Ask Homer: The Simpsons Is Accepting Fan Questions For A Special, Live Episode

Ever wanted to ask Homer Simpson a question? Well, you’ll soon have your chance.

From Sunday, May 1 to Wednesday, May 4, the team behind The Simpsons will be accepting fan questions on Twitter. The best of these questions, which can be submitted using #HomerLive, will then be answered by Homer at the end of a special episode of the show on May 15.

Because the window for fan submissions will occur well before the episode’s air date, Homer’s answers won’t actually be off-the-cuff—the show’s writers will have had plenty of time to come up with responses. Homer’s appearance itself, however, will technically be live.

So, how does an animated character make a live appearance?

This unique segment will be achieved using motion capture technology, as Dan Castellaneta, who has provided Homer’s voice since the show’s first episode, will suit up to provide not just the beloved patriarch’s voice but also his movements. As Homer, Castellaneta will then answer accepted fan questions, and tackle a few of the day’s headlines to prove that the segment is, in fact, live.

According to The Simpson’s producer Al Jean, who spoke to BBC.com about the special episode, this has never been done before.

“As far as I know, this is the first time it’s been done by any animated show,” Jean said.

Jean also assured that Castellaneta, who is not especially experienced with live work, is more than capable of tackling this challenge, referring to the voice actor as a “great improviser.”

This anticipated, if somewhat strange episode of The Simpsons comes at a time when television watchers are opting en masse to watch their favorite shows using streaming services rather than tuning in to watch episodes when they first air. By adding a live segment to this episode of The Simpsons, Fox is hoping to combat this trend.

Whether or not this special episode actually boosts viewership, of course, remains to be seen. If any show is capable of surviving this turbulent time in the television industry, however, it’s The Simpsons. After 27 seasons spanning more than 16 years, it has beaten out the likes of Scooby Doo and The Flintstones to become the longest-running animated show in North American history.