Fox Follows 'Grease: Live' With Unique Live 'Simpsons' Stunt

With cord-cutting being the trend these days, the major networks are trying everything to get viewers to tune in live. While staging musicals may be one of the favorite methods, Twenty-First Century Fox Inc(NASDAQ: FOXA) just introduced a new one that will get analysts buzzing.

During the May 15 episode of "The Simpsons," series patriarch Homer Simpson will address his fanbase…live. Homer will answer viewer questions for three minutes for both the East and West Coast feeds of the iconic series.

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Usually animated series are impossible to do live given the format, but the team behind "The Simpsons" believes they have a way around the issue. The series will utilize stop-motion technology previously tested on sister-network Fox Sports to give Homer the ability to discuss current events.

D'oh! Talk To Homer

Fans can tweet potential questions for Homer using hashtag #HomerLive beginning Sunday, May 1 through Wednesday, May 4. Series producers need the questions submitted ahead of time in order to ensure usage permission from the people sending them, but promise Homer will find multiple ways to prove this is a live event.

Having seen strong ratings from last month's "Grease: Live," Fox is continuing to dip its toe farther and farther into the live TV waters. In addition to "The Simpsons" stunt, the network has two more musicals on the books including "The Passion" timed to Easter and "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," which presumably will be tied to Halloween.

Image Credit: Public Domain