‘The Simpsons’ Takes on ‘Black Mirror’ With Its Next Big TV Parody

Few shows have built a longer tradition of parodying pop culture than ‘The Simpsons,’ whose “Treehouse of Horror” specials have spent decades sending up everything from ‘The Shining’ to ‘The Fly.’ That legacy of borrowing from beloved horror and sci-fi properties has only grown more ambitious as the series continues finding new targets to satirize nearly four decades into its run.

That tradition continues with Disney+’s growing lineup of Simpsons-exclusive specials, which has already delivered spoofs ranging from a nature-documentary send-up in “Yellow Planet” to the Homer-centric “Extreme Makeover: Homer Edition” earlier this year. Each entry has leaned into a distinct genre or format, giving the streaming exclusives a different flavor from the show’s usual weekly episodes on Fox.

The newest addition to that lineup takes direct aim at one of the most influential sci-fi anthology series of the streaming era. Titled “Yellow Mirror,” the special is a dedicated parody of Netflix’s ‘Black Mirror,’ premiering exclusively on Disney+ on August 26, and its newly released trailer makes clear just how far the show is willing to lean into unsettling, tech-driven horror.

The special centers on two separate stories built around the dangers of unchecked technology. In one, a defective lamp forces Homer to confront a heartbreaking truth about what he’s believed to be reality all along. In the other, an AI-powered tablet initially befriends Maggie before gradually taking control of her, and eventually appears poised to threaten the wider Simpson family.

The trailer opens with Bart falling through a void as he declares, “Anything can happen in the ‘Yellow Mirror,'” setting an appropriately disorienting tone for what’s ahead. Elsewhere, the preview features a flashback to a teenage Homer at Springfield High School, telling Barney that the life he believed he’d lived never actually happened, only for Barney to respond with a characteristically deadpan, “Well, that sucks.”

According to Disney’s official synopsis, the Simpsons family will “struggle to find the light through two dark tales of the curious and bizarre,” language that closely mirrors the tone ‘Black Mirror’ has built its reputation on since debuting in 2011. Notably, “Yellow Mirror” isn’t replacing the show’s traditional “Treehouse of Horror” episode, which remains set to air later this year on Fox as part of Season 38, though an exact air date hasn’t been announced yet.

“Yellow Mirror” marks the third Disney+-exclusive Simpsons special of the summer, arriving after “Simpsley” and “Extreme Makeover: Homer Edition” earlier in the year. The special also lands shortly after the franchise crossed the 800-episode milestone, a number few sitcoms in television history have come close to reaching.

Season 38 of the flagship series is set to premiere on Fox on September 27, meaning “Yellow Mirror” gives fans a way to get their Springfield fix during the gap between seasons. With Disney+ continuing to build out its collection of themed specials, shorts, and exclusive episodes alongside the show’s full 36-season library, “Yellow Mirror” adds one more genre to the growing list “The Simpsons” has successfully parodied over the decades.