The writing seems to try to tell a good story first and then add jokes in where they work, unlike trying to put as many jokes in a flimsy story as possible. They also handle character like Marge a lot more like the early seasons.
Fron what I heard it’s because the pandemic forced them to have less writers with more agency on each episode. It’s not every episode, but there are definitely a handful of banger.
A Serious Flanders works way better than it has any right to do so