One of the big perks of having Disney+ is that you can now watch the first 19 seasons of The Simpsons on-demand. Unfortunately, an oversight in planning led to the show being uploaded to the streaming network in the wrong aspect ratio.
When the Simpsons first started airing in 1989, the show aired in 4:3 aspect ratio, but it changed to 16:9 when the show changed in its 200th season to accommodate HD TVs and wider screens. In an attempt to have all shows stream in the same aspect ratio, Disney cropped the earlier episodes so that they would fit into the same 16:9 box. Unfortunately, this ended up cutting out big visual gags and even story details for viewers.
Now, after several months of people asking for it on the internet, Disney has announced that a fix is in the works:
“We appreciate our fans’ patience and are working to make the first 19 Seasons (and part of 20) of [The Simpsos] available in 4:3 versions on [Disney Plus],” the company wrote. “We expect to accomplish this by the end of May.”