After 36 years, it’s the end of an era for The Simpsons in the UK

| Deputy TV editor Published October 27, 2026 1:18pm Updated October 27, 2026 1:18pm The times they are a changing… (Picture: © 2016 TCFFC) The Simpsons has been on the box for nearly as long as I’ve been alive, and in my mind, it’s synonymous with one channel: Sky One. Yes, I know there are people who will remember the glory of the BBC Two years, and younger Millennial readers will look back fondly on the Channel 4 days. Still, when I was a kid, if you wanted to watch The Simpsons, you tied an onion to your belt and tuned into Sky One at 7pm, ready to watch America’s most dysfunctional family. In fact, here in the UK, The Simpsons and Sky have had an unbreakable partnership for the last 36 years. Yet, sadly, all good things must come to an end, and it seems as though The Simpsons and Sky are consciously uncoupling. According to pop culture junkie and blogger Wesley Mead, from November 1, 2026, Sky will no longer broadcast The Simpsons. Could The Simpsons be leaving Sky? (Picture: 20thCentFox/Everett/REX/Shutterstock) They note that on Saturday, October 31st, at 6 pm, Sky One will broadcast Treehouse of Horror XV. However, as of Sunday, November 1 2026, The Simpsons disappears from the schedule. In fact, it’s missing from Sky’s programming for the next two weeks, and sadly Wesley thinks this is a permanent change. The show has disappeared from schedules (Picture: 20thCentFox/Everett/REX/Shutterstock) Wesley does note that this isn’t exactly a huge surprise for those who’ve kept a beady eye on the wild world of TV broadcasting rights. In December 2024, the House of Mouse announced that new Simpsons episodes would premiere exclusively on Disney Plus before airing on E4 afterwards. Still, despite not having access to the new episodes, Sky retained the right to show older episodes The Simpsons is available to watch on Disney Plus (Picture: Fox) ‘Sky One’s repeats have continued in earnest throughout 2025 and 2026,’ Wesley noted, adding that Sky One was the only place showing seasons 34 and 35 on TV as they predated the E4 deal. There has been no official word from Sky as to whether The Simpsons has been permanently pulled from schedules. However, as Wesley notes, The Simpsons’ disappearance is strange as the show hasn’t taken a break like this ‘since the early 1990s’.Oh, and if you’re wondering what Sky’s plugged the schedule gap with, it looks like it’s episodes of Animal Control, Best Medicine and Superstore. Metro has contacted Sky for comment. Deals of the Day See London's Christmas lights from an open-top double-decker bus this winter My skin always suffers when the heating goes on but this serum changed that The skincare formula that finally took the guesswork out of my routine Families can save up to 20% on summer 2027 holidays in Club Med's four-day sale Cold mornings are coming and this is the dressing gown I want to live in Arrow MORE: The Simpsons fans hail ‘perfect reveal’ after Apu speaks for first time in 9 years Arrow MORE: Treasure Island lands on streaming services – and 7 more shows to binge this month Arrow MORE: 7 TV shows to binge this October including ‘phenomenal’ Netflix psychological thriller TV Newsletter Sign up and tell us which TV shows you love to watch to get personalised updates every morning.