The FXX super marathon of "The Simpsons" begins today, and the versions of the episodes you see will be the uncut ones from before the show went into syndication.This is what "Simpsons" writer Michael Price had to say about the versions of the episodes you will see during the marathon:
@thatbilloakley Here's the real deal: The marathon and future special event things like say Halloween mini-marathons will be original. (1/2)
— Michael Price (@mikepriceinla) August 19, 2014
@thatbilloakley Shows aired in regular FXX rotation will be syndication cuts. (2/2) — Michael Price (@mikepriceinla) August 19, 2014
This basically means that during the marathon, everything will be uncut. After that, FXX will start airing the shortened, syndicated versions. Over at the fan-run Simpsons Archive, there is an accurate log of which episodes from seasons 1 through 20 were shortened by syndication.
Most notably is the episode "The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson" where the Twin Towers were featured prominently throughout the installment. The episode was pulled completely from syndication several years after 9/11. When the episode returned to the fold, die-hard fans noticed that there were obvious cuts made to the syndicated version of the episode.
With the hashtag #EverySimpsonsEver, the FXX network has kicked its marketing machine into overdrive promoting the original and uncut versions of every last minute of Simpsons goodness. The show, which has been on the air since 1989 on Fox, has now spanned several generations with the animated family becoming as American as apple pie. The online archive of episodes will feature full and uncut versions of the episodes with syndicated versions running after that.
"The Simpsons" marathon will begin airing today, Thursday, August 21, and will kick off with a whopping 552 episodes that will make it the longest-running marathon in TV history. Not only will all of the episodes be included, but FXX is even squeezing in the 2007 "The Simpsons Movie" into the mix.
This unprecedented event is all leading up to the official launch of syndicated "Simpsons" episodes starting after Labor Day. In addition to that, the "Simpsons World" app is going to be available on electronic devices soon after, which will allow fans to watch any and every episode of the classic series anytime they wish.
