'The Simpsons' Treehouse of Horror Clip Features Surprise 'Futurama', 'The Orville' Cameos

The Simpsons' annual Treehouse of Horror Halloween episode is right around the corner and a new clip reveals surprise cameos by ships from Futurama and The Orville.

One of the stories in "Treehouse of Horror XXIX" involves a cloud of body-snatching plant spores making their way to Earth and landing in Springfield. The clip shows the spores making that trip. Along the way, they pass by the Planet Express Ship trailing a sign that reads "Bring Back Futurama." After a moment, the USS Orville arrives and opens fire on the Planet Express Ship, obliterating it.

You can watch the clip in the video above.

For a quick gag, this clip actually has some layers. The Simpsons has been on FOX for 30 years. Futurama was created Simpsons creator Matt Groening and aired on FOX from 1999-2003. After its cancelation, the series found new popularity in syndication on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block. This popularity eventually led to a series of four direct-to-video movies and new episodes on Comedy Central. Longtime fans of the series have long held a grudge against FOX for canceling the show.

The Orville is another FOX series. It was created by Seth MacFarlane, who also created several FOX animated shows, most notably Family Guy. With this clip, FOX and Groening seem to be sending the message that if you're looking for sci-fi comedy like Futurama, then The Orville is the place to be.

Both Futurama and MacFarlane's Family Guy have crossed over with The Simpsons previously. In the season 26 episode of The Simspons titled "Simpsorama," the Planet Express crew traveled to Springfield to stop the Simpson family from accidentally destroying the future.

The Family Guy Season 13 premiere episode was titled "The Simpsons Guy." The episode saw the Griffins make a trip to Springfield, where they met the Simpsons.

The Orville just wrapped production on its second season. When it debuted in 2017, MacFarlane's comedic love letter to Star Trek: The Next Generation was FOX's biggest new series premiere since Empire debuted in 2015. The new season is set to debut on December 30th following FOX's Sunday Night Football. The Orville will then return to its usual Thursday night time slot.

What do you think of the Futurama and The Orville cameos in The Simpsons "Treehouse of Horrors XXIX"? Let us know what you think in the comments!

The Simpsons "Treehouse of Horror XIX" airs Sunday, October 21st at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

Source: TV Line