The Simpsons Season 35’s Most Disappointing Cameo Was Made Worse By An Outdated Plot

Although The Simpsons season 35 has featured less superfluous cameos than recent outings, the show’s Kylie Jenner appearance flopped, and it wasn’t even the reality star’s fault. After over 35 years on the air and 750 episodes, it makes sense that The Simpsons is often criticized for its predictability and repetitiveness. However, the long-running animated family comedy has enjoyed something of a critical revival in recent years, with seasons 34 and 35 both being singled out for praise. According to critics and fans online, these seasons have relied less on flashy celebrity cameos and more on solid character work.

Only time will tell if The Simpsons season 36 story can keep this trend alive, although there is already reason for viewers to doubt this. After all, season 35, episode 9, “Murder She Boat,” centered its plot on a cameo from director Taika Waititi that was indulgent at best and cringe-inducing at worst. Similarly, one of the outing’s earlier episodes featured a cameo from reality TV star Kylie Jenner that was ruined by a weak, outdated plot. While Jenner’s role in the episode was pointless, it was the surrounding storytelling that made this season 35’s lamest effort so far.

Kylie Jenner’s Simpsons Season 35 Role Relied On An Outdated Plot

In season 35, episode 5, “Treehouse of Horror XXXIV,” Homer inadvertently turned Bart into an NFT and left him stranded on the blockchain in the first segment, “Wild Barts Can’t Be Token.” This episode aired in October 2023, about a year after the NFT craze collapsed. As a result, the storyline’s satirical jabs felt laughably outdated. While the Simpsons never age, they do exist in a broad parody of the real world. This explains why Marge encounters Kylie Jenner during her journey to save Bart from the blockchain. However, season 35 proved The Simpsons couldn’t keep up with reality.

By parodying NFTs over a year after they were forgotten, The Simpsons proved that the show’s ability to comment on timely news stories is limited. This made Jenner’s cameo a mistake since her entire appearance in the episode hinged on jokes about the blockchain, NFTs, crypto, and other fads that hadn’t been relevant for months by the time the outing aired. Credit where it’s due, Jenner’s acting wasn’t what sank the appearance. Instead, it was the attempts to maintain topical relevance that made Jenner’s cameo fall flat. This has been a recurring mistake for The Simpsons in recent years.

Jenner’s Simpsons Cameo Brought Back A Recurring Problem

The segment might have been salvageable if Jenner had an original character to play or if the story hadn’t relied on such distinctly topical humor. As is, the unnecessary celebrity cameo only made the dated subject harder to justify. When celebrities who appear in The Simpsons play original characters, this offers the show more of a chance to integrate them into its fictional universe. It also makes their appearances feel more tied to the plot of a given outing. However, when stars like Jenner or Waititi simply appear as themselves, this makes their cameos in The Simpsons feel like mere gimmicks.