The Simpsons has now spoofed the Netflix phenomenon Stranger Things twice, and both parodies fell flat. It’s rare for a show as big as The Simpsons to devote a lot of screen time to spoofing a new TV series — even massive pop culture phenomenons like Twin Peaks usually only merited a passing mention on the series back in its Golden Age from seasons 3-9.
But The Simpsons has now taken satirical aim at the Netflix phenomenon Stranger Things twice, acknowledging the outsized cultural impact that the nostalgia-packed mystery show has had since debuting in 2016. However, despite the horror sci-fi hybrid earning an unusual amount of attention from the legendary family sitcom, both spoofs missed the mark entirely.
The first Stranger Things spoof on The Simpsons cropped up in Season 30’s “I’m Dancing As Fat As I Can,” which sees Homer and Marge catch up on the Netflix phenomenon “Odder Stuff”. Despite the episode having ample opportunity and screen time to parody the series, The Simpsons doesn’t do anything with the reference. Changing the title seems particularly unnecessary when Springfield’s favorite family still call Netflix “Netflix,” and the few shots that viewers do see from “Odder Stuff” are just recreations of famous Stranger Things moments with no added jokes or Simpsons flair. It’s a bizarre misfire as The Simpsons could have picked any show to spoof but, beyond momentarily changing the famous shot of Eleven’s nosebleed to Homer sleeplessly staring at a TV screen, the episode wastes the opportunity.
The second Stranger Things parody from The Simpsons has a more impressive runtime, being a full segment in the series’ annual "Treehouse of Horror" special. But the sequence still falls flat as it fails to actually spoof the elements that make the Netflix series as iconic as it is. Opening with a reference to parachute pants (famously a regrettable 90s fashion staple, not an 80s one), this unfocused "Treehouse of Horror" segment does at least recreate the Demogorgon and a few stray elements of the series, but it barely touches on anything later than season 1 despite airing after the release of season 3. Ending on a bizarre unpaid Amazon ad, it’s the sort of toothless, shallow parody recent Simpsons outings have been infamous for since the Harry Potter “spoof” “Wiz Kids”.
Bizarrely, the few throwaway references that The Simpsons have made to Stranger Things outside of these two episodes have more bite and substance than the parodies themselves. The joke featuring a TV recap-writing robot noting that “Stranger Things suffers series 2 fatigue,” touches on the very real phenomenon of media criticism reflexively dismissing sophomore seasons (even if they’re solid efforts) because they’ve already moved onto a new phenomenon. Meanwhile, Homer’s assessment of the series as “Spielberg’s back! C-" is a more cutting and incisive satirical swipe at Stranger Things’ reliance on nostalgia than anything featured in the two Simpsons episodes ostensibly devoted to spoofing the series.