It's been almost a year since FX acquired the syndication rights to all of The Simpsons , marking the biggest off-network deal in television history. Back in August, the network celebrated the animated show's cable debut with a 12-day marathon on FXX, airing all 552 episodes in a row. Since then, FXX has regularly shown The Simpsons several times a day. But the cabler isn't stopping there. In fact, their biggest undertaking has yet to come...

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Simpsons World main menu on iPad

“ We wanted to look at the new paradigms that we're seeing in this SVOD space... where people can create playlists and create the [experience] they want."

Simpsons World desktop homepage

On October 21st (yep, tomorrow!), FX will launch Simpsons World, an all-new app that lets fans watch any episode of The Simpsons at any time, on any device. (While clips are available to anyone, full episodes are only accessible to authenticated users.) We were shown a demo of the app recently on the Fox Lot, and from what we saw, it looks very, very promising. The layout is super intuitive and offers a unique experience unlike any other SVOD app."We recognize that The Simpsons was found linearly on television for the last 25-plus years in syndication, where any episode could be served up in a given night," said FX Networks COO Chuck Saftler. "If you just flipped on the TV, anywhere across the country, you'd find an episode, and that was a great, easy experience. But we wanted to look at the new paradigms that we're seeing in this SVOD space, this non-linear space, where people can create playlists and create the [experience] they want."Essentially, Simpsons World caters to both viewing experiences. When you launch the app, a random Simpsons episode immediately starts playing, much in the same way it would on TV. From there, you can browse through individual seasons or check out new content in the "Everything Simpsons" feed below.However, my personal favorite part of browsing is the popularity feature. Basically, it gives you a visual bar graph that lets you know which episodes are the most watched by users. In this way, you're able to quickly determine the "greatest hits," if you will, in any given season -- perfect for newcomers and casual viewers who want the quintessential Simpsons experience.

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Simpsons World popularity feature on iPad

“ We'll make it easy for you. We'll curate for you; you can curate for you; you can curate for

Simpsons World episode browsing on Xbox One

In addition to all 552 episodes (and counting!), the app includes a ton of interactive features that fans will dig. Interestingly, the Simpsons World title comes from a book Matt Groening did for the show's 20th anniversary -- kind of a Simpsons encyclopedia filled with details on individual episodes and characters. By the same token, the app allows fans to browse through behind-the-scenes content for whichever episode they may be watching.The app also includes a number of curated playlists -- collections of themed clips and episodes. As Landgraf mentioned, the possibilities here are endless, and Simpsons World plans to take advantage of those possibilities. For instance, if a Krusty the Clown-themed episode debuted on FOX one week (like the recent premiere), then Simpsons World would curate a playlist to accompany that -- something like "Krusty's Top 10 Memorable Moments." Or around Halloween time, say, the app might introduce a playlist combining all the Treehouse of Horror episodes.Regarding playlists, Shaftler explained, "We'll make it easy for you. We'll curate for you; you can curate for you; you can curate for us. It can be lean-forward; it can be lean-back."On top of that, Simpsons World has a staggeringly comprehensive search feature in the works, which allows users to search for clips and episodes based on characters, locations, quotes and more. This was accomplished by the dev team poring over every episode and inputting text from closed captioning, wiki entries and even episode scripts. So, theoretically, if you wanted to find every scene that takes place at Springfield Elementary, you could. If you wanted to watch every episode with Snake in it, you could. If you wanted to track down every instance of Nelson Muntz saying "Ha ha!" you probably totally could.To sum up, with a show this vast and this open-ended, it only makes sense that The Simpsons' streaming experience be just as visceral and expansive. And I think Simpsons World is well on its way to achieving just that.

Simpsons World arrives on desktop, iOS, Android, Xbox Live, Apple TV and Samsung Smart TV on October 21st. To access the App, you will need to be authenticated as having FXX via your cable or satellite provider.Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love by following @Max_Nicholson on Twitter, or MaxNicholson on IGN.