Longtime “The Simpsons” author Carolyn Omine  was dealt just a few private setbacks the previous few years, as each her father and sister died — whereas she was additionally dealing with the skilled uncertainty that got here with the Hollywood strikes.

As Omine confronted these onerous moments, she discovered escape in watching movies of English mentalist and illusionist Derren Brown. The clips of Brown present him enjoying pranks on folks — not in a mean-spirited approach, however relatively to discover human habits. “There was one thing very transferring about them,” Omine says. “One thing that type of mirrored the simply the great thing about what human beings are.”

When the strikes ended, “The Simpsons” discovered itself on an accelerated timetable to provide its first-ever unique episode for Disney+, a Christmas-themed particular that premiered Dec. 17 (timed to the 35^th anniversary of the first-ever “Simpsons” half hour, “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fireplace,” which premiered on that date in 1989).

“We had been, like, six months behind,” she says. “And usually, I’d most likely simply not have finished an episode that 12 months, as a result of I had simply been going by a lot. However it was all palms on deck. All people’s acquired to do one thing as a result of we had been so behind.” That’s when she pitched the thought for what would grow to be “O C’mon All Ye Trustworthy,” impressed partly by Brown. “I simply needed one thing uplifting and type of soul nourishing not directly,” she says.

Within the episode, Brown involves Springfield to see if he can persuade the dour city to revive a few of its Christmas cheer. He zeroes in on Homer Simpson, who’s established as a horrible reward giver, and hypnotizes him to see if Homer will be satisfied in any other case. Homer winds up believing he’s Santa Claus — and Springfield falls in love with Santa Homer.

However that’s all prelude to the even deeper story that comes mid-way by the episode, when Ned Flanders has a disaster of religion. In the end, it’s a mixture of Brown, Prof. Frink and a bit of magic that brings him again.

Selection spoke to Omine concerning the episode, together with what it was like to usher in visitor stars Brown, Pentatonix and Patti LaBelle. She additionally addresses how a surprisingly mature Homer interacts with Ralph Wiggum (who indicators on as his elf) and the serendipity on the finish of the episode.

How did you choose a person of science, Prof. Frink, being the character who brings again Ned Flanders’ religion?

I assumed, effectively, if we did take away Ned’s religion, we most likely ought to give it again by the top of the episode. After which that turned this factor of, how do you try this with out it simply being tremendous simple? It will be simple to cheat, as a result of we’ve really proven God as a personality. He may have simply proven up and went, ‘hey, right here I’m. Consider in me, I’m actual!’ However how would you give Ned again his religion, simply utilizing the issues that an actual particular person would have at his disposal, to attempt to discover a motive to imagine in the next energy?

I used to be listening to KCRW, and there was this lady who had spoken about happening a brilliant deep dive with a type of experimental submarines, the place she had gone under the abyssal zone and the hadal zone, and simply seeing these creatures that logically mustn’t exist. She talked about the way it was this transferring expertise, as a result of it did form of make her understand that something can occur. I preferred the concept that Frink could be the one that may be, surprisingly, not utterly dismissive of the thought of God.

Frink is open to the thought of God, and I didn’t count on that.

The quote he says was really Einstein’s reply when folks requested him if he believed in God. ‘I see God within the orderly concord of nature.’

The submarine that Frink and Ned take jogged my memory, in fact, of the Ocean Gate submersible that broke aside whereas attempting to go to the Titanic website. Was that at the back of your thoughts?

Positively the thought of it imploding and even that Frink is just a bit irresponsible. Then it seems that’s, it was all only a joke. I had initially deliberate that in the long run, if you discover out about that it was all simply a part of a Darren Brown experiment, that it was even the yoke, was one thing that Derek Brown had finished. However I had a pal who, really  simply handed away, however he was very sick, and I used to be pitching him the story. And after I advised him that Ned takes his breath by the yoke, he was like, ‘Oh, that’s so stunning.’ Then I advised him that it was all a trick. He was like, ‘Can I simply be sincere with you? That breaks my coronary heart.” I spotted, you realize what, let’s go away in that there’s some magic.

Even Derren in the end believes in a bit of little bit of magic with the bow tie reward he will get from Homer. How did Derren Brown react if you pitched him his position?

Usually if we’re going base one thing a lot on someone, we’d first ask them. However I wrote all of it, and acquired it to the place we had the story damaged, and we wrote the script. Then we simply despatched it to him. And I form of crossed my fingers. I used to be like, ‘effectively, if he doesn’t need to do it, perhaps we’ll simply make up an individual that was like him.’ He wrote again instantly, and stated sure.

Did he stay as much as expectations?

He completely did. Usually we document all people over zoom, however I had gone from LA to New York as a result of  Hank Azaria had his large sixtieth birthday celebration. After which it simply so occurred that Derren was free. So I justified it in my head that like, effectively, I may fly again to LA or may fly on to London. So I did fly out to London to document him, and I felt that it was most likely additionally price it for the episode too, as a result of it was such an enormous half.

He’s such an enormous a part of this episode, had been you fearful whether or not or not he may ship?

