The Simpsons Showrunner Reveals How the Series Will End: 'Not Made to End'

The Simpsons is continuing its remarkable television journey with its 36th season. After opening the season with parodies of famous series finales, showrunner Matt Selman has shared insights about how television's longest-running animated series might eventually conclude.

A Legacy of Animation

Since its debut in 1989, The Simpsons has held the distinguished title of America's longest-running prime-time television series. The show entered a new era in 2019 when Disney acquired Fox's major assets, bringing the iconic animated series under the Disney umbrella. Since then, Disney has consistently renewed the series, with new episodes continuing to delight audiences since season 30.

The Future of Springfield

In a recent interview with The New York Post, Selman discussed the show's potential ending, emphasizing that the series finale should tell "a really good story about family." He explained that the season 36 premiere, which parodied various series finales, was inspired by the seemingly impossible task of ending such an enduring show satisfactorily.

"The whole argument about how hard it would be to do a finale is what led to the fake finale," Selman explained. "It seems like an impossible thing to do. This show wasn't made to end. It would be really cliché to do some crazy series finale like so many other shows have done. So we just did an over-the-top finale right at the start."

A Different Approach to Endings

Selman envisions a more understated conclusion for the series. "The characters in this crazy show don't age. I think we'll just pick an episode later and say that was the last one. There's no finale indicators. No single joke about it being the end."

Adding a touch of humor to the speculation, Selman joked, "The final episode will be a parody of A Christmas Carol with Mr. Burns as Scrooge. The laziest idea!" He also noted that many people's expectations for the finale are based on their experience with other series endings, which The Simpsons has already addressed through its parodies of shows like The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, and Succession.

Carolyn Omine, one of the show's writers, shared her perspective on the challenge of planning an ending: "I've heard several people say, 'I think it should be this,' or 'I think it should be that.' It's very difficult because what the show is keeps changing. So you can't really have an idea that you've been carrying around in your pocket."

The Future Remains Unwritten

As of now, The Simpsons hasn't received official confirmation for a 37th season, leaving fans wondering if the 36th season finale might serve as the series' conclusion.