"Simpsons World" Is Here, So It's Time to Throw Deuces at the Real World

"Simpsons World" is out today, which means you can watch any "Simpsons" episode, anytime, anywhere.

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Complex Original

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Hi-Diddily-Ho! Fresh off that gargantuan Simpsons marathon they hosted for 12 days straight back in August, FXX just launched Simpsons World—a website and Android and iOS app that lets users watch any episode, of any season, any time they want. Sounds like a lot to take in? Did Homer ever find a donut he couldn't handle? 

Simpsons World came into fruition during the deal that brought The Simpsons over to cable for FXX. To make the deal financially viable for FXX (it was reportedly made for $750 million), FXX needed to secure rights to stream all 550+ Simpsons episodes, Netflix-style. Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and other series creators agreed that if they were going to make it happen, the site couldn't simply be presented as a long list of episodes. It had to be "creative" and needed to separate itself from other streaming sites. And, turns out, between the yellow backgrounds, blue bold fonts, and 404 pages featuring Itchy and Scratchy, they delivered. It's even better than the old South Park Studios website, where people could watch any South Park episode for free, before Comedy Central took it down when they signed an exclusive deal with Hulu. It's all in the details, and if you take a peek at what South Park Studios became (SouthPark.CC.com), that's essentially what Groening wanted to avoid. FX and developer Huge Inc. spent 20,000 hours building the site, sprinkling in 3,000 clips and 3,000 quotes, and they had Groening's book, also titled Simpsons World, to give them a head start.

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Clips from past episodes immediately play when you open the Simpsons World site or app. Nestled at the bottom of clips is a popularity meter for each season. Users can see how many plays a season has collected in all—even if it has only been available for a few hours—or they can click a season and see which episodes have been viewed the most. This is called the “Simpsons Heartbeat.” Scroll down on the homepage and there's even more content, such as featured playlists, trivia, Instagram photos, and tweets.

That's the good news, but on to the bad news: you can't watch episodes without logging in with your cable provider details. D'oh! That sucks for cord-cutters who have ditched their cable box, but if you're still signed up with Time Warner Cable or Comcast and are looking for a trip down memory lane, well, ride away (Verizon FiOS, DirectTV and Dish customers still have to wait). If you don't have a subscription, you can still watch random clips and enjoy some of the secondary content. If you're looking to view it on iOS or Android, don't waste your time looking for a Simpsons World app—you have to download the FXNow app, and you'll find it in there. 

There's a pink sprinkled donut that hangs in the upper left hand corner brings up options to select episodes, watch a random one, or search the site. The search option is a more detailed than you might think: instead of simply searching episode titles, users can search by characters. So if you're in the mood to watch Bart-centric episodes, typing in "Bart" will bring up the relevant content:

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There are about 17 curated playlists of episodes like "Predict the Future," which showcases episodes like "Lisa's Wedding" and the recent "Days of Future Future." Then there's "Presidential Parodies" or "Tree House of Horror" playlists. If you want to go behind the scenes and get the favorite moments of writers, like the legendary Al Jean, head to the Rarities section.

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This isn't even all that FX wants to do with Simpsons World. Coming in 2015, users will have the option to view the script as the episode is playing, read character descriptions, and head into a customizable map of Springfield. There'll even be a game where users can win "donuts" by exploring different areas of the site. If they collect a certain amount of donuts, they'll unlock hidden content. 

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What's great about The Simpsons is that—for as long as it's been on, and how much the identities of the characters have grown—you don't have to watch every one in order. Simpsons World doesn't hide that, it encourages it. Want to watch "Mother Simpson," the episode where Homer reunites with his mom in season 7? Do it, and feel free to skip to season 2 to watch "The Way We Was," and see how Homer and Marge became a couple on prom night. Click something random. Enjoy a morsel at a time. Binging on 26 seasons of The Simpsons can only lead to a trip to Dr. Hibbert's office. And Simpsons World already brings you as brilliantly close as you'd want. 

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