I had fairly good religion that he would most likely be good, as a result of he’s such a showman. There may be a whole lot of performing in that magicianship. However I used to be actually pleasantly shocked at how good he was. I assumed his timing was actually wonderful and humorous. And when he wanted to be candy, he was candy. There have been simply many moments the place I used to be like, ‘that’s good.’

Did he have any notes when it comes to, ‘I’d say it like this,’ or ‘that is how I’d describe my course of’?

No, he didn’t. I did watch loads, so perhaps I used to be fairly shut. He’s really easy going, and was utterly fantastic with it — as a result of there’s some moments  that type of make enjoyable of him. When he was doing the scenes the place he hypnotized Homer, he virtually had a tough time saying the road, as a result of he simply stored laughing on the thought!

Talking of Homer, we see a extra mature Homer, perhaps greater than  we’ve seen lately. As soon as he recovers, he has a reasonably good head on his shoulders. It was in some methods form of refreshing to see some that. How would you describe Homer on this episode?

I’m very protecting of Homer. Even in that first second buying if you see him sitting within the males’s division and Maggie’s placing glasses on his head, I used to be like, make certain he doesn’t look bored. Ensure he seems to be engaged along with her. As a result of I need it to be very clear that Homer doesn’t dislike Christmas as a result of it’s a problem, or that he hates shopping for presents for folks. I needed it to be very clear that he hates shopping for presents as a result of he thinks he’s dangerous at it, and that he thinks he’s disappointing folks.

As soon as he turns into Santa, I needed him to be type of just like the Peter Sellers character in ‘Being There,’ the place he’s serene and at peace and perhaps a few of his genius is being assigned to him. Then in the long run, when he wakes up, we’re attempting to discover this different thought of religion, which is, hypnotism is mainly energy of suggestion. Any person advised him, ‘you realize precisely tips on how to purchase the perfect presents for folks.’ In fact, Homer takes it into that means that he’s Santa, however as soon as he believes he’s Santa, he believes he can provide folks the reward that they need, and he’s ready to do that factor. As soon as he’s snapped out of it, he form of needs to have the ability to imagine that approach once more. I don’t prefer it when Homer is typically  like a meals monster and  a whole raging id. As a result of I do assume he does have a need to be particular person.

The best way he interacts with Ralph is actually touching.

We’ve  probably not had Homer and Ralph work together. It’s form of good in any case these years to go, that is such an attention-grabbing pairing that we haven’t actually seen. It’s simply really easy to jot down  this relationship. One of many actual presents about writing for The Simpsons right now, the characters have such a wealthy backstory.

It’s excellent, as a result of who’s the one character in in Springfield who Homer has an edge on? Ralph.

They each have a candy, dumb-dumb high quality. It’s matchup. Simply the concept that the city finds one thing to imagine in, which is Homer for a quick interval, it tickled me.

How did you land on Pentatonix and Patti LaBelle to supply the music?

Once I grew up, my mom actually preferred Mahalia Jackson, so my Christmas album was all the time the Mahalia Jackson Christmas album, and particularly ‘Silent Night time.’ We actually wanted a singer that might  ship that form of soulfulness, singing these lyrics which are a bit of, I don’t need to say sacrilegious, however they are surely about feeling like God is gone. For somebody like Ned, it’s essentially the most terrifying, unhappy thought he may have.

I knew it was going to be nice, as a result of it’s Patti LaBelle. When she sang we had been all in tears. I wasn’t anticipating to be as moved as I used to be.  She did it perhaps 4 occasions, and every time was utterly totally different. To have this recording session that was so emotional and delightful, afterward, we had been all simply speaking about how we had been  full of goosebumps. It was past any dream we may have had of how good that was.

After which Pentatonix, they did their association themselves with their producer. Our music folks, Kara Talve and Russell Emanuel and Jake Schaefer, all of them are a part of Bleeding Fingers Music. They’re musical folks. And but, watching Pentatonix, they had been identical to, ‘holy crap!’ These guys are so exact. They had been so sport and so enthusiastic concerning the present. That they had requested if they may do the fly by, which is the opening credit when ‘The Simpsons’ phrases come out. They hit it so good.

Usually there’s such an extended lead time to creating ‘Simpsons’ episodes, however you had been on a brief deadline for this one. How shortly did you need to work?

We discovered that to premiere on Disney+, which is the primary time we’ve finished that, all the things needed to be finished by October 17, in order that they might have two months to translate and dub it into all of the totally different languages. We had already dedicated to doing this double Christmas episode. So we didn’t have as a lot of a rewrite. We needed to actually decide and select what we may do, as a result of we’re restricted by money and time. Fortunately, understanding that we had been going to be very tight, we actually had been form of obsessive concerning the first half concerning the storyboards and the animatics to attempt and ensure we acquired that half proper. As soon as we acquired the colour again, we needed to edit it and rating it and blend it in fast succession. It was form of a loopy October.

It’s solely as a result of  we’re such a well-oiled machine, that everyone may form of step up and try this. Our mixers are so good, and our music, folks like Kara, compose all that in actually simply a few days. It’s actually insane.