AS THE much-loved cartoon The Simpsons heads towards celebrating a whopping 800 episodes, the show’s boss has revealed plans for a “series finale”.
Current showrunner Matt Selman has addressed the future of the beloved series, which may or may not please fans.
The Simpsons first landed on TV screens in 1989, and has been a fan favourite ever since.
The cartoon – which follows the lives of Homer, Bart, Lisa, Marge and Maggie – has been running for 37 seasons.
The Simpsons was previously renewed through to season 40, ensuring the series will run at least until the 2028-2029 and produce three more series of the show.
But what will happen after?
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Addressing how the future of The Simpsons, boss Matt talked about “how” they might eventually conclude the much-loved cartoon.
In a new interview with The Wrap, “If the show ever did end, there’s no finale, it would just be a regular episode that has the family in it. Probably a little Easter egg here and there, but no ‘I’m going to miss this place’.”
Continuing, he said: “We did an episode about a year-and-a-half ago that was like a parody of the series finale.
“We jammed every possible series finale concept into one show, so that was sort of my way of saying ‘We’re never going to do a series finale’. We did a series finale in the middle of the show that made fun of all the ideas of wrapping everything up or ending.”
Matt added: “The show isn’t supposed to change. The characters reset every week.”
Speaking about The Simpsons 800th celebratory episode, the showrunner said: “We just want to make every separate episode its own amazing little mini movie that stands on its own and is original from the other 799.
“It’s a hard challenge, but it’s a really fun challenge, that quest for originality; and to really be worthy of the mantle of making a TV show where we can kind of do whatever we want and people still seem to like it.”
This latest news comes after it was revealed how The Simpsons heading back to the big screen nearly two decades after their first movie hit cinemas.
A brand-new film based on the long-running Fox animated series is scheduled to be released in July 2027.
It will be the first Simpsons feature since the 2007 movie, which came after more than 400 episodes of the series.
The news was confirmed by 20th Century Studios on Instagram in September, with a picture of Homer Simpson clutching a pink sprinkle donut in the shape of the number 2.
The caption teased: “Homer’s coming back for seconds.”
The 2007 movie received mixed reviews from critics but was embraced by fans, who had followed the show for more than 20 years by that point.
Speaking to Variety earlier this year, showrunner Matt Selman credited streaming platforms with keeping the series alive for new generations.
He said: “The streaming platforms have helped the series remain popular.
“Now instead of the kids watching it on local TV in the afternoon, they can just watch it all, all the time, all day, all forever.”
No details of the new film’s plot have been revealed, but excitement is already building as Springfield prepares for its return to cinemas in 2027.
