of any ‘Simpsons’ season is its voice cast, and Season 38 brings back the actors fans have known for decades. The core voice ensemble, including Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, and Yeardley Smith, is set to return for all episodes this season.
Academy Award winner Emma Thompson guest starred in the premiere as a British children’s book author visiting Springfield Elementary. Additional confirmed guest stars for the season include Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor Gustavo Dudamel, along with Rachel Bloom, Jenna Ortega, Paul Dano, Henry Winkler, and Jennifer Aniston.
That lineup of guest talent suggests Season 38 will lean into starry cameos in the way recent seasons of ‘The Simpsons’ often have, mixing awards caliber names with the show’s signature blend of satire and heart. Fans will likely see these names pop up across the season’s remaining episodes as more details get announced.
With a shorter but steady episode order and a Halloween special already generating buzz, Season 38 has plenty riding on it heading into its second episode. Which returning character or new guest star are you most hoping gets the spotlight once ‘The Simpsons’ rolls out its next new episode.
