Steven R. March 15, 2019
The Simpsons is going to give its take on esports.
The long-running comedy series has a new episode coming out this Sunday that will tackle the world of competitive gaming. Entitled “E My Sports,” it has Bart becoming a professional gamer alongside some of his classmates.
The episode preview reads, “As Bart begins to excel in video game competitions, Homer discovers a passion for coaching him. Lisa attempts to bring Homer back to reality, but the plan causes chaos.”
Though details on the episode are scarce, promotional materials have been released, giving fans an idea of what direction the episode will go in. Bart’s squadmates include recurring characters Nelson, Martin, and Sophie, with Homer contributing in the background. According to Simpsons episode writer Al Jean on Twitter, the fifth member of the team is an unnamed character voiced by comedian Ken Jeong.
According to esports analyst Rod Breslau, the episode will feature Bart and company playing League of Legends. He added that The Simpsons’ writing team reached out to Riot Games for the episode to ensure an accurate representation of competitive gaming in the episode.
Though The Simpsons has declined in popularity in recent years, being parodied on the show has long been a benchmark for standing in popular culture. The series has attracted some of the biggest celebrities of the past 30 years to contribute as voice talent and has featured episodes on everything from the rise of American Idol to mixed martial arts.
The episode will air on March 15 in primetime on Fox